It was about a year ago when I downloaded an album of Pavarotti. Over 100 songs and 7 hours in length, it was only $.99. This was new for me because I remember, at the time I was listening to The Clash a lot. And maybe that is the reason why I downloaded it. Maybe it was because – if even for a moment – I was tired of what was popular. And Pavarotti may be more rebellious.
But I listened to it. And much to my wife’s chagrin, I listened to it more than I thought possible.
There are long periods of time where I have not listened to this album at all. Do mp3s collect dust? But today I went to play it and realized it was not there. It was not recovered after the great hard drive crash of Christmas 2010. Perhaps you have read about it elsewhere.
Of course, I went and bought it again. Although this time I had to pay the exorbitant price of $2.99. But it was worth the pain on the wallet. As soon as it started and his voice coursed into my ears, I involuntarily dropped my head in monument to a beauty so rare in my world.
The only time I remember physically responding to a voice before was when I heard the opening salvos of Emmylou Harris’ Wrecking Ball. That time I was sitting at my desk at work over 10 years ago.
If you go look at the reviews of this album, the main critique will be the quality of sound. While I can understand such a criticism, I like the noisiness. It sounds like a record.
It sounds old.
Echoes and Stars 