double album that would have made a better single - Music

RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

bobbyb5 wrote:

I know. The praise heaped upon Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa was as baffling to me as the praise heaped upon Radiohead or Nirvana today. Its so overblown.

I think it really comes down to your personal aesthetic and what you value in your music.

I won't defend Radiohead, but for me Nirvana has a unique ability that I enjoy to be extremely emotionally explosive. I can't really think of a modern artist since The Doors to pull off that level of emotion (lyrically and musically). Maybe Jimi Hendrix did it as well. The rest just don't seem that genuine.

bobbyb5

Gender: Male
Location: New York

sethmadsen wrote:

I think it really comes down to your personal aesthetic and what you value in your music.

I won't defend Radiohead, but for me Nirvana has a unique ability that I enjoy to be extremely emotionally explosive. I can't really think of a modern artist since The Doors to pull off that level of emotion (lyrically and musically). Maybe Jimi Hendrix did it as well. The rest just don't seem that genuine.

bobbyb5

Gender: Male
Location: New York

bobbyb5 wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

I think it really comes down to your personal aesthetic and what you value in your music.

I won't defend Radiohead, but for me Nirvana has a unique ability that I enjoy to be extremely emotionally explosive. I can't really think of a modern artist since The Doors to pull off that level of emotion (lyrically and musically). Maybe Jimi Hendrix did it as well. The rest just don't seem that genuine.

Yeah. Im not the kind of person who struggles to justify how much i love an album by reading "genius" or " real art" or even great talent into it. Im of the mind that its mostly LUCK thats responsible for good albums. Not that those things cant be true of an artist, they can be. But i think youre right. Its just your personal aesthetic. I judge any album simply by how pleasurable and enjoyable it is to me. Thats all. lol.

HoldenM
To Pedantically Split Infinitives

Gender: Male
Age: 29

LittleM1971 wrote:

stangetzaway wrote:

Little M your in the right ball park but during the vinyl era the industry standard for a double album was 65 minutes or over. Of that I'm pretty certain. The only anomaly was London Calling which clocked in at 64.59! Whats confusing now that is that since the comeback of vinyl albums much shorter in length are being released as doubles for no other reason I can see but to drain pockets. I think Currents was released as a double and it's barely 50 minutes long.

During the vinyl/cassette era majority of albums 45 mins or less to fit on a side of a cassette, or then over 65 minutes for the rare double album. Few albums between 45 and 65 minutes were released proportionately speaking as I have a feeling the more you squeezed on an a 33 inch disc there was some detrimental effect such as poorer sound quality but I'm not 100% sure.

On the other hand the double album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me lost a track so it could fit onto a single CD as the record company didn't want to issue it as a double CD. Ryan Adams wanted Gold to be a double album but the record company wanted it as a single disc due to costs but did run a limited bonus disc which should have been side 4. Ryan Adams was pretty unhappy about this apparently.

You know what, though? Almost every Ryan Adams album, even the amazing ones, are a little too long. In fact, answering the question here, I'd cut down Cold Roses down in half. Just take the best 9 or 10 songs, and you're set.
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paladisiac
= music

Gender: Male
Location: Denver

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Emancipation by Prince

There was a brilliant album, and an excellent double album, in the excess.
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LordMark

Gender: Male
Age: 36
Location: Ontario

I definitely agree about Reflektor. My ideal track listing is...

1. Reflektor
2. We Exist
3. Here Comes The Night Time
4. Normal Person
5. You Already Know
6. Joan of Arc
7. It's Never Over (Oh Orpheus)
8. Afterlife

This album would still be 47 minutes long.

CA Dreamin

Gender: Male
Location: LA

Superunknown is usually regarded as a single album having been released on single CD in '94 clocking in at 70 minutes. Meanwhile, London Calling is usually regarded as a double album because it was released on two vinyl records in '79...yet it's five minutes shorter than Superunknown.

Superunknown would be a double album on vinyl. Take away 2-3 filler tracks and it's a better album and would fit on one vinyl record.

Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me is another great example. I own it as one CD, but there is a song missing from it's double vinyl release, a song I don't personally like so I don't care anyway. I don't need "Hey You!" That song can go to hell. The album is better without it.

I enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts on what is, what isn't, and what could be classified as a double album. It seems with multiple musical formats over the years, the line between single and double album is blurred somewhere in the 60-75 minute range. Even so, most albums in that range could be trimmed a little bit and improve in my opinion. Anything over 75 minutes can lose a few songs and probably improve as a result.

Stadium Arcadium would be better as a single album with so many unnecessary tracks, but how many songs/minutes must be omitted before it has the single album label?

Here are a few other double albums that could lose some tracks and improve:

Physical Graffiti
Mellon Collie (however trimming that down to single album length would be tricky because so much of it is great, but two hours is still way too freaking long)
The Fragile
Exile on Main Street
The White Album
Sandinista
All Things Must Pass

Tommy and Quadrophenia are the only 75+ minute albums I can think of that are fine the way they are.
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Space-Dementia

scoob73 wrote:

Nine Inch Nails : The Fragile

This is so true. I honestly think that if Trent Reznor took the last nine songs off The Fragile, it would easily be in my top 150. But with those last couple songs, it just gets really inconsistent.

RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

LordMark wrote:

I definitely agree about Reflektor. My ideal track listing is...

1. Reflektor
2. We Exist
3. Here Comes The Night Time
4. Normal Person
5. You Already Know
6. Joan of Arc
7. It's Never Over (Oh Orpheus)
8. Afterlife

This album would still be 47 minutes long.

Wow. I like reflector as is... But when you put it that way...

Amirkhosro

Gender: Male
Age: 36
Location: Tehran

London Calling can improve a little bit from trimming
Physical Graffiti has the potential to be a really great single album
Tony Williams Emergency! is an all-time classic but I still don't mind skipping some of the spoken word parts
Bitches Brew and Live Evil and a lot of the electric Miles stuff
Life After Death could have been a massive masterpiece if it were a single album
Persian Surgery Dervishes is a masterpiece already but the second performance is the best one
Double Nickels on the Dime is perfect the way it is, just wanted to mention this. Although I would totally go for 45 more songs
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below could have been a masterpiece as a single album

That's all I can remember right now