No, I’m not talking about the England cricket team (snort! guffaw!) – I’m talking about the internet-era practice of a new song/album “dropping” from nowhere – no build-up, no teaser videos, advertising or interviews – just Boom! There it is.
I like having these things just happen and am delighted when it’s someone I quite like. The best example I can recall is Bowie’s Where are we Now? followed by The Next Day LP. Reading the recent Blackstar post made me think of it.
My active record buying began in 1980, so I tended to have an idea when a new LP or single was coming thanks to the inkies and Smash Hits. I don’t remember seeing an LP just *appear* on the shelves of Our Price from nowhere in quite the same way.
The other ones I can remember are In Rainbows and the U2 thing that Apple chucked on iTunes. But there must be far more than that. Taylor Swift has definitely done it at least once, for example.
So, dear reader … who would you like to see “drop” an album tomorrow? I’d like to nominate Kate Bush.
