Yeah, Who Cares Who Actually Played and Wrote This

Although I only ever owned a handful of actual LPs (at least I didn't have to replace a bunch of them on CD), I've always loved the format. I'm all about album covers, well thought-out running orders, and liner notes. In the age of the iTunes download those things are going the way of the Dodo, of course (and not this Dodo, either).

In yesterday's New York Times there was a story that focused specifically on liner notes:

M[usic] geeks flipping through the CD booklet for Teddy Thompson’s 'A Piece of What You Need,' released last month by Verve Forecast, may be in for a shock. Instead of the names of the musicians and technicians who worked on the album, or any thank-you’s to friends, they’ll find a photo of a beach, followed by a blank panel. A sentence in small type directs listeners to Mr. Thompson’s Web site for 'full album credits and more details.'

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But as anyone who has ever downloaded music knows, the names of the people who wrote, produced and played on songs, not to mention essays and other background information, are almost nowhere to be found on generic MP3’s sitting on hard drives or in iPods.

I know I'm a music geek, and a weird one at that, but I can't imagine people not be interested i knowing who wrote, played, and produced what. It's not just a matter of acknowledging the talent involved. It's a resource for finding out other music you might be interested in. To me, it's like reading a book without looking at the author's name. Or not knowing who directed a movie.

But, like I said, I'm weird that way.