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| Poll: For two albums of "equal" value to you, which album do you side with? |
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| the album with higher highs (and lower lows) |
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24% |
[12] |
| the album that's consistently strong |
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76% |
[38] |
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| Total Votes : 50 |
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babyBlueSedan
Used to be sort of blind, now can sort of see
Gender: Male
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- #31
- Posted: 01/20/2015 03:05
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Without a doubt, the album with the highest highs. There are at least 4 albums in my top 10 that have a song I simply don't like, but it never ruins the album for me. I'll gladly sit through Chesley's Little Wrists if it means I get to hear Summer Babe, In the Mouth a Desert, and Loretta's Scars. I don't mind We Only Come Out At Night if there's another hour and fifty six minutes of pretty flawless stuff around it. And The Lonesome Crowded West has one of the few Modest Mouse songs I skip if I'm playing my iPod on shuffle (Shit Luck), but I still rank it above Moon and Antarctica, which has a more consistent theme but never rises to the heights of it's predecessor.
My question for people who say one bad song ruins an album: how far does this go? If an album has fifteen songs does one bad one really mean you'd never want to hear the rest again? I can't fathom listening to something and enjoying it for 40 minutes, then hearing something that doesn't work and saying "nope, won't be listening to that again."
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Infinity183
Gender: Female
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- #32
- Posted: 01/20/2015 03:46
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| babyBlueSedan wrote: | | My question for people who say one bad song ruins an album: how far does this go? If an album has fifteen songs does one bad one really mean you'd never want to hear the rest again? I can't fathom listening to something and enjoying it for 40 minutes, then hearing something that doesn't work and saying "nope, won't be listening to that again." |
It means I'm more inclined to listen to the album in splices, rather than as a complete whole. Even if an album happens to contain some of my favorite tracks ever, it's how the individual tracks are compiled and arranged that truly enhances the overall listening experience. If there's one or two mediocre tracks on the album, it hinders the record's momentum and thus either doesn't properly build up to the coming highlights or ends the album on an anticlimactic note.
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babyBlueSedan
Used to be sort of blind, now can sort of see
Gender: Male
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- #33
- Posted: 01/20/2015 04:29
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| Quote: | | It means I'm more inclined to listen to the album in splices, rather than as a complete whole. Even if an album happens to contain some of my favorite tracks ever, it's how the individual tracks are compiled and arranged that truly enhances the overall listening experience. If there's one or two mediocre tracks on the album, it hinders the record's momentum and thus either doesn't properly build up to the coming highlights or ends the album on an anticlimactic note. |
I can totally see that. I guess I'm just super obsessive because if I'm going to listen to multiple tracks from the same record I always feel like I should just listen to the whole thing. There are some songs I'd never listen to unless I'm listening to the album.
One thing I totally agree with is that a bad song at the end (or beginning) of an album can really kill it. Looking at you, Queen is Dead
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CA Dreamin
Gender: Male
Location: LA
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- #34
- Posted: 01/20/2015 09:06
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The best albums have both the exceptional songs and the consistency. If one album is a mixed bag of incredible and lackluster songs, while another album is consistently good but lacks anything standout, then both albums have inherent weaknesses. Now which album would I decide is better if I was making a chart, and couldn't decide between the two? Can't answer that one cause I've never run into that problem.
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Jimmy Dread
Old skool like Happy Shopper
Location: 555 Dub Street
Moderator
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- #35
- Posted: 01/20/2015 12:50
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| babyBlueSedan wrote: | | One thing I totally agree with is that a bad song at the end (or beginning) of an album can really kill it. Looking at you, Queen is Dead |
Sorry, don't agree with this on two counts:
1. There's nowt wrong with Some Girls Are Bigger...
2. Using another Smiths LP as an example, I'll happily listen to Meat Is Murder all the way through. Once it comes to the title (and last) track (which I loathe), I'll just hit the stop button. It doesn't kill the album at all, and in actual fact by allowing me to finish it early means I can make a brew.
