My First Time: Glad

Back in the 80's, I bought my first CD player.  While most music purists bitched that the sound was not as clean as albums, I didn't care.  No more using a record player with a damn stylus.  Never being one of those zealots who had their record collection in pristine condition, I was perfectly happy to take a CD out of its case,  plop it into the drawer, hit close and then play.  No scratches, no clicks, no hissing...just music.  Does it sound the same...no, but for me it was good enough.

What I do miss about the extinction of the record album is the artwork.  From the 60's to the mid-80's, the industry that was cover art, was alive and kicking.  If you knew the artist who did the cover without looking at the credits, there was a sense of being an insider...part of an underground community.

Today, CDs are rapidly going the way of the dinosaur.  Downloads of individual songs are quickly replacing buying entire albums.  Except for an occasional one-hit wonder that entertains me, I still feel the need to pick up a full CD.  I always like to taste just what the musician had in mind when it was recorded.  Some songs you might like immediately, while some take a few listens to enjoy.  While I like instant gratification as much as the next person, there's something to be said for savoring a new lyric or melody...appreciating it more each time.

So, today's tasty treat is the first song of the first CD I ever bought. "Glad" by Traffic, off the John Barleycorn Must Die CD.  I could not wait to get home and hear Steve Winwood pounding on the piano...bring up the sax and whack on that bass...so fine.

Feast on it.