What was on the first iPod: twenty albums that Steve Jobs chose in 2001
Eighteen years ago, iPod broke into the audio gadget market and forever changed the vector of the music industry. Much has been written about the device itself and its influence, but one detail deserves special attention. Namely - the albums that fell into the hands of invited journalists along with the first iPods. We talk about this music under the cut.
Photo insung yoon / Unsplash
One of the most "buzz words" of the late 90s was the term "multimedia". At this time, digital music gradually began to gain popularity among the audience. The music player market was booming — in 1999, AOL acquired Winamp for $ 80 million. On the shelves began to appear the first relatively affordable mp3-players.
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The iPod was not the first mp3 player, but, unlike its competitors, it was able not only to interest the consumer, but also to remain “in sight” for a long time. In his presentation, Jobs compared the product with the then-leading Creative Nomad Jukebox, a large, uncomfortable player that worked on finger batteries. Apple's design, integration with iTunes and compact size made the iPod a massive audio player.
Now the player has lost its former novelty and appeal. But the influence he had on the music industry is still felt today. For millions of people, iPod has made digital music an intuitive format. His commercial success pushed Apple to launch the iTunes Store, a store that popularized digital music distribution.
And now let's take a look at those twenty albums that came with the first iPods.
The list is opened by the collection Yo-Yo Ma - the superstars of modern classics and the favorite musician Jobs . It includes fragments of symphonic works and folk songs.
Also in this category are the Goldberg Variations performed by Glenn Gould and the Mozart Symphony performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Karl Bohm. By the release of the iPod both plates became classics of the genre.
2 albums The Beatles (“A Hard Day's Night” and “Abbey Road”), 2 albums Simon & Garfunkel (“Bookends” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water”), and a 1966 Bob Dylan bootleg.
Jobs's love of the Beatles is known to all. He chose two albums - one of the band’s early works, one of the later ones - which are relatively easy to read.
More experimental or aggressive work ("White Album", "Revolver", "Sgt. Pepper's") were left behind.
Photo by Matthijs Smit / Unsplash
The two albums of the legendary duet Simon & Garfunkel also come as no surprise - they received wide acclaim from critics , and many of the songs from these works are heard by the audience.
Bob Dylan’s bootleg recorded at the 1966 concert in Manchester is the weirdest job in this category. The album was officially released only 32 years after the concert - in 1998. During this time, Dylan tried himself in many roles and was in a seemingly state of identity crisis. But in 1997, for the first time in more than 10 years, he released the first “platinum” disc.
On the emerging wave of nostalgia, this bootleg was released, which the public accepted with open arms. In the US, the disc received the status of "gold". Given the uncanonical nature of the album, his choice was an obvious indicator of Jobs' personal preferences.
Vocal jazz is presented by Ella Fitzgerald, who sang Cole Porter's songs at the top of her career. Many songs from this album reached popularity in the first half of the twentieth century.
Instrumental jazz represents one of the most popular albums in the genre - Dave Brubeck with an innovative “ Time Out ”, and “ Kind of Blue ” by Miles Davis - an album that determined the transition from bebop to post-bop . Both albums are important cultural dominants of their time.
The section ends with the blues king Bee King, with a landmark prison concert . According to many, this is one of the best works of the performer, which is important both from a musical and social point of view.
Canadian pop rock performers Alanis Morissette (album Jagged Little Pill ) and Sarah McLachlan (album Surfacing ) are both Pepsi and Cola. Both in their albums have bet on love ballads. Both had a quality, sometimes electronic production. Both were popular among women because of songs about inner strength that only grows from colliding with injustice and failures in love.
Completing this trinity is the Dave Matthews Band group - the worst in the world in the opinion of the LA Weekly newspaper and just bad in the opinion of many others . Their music is considered template and predictable. Their fans are the subject of particular hatred of online communities . But their every concert gathers thousands of people.
The only electronic album in the compilation is Moby, which has already become a classic of Play . You can call it too commercial, “music for commercials,” but the fact remains: almost everyone knows at least one song from there.
" Breathe " country singer Faith Hill (Faith Hill) brought the Grammy singer in the category of "best country album." The sound of the Coen Brothers film “Oh where are you, brother?” Received the award “Album of the Year” from the Country Music Association and subsequently also received a Grammy award. It is logical to assume that in the choice of country Jobs primarily relied on the opinion of experts of the genre.
To dilute the collection with something youthful, two albums were added - a collection of Bob Marley and Nevermind by Nirvana.
