CD PARAPHERNALIA!

When you buy a CD do you read the booklet that comes with it or is it superfluous?

  I don’t know about you but I always take the booklet out of the plastic box and look at it.

I have been lucky to receive three CD’s as presents this year and this is what I found.

Adele 25’s booklet was disappointing. It contained a selection of black and white photographs of her in the recording studio. I would have preferred that the booklet had printed the lyrics to the songs so that I could sing along with them.  She could have included information about how she came to write the songs or any story attached to the songs.

This would have helped me to understand the process or the feelings that she was going through when writing the album. For instance, where did she get her ideas from? Did she write the lyrics first or the music? Who were the people that she collaborated with on each song?

So much more could be gained from this booklet than a selection of photographs. Even a note written to the buyer would have been welcome.

CD number 2 was, ‘Elvis and the Philharmonic Orchestra.’ The title of each song was given and then underneath it was a list of the musicians who played on the recording. I’m sorry but I’m not really interested in who played the violin or guitar on a particular song.  (Hey! Maybe the musician’s mother would have found it interesting- but not me!)

I would have liked to have known more about why these particular songs were chosen and for what reason.  Possibly some Information about how the album was put together; when and where and finally how long it took to be completed could have been included. I would have liked to find out more about the background history of the orchestra and as an Elvis fan I wanted to know more about him such as information about when he originally recorded the songs.

Coldplay was the next CD I received. In fact this was interesting. The CD came in a very unusual box and the booklet inside was good. The lyrics of each song were written out so that I could follow the songs and sing along if I was so inclined.
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The art work and design of the CD sleeve and the booklet were aesthetically pleasing; basically written in fancy way! I haven’t had a Coldplay CD before and it had a few songs, which I liked instantly and some that I would have to listen to again, which is a sign of a good mixture of music to be found on a CD.

 I just wondered if the booklet was really necessary? I mean it must add to the cost of the production of the CD and that cost is handed on to the customer but who, like me, actually reads it? Maybe to cut down on the costs, a one card design of the title and photograph of the artist is all that is needed?

Who knows, but to those people who are connected with creating this type of booklet; maybe  a little  bit more thought into what goes in it please!

PS  I hope this blog shows you just how eclectic my music taste is! LOL

Thought for the day; Families are like music; some high notes, some low notes but always a beautiful song.

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