Why "Digital Judge" Had Three Sides

Two proposal professionals blogged about the different ways in which we access music today.

[I]n the 70’s or 80’s...music was done as an album, and the artist intended the songs to be listened to in a particular order. One song introduced and led to another and the album as a whole told a story. In today’s world of downloading single songs, creating playlists in whatever order the listener chooses, etc. music is listened to in a very different fashion and the idea of listening in a particular order is certainly well out of the control of the artist.

In a comment (which is still awaiting moderation), I noted:

Even “albums” had changed by the 90’s. Back in the 70’s, an album commonly consisted of two sides. In some cases each side had its own introduction, and in some cases the two sides contained contrasting material. (Neil Young’s “Rust Never Sleeps” is an example.)

By the time that compact discs became common, the idea of different “sides” was destroyed, and the entire album had to stand as a single cohesive whole (rather than as two related parts to the whole)....

I didn't mention in my comment that I had actually played around with this idea back in November 1999 (coincidentally, at right about the time that I was concluding a five year career in proposal writing). Since you probably never owned my synthetica CD "Digital Judge," I should explain that back in the day, mp3.com used to allow talented artists such as myself to issue CDs with our music. My Mac-produced instrumental work "Digital Judge" (originally) included the following 15 songs:

Finding My Anonymity.
Or a Little Faster.
Winter at Halfway House.
Marooned with Mary Ann.
Down the Pyro Lawn.
Finding My Serenity.
Gonna Walk.
Deeper in Debt.
November.
Trashed Your Room.
Finding My Tax Return.
Run to the Snare.
Football You Bet.
I Demand a Japanese Car.
Side of the Grove.

Take a look at the titles of songs 1, 6, and 11. Each of these were very short songs, and helped to delineate the three "sides" of the "Digital Judge" CD.

The concept would have worked very well in execution, if the material was of interest to the general populace.

Another, more famous example is Billy Idol. No, he didn't divide his albums into three sides, but he emphasized a continuity in his work. At various times I have owned Billy Idol cassettes and/or CDs with sides 5, 6, 7, and 8.

Unrelated P.S. The Bob Lewis link that I cited years ago is long gone.

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