Many teenagers, once in the university environment, go through a period of fascination with “alternative” culture. At the same time, there is often a superficial interest in Rastafarianism and the music of Bob Marley. This is such a well-known stereotype that the SNL team even ridiculed it . “Nevermind” falls into the same category - the album is nominally youth, but with time it lost its “shock value”.
As you can see, the selection is unusual. It does not have the albums that professionals use for reviewing audio devices. Ambient and music are completely absent, with an emphasis on electronic soundscapes - not even Pink Floyd. There are no records with a "sterile" sound from the 80s.
There are no works known for their dynamic range and timbre variations - for example, the Talk Talk Spirit Of Eden. Popular electropop (Britney Spears era was in the yard!) And hip hop (Eminem just released The Marshall Mathers LP) were also left behind.
Photo Kay / Unsplash
Albums, which came to the iPod, were not there to help journalists with reviews. What was their role? The selection resembles a tape recorded by a relative. In some places fresh and imperfect, these records paint an emphatically simple, uncomfortable image of Jobs, an ordinary man who likes turtlenecks and the Beatles. There is nothing special in the selection - but this is not necessary.
The first ipod cost about 400 dollars. For a new, untested product from a company undergoing transformation after a change in leadership, this is quite a lot. Teens who listen to the latest hits were not Apple’s target audience. Demanding music lovers who would make fun of Jobs's statement about “mp3 CD-quality files”, too.
A few more of our materials about music and audio gadgets:
Glitter and poverty: how to make a living if you are a musician
Why music is no longer recorded as before?
Retired - we are discussing once popular audio gadgets that are already “out of date”
What are the features and objectives of sound games
How to launch your podcast beginner guide
From critics to algorithms: how democracy and technocracy came to the music industry
Pay what you want: how this model manifested itself in music, and who tried to earn it
If you were in Jobs' place, what would you change? What albums would you pick in his place? Write your version in the comments or just vote for one of our options. You can listen to the original selection on Apple Music and Spotify .
Photo insung yoon / Unsplash
iPod: a minute of history
One of the most "buzz words" of the late 90s was the term "multimedia". At this time, digital music gradually began to gain popularity among the audience. The music player market was booming — in 1999, AOL acquired Winamp for $ 80 million. On the shelves began to appear the first relatively affordable mp3-players.
')
It was in such an environment that Apple bought the rights to Soundjam MP - then popular software for playing music - and began work on their own “iron” player. In the spring of 2001, Soundjam turned into iTunes, and in the fall, the company introduced the iPod.
The iPod was not the first mp3 player, but, unlike its competitors, it was able not only to interest the consumer, but also to remain “in sight” for a long time. In his presentation, Jobs compared the product with the then-leading Creative Nomad Jukebox, a large, uncomfortable player that worked on finger batteries. Apple's design, integration with iTunes and compact size made the iPod a massive audio player.
Impact on digital media and the future of podcasts
Now the player has lost its former novelty and appeal. But the influence he had on the music industry is still felt today. For millions of people, iPod has made digital music an intuitive format. His commercial success pushed Apple to launch the iTunes Store, a store that popularized digital music distribution.
Moreover, portable mp3 players, the most famous of which was the iPod, became the engine of the podcast revolution. Podcasts are essentially “digital radio on demand,” which gives the audience the freedom to create their own program schedule. The presenters fall silent and “go on the air” again when the listener wants it, where it suits them.
This is only possible if you have a portable player on which you can download new episodes of the podcast at any time. Not surprisingly, the very name “podcast”, invented by British journalist Ben Hammersley (Ben Hammersley) in 2004 , refers to the word “iPod” (from the English. IPod + broadcast, “broadcasting from the iPod”).
The first 20 albums: what they were
And now let's take a look at those twenty albums that came with the first iPods.
Classical: 3 albums
The list is opened by the collection Yo-Yo Ma - the superstars of modern classics and the favorite musician Jobs . It includes fragments of symphonic works and folk songs.
Also in this category are the Goldberg Variations performed by Glenn Gould and the Mozart Symphony performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Karl Bohm. By the release of the iPod both plates became classics of the genre.
Rock "old school": 5 albums
2 albums The Beatles (“A Hard Day's Night” and “Abbey Road”), 2 albums Simon & Garfunkel (“Bookends” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water”), and a 1966 Bob Dylan bootleg.
Jobs's love of the Beatles is known to all. He chose two albums - one of the band’s early works, one of the later ones - which are relatively easy to read.
More experimental or aggressive work ("White Album", "Revolver", "Sgt. Pepper's") were left behind.
Photo by Matthijs Smit / Unsplash
The two albums of the legendary duet Simon & Garfunkel also come as no surprise - they received wide acclaim from critics , and many of the songs from these works are heard by the audience.
