Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with album

Its hard out here for an 8th grade Teacher

allthewhile — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:57:20 -0800

How much money should I try to raise to get 8 kids in a studio, with a producer, to cut some songs? I'm working with 8 inner city students in the city of Chicago. They all have a passion for music, but limited experience with music. They all write, rap, and a few of them can sing like crazy. I just received a kickstarter invitation, and have no idea where I should set my sites. 1. I guess I should call some studios? Does anyone have any suggestions?

2. Any suggestions as to what cost I'm looking at working with someone to create beats, samples, and recording time in the Chicago area, I would appreciate it as well.

What album is so good that you never skip a song?

cranberrymonger — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:56:01 -0800

What album is so good that you never skip a song? You know those albums that peter off halfway through or rely on a couple singles? I don't want 'em! I'm looking for solid albums that are listenable from beginning to end.

I'm partial to rock, folk and pop and not-so-partial to rap.

Help me be less evil

serazin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:20:42 -0800

Is there such a thing as an independent, online music store? It seems to me that Apple and Amazon have a monopoly on online record sales now. I like to buy straight from the label if possible, but it isn't always (like right now I'm trying to buy the Micachu album but its on a British label and I'm in the US).

Is there any independent, online source for music? I'm imagining the Powell's of records.

Where to begin?

papayaninja — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:48:16 -0800

If I want to start listening to [insert artist here] and don't know where to start, is there a website or resource I can use? Where do I start with Frank Zappa? Sonic Youth? David Byrne (post-Talking-Heads)? Nina Simone?

These questions come up all the time, but it's a waste of an AskMe question, and it seems like there ought to be a website devoted to discussion of where to start with each artist. Is there? Metacritic or a bunch of Wikipedia tabs can come up with answers sometimes, but other times it's harder (like right now with Townes Van Zandt.) Does such a site exist somewhere?

How do I get allmusic to display the correct album cover?

ludwig_van — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:05:05 -0800

Any tips for getting allmusic to correct the artwork in their entry on my album? Allmusic.com posted a review of an album I released in 2007. That's great. However, the album cover displayed in the review is wrong. It looks like they scanned the cover of the album with the sheet from the PR company still slapped on top of it. The PR sheet completely obscures the album artwork and it looks very silly. I recently noticed that the album art was displaying this way on someone's computer after they ripped the album, presumably because the artwork was downloaded from the allmusic database.

I have no interest in promoting the PR company and I'd like my album cover to appear the way it was intended. I've notified them via the "corrections to this entry" form on the web site many times since the review was posted, mentioning that I can provide a high-res version of the album cover if necessary. I have never received a response. Is there anything else I can do about this? I can't find a phone number or email address of anyone who can fix this.

Hit me with your best blues artist and album recommendations.

DrDreidel — Tue, 19 May 2009 12:03:58 -0800

Almost every type of music I love is inspired by blues. What are the quintessential blues artists and albums I should explore to really get a basic understanding of the genre?

Dating photos using branding and codes

emilyd22222 — Mon, 18 May 2009 06:34:44 -0800

Is there a way to date photos by using the photo paper branding or the printed serial numbers on the back? I am working on a photo album and trying to sort the pictures by year. They are all photos that were taken between 1985 and 2005, mostly on disposable cameras, and developed at drug/photo stores. I've already looked for timestamps and clues in the pictures, but there are a few that I can't figure out. I'm wondering if it's possible to use the branding on the back of the photo paper or the printed serial number/code to narrow things down. I understand that there are pitfalls to this method (e.g., it could have been old photo paper, the pictures could have been developed long after they were taken), but I'm still hopeful that this could yield some clues, like X branding was only used between 1991 and 1994, for example. I've tried Googling for more info on the years different branding was used, and had no luck.

The photo paper is mainly Fuji and Kodak. I tried to scan/photograph the back so I could post it here, but the gray tones in the branding are so light that they won't show up through either method.

Some examples of the branding:
FUJICOLOR PAPER
THIS PAPER MANUFACTURED BY KODAK
(Logo) FUJICOLOR paper
KodakPAPERKodakPAPER
Kodak Official Sponsor of the Olympic Games
Kodak DuraLife PAPER
(Logo) FUJUFILM Fujicolor Crystal Archive Paper

Some examples of the printed codes:
730 0123 N N N-2 2
955 0124 N N N N 2
98 12 N N N 3 2 (this one is definitely not from '98)

Thanks in advance!

1,500,000 words and no where to keep them

i_am_a_fiesta — Mon, 04 May 2009 01:24:34 -0800

My dad has many boxes of the photographs he took during college 30 years ago. After completing my freshman year, I have equally as many digital pictures saved on my computer. While I would love to make 1500 prints, that isn't very plausible. What's the best way to preserve these pictures and make them easily accessible and viewable in the future? (I might be able to choose 200 or so to make the most accessible and viewable.)

