# Liner notes



## violadude (May 2, 2011)

How important are the liner notes in CDs to you guys? Do you like reading about the piece in them? Do you get disappointed when there is not much information in them? Do you like liner notes with more background about the piece of music? or more description of the piece itself?


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## regressivetransphobe (May 16, 2011)

They're a nice bonus. A somewhat thick booklet makes the physical album look nicer and gives you an opportunity to read along instead of going to Google. If it's just a one page fold with an artist blurb or catalogue (a la some Naxos releases), they might as well have just sold the disc and nothing else. Just a pet-peeve of mine. 

On the other hand, more than once I've bought a CD with thick, multi-language liner notes that don't fit into a standard case at all without tearing.  Overkill.

I wouldn't consider liner notes terribly important, but they factor into whether I'd buy something or download it.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

As suggested by _regressivetransphobe_, some documentation is more useful than others. For example, Savall's work with Hesperion XX (and XXI), is much augmented by the info in the accompanying booklets. Haydn's 87th and 85th symphonies with the umpteenth mini-bio of the composer, and nothing about the works except that they are from the 'Paris" set and the 85th is known as 'La Reine', not so much.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

The liner notes are very important to me. I enjoy those that allow the performer to discuss what he / she brings to the piece -- as in Bernstein's discussion of why he chose to set some late Beethoven quartet's for string orchestra in one CD in my colelction. 

Downloaded albums should come with a PDF file of the liner notes too.


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## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

I like the booklet to contain a fair bit of information about the music, performers etc. If I know a label usually issues good liner notes I'm more likely to buy more of their CD's. Nonesuch and Columbia seem to be good in this department. I find them to be perfect for a sojourn in the bog.

The worst booklets in my collection are for Morricones' The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, which just has extreme closeups of the three main characters eyes on each double page, and Mogwai's Happy Songs for Happy People, which is just two pages of shiny metallic card that acts like a distorted mirror. Quite cool but a bit dissappointing.


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## Vazgen (May 24, 2011)

I love liner notes. There's nothing like getting a little background on the composer and the work before you listen, especially if it's an unfamiliar or experimental piece. It's also good to get the performers' perspective on their approach to the work.

Younger folks might not realize that jazz and rock records used to come with liner notes on the record sleeve as well.

-Vaz


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

violadude said:


> How important are the liner notes in CDs to you guys? Do you like reading about the piece in them? Do you get disappointed when there is not much information in them? Do you like liner notes with more background about the piece of music? or more description of the piece itself?


I've read less than have of them. Occasionally they're fun to read, but often, dry and obvious. I do rely on them for recording information--equipment, times, venue, etc. Many have stopped putting the movements and times on the back cover. That's an irritant.


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## Meaghan (Jul 31, 2010)

Liner notes are the reason I buy physical CDs more often than I download. Though I do get bored with ones that just tell me things I already know about the composer. I particularly like liner notes written by the performers, which often shed light on their interpretation. And with vocal works in languages other than English, I like being able to follow along with the text, side-by-side with a translation, in convenient booklet form. Much nicer than finding it online and staring at a computer while I listen.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

I like liner notes, especially when the notes are written by someone who really knows the subject. For example, many Obrecht CDs feature notes by Rob C. Wegman, who is an Obrecht scholar, and he is able to distill a lot of knowledge into a small space. 
I also appreciate it when the performer or conductor gives their impressions gained from preparing the piece. 
Thirdly, I'm into a lot of obscure music, so sometimes the only information I can get is from liner notes. 
Also, many times there's nowhere else that you can get the text/libretto of the pieces (although a recent trend is not to include these.)
Lastly, just knowing the performers, the recording date, and the location of the recording is helpful.

It really annoys me when they try to be cool and just give artsy pictures or brooding/casual pictures of the performers or only give a poem that doesn't help you understand the music at all. In that case, I'd prefer they just don't put in anything and save a tree.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

violadude said:


> How important are the liner notes in CDs to you guys?


pretty important, but not necessarily the "be all & end all." there are other sources i can turn to if the liner notes fall short. sometimes it's just good to get into the "vibe" of the music without knowing much about it. but it depends, as all of these kinds of things do.



> Do you like reading about the piece in them?


yes, i do.



> Do you get disappointed when there is not much information in them? Do you like liner notes with more background about the piece of music? or more description of the piece itself?


well, it's all about balance. i've found out some very interesting facts from good liner notes, things that i've not come across before. eg. australian eloquence, our own abc classics label, naxos & some others i've come across have been excellent. i even like refreshing "oddball" views or opinions left of field, as long as they are logical and are based upon at least a kind of firm reasoning. i am not a musician, not at any level, so some of the technical things - like specifications of organ stops/colours, or talk about modulations or specific rhythmic/beat changes - are of little use to me personally, a lot of this kind of stuff just goes over my head. but doubtless, some people with some musical knowledge/skill will find this kinds of info useful. i'm more into the historical background/context of the piece, how it fits in with the "big picture" of the composer's life and those around him, influenced by him, etc.

*@ meaghan* - i agree with your observations 110 per cent. it's good if the notes have some connection with the performers, not just "tacked on" without context, and since i've been getting into the vocal/choral realm, english translations of the source texts sung in other languages (or even in english, for added clarity) are essential to a deeper understanding of these works.

*@ manxfeeder* - some very logical comments there - good to have more scholarly coverage, as long as it is geared towards all levels of musical appreciation (this doesn't mean "dumbing down" imo) & also recording date/location is a good piece of info to have...


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## HistoryJoe (Mar 12, 2019)

Weston said:


> The liner notes are very important to me. I enjoy those that allow the performer to discuss what he / she brings to the piece -- as in Bernstein's discussion of why he chose to set some late Beethoven quartet's for string orchestra in one CD in my colelction.
> 
> Downloaded albums should come with a PDF file of the liner notes too.


Sorry to resurrect an ancient thread, but does anybody know of a route towards this end? I've been getting a fair amount of MP3 albums from Amazon and have not discovered a way to get liner notes. Is there a way maybe from the actual record companies? If anybody has some suggestions of where to start or if there are particular labels that make this easy, I could stick more to them.

Things I'm interested in: actual date of the recording (musicbrainz has some of this info) and, especially with soloists, thoughts on the interpretations in this recording. Actual history of the composition isn't really important to me unless it's something non-canon like Eberl or Kraus or modern works.

Thanks


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

Hyperion, New World Records and Kiros let you download the PDF liner notes even before the purchase. It is very good.

https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/
http://www.newworldrecords.org/index.shtml
https://www.kairos-music.com/

When the recording info (date, editions, artists, composers, etc.) is not available, I check discogs. The site usually has good information of each album, including different reissues.

https://www.discogs.com/search/


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

regressivetransphobe said:


> I wouldn't consider liner notes terribly important, but they factor into whether I'd buy something or download it.


Although they are nice to have, liner notes do not play a role in my acquisition decisions. It's the music that counts.


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## Guest (Jul 1, 2019)

HistoryJoe said:


> Sorry to resurrect an ancient thread, but does anybody know of a route towards this end? I've been getting a fair amount of MP3 albums from Amazon and have not discovered a way to get liner notes. Is there a way maybe from the actual record companies? If anybody has some suggestions of where to start or if there are particular labels that make this easy, I could stick more to them.
> 
> Things I'm interested in: actual date of the recording (musicbrainz has some of this info) and, especially with soloists, thoughts on the interpretations in this recording. Actual history of the composition isn't really important to me unless it's something non-canon like Eberl or Kraus or modern works.
> 
> Thanks


If you buy a download from presto classical or eclassical instead they often (not always) supply linear notes in pdf format.


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