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people listening to the music thru $20,000.00 stereos and whities on the moon.....
A Proper Procedure
Music, for example. Buying music is an investment.
To get the maximum you must
LISTEN TO IT FOR THE FIRST TIME UNDER OPTIMUM CONDITIONS.
Not in your car or on a portable player through a headset.
Take it home.
Get rid of all distractions (even her or him).
Turn off your cell phone.
Turn off everything that rings or beeps or rattles or whistles.
Make yourself comfortable.
Play your LP.
LISTEN all the way through.
Think about what you got.
Think about who would appreciate the investment.
Decide if there is someone to share this with.
Turn it on again.
Enjoy Yourself.
—Gil Scott-Heron
***
These are the liner notes to I’m New Here, the latest from Gil Scott-Heron. Back when this blog was new, I used a Smog song as inspiration. Now, Gil Scott-Heron has done the same for his new double-LP. It’s so fat and heavy and lovely that it nearly bursts from its pointless packaging. It can’t be contained by shrink-wrap. It practically opens itself, undoes itself.
I haven’t listened to the album yet. I’ve only caressed it and smelled it and looked lovingly upon it. I listened to a couple of songs on NPR, though, and they’re very good. I’m sure I will enjoy this album (as soon as I can raise the humidity level in my apartment to something less Sahara-like). But I just wanted to share these liner notes with you right away.
We should all listen to what Gil Scott-Heron has to say.
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COMMENTS
Submitted by Dr. Herzenstube (not verified) on February 16, 2010 - 8:58pm
I like the quote from GSH above. While I don't disagree, I believe in a corollary: Give your music more than one chance. Listen to it in different moods. Listen to it while sweeping the foor, while sewing a button, while jogging in the park, while dancing (vertically or horizontally) with your loved one, while sitting in your dedicated listening room and just listening, while looking at the liner notes. Let the music hit you from a bunch of different angles, because it may not really touch you until it catches you at just the right moment, where the mood, the sensory mileu, your hormonal state, and who knows what else, are all aligned. But once it does, part of that moment will stay with you every other time you listen to it.
Submitted by Ron (not verified) on February 17, 2010 - 6:19am
Uh, no. Not every band deserves me plunking down $25 ~ $50 for vinyl. Downloads are fine (paid for and legally downloaded) to preview new bands. For those that have really caught my attention I'll be more than happy to shell out for a vinyl copy.
Submitted by john (not verified) on February 17, 2010 - 8:09am
GSH harkens back to an earlier time - really not so long ago - when we did not have such a shit-load of the fogging noise of ubiquitous technology infecting our lives"... Take it home. Get rid of all distractions (even her or him).Turn off your cell phone.Turn off everything that rings or beeps or rattles or whistles."...I have missed the music of GSH. His voice may not be liquid smooth, but we have all gone through changes and struggles and carry on as best we can: his message stands fast. I welcome his return. Off I go to purchase the evidence of his return.
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