I stumbled across a Rolling Stone article the other day.  I was researching information on what was supposed to be this weeks post for PINM, and found myself circling the dark bottom of a click bait drain.  The article was from 2009 and had nothing to do with what I was searching for at the time.  But, my curiosity got the better of me and I had to click and read.  The title was “12 for One CD deals no more.  BMG music service ends in June”.  My heart sank a little.  A bit of my childhood had died.  I mean, I figured this had gone udders up some time ago.  That and the article was written six years ago.  But, I never really knew what become of this, so it came as a bit of a shock.  As a result you are now about to read a very different article this week.  Sorry kids, I knew you weren’t expecting any particular article, but you’ll have to not expect some more for next week.

 

BMG Music Service.  Does anyone remember that?  Does anyone own or buy CD’s anymore, or ever?  How old are we?  If you’re creeping up on 30, like myself, theres a good chance you might know what I’m talking about.  For those who didn’t get the chance to experience this wonderful service, BMG was a mail order music company made famous for its ‘get 12 CD’s for the price of one’ deals.  No seriously, this actually existed.  On special occasions you could get the ’10 CD’s for half’ deal.  Which meant you paid for half of one CD and got the other 9 on the house.  $27 later and you had some nice editions to your collection.  Multiply that by the fact that almost everyone I knew probably had 5 alias’s, and had orders shipped to their relatives/friends house, just to be able to get the better 12 for 1 sign up deals.  Sure it meant we spent our summers poaching stamps from our parents to keep up with the return mailers.  But, buying CD’s was expensive when you’re 11, and your main source of income was mowing the neighbors lawn.  It was worth it in the end.

 

This recollection of a bygone company brought me to a particular memory that I am very fond of.  It was my seventh birthday, and after I had opened all of my presents, my dad said “hold on, theres one more”.  He pulls out this odd looking brick of a box, and hands it to me.  It was heavy and made a weird sound when I shook it.  I ripped the wrapping to shreds and furiously opened this surely badass present.  It was a box full of 7 CD’s, and a BMG sticker mailer.  My dad had gotten me a subscription to BMG.  STOKED!!!  At the time I was off the deep end in love with music, thanks to my uncle.  Much to my mothers dismay, in addition to my pay, he would let me borrow two cassettes or records for a week after I finished mowing his lawn.  I had since developed a taste for the likes of Motley Crue, Anthrax, Van Halen, and other loud bands that mom disapproved of.  Back to this box of CD’s.  Dad had decided it was high time I had my own music.  Now, dad being dad, had a particular way of doing things, and this was no different.  What I found in that box, that day, was a carefully curated mix of music.  Its contents were; Huey Lewis and the News - "Best of", Gin Blossoms - "New Miserable Experience", Kiss My Ass - "Kiss Covers", Motley Crue -  "Decade of Decadence", The Eagles - "Hotel California", The Wayne’s World II Soundtrack, and finally Fleetwood Mac - "Rumors".  Fleetwood Mac!?!  "What the shit is this, dad?” I thought.  Theres a bearded guy in knee highs with balls hanging from his crotch on the cover.  What am I supposed to do with this?  Noticing the look of utter confusion on my face, the old man chuckled.  He says to me “look, I got you that one for good reason.  I promise that when you listen to it, you’re gonna hate it.  But, one day, you’ll appreciate it.”  Ok, I thought.  Retreating to my room with my pile of birthday treasures, I started playing the various CD’s in my boom box.  After some time of staring at this ridiculous album cover, I finally popped it in.  Now, I would love to be able to tell you that I loved it straight off, and that dad was wrong, and it was the best piece of music I had ever heard.  No… not at all.  God dammit!  He was right.  This was not, at all, anything I enjoyed.  For no good reason, either.  It wasn’t like I hadn’t been raised on a plethora of 60’s and 70’s rock music.  I mean, I was the kid that knew every word to any song on the local oldies station.  I was baptized in classic rock.  But, god did I hate this album.  O’well, into the archives it went.  

 

Being somewhat of a musical packrat, if I purchased an album, regardless of whether or not I liked it, it was held on to.  You know, for the collection, or whatever.  Needless to say, my box of CD’s turned into a mountain over time.  Now, buried in the depths of this mountain laid this forgotten album.  And it wasn’t until 2008 that I went searching for it.  I had been visiting a friend in midtown, and she had just bought a new record player.  Over several cocktails and records, singing along to some oldies, she pulls out a record and said "this is one of my favorites”.  Yep, you guessed it.  It was Fleetwood Mac - "Rumors". Only I didn’t know it, or so I thought.  “What is this?”, I asked.  “Umm, its Fleetwood Mac, how do you not know this?”  My jaw dropped.  Wait, the album I threw into the back of my closet when I was 7? Man, come to think of it, I hadn’t played that CD since my birthday.  It all came back to me.  Except, this album was amazing!  So well written, fantastic voice, I refused to believe it.  After returning home, I dug through my collection, desperate to see if I still had this CD.  Sure enough, I did.  It still had the sticker on it, clearly only opened the one time.  How could such a rad album from the late 70’s have eluded me for so long.  How did I not revisit this at some point, more so, how did I not come across this band by accident along the way.  It had been 15 years since I had last heard this album.  …but, wait.  Ahh, man.  Dad was right again!  A few weeks into the rediscovery of this album, I was so into it.  Finally, I had to call him and let him know of this revelation.  His response… “told ya”.  

 

Seriously, buy this album.  Don’t listen to it before hand, just buy it.  

 

You’ll appreciate it one day, I promise.