History Teacher Wanted!

[HerHopelessHero]

So Shelly and I spent like 15 minutes trying to figure out what LP and EP stand for because we were curious. so we finally did:

EP Extended Play i.e. more than a single, usually about 4 tracks
LP Long Play i.e. a whole album.

So we thought those were pretty stupid acronyms, or abbreviations or whatever.
And so now our question is, who came up with those names and what do they specifically mean in terms to an album?

if anyone can tell me a right answer, they can do Shelly.

[DriveThruFinch]

* comment - EP's are less than 30 minutes of music

[Chemical Love]

i always wondered what EP and LP meant. i guess you learn something new everyday.

[SkaBum14]

What the heck, I knew that EP was extended play, but I forgot what LP was. So, the shorter one is "extended" and the full-length is "long." They both kind of mean the same thing, I don't get why they would name them that. I would think the "extended play" would be longer than just the "long" one. Whatever.

[HerHopelessHero]

What the heck, I knew that EP was extended play, but I forgot what LP was. So, the shorter one is "extended" and the full-length is "long." They both kind of mean the same thing, I don't get why they would name them that. I would think the "extended play" would be longer than just the "long" one. Whatever.

thats what i said.

thats why i wanna find out the reasoning behind how these types of albums got named the way they did.

[dayafterdayroks]

dang u do learn something new everyday i thought they meant:ep-earliest production and LP- latest production...dang i guess i was wrong... :eek:

[KarolaBloch]

my kane hodder ep is longer than 30 mins
so is the early november one... so i think your wrong.

[ohlookitspaul]

http://www.free-definition.com/EP.html

"The term is sometimes applied to CDs with short playing times, but since a CD can carry any amount of material up to around 80 minutes the distinction between a CD EP and a short CD LP is arbitrary and based on artistic and marketing factors. "

[Tanooki Suit]

http://www.free-definition.com/EP.html

"The term is sometimes applied to CDs with short playing times, but since a CD can carry any amount of material up to around 80 minutes the distinction between a CD EP and a short CD LP is arbitrary and based on artistic and marketing factors. "
That can't be talking about the origins of the acronyms, since LP and EP were coined long before cd's took hold.

[Tanooki Suit]

From Wikipedia:
"An EP (for extended play), is the name given to vinyl records (or CDs) which are too long to qualify as singles but too short to qualify as albums. Typically an album has eight or more tracks (or around one hour), a single only one or two, and an EP five to eight. A remix single is not considered an EP unless it also has other songs on it (an EP/single hybrid).

EPs were released in various sizes in different eras. The earliest EPs were 33⅓ RPM recordings on 10" (25cm) disks, and appeared at the close of the 78 RPM era. By coincidence, the format gained wide popularity with the coming of Elvis Presley, and it is sometimes erroneously stated that the term "EP" derived from his initials.

In the 1970s and 1980s there was less standardization, and EPs were made on 7" (18cm), 10", or 12" (30cm) discs running either 33⅓ or 45 RPM. Some novelty EPs used odd shapes and colours, and a few were picture discs.

The first recordings released by many punk music bands were released in EP format, mainly because the high-energy nature of the genre and short songs that resulted made it difficult to create sufficient material to fill an LP. For bands that went on to achieve commercial success, it was customary for the original EP tracks to be released later on full-length albums.

The term is also sometimes applied to compact discs with short playing times. However, since a CD can carry any amount of material up to around 80 minutes, the distinction between a CD EP and a short CD LP is somewhat arbitrary and based on artistic and marketing factors. An EP may be released as a promo, for example."

[ohlookitspaul]

That can't be talking about the origins of the acronyms, since LP and EP were coined long before cd's took hold.
i know, i'm just saying that that explains at least the confusion about the current difference between the two