2010 Albums Too Long? - Music - Forums : Best Ever Albums

Applerill Autistic Princess <3 Profile
Location: Chicago

I think I've noticed a trend with the biggest albums of 2010: Most of them are longer than 50 minutes.

*Taylor Swift's new album is 70 minutes
*The Black Keys' new album is 55 minutes
*Arcade Fire's new album is 65 minutes
*Joanna Newsom's new album is LONGER THAN MELLON COLLIE 😮
*Janelle Monae's new album is 68 minutes

Those are just a few examples. there are a few exceptions, such as Teen Dream being only 48 minutes, but there were hardly any albums released this year shorter than 39 minutes.

Anyone else notice that?

Mr. Shankly Profile
Location: Auburn, Washington

That trend has been going on for a while, actually. Personally, I think 35-40 minutes is an appropriate length for an album. I can't think of too many masterpiece albums that last for an hour or more.

There are a few reasons for this phenomenon:

1) CD's allowed for more songs on an album. It's really since the advent of the CD that this phenomenon started.
2) In the old days, extra songs that weren't that great from a recording session would end up as B-sides. There's really no such thing as B-sides anymore, so those songs are liable to end up on the album now. Either that, or they'll end up as downloadable bonus tracks or something.
3) Songs are becoming more important or marketable than albums, so why not put it all out there on one release and let the listener decide what tracks he or she likes?

40footwolf Profile

Most of my 2010 albums are under 45 minutes 0____0
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I love all music. It makes you feel like living. Silence is death.

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Wombi

Mr. Shankly wrote:

I can't think of too many masterpiece albums that last for an hour or more.?

The Beatles - The Beatles (White Album)
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main Street
The Clash - London Calling
Pink Floyd - The Wall
De La Soul - 3 Feet High And Rising
Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton
Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP/The Eminem Show
ALMOST ANY CLASSIC HIP-HOP ALBUM EVER MADE FOR THAT MATTER
Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde
Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
George Harrison - All Things Must pass
The Beta Band - The Three EP's
Wilco - Summerteeth
Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
The Who - Tommy/Quadrophenia

Now i know the definiton of 'masterpiece album' is subjective but all of these albums are at the very least considered 'classic', I'm sure there are also more "last for an hour or more" albums I haven't listed. most (not all) are over 70 minutes long. Soooooooo yeah...

Mr. Shankly Profile
Location: Auburn, Washington

Jhereko wrote:

Mr. Shankly wrote:

I can't think of too many masterpiece albums that last for an hour or more.?

The Beatles - The Beatles (White Album)
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main Street
The Clash - London Calling
Pink Floyd - The Wall
De La Soul - 3 Feet High And Rising
Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton
Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP/The Eminem Show
ALMOST ANY CLASSIC HIP-HOP ALBUM EVER MADE FOR THAT MATTER
Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde
Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
George Harrison - All Things Must pass
The Beta Band - The Three EP's
Wilco - Summerteeth
Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
The Who - Tommy/Quadrophenia

Now i know the definiton of 'masterpiece album' is subjective but all of these albums are at the very least considered 'classic', I'm sure there are also more "last for an hour or more" albums I haven't listed. most (not all) are over 70 minutes long. Soooooooo yeah...

Most of those are double albums, and the one's I like, I'd still say are mostly too long (too many songs). As good as those albums are, there are songs not worth keeping. I'd remove at least one or two per album listed. Granted, I haven't heard all of those, but that's true of the one's I've heard.

sleepwalker87 Profile
Location: Lake Jackson, TX

Mr. Shankly wrote:

3) Songs are becoming more important or marketable than albums, so why not put it all out there on one release and let the listener decide what tracks he or she likes?

This is the important point, to me. I'm not saying that all fame is based on one song alone, but it's becoming quite common for one song to make people famous. If a car commercial wants your song, if someone like Zach Braff loves one of your tracks, whatever... that really could be all you need. And from an artist's perspective, maybe it seems smarter to fill a CD with songs and pray that just one of them is liked by the right person, than to try to make a really great album.

That's not to say that great albums are becoming extinct. But... sometimes it feels like they are. 😕