Long Players: Writers on the Albums That Shaped Them | 
^p34 Patricia Lockwood on “It‘ll End in Tears” by This Mortal Coil, connecting w/ Liz Fraser‘s voice
P101 Will Harris on Warren G: “Rhythm exceeds what can be said; it transcends material hardship […]. But in the moment of flow, everything becomes synonymous. It‘s a philosophy you feel in your toes, an aporia in which sound and self dissolve and become briefly one whole. Which is to say, you can only understand it while you‘re listening to it.”
pickWriters (mostly Brits) reflect on albums that shaped them. Lovely evocations of deep listening, the way songs interweave into eras, life moments. P109 “One consequence of musical purchases being so fraught with risk for my generation was that we remember the ‘virgin plays‘ of albums for the rest of our lives.” P134 “There is just nothing better in this world than Sly Stone‘s purr. If he doesn‘t make you feel real you must already be dead.” 2021
pickMuch love for this volume of writers & the music they love.Streaming & playlists lack something often described in these essays.Going to the record store , & plunk down that hard earned cash to take home a LP that‘s going to be all you listen to for awhile.Of course,the joy of streaming outlets , you can check out the songs & artists you don‘t know.I was amazed I never came across Steeleye Span!
Today's modest library haul 📚
I only get Once Were Wolves for 2 weeks, so I will start with that one. And I think I will dip in and out of Long Players, as the entries seem pretty bite-sized. I loved The Hunger by Alma Katsu, so I am looking forward to The Deep🤞🏼
pickLong Players, or LP, began as a feature in New Statesman where Tom Gatti is deputy editor. The basic premise is that a noted author can submit a mini-essay on an album that was important to them for a variety of reasons. This book is a collection of 50 of the responses. The albums are varied: ranging from Mozart to Lizzo. However, there is a clear preference for modern music among the contributors & their selections are impressive. One of the👇
I'm not sure how old Gatti is, but judging by his teenage enthusiasm for Radiohead's sophomore album The Bends & the above paragraph, I'm guessing we're about the same age. These albums are 🔥
