Odd O'blography

Albums of the Years

The Grammy awards reminded me again of why we use the term album to refer to a singular disc. Some years ago, a friend of ours helped an elderly relative move to a nursing home. Part of the job was disposing of a large box of vinyl records. The newest LP in the box was AC/DC's Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap from 1981. That one was a pleasant outlier; it must have belonged to one of her kids. Most of the records were older and less interesting (to me at least). Artists included Elvis Presley, Eddie Arnold, The Lettermen, and Jackie Gleason. I had no idea that the pudgy comedian and actor released a series of LPs as a crooner.

There were also some older 78 rpm records in the box. These were 10 inches in diameter and held one song, up to three minutes long, on each side. The way they were packaged made the light bulb go on. Four records, totaling eight songs, came as a set from a single artist. The individual record sleeves were bound together in a slim cardboard book that opened up just like a photo album. Unfortunately, almost all the 78s were cracked from age and unplayable.

Today an artist might record on a vinyl LP, cassette tape, compact disc, or just drop a digital release, but we still buy their albums. And they just might win Album of the Year.