I had the pleasure of attending a recent Classic Album Sundays event (on a Monday) and enjoyed it a lot. Here is a short review in the spirit of my current theme of what it takes to make a classic album. In this case, one made in 1974!
Do we really ever listen to records the way we used to? Despite the ever-rising popularity of vinyl and the resilience of the album format, I doubt there is a corresponding rise in ‘focused listening’ at home - the idea of putting the record on, sitting back on the sofa and just - listening.
There are a few ‘experience brands’ out there that make an event out of doing just that but away from home. I’ve written about Pitchblack Playback before, here I’m going to talk about Classic Album Sundays. It was founded by DJ Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy way back in 2010 in a North London pub, with the intention of promoting enjoyment of true listening as the age of digital music began to take hold. According to the website, Classic Album Sundays “tells the stories behind the albums that have shaped our culture.”
It does so incredibly well. I’ve been to a few of these events over the years but just recently I attended a session on one of my all-time favourite albums, Supertramp’s 1974 masterpiece Crime Of The Century. A lush staging at the Elgar Rooms (on an otherwise dormant evening at London’s Royal Albert Hall) was the perfect setting for a jovial, relaxed but informative chat between host Colleen and the album’s producer Ken Scott (a legend in the world of sound design).
The two had clearly done this routine a few times before. The best thing though, was anticipating hearing a classic album through a pair of incredibly high end KEF speakers. No surround sound or fancy spatial mixes (though sometimes those events are cool as well). Instead, Colleen rocks up to a turntable and simply drops the needle on the vinyl (and again to turn the record over to side two).
If you do not know the album you are missing out. Crime Of The Century is an epic journey of a record, despite being only eight songs long. It achieves a similar feel to, say, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon and indeed explores the same themes - isolation, detachment, mental health - very much the darker side of human existence from the perspective of youth.
My favourite insight here was of the unusual sound effects for the album which were recorded live from real locations - a London School and Paddington Station among them (the announcement included station stops where both Roger Hodgson and Rick lived at the time). The track Hide In Your Shell contained a professional musical saw player. When asked what he was proud of about his work on the album, Scott was simple and clear. “Depth. These days with spatial audio and all that, you can easily achieve depth - but back then it was much harder. But I wanted to get the depth even with a stereo recording”. Well, he certainly achieved it, as we witnessed through those awesome loudspeakers.
Classic Album Sundays makes you realise the amount of work that goes into making an album (all the records are de facto, classics) by both accident and design. The little insights fascinate. Scott spent his first two days on the record just trying to get the right drum sound. The band’s gear was “well worn, having been on the road a lot”. As such, that old kit was part of the album’s DNA.
These events are a way of getting insider stories about the artists too. Supertramp’s joint leaders and songwriters Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies had a famous falling out that led the band to irrevocable break up. But in those earlier days, they blended beautifully. Scott compared the two to Lennon (Davies) and McCartney (Hodgson, “a partnership, they were together but separate at the same time”). They were that good. Most of all it reminds you to listen, both as a fan, an appreciator of the art form, and, as a mindful activity - a sort of antidote to the usual distractions you get at home.
I came away from the evening having made a renewed vow to make regular appointments to listen to my favourite records all over again, mostly in the comfort and convenience of my own home but perhaps occasionally out in a social setting and special environment. Spotify is doing a classic album series featuring editors talking shop about their favourites, but it would be much better for the brand or other streaming services to lean in more fully and sponsor events like this. Well worth the modest ticket price and an alternative to a live show.
Colleen Murphy interviews Ken Scott
Classic Album Sundays is on the internet too