Liner Notes

Caturtle · #1 11-16-2005, 02:11 PM

Acceptable:

1. A short concise list of names for thanking.
2. Succinct dedications
3. No liner notes

Not acceptable:

1. Diatribes outlining the trials and tribulations of how you got to "this level". We don't care.
2. Prose summary of your recording methods. We don't care.
3. Individually written liner notes by every member in the band. Why god why?
4. Thanking everyone you know and have barely known your entire life.
5. Printing liner notes but no lyrics: It's oxymoronic!

I can understand liner notes on re-releases, box sets, and "best of" compliations... but please.. spare me...

johnS · #2 11-16-2005, 02:39 PM

Hands down, the most pretentious liner notes I've ever read were the ones for Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation. I love "Teenage Riot," but come on guys . . .

Scope it:

http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/lp/lp6.html

Scroll down to the part with the heading "Liner Notes." I dare you not to gack.

dolivas · #3 11-16-2005, 03:32 PM

haha those Sonic Youth liner notes are over the top. That i would agree would not what liner notes are meant for.

If anyone has a vinyl copy of Steely Dan's Aja you can see a more succint, sincere, straight to the point version of whatever Sonic Youth was trying to do there in Aja's liner note.

Now for crass liner notes I would chock those up to Dirty South rap releases. The liner notes, or to be precise liner bootleg-photoshops, are just pages upon pages of album covers for other artists on their label with nary a page devoted to actually hiring a album designer with good taste rather than a love of bling fonts and hot women images. Most of the techno outfits fall for the same trap with a bunch of ugly Photoshops or Maya stuff that is suppose to mimic actual abstract art.

But anyways if you're a true artiste the liner notes should be a way to extend a theme of an album or some s--- like that.

Caturtle · #4 11-16-2005, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnS

Hands down, the most pretentious liner notes I've ever read were the ones for Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation. I love "Teenage Riot," but come on guys . . .

Scope it:

http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/lp/lp6.html

Scroll down to the part with the heading "Liner Notes." I dare you not to gack.

I'm a sonic youth fan and even I must kowtow and admit that yes..that was extremely pretentious....but I still love them.

johnS · #5 11-17-2005, 05:52 PM

yeah, I really like that album. They just shouldn't have hired a grad student to write their liner notes!

Caturtle · #6 11-17-2005, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnS

yeah, I really like that album. They just shouldn't have hired a grad student to write their liner notes!

I detest grad students more than liner notes. Bastards.

lukedavo · #7 11-22-2005, 09:00 PM

Caturtle wrote:"2. Prose summary of your recording methods. We don't care.
3. Individually written liner notes by every member in the band. Why god why?"

I care, one of the only reasons why I would even buy an album nowadays is to get this info, and since its almost always online, I dont buy albums unless they are used and no more than $4. Boston's Third Stage has kick ass liner notes, that explain why and how it took them 6 years to make the album. I think it is important to get at least some inside info. JMO