Anatomy of an Album

Sometimes it's tricky to know whether to buy a whole CD or just download your favorite singles.  From listening to literally thousands of albums, I have discovered that record companies use a formula for determining the line-up of songs.  It goes something like this.  The first song on the CD will (almost always) be the second-best song on the whole album.  Reversing that, you get the best song in the #2 position.  The third best song usually comes in around track 5 or 6.  If you have a truly superior album, then other hit singles will fall in toward 9 or 10, then in-between.  What does this mean?  Well, for one thing, when you are listening to a CD (or even just clips) for the first time, if the first and second tracks don't sound good to you, don't even bother listening to the rest.  If, however, you do like those, then you can make the decision to listen to some or all of the rest of the tracks, or take a punt and purchase the whole album.  I personally favor buying the entire album because occasionally you find a hidden gem in the later tracks.  Also, I feel like you're supporting the artist and the music industry as a whole, which in turn encourages new musical artistry.  A note about sources:  if you know your favorite genre of music, find a music magazine that caters to your tastes and subscribe to it.  My personal favorite is PASTE magazine, which leans toward alternative music.  With a subscription, you get the magazine, yes, but you also get a CD with a compilation of songs by upcoming artists, an online magazine, and free downloads.  But... since I don't just listen to alternative, I look to other sources as well.  Drink coffee?  Starbucks gives a free download Pick of the Week every Tuesday.  This week's pick is Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings.  Online?  Amazon.com allows you to listen to clips for almost all of the albums they carry.  My go-to brick and mortar store?  Barnes & Noble.  They have great listening stations and have special displays for artists and styles you might otherwise miss.  Traveling?  Always stop into a music store in a foreign country (or even out-of-state).  Although it's not easy to find listening stations, you can still pay attention to what's playing on their store speakers.  And ask about what's popular with their customers.  It's a little riskier than previewing a CD yourself, but you can still strike it rich.  When I was in England last year, I caught a snippet of Little Boots and bought her album.  It is  fabulous and it's only just now showing up in America.  However, if you don't have the time to do your own research, I have done a lot of the legwork for you.  Go to the top of this page to Nightingale's Treasures.  Under MP3s, you'll find links to all of the songs from my blogs (powered by amazon).  Just click on MP3s, then on the name of the blog.  Under Albums, you'll see my choices for CD's that are worth every penny of the full album price.  Both sections will be updated frequently.  In the meantime, happy musical hunting!