It’s been awhile since I’ve went out and bought an album. I went on a hiatus for a little while because an airport mishap in the Philippines lost me a bunch of albums I really loved. I was discouraged from buying albums for awhile because of that mishap, and I’d just download ZIP files of albums online from SoundCloud and torrent sites instead. I’d check some stores out every now and then for some cheap albums, particularly the thrift shops around the suburbs, but I wouldn’t really spend as much money on them as I would’ve last year. However, I walked by JB Hi-Fi this afternoon on my way down to Britomart, and I saw they had a sale going on for music. I immediately got caught up in browsing CDs again once I recognised some albums I admired but never got to own. I walked up and down the 3 aisles of the shop, where they kept every album they had in stock, for a little-bit over an hour. Ironically, I ended up only purchasing Lauryn Hill’s “Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill” and Gladys Knight & The Pips’ “Letter Full Of Tears” for $15.
Lauryn Hill and Gladys Knight are actually connected musically through a Wu-Tang Clan sample. The Wu-Tang Clan sampled Gladys Knights’ “The Way We Were / Try to Remember” from 1974, for their debut album’s song, “Can It Be All So Simple” in 1993, that same song by the Wu-Tang was then lifted and used as a sample for Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor” in 1998. I didn’t even realise the sample-connection between the two artists at first, I just bought their albums because it was well within my budget, and I already had an established appreciation for the two artists’ works, especially Lauryn’s “Nothing Even Matters (Ft. D’angelo)” and Gladys’ part in “That’s What Friends Are For (Ft. Stevie Wonder, Elton John, and Dionne Warwick)”. I love that cosmic-type of connection though, it really makes me appreciate how 2 songs with a 24 year-gap between them, and how 2 artists from different generations, are connected in a particular way through sampling (and The Wu-Tang Clan).
I don’t even know why I’m up at 3:06 AM, writing this on a Tuesday night before school. Perhaps I’m just too restless, or maybe I’m just procrastinating about my assignments. Maybe I was just inspired to write about my feelings from the albums I bought too, but as of now, I’m re-listening to some albums I really loved and already have in my CD collection (I’m listening to Grover Washington Jr.’s “Winelight” as I’m writing this). I can’t wait to buy some more albums soon, but you guys could help me out too by donating an album (any D’angelo or John Coltrane album will be very much appreciated).
The frustration and constant questioning about which album(s) you should buy, the little sighs you make when you have to make the decision to place an album back to where you found it, the moments of genuine thrill when you find an album you love, the imaginary-scenarios you have in your head when you’re just a few dollars short of buying every album you wanted to. Those types of things were some of what I went through today. It also reminded me about what made album-shopping so pleasurable for me. If only I had an extra $2 though, I would’ve been able to purchase John Coltrane’s “My Favourite Things” too…
ATCVU 