Monday, January 22, 2007

Digitized Life

I've spent a good part of 2007's weekends ripping my CDs to mp3. The most irritating part of this process involves the few rap and R&B albums I own -- deleting the skits found at the end of songs.

I can't imagine why rap artists decided that their albums should be half music and half radioplay. For example, Lauryn Hill's debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, was strong enough to earn her a Grammy award for Best New Artist. All Grammy jokes aside, everyone involved with making that album had to know that it was outstanding. So why did she (or her producer, or her record label) decide that its was necessary to supplement those songs? And my god, why did they choose to supplement them with an extensive, philosophy-meets-Kids-Say-The-Darndest-Things conversation about love between Wyclef Jean and schoolchildren?

Other notes:

*If you're saving your files at any bit rate less than 192 kpbs, I hate you.

*People don't love iPods, they love having all of their music in one place.

*Now that I've ripped those 6 Dave Matthews Band songs I still enjoy, I can sell back their first two albums. It's been a long time coming.

*Should I ever own and iPod or other digital audio player, I can't wait for the moment when someone drills down on my Sheryl Crow, and sees that I have selections from nearly all of her albums. I will be very popular.

*Michael Showalter made references to both of these artists during his standup appearance last fall. Sheryl Crow was the funnier bit:

I hide Sheryl Crow songs under "Cat Power" in my iPod. People see it and go, "Oh my God! You like Cat Power?"

"Yeah, totally, she's the best!"

"What's your favorite song?"

"I know, right?!"

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