Tuesday's Return

Posted by Campbell at Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Since the age of 17 or so, Tuesday's have been somewhat special. And that's because Tuesday's are the day that new releases hit the shelves in the music industry. While in college, a number of friends and I would often go to "midnight madness" on Tuesday's. As the clock turned from 1159 to 1200, the Tower Records on Boylston Street would open its doors and a few music freaks would rush in to get the new release or releases that they just couldn't wait another few hours to hear. I bought Wilco's first record "A.M." at midnight madness, and there were countless others.

With the onset of the digital age and the closing of record stores from coast-to-coast, the lure of Tuesday has lost a lot of its appeal. With a few clicks of the mouse we now have instant access to basically everything that we want. Although I'm a tradionalist at heart, like many, I have fallen into the digital space. It's just too easy.

Today felt like a Tuesday in the late 90s. Although I didn't hop in my car and head to Amoeba, I did find myself spending this evening picking up one release after another. And after the new releases came others that I'd been waiting to cross off my list. By day's end I've picked up four records, three that came out today. New releases by Beck, The Hold Steady and the Pernice Brothers have been downloaded and added to my ever-growing iTunes library. While searching around eMusic, I also grabbed the exclusive live Gillian Welch cd.

I made very little effort to buy these records. There was no rush to the store. There was no rippng open of cd cases. No liner notes. And oddly enough, I sit here with my ears glued to Solomon Burke's "Nashville". I suppose it just isn't the same. But it is Tuesday. And any music lover knows what that means.