Remember when MTV was the main source of finding out about new music? If your response is a wryly raised eyebrow and thoughts of scrolling on, you must be Gen Z. Read this modern history lesson on life-before-you-were-born, in this 4 minute read. Otherwise, hello fellow reader who has lived long enough to understand the rule of respecting an artist's intentions when crafting an album. You may still adore algorithm-generated playlists and use Spotify religiously, but there is something about pulling out a vinyl record and listening to an album from start to finish, isn’t there?

Why? The order of the tracks is expressly designed with a narrative flow in mind, and a mood to build towards a core message or new vibe. There are indeed albums that are intended to be experienced as a whole, where the songs connect sonically or thematically. Skipping tracks demolishes the overall impact. And then there’s the clear argument that if you are really into an artist and their works, you listen as they intended. Can you imagine insisting on viewing an exhibition in segments and not flowing as the curator laid it out? Or skipping scenes of a play, or missing entire sections of films because the tempo of the film didn’t suit your mood? We simply do not do that with any other art form. But with music, people often treat an album as though it’s a sushi conveyor belt to pick-and-choose where they partake in the cultural meal.

As you may have guessed from this writer’s tone, and your esteemed intellect as a reader, here at team Deenathe1st.com we are feverishly in-favour of listening to albums from start to finish. After having done so, we forge curated playlists from across the salad bar of artists one can enjoy on streaming services A lot of playlists, in fact - and you can listen to ours here that takes you from Fall through to getting Fashion Month-Ready!

Deena was challenged in a team meeting to choose her most adored albums that she believes should be listened to in one sitting. No surprise, her taste is bang-on!

#1: Sade Love Deluxe

#2: George Michael Listen Without Prejudice

#3: Maxwell Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite

#4: Lauryn Hill Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

#5: Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life

#6: Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On

#7: Madonna’s Bedtime Stories

Synonymous with an album is its cover. There’s an entire business and world where album covers, from the likes of Factory Records, have cemented the true cult status of bands and artists. Without name-dropping, there are covers that have become more celebrated than the musicians themselves.

There are so many edgy and brilliant covers, but “Janet Jackson's Control stands out,” says Deena. “It's such an amazing cover to me visually.”

You want a mini history lesson? We got you! With the introduction of the 33 1/3 RPM LP (long-playing vinyl) by Columbia Records in 1948, album covers became more significant. Prior to this, music was sold as sheet music and all records were packaged in simple cardboard slips with basic labels. Boring? Perhaps, but the ballroom dancing was certainly salty, so withhold judgement, people of 2025. Thanks to the LP format, graphic designers and artists could set to work on generating the identity of artists in a new format that was collectible and personal to the fan. This is where the music industry merged multiple worlds of culture and art through the lens of marketing.

It’s no wonder that the ’60s and ’70s have been regarded as the golden era of album covers due to conceptual and photographed covers, and their influence continued into the ’80s, ’90s and beyond. Now, we have ‘album cover art’ pinched into digital thumbnails, but still occasionally glorified on vinyl covers for those who collect like its analogue times all over again. If video killed the radio star, and live streaming almost demolished the entire music industry, then listening to and buying albums again IRL is the antidote to it all falling apart.

So, girl, put your records on!

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