The Fourth Track Rule - Music - Forums : Best Ever Albums

jhuik
BOSS

Gender: Male
Age: 59
Location: K-Dubz, just west of the 6ix, ON

A rule I have used over the past few years and have found it to work quite well. When 'trying out' a new band's new album, go directly to the fourth track and give it a listen. The fourth track of most albums is a very good indicator of your overall "like or dislike" of the album. Agree? Disagree?
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Happymeal

jhuik wrote:

A rule I have used over the past few years and have found it to work quite well. When 'trying out' a new band's new album, go directly to the fourth track and give it a listen. The fourth track of most albums is a very good indicator of your overall "like or dislike" of the album. Agree? Disagree?

Not necessarily, but for some albums that theory might work.

Guest

I have more of a minute-rule. About 10-15 minutes, maybe more.

If I really don't like the first 15 minutes, I hope they grow on me for when I try it again later. It depends, though. If I know the sounds in the album are something I'm not used to, I'll put in the effort to hear the whole thing through.

Jasonconfused
If We Make It We Can All Sit Back and Laugh

Gender: Male
Location: Washington

Seems like one of those faulty logic things. While it could be true, there's probably just as much chance on the fifth track, or any other track. I might be more inclined to believe this if there were a reason for WHY this would be true. Like the firtrack would make more sense because it's the first impression the artist is trying to make. Or the last track because the artist wants you to remember it. Even then I don't find those to be true. A much better indicator I find is title tracks.

Defago
Your Most Favorite User

Gender: Male
Age: 31
Location: Lima

Jasonconfused wrote:

Seems like one of those faulty logic things. While it could be true, there's probably just as much chance on the fifth track, or any other track. I might be more inclined to believe this if there were a reason for WHY this would be true. Like the firtrack would make more sense because it's the first impression the artist is trying to make. Or the last track because the artist wants you to remember it. Even then I don't find those to be true. A much better indicator I find is title tracks.

Pet Sounds.

thejoj96

it only works for 12.4% of all albums

pearljammer13
Young Pilgrim

Gender: Male
Age: 36
Location: Massachusetts

Meh not on board with this one. I've always felt that an artist (for the most part) puts the songs in a certain order because that's the order they want them to be heard. Any time I listen to a new album for the first time, i'll listen to the whole thing start to finish and then decide if it's worth playing again. I'd never judge by just one song. The only way I wouldn't listen to the whole thing is if it was just god awful and I found nothing redeeming about it after 15-20 minutes. Maybe the rule ends up working sometimes, but it's coincidental. I could think of many albums where the 4th song is my favorite, and many where it's my least favorite. Again, I've just always been a firm believer in listening to an album start to finish when getting to know it. Then obviously you tend to jump around and pick favorites as time goes on.

Guest

Lemme see. For my top 10:

A Night at the Opera - You're My Best Friend: Pretty close.
Superunknown - Mailman: Nope. Easily the best song on the album.
Doolittle - I Bleed: Not so much. A good song, but not on par with most of the album.
Automatic for the People - Everybody Hurts: Again, not really on par with most of the album.
Weezer - Buddy Holly: Pretty close. Probably slightly above the average song quality on this album.
Leviathan - Island: Eh, I guess. Probably one of my less favorites, though.
Dark Side of the Moon - Great Gig in the Sky: Not really, but then again no song on this album works too well as a stand-alone (except for Brain Damage).
Nevermind - Breed: Yep.
Toxicity - Jet Pilot: Yep.
Siamese Dream - Hummer: Yep.

Huh. I guess it works for several, but in my experience the 4th track tends to be weaker. Idk.

faceless

pearljammer13 wrote:

Any time I listen to a new album for the first time, i'll listen to the whole thing start to finish and then decide if it's worth playing again.
The only way I wouldn't listen to the whole thing is if it was just god awful and I found nothing redeeming about it after 15-20 minutes.

works for me

Guest

pearljammer13 wrote:

Meh not on board with this one. I've always felt that an artist (for the most part) puts the songs in a certain order because that's the order they want them to be heard. Any time I listen to a new album for the first time, i'll listen to the whole thing start to finish and then decide if it's worth playing again. I'd never judge by just one song. The only way I wouldn't listen to the whole thing is if it was just god awful and I found nothing redeeming about it after 15-20 minutes. Maybe the rule ends up working sometimes, but it's coincidental. I could think of many albums where the 4th song is my favorite, and many where it's my least favorite. Again, I've just always been a firm believer in listening to an album start to finish when getting to know it. Then obviously you tend to jump around and pick favorites as time goes on.

So you never sample albums without listening to the whole thing? That sounds incredibly time-consuming.