The Undiscovered Country…Of Music

Listening to the CD of Van Morrison’s Moondance I realize a.) what a great record this is b.) how important the gone-with-digital-downloading lost art of song sequencing can be and lastly, 3.) having never heard this album in its entirety before my recent purchase of the CD , although familiar as I am with most of the ten songs, I realize how much more classic rock there is out there I have not yet heard.

I’m a rabid music fan of a certain kind of music (prog rock of the ‘70s) and in a book I wrote that I am almost sure will never see the light of day (or din of ear) I explore 13 obscure albums of the 70s that I consider ‘lost gems.’ But beyond my specific and somewhat stale knowledge, how much more is there that I have never heard or never even been exposed to?

I dare say…lots.

Luckly, because of my just admitted particular tastes and the sure prejudices from them, I have no care to catch up on most of the music I didn’t get to, released in the past four decades. Certainly, some music made in the 80s, 90s and aughts I enjoyed and there were a few nuggets I ‘found.’ But generally, the stuff I want to catch up on is from the 70s and 60s, stuff like the aforementioned, Van Morrison classic album.

Another fortunate fact of wanting to grab albums of old is that in the many cases lots of these albums are enjoying some sort of anniversary extended extra special sauce edition box set release, seeing as many are over the 40/50 year-old mark. Those boxsets are loaded with great stuff in lots of cases (filler in many others) but usually are priced well out of my reach. The original album, even in CD form, is priced a whole lot cheaper, in fact very affordable in many cases. So, gobble them up I can.

And I do.

My most recent purchases include the aforementioned Van, Rod Stewart’s Every Picture Tells A Story, Camel’s Mirage, and Al Stewart’s Orange. Wonderful albums all and those I knew some songs off of but never managed a deep dive over. (And I didn’t know how much of a key player key player Rick Wakeman, one of my 70s-based faves is on the Stewart disc).

I know the prevailing wisdom is that you ‘can’t go home again.’ But what if you never left? What if you are still finding treasures in the basement of the windmills of your mind (and you enjoy mixing metaphors to a sickening degree?) Harken back my friends, to a show that never ends, those albums of old you may not have heard for a very long time or if ever at all.

It’s well worth your time for that particular kind of moondance.