Strip! Creativity Lessons from 'Less is More' albums

I'm all for plush musical arrangements. For clever sampling and multi-layered instrumentation. But sometimes I like it simple. Stripped back. Sparse. Raw. Some of the great albums I have encountered as part of my 1000 Album Creativity Mission are just that and they are none the worse for it. Here are a selection of 3 great albums where less is definitely more, and some associated learnings we can apply to being more creative whatever we are into.

The Police- Regatta De Blanc

Most people have heard 'Walking on the Moon' and 'Message in a bottle' at some point in their lives. Both songs come from The Police second album Regatta De Blanc (1979)- one of their best. Other personal favourites from that album include The Beds Too Big Without You and It's Alright With You. It was also the album that started the bands ascendancy into being one of the biggest acts of all time. What is really striking about the album is the stripped back, minimalistic approach to most of the songs. But minimalistic doesn't mean simple. Take 'Message in a Bottle' as a case in point- massively catchy guitar riff, strong distinct vocals from Sting, and world class, jazz-reggae style drumming from Copeland. 'Walking on the Moon' is an example of a song where the gaps between the notes are as important as the notes themselves in painting a moon like audio landscape.

Inspirations & Creativity Lessons

When it comes to your problem, idea, product, or service ask yourself 'what if we took something out, simplified it, made it more minimalist'. Think about what might improve as a result of stripping down.

Don't, however, just take things out , also think about how to amplify what is left. How can you make what is left do more. Like Copeland's distinctive drumming how can bring an extra level of virtuosity to what is left, how might you make it more magical, more innovative.

Like The Police's raw but reggae/jazz fusion inspired sounds where can you find ideas from seemingly distant places that will enhance your concept? That fills the gap of your stripped back design?

Don't, however, just take things out, also think about how to amplify what is left. How can you make what is left do more. Like Copeland's distinctive drumming how can you make what is left more magical, more innovative.

James Brown- Sex Machine

Sex Machine (1970) is, in my humble opinion, James Brown's best album (double album to be precise) It showcases the true greatness of the playing of the original James Brown  lineup including the now legendary Bootsy and Catfish Collins. Sex Machine is regarded by many as the greatest and most important funk records of all time.

Of course at the core of this album is the genre Funk (invented by Brown from about 1964 according to his biography- but this is the album where I think the Funk really takes flight).. While most music of the time emphasized the back beat, with the accent on the second and fourth beat (1,2,3,4), Brown’s style (the Funk style) placed the accent on the first beat.

Brown focused the band instruments on contributing to the polyrhythm, basically playing percussion rather than melody or harmony, to create music that made people want to truly groove! To emphasize rhythm over melody, often the tones of all instruments in Browns band are played dry and sharp.

Inspirations & Creativity Lessons

When it comes to your problem, idea, product, or service ask yourself Ask - 'What if we change the rhythm or the pace on what are doing in a stripped back way? What if we change the duration of something to be more succinct, sharper? What if we create a timing that is uniquely ours- doing things either earlier or later than what's out there to create an advantage? You only have to look at the Amazon One Click to see the impact a focus on sharp, stripped back time can have on a user experience.

Equally think about bringing together more elements into those key moments of time- like the way Brown layers and layers the same sounds with different instruments think about what might happen if you make a moment do more, or amplify it more- strip back other areas and put more into those key experience beats or moments of time

Ask 'what if we created a timing for what we are doing that is uniquely ours- doing things either earlier or later than what's out there to create an advantage? You only have to look at the Amazon One Click to see the impact a focus on sharp, stripped back time can have on a user experience.

The White Stirpes- White Blood Cells

White Blood Cells (2001) is the third studio album by American alternative rock duo The White Stripes. Regarding by many as their finest album, in 2012 Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 497 on its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Five words some this album up for me- simple, straightforward, raw, spontaneous and primitive- and all in a good way! This may have been due to the fact that the album was recorded in less than four days- with the focus being on keeping it 'as unorganised as possible' according to Jack White. My personal favourites on the album are Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground, Hotel Yorba, I'm Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman and Fell in Love with a Girl.

Inspirations & Creativity Lessons

There is magic in restraint- like the White Stripes- innovate by restraining key elements- it forces us to get to the core or the essence of an idea- it may also help us find something unique. Pull back on areas, a feature or an idea- pare it back and see what might reveal itself.

Don't be afraid to keep something raw & primitive- sometimes we need to strip back complex thoughts and ideas and just go with our initial 'gut'- move away from conventions of perceived 'acceptability' and genre- and see where it might take you.

Think how you might work in some spontaneity or surprise into your idea or concept whilst maintaining overall slickness and simplicity. Work on something in a way much faster than you would normally within a defined framework but be comfortable to be messy within that framework. Instead of spending a day on something challenge yourself to 1 hour of intense and simple focus.

Innovate by restraining key elements- it forces us to get to the core or the essence of an idea- it may also help us find something unique.

There are many great albums that have stripped things back- in fact it was that very stripping that turned them into great albums. Don't be afraid to simplify, to remove, to be raw but equally add to what's left and get to core of something possibly new. Over to you.