Consistency as a rule makes an LP an experience, as opposed to a couple of great moments and a fair bit of filler. My favourite albums are those take you on a journey of sorts - they stir your emotions, make you warm and fuzzy/dance/cry/angry/laugh (delete where applicable) and if truly great maintain a momentum all the way through. There are exceptions to this rule (The White Album has more twists and turns than a go-kart track) but in general the albums I cherish don't have peaks and troughs, but rather are generally quite wonderful from beginning to end. This also helps now I'm listening to more records on vinyl and I can't be arsed to get up to move the needle.
Coincidentally it's interesting how many Queen fans rate A Night At The Opera - would people give a toss if it didn't have Bo. Rhap. or She's My Best Friend on it?
Nice to see some posters I've never come across before on this thread too. Welcome to the nuthouse.
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meccalecca
Voice of Reason
Gender: Male
Location: The Land of Enchantment
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- #36
- Posted: 01/20/2015 12:57
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| noWaxJim wrote: | Coincidentally it's interesting how many Queen fans rate A Night At The Opera - would people give a toss if it didn't have Bo. Rhap. or She's My Best Friend on it?
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Honestly, at this point, I don't even care to hear "Bo. Rhap" again, but "Death on Two Legs" and "'39" I couldn't live without.
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babyBlueSedan
Used to be sort of blind, now can sort of see
Gender: Male
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- #37
- Posted: 01/20/2015 13:33
- Post subject:
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| Quote: | | Consistency as a rule makes an LP an experience, as opposed to a couple of great moments and a fair bit of filler. |
I took the low hanging fruit with Queen is Dead, I probably could have come up with a better example. Even now the best example I can think of is something like Channel Orange where there's a hidden track that totally kills the ending. Maybe Dinosaur Jr's Bug too, although there are days I enjoy the closer.
It goes without saying that if an album has a fair bit of filler I'm less likely to enjoy it. While I like albums that have ups and downs, too many downs can ruin them. One thing I won't concede though is that one bad song can ruin an album. If anything that one bad song will make the rest seem better by comparison.
| Quote: | | Welcome to the nuthouse. |
Thanks! Been around for a while, but only rarely come to the forums. I noticed everyone was agreeing here so I thought I'd try and stir the soup a little.
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CA Dreamin
Gender: Male
Location: LA
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- #38
- Posted: 01/20/2015 18:28
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| babyBlueSedan wrote: | One thing I won't concede though is that one bad song can ruin an album. If anything that one bad song will make the rest seem better by comparison.
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I agree with this. I don't know who said one weak track ruins an album, but that is BS. Look at Beatles albums; Every one of them has at least one weak song on them (although the best ones have only one). Yet their albums are the highest rated on this site, and of all time for that matter.
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CA Dreamin
Gender: Male
Location: LA
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- #39
- Posted: 01/20/2015 18:46
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Looking at several artists' pages on this site, I found many examples where BEA users rated the albums with higher highs and lower lows better than the consistent ones. First was Metallica: The Black Album, which has of their best songs but loaded with filler, is rated higher than both Ride the Lightning and ...And Justice For All. Another was The Doors. L.A. Woman has a few of their best songs no doubt, but also a couple of their worst. Yet it is ranked higher than Strange Days, way more consistent. One last example, though I could go on, is R.E.M. Out of Time is higher ranked than both Green and Reckoning, which makes me want to puke. Out of Time has Losin' My Religion (incredible), three or four other good songs, and the rest is filler. Green and Reckoning are far better.
Perhaps this is only my opinion, and you may disagree. But have any of you also found on your favorite artists' pages that the inconsistent albums are the higher ranked ones?
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Kiki
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- #40
- Posted: 01/20/2015 18:58
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Out of Time is far better than Reckoning.
Music You Can Dance To by Sparks was once the 2nd highest rated album by them for a good while although it was more to do with the fact Sparks weren't on so much charts back then. All the best albums are ranked higher than it now. Other than that there is no artists who's album rank order seems strange. 
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