One of the most significant albums to influence my
conception of what an album experience should be is the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. I was fortunate to have
parents that introduced me to the Beatles at a young age (although I was too
young to really know exactly what I was hearing…that appreciation came much
later). Throughout my life, I always returned to this particular album with the
same feeling….as if I were going to a show (in the theatrical sense). Each
track has its own color and story to tell and no matter how varied the instrumentation,
everything sounds like it belongs together. In general, the Beatles never
hesitated to mix instrumentation (and styles) within the same album (especially
during the later years). In contrast, there has been a trend for several
decades now in which artists release albums that feature the same
instrumentation, same production……same sound. While this has its merits from a
marketing standpoint, I’m personally much more attracted to the Beatles’
approach – especially when applied to my own music. Bear in mind that there can be
drawbacks to an album with such diversity in style and production; record labels
might be reluctant to sign an artist whose music doesn’t fit neatly into a
marketable category…this is a real issue which I’ve experienced myself! Be that
as it may, I’ll continue to search for the right situation for a future record
label as I want to stay true to the creative freedom that I’ve enjoyed so much
in the work of the Beatles. If I can come even a little close to creating a stimulating listening
journey as the Beatles did in their various albums (a Magical Mystery Tour, if you will ;),
then I’ll be that much closer to returning the gift that was given to me by one of the best bands of the 20th / 21st century.