Greatest Album Sides- Discussion

[AAL2014]

Hey BEA, here's another topic I've been thinking about for a while:

Greatest album sides of all time. A great side can almost be an album within an album. Whether that be more literal of a statement like Rush's 2112, or just a great collection of tracks like Pearl Jam's Ten or Dylan's Highway 61.

On the topic of Rush, I was thinking about Moving Pictures last night and just thought about the first 4 songs, Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta, YYZ, Limelight. All Rush hits, popular among fans and critics, and they were all concert staples off and on for 35 years live. Moving Pictures, to me, has one of the most flawless Side A's to a rock record ever capping off with Limelight having an excellent outro to send the listener off to Side B opening with the impeccable Camera Eye.

Another favorite of mine springing to mind is Side A of Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger. Similar to Moving Pictures, Badmotorfinger offered Rusty Cage and Outshined, an incredible opener and fan favorite followed by the SG tune I hear most on the radio. After that, two of my all time favorite tracks, Slaves and Bulldozers and Jesus Christ Pose. Side A closes out with Face Pollution and Somewhere, not necessarily my favorite SG songs, but good showings of the variety this album had to offer. Somewhere closes Side A with a false ending, coming back and ending even more dramatically to set the stage for Searching With My Good Eye Closed to kick off Side B (a song they would often times open concerts with).

To throw out one of absolute favorite Side B's.. I've always thought the second half of Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home was flawless and maybe my favorite part of his entire catalog. What iconic songwriting. Mr. Tambourine Man, Gates of Eden, It's Alright Ma, and It's All Over Now. Some of them play like dreams, others play like nightmares, but the B Side to possibly my favorite Dylan album, as a whole, is a sparkling moment in a catalog filled with coveted shiny gems.


So what say thee? What would you guys throw into the discussion of favorite album sides? What are your thoughts on the records I've mentioned?
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[YoungPunk]

I think Pink Floyd should've released Meddle as an EP with Echoes on it.

[indieshins]

Side B of Abbey Road - two great songs (Here Comes the Sun and Because), followed by the medley and the amusing tag Her Majesty. Side A's no slouch either, but seriously, what a way to end a career!

Then, I love the first side to Elvis Costello's Imperial Bedroom - I can't find a flaw with it. I'm finding it hard to think of any others because I don't own a lot of vinyl at this point and I don't know where the album would split if it were on vinyl.
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Top 40 Greatest Music Albums by indieshins

[travelful]

Oracular Spectacular by MGMT

Side A is arguably the best Indietronica you're going to find. Side B keeps the album out of my top 100.

[AfterHours]

Best Ever

(The following is incomplete, but contains most of the Rock/Jazz album halves that I would consider 7.8/10 or above. There are various others that should probably be here that I didn't include because I am undecided whether they fall just below or above that cut off point. Also, I did not include albums that are entirely or mostly a single track, such as Coltrane's Ascension or Pharaoh Sander's Karma)

White Light/White Heat - The Velvet Underground: I Heard Her Call My Name; Sister Ray
Rock Bottom - Robert Wyatt: Alifib/Alife; Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road
Atlantis - Sun Ra: Atlantis
Irrlicht - Klaus Schulze: Satz: Ebene ("Side A" might also include Satz: Gewitter as these two tracks used to be combined)
A Love Supreme - John Coltane: Part 3: Pursuance/Part 4: Psalm
Trout Mask Replica - Captain Beefheart: Side 1 + Side 2
Faust - Faust: Miss Fortune
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady - Charles Mingus: Mode D – Trio and Group Dancers/Mode E – Single Solos and Group Dance/Mode F – Group and Solo Dance
Third - Soft Machine: Moon in June; Out-Bloody-Rageous
Parable of Arable Land - Red Crayola: Side A
The Ascension - Glenn Branca: Side Two
The Survivor's Suite - Keith Jarrett: Conclusion
Trout Mask Replica - Captain Beefheart: Side 3 + Side 4
Ys - Joanna Newsom: Emily; Monkey & Bear; Sawdust & Diamonds
Lorca - Tim Buckley: Lorca; Anonymous Proposition
The Jazz Composer's Orchestra - Michael Mantler: Communications #11 Part 1 & 2
Seeds, Visions & Counterpoint - Ivo Perelman: Zero Expectancy; Seeds, Vision and Counterpoint
Twin Infinitives - Royal Trux: Tracks 1-8
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel: Tracks 8 - 11
Unit Structures - Cecil Taylor: Unit Structure/As of a Now/Section; Tales (8 Whisps)
Improvisie - Paul Bley: Touching
Afternoon of a Georgia Faun - Marion Brown: Djinji's Corner
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground: Side A
Desertshore - Nico: Side A
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady - Charles Mingus: Track A – Solo Dancer/Track B – Duet Solo Dancers/Track C – Group Dancers
Blonde On Blonde - Bob Dylan: Side 1 + Side 2
The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground: Side B
Y - Pop Group: Side 1
Astral Weeks - Van Morrison: Part One: In the Beginning (Side A)
Bitches Brew - Miles Davis: Side 1 + Side 2 (Pharoah's Dance; Bitches Brew)
The Doors - The Doors: Side B
Nail - Foetus: Side 1
The Doors - The Doors: Side A
Unit Structures - Cecil Taylor: Steps; Enter, Evening

(NOTE: I would probably include both halves of Carla Bley's Escalator Over the Hill here -- 3 "sides" each -- but need to revisit before I could rank them)
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[AwaitingAndrew]

First albums that come to mind:
The Beatles - Abbey Road Side B
Rush - 2112 Side A
U2 - The Joshua Tree Side A
Genesis - A Trick Of The Tail Side A
Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run Side A
Billy Joel - The Stranger Side A

[indieshins]

[rkm]

Side A


Moondance by Van Morrison

[bobbyb5]

I was going to say Abbey Road like a lot of people did, but to me it's more accurate to say all Beatles albums from Rubber Soul on. Except White Album, which of course is great, but each side has a few songs I don't really care for too much.

[Romanelli]

Side One


Excitable Boy by Warren Zevon

Side One


Bringing Down The Horse by The Wallflowers

Side One


March by Michael Penn
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