Bob Dylan’s bootleg recorded at the 1966 concert in Manchester is the weirdest job in this category. The album was officially released only 32 years after the concert - in 1998. During this time, Dylan tried himself in many roles and was in a seemingly state of identity crisis. But in 1997, for the first time in more than 10 years, he released the first “platinum” disc.
On the emerging wave of nostalgia, this bootleg was released, which the public accepted with open arms. In the US, the disc received the status of "gold". Given the uncanonical nature of the album, his choice was an obvious indicator of Jobs' personal preferences.
Jazz and Blues: 4 albums
Vocal jazz is presented by Ella Fitzgerald, who sang Cole Porter's songs at the top of her career. Many songs from this album reached popularity in the first half of the twentieth century.
Instrumental jazz represents one of the most popular albums in the genre - Dave Brubeck with an innovative “ Time Out ”, and “ Kind of Blue ” by Miles Davis - an album that determined the transition from bebop to post-bop . Both albums are important cultural dominants of their time.
The section ends with the blues king Bee King, with a landmark prison concert . According to many, this is one of the best works of the performer, which is important both from a musical and social point of view.
Fresh Pop Rock: 3 albums
Canadian pop rock performers Alanis Morissette (album Jagged Little Pill ) and Sarah McLachlan (album Surfacing ) are both Pepsi and Cola. Both in their albums have bet on love ballads. Both had a quality, sometimes electronic production. Both were popular among women because of songs about inner strength that only grows from colliding with injustice and failures in love.
Completing this trinity is the Dave Matthews Band group - the worst in the world in the opinion of the LA Weekly newspaper and just bad in the opinion of many others . Their music is considered template and predictable. Their fans are the subject of particular hatred of online communities . But their every concert gathers thousands of people.
Electronics: 1 album
The only electronic album in the compilation is Moby, which has already become a classic of Play . You can call it too commercial, “music for commercials,” but the fact remains: almost everyone knows at least one song from there.
Country: 2 albums
" Breathe " country singer Faith Hill (Faith Hill) brought the Grammy singer in the category of "best country album." The sound of the Coen Brothers film “Oh where are you, brother?” Received the award “Album of the Year” from the Country Music Association and subsequently also received a Grammy award. It is logical to assume that in the choice of country Jobs primarily relied on the opinion of experts of the genre.
Grunge and Reggae: 2 albums
To dilute the collection with something youthful, two albums were added - a collection of Bob Marley and Nevermind by Nirvana.
Many teenagers, once in the university environment, go through a period of fascination with “alternative” culture. At the same time, there is often a superficial interest in Rastafarianism and the music of Bob Marley. This is such a well-known stereotype that the SNL team even ridiculed it . “Nevermind” falls into the same category - the album is nominally youth, but with time it lost its “shock value”.
What is the essence of the selection
As you can see, the selection is unusual. It does not have the albums that professionals use for reviewing audio devices. Ambient and music are completely absent, with an emphasis on electronic soundscapes - not even Pink Floyd. There are no records with a "sterile" sound from the 80s.
There are no works known for their dynamic range and timbre variations - for example, the Talk Talk Spirit Of Eden. Popular electropop (Britney Spears era was in the yard!) And hip hop (Eminem just released The Marshall Mathers LP) were also left behind.
Photo Kay / Unsplash
Albums, which came to the iPod, were not there to help journalists with reviews. What was their role? The selection resembles a tape recorded by a relative. In some places fresh and imperfect, these records paint an emphatically simple, uncomfortable image of Jobs, an ordinary man who likes turtlenecks and the Beatles. There is nothing special in the selection - but this is not necessary.
The first ipod cost about 400 dollars. For a new, untested product from a company undergoing transformation after a change in leadership, this is quite a lot. Teens who listen to the latest hits were not Apple’s target audience. Demanding music lovers who would make fun of Jobs's statement about “mp3 CD-quality files”, too.
The company sought to attract the attention of the middle class, people inexperienced, but secured - and this collection was supposed to resonate with their tastes and interests. Given the outstanding success of the iPod, the calculation was justified.
A few more of our materials about music and audio gadgets:
Glitter and poverty: how to make a living if you are a musician Why music is no longer recorded as before? Retired - we are discussing once popular audio gadgets that are already “out of date” What are the features and objectives of sound games How to launch your podcast beginner guide From critics to algorithms: how democracy and technocracy came to the music industry Pay what you want: how this model manifested itself in music, and who tried to earn itWhat would you change?
If you were in Jobs' place, what would you change? What albums would you pick in his place? Write your version in the comments or just vote for one of our options. You can listen to the original selection on Apple Music and Spotify .
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/454980/
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