Between the mid 1960s and the late 1970s, the long-playing record and
the albums that graced its grooves changed popular music for ever. For
the first time, musicians could escape the confines of the three-minute
pop single and express themselves as never before across the expanded
artistic canvas of the album. The LP allowed popular music become an art
form - from the glorious artwork adorning gatefold sleeves, to the
ideas and concepts that bound the songs together, to the unforgettable
music itself.
Built on stratospheric sales of albums, these were
the years when the music industry exploded to become bigger than
Hollywood. From pop to rock, from country to soul, from jazz to punk,
all of music embraced what 'the album' could offer. But with the
collapse of vinyl sales at the end of the 70s and the arrival of new
technologies and formats, the golden era of the album couldn't last
forever.
With contributions from Roger Taylor, Ray Manzarek, Noel
Gallagher, Guy Garvey, Nile Rodgers, Grace Slick, Mike Oldfield, Slash
and a host of others, this is the story of When Albums Ruled the World.
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