"I you love the beat... 'Scream', the new album from Chris Cornell"

XiBe — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:48:45 -0800

Looking for a specific Spotify audio add (Chris Cornell's). Hey, good people.

For a blogpost I'm writing, I would like to be able to play the audio ad for Chris Cornell's "Scream" album (produced by Timbaland).

I'm trying to catch it using Wire Tap, but it seems they have ceased that campaign once I thought of it.

Does anyone have any idea where I could get the mp3 for the full ad?

Thanks a lot for any pointers.

Online stamp album purchase

althanis — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 15:37:54 -0800

Where to buy a stamp album online? My Dad's an amateur stamp collector, so he has all of them in a little wooden box, and has now retired and has the time to put them all together, etc. However, he has asked me to get him a stamp album for him and I don't know where to get one from.

I checked Amazon, but they only have starter kits for kids. I want to get my dad something really nice, even though he doesn't exactly have rare stamps, and wouldn't mind spending up to about US$50.

I'm not in the US, but can call in and make purchases via telephone using a credit card, and it would have to be delivered to South America.

Hope you guys can help me!

I'm looking for locations in NYC of iconic album covers.

phirleh — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:04:12 -0800

I'm traveling to NYC soon and I'm looking for locations of where iconic album covers were shot. Paul's Boutique by the Beastie Boys taken at Ludlow and Rivington comes to mind, any others?

A song is worth a thousand words

Gungho — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:50:05 -0800

I'm looking for a piece of software that would work like a photo album, except for MP3s. For example, I use the PHP Gallery software on my own website to post pictures. Like Facebook, it lets users leave comments and lets me add captions, etc.

I'd like to do the same with MP3s, ideally with an embedded player.

Facebook lets you link to MP3s on other sites, but there doesn't seem to be a way to organize them into "albums" like you can with photos. You can just post link after link to your profile, but that's not what I'm looking for.

Any suggestions?

Help me find an album from the 70s that was never released

phunniemee — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:12:38 -0800

Once upon a time (the seventies), there existed a Lincoln Majorca live album that stores used to sell stereo equipment. Help me figure out what it was and where it can be found (on CD or mp3). Here are the details as my parents remember them:

It was a single live cut by Lincoln Majorca, and was entirely instrumental save for one piece by Thelma Huston. Songs on it were America, Blackbird, and something from Porgy and Bess.

Apparently it was never commercially released, and this high-quality recording was given to stores to use when selling stereos. In the (possibly) mid-seventies. My dad bought the stereo and the clerk at the store took the record and copied it onto a tape; the cassette is squirreled away in the attic somewhere, so unfortunately that's all the info I have.

Does a quality version of this album exist digitally anywhere? And where could I get my hands on it?

Thanks!

Controlling album-only tracks on iTunes

caek — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 04:19:08 -0800

I am handling the production and digital distribution of the soundtrack for a movie. Are there any digital distributors that will allow me to exert control over which tracks are album-only on iTunes? The soundtrack features licensed music, and it's a stipulation of the agreements for those licenses that the tracks not be available to download as single tracks. This is not something we can change, as much as we would like to, and is typical for soundtracks.

iTunes typically only allows one track on an album to be "unlocked" when you buy the whole thing. Our usual digital distributor, Tunecore, can only do this if a track is longer than ten minutes.

Other films seem to have gotten around this somehow (e.g. Juno is mostly album-only, Lost in Translation and Twilight are entirely album only).

Does anyone know any digital distributor that supports getting this kind of release on to iTunes? My question is about iTunes, not other options. And please, I know album-only tracks are consumer-hostile and reduce sales, but the licensed music is owned by major labels stuck in the 90s and we need it, so there's nothing we can do about this clause.

Guitar-Album-Intro me !

querty — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 07:44:01 -0800

Guitar-Album-Intro me ! Looking for guitar intros/solos that starts off an album, stuff like:

Anberlin - (Debut) | off the album "Cities"

Converge - First Light | off the album "You Fail Me"

Requirements : Must be Track #1. No Vocals. Rock / Metal / Prog / Punk preferred... GO!

Can't remember this album cover

Meatbomb — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:13:28 -0800

Poorly remembered album cover art - 70s? R. Crumb? Help? I had the memory triggered looking at my new profile picture (link). I thought it was art from R. Crumb's "Cheap Thrills", but it dosen't seem to be a part of that album cover.

But the art style seems right, I swear there was an album in my dad's old record collection, the front cover was an extreme close up cartoon face, looking sort of up the guy's nostrils, and something like R. Crumb's style. So think my profile pic linked there, framed like that, in R. Crumb cartoon style, on the cover of an album from the 60s or 70s...

Please help? Is this ringing any bells?

Albums arranged by song length

Wolfdog — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 03:38:06 -0800

The songs on Wintersun's self-titled album appear in order of increasing length. Can you turn up other albums that are organized this way?

Where can I find this guestbook design?

irishkitten — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:11:41 -0800

Help me find a specific guest book and accessories for our wedding! My googling is failing me. I'm trying to find this guestbook and the matching photo album/frame. All I've been able to find out is the manufacturer, which is apparently Splash, but after digging through pages and pages of guestbooks, I'm running out of keyword ideas(and time!)

Another shot of the rest of the set here. Thanks, MeFi. :)

Two two two songs in one: What's this album name?

mcbeth — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:50:38 -0800

Name that tune Know any album for which lyrics of one song are laid over the melody of another?

My Australian ex made a cassette of *that* album, whatever it is, and we listened to it several times when I was overseas and visiting 6+ years ago. I'll be jiggered if I can locate either the name or the album. Not sure if it was an oz-specific compilation; I checked with ex -- she doesn't remember anymore. Both the lyrics and tunes were from popular 70-80s rock tunes. I don't remember the specifics of those either but at the time I recall thinking 'hey cool, I know that/those songs.

Bonus gold star stickers awarded if someone can tell me where to go to buy it.

Remember a photo of Pink Floyd in Kew Gardens?

electric_counterpoint — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 06:19:55 -0800

What Pink Floyd album cover (or liner) does this image come from? My dad just visited me in London, and recalled a certain image from a Pink Floyd album when he toured Kew Gardens. We eventually hunted down the photo I linked, but he doesn't think it's the shot he remembers. The one he's looking for was also posed in front of the Victorian greenhouse, but from a wider angle, showing the band from a distance.

He thought it might have come from the montage on A Nice Pair, but I can't find a scan of the gatefold (or liner notes; I'm not sure how it was originally packaged). I'd be happy to have the album confirmed, but even happier if anyone can point me to a scan online.

How to DIY distribute an album on the internet?

Mali — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:00:24 -0800

Is there any sort of code available / software / how would I design a digital download distribution model for an independant band? My band is releasing our first full length this month, and we're keeping everything as DIY as possible (we recorded / mastered the thing, we did the art, and we're going to be doing the promotion / pressing of it for the most part). We are going to have physical copies available for purchase at shows, but we want to have people be able to buy and download the FLACs and JPGs of the album art from our website. We don't want to use iTunes or any other established solution, because we're going to sell the thing for cheap (3 bucks) and any sort of profit we'd make from it would probably go right back into paying for iTunes and such. We'd just set up a Paypal donation thing and then send people to a download link, but we're afraid that people will just send the download link to their friends (we're aware that all music on the internets gets shared, and we're fine with that, but we don't want to make it THAT) easy.

Is there any solution that we can use where people can Paypal us 3 bucks and then somehow be directed to a unique download link or site, without us having to manually send it every time someone buys the thing? Or any better solution / existing infrastructure we haven't thought of?

How would you show off 400+ photos?

oreonax — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:59:34 -0800

Seeking large capacity photo albums in Portland, Oregon! I just got about 400 photos from my wedding that happened in 2004. I'd like to put them into a photo album, but where on earth (in Portland, OR, specifically) do I find an attractive photo album that can handle roughly 400 pictures?

I'll be going through it and culling the less-than-preferred ones which will go in a box but I'd like the rest to have some kind of display...

Songs about America

DoorFrame — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:08:30 -0800

I'm driving cross country and am looking to make a mix CD for the road using songs about America. Ask Metafilter has previously tackled similar questions dealing with songs about Los Angeles, California, New York, New Jersey and even Europe, but what are some of the best songs about America?

It's the hunting stories with noise album, of course

scruss — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:05:03 -0800

My friend had an album - mainly spoken word pieces with electronic noise. It was a story about a man who went out hunting with his friends, who laughed at him. Help my friend find it, please. In one of the later variations, the hunter killed and ate his friends. The album was Canadian perhaps, late 60s.

My iPod Touch wants to be a Shuffle.

prinado — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:16:14 -0800

My new iPod Touch will not sequence an album in the proper order. I cue an album, push play, and it shuffles randomly from song to song. Any ideas to get me back on track? Yes, I'm sure it's not in shuffle mode. Yes, I double and triple checked. Yes, I use standard file naming that has worked flawlessly for my iPod Classic and Nano (i.e. 01_songname) and have populated the Track field, too (i.e. 1 of 10). And yup, I've cleared the drive and re-uploaded the files, updated the iTunes and Touch firmware, googled, yahooed, asked other Touch owners and so on to no avail.

I tried living with it for a week, but, you know, Dark Side of the Moon just isn't the same all discombobulated.

Anyone else experienced/fixed this issue?