what are the longest liner notes?

what are the longest liner notes?

(at least) two categories: archival/reissue and original

Probably not the right answer, but Lester Bangs' notes for the double Them compilation from the early '70s take up the full inside gatefold in tiny print.

World ending, gotta go.

Maybe the 200-page hardcover book that came with the Albert Ayler Holy Ghost box set?

The Bangs are probably the longest printed right on the record jacket--I don't know how you could make room for anything longer. If it's a separate booklet, there are no doubt countless examples much longer.

Father John Misty "Fear Fun" has two 22.5 x 22.5 inch inserts, 1 side with lyrics & credits, the other 3 sides is a short story in a tiny tiny font.

https://cdn.shoplightspeed.com/shops/626319/files/13981178/father-john-misty-fear-fun-lp-with-download.jpg

Oh yeah, that FJM one is nuts.

Figure that Bear Family probably has some archival notes comparable to that Ayler box.

box sets are cheating imo. iirc jan garbarek&the hilliard ensemble's officium has a v chunky booklet with a spine

would be remiss not to mention the king of liner notes, mr john aloysius fahey

thanks for these answers! don't know why i'm curious, but it just seems like there should be clear world record holders. ok, so to the best of this thread's knowledge, these are the current world records:

liner notes printed on jacket: the bangs (which release? is there a pic? can't seem to find it)
liner notes as an insert: Father John Misty, "Fear Fun"
box set liner notes: cheating

liner notes as an insert... to an LP? or CD? cuz some of those CD booklets got preeeeettty long

i mean, CD is an entirely different category, should probably have a world record of its own

then there are subdivision WRs for number of words (which will be too difficult to track) and number of pages (which might be hard to track because of different page sizes)

there's probably a reason no one tracks the world record for these things

I remember some of the Woody Guthrie Smithsonian CDs having really thick booklets that would barely fit under the front flap tabs. Like, 32+ text-heavy pages.

It's this album here:

http://www.amoeba.com/admin/uploads/albums/covers/other//Them.jpg

I still haven't bought shelves four months after moving, so my albums are still in boxes. But just for you, KM.

http://phildellio.tripod.com/bangs.JPG

oh, whoops! you mentioned bangs re: Them, but then i mixed that up with the KRS band The Bangs and got confused.

that is pretty dense! but longer than disputed world record holder Father John Misty??

There's not really much in it, notes-wise (just lyrics, credits, and the short monologue by Jimmy The Mod), but the companion booklet for the original Quadrophenia album was huge thanks to all those photos illustrating the storyline.

(xpost) No, but the Misty post says that those come via an insert. My guess is that the Bangs notes are the longest right on the cover itself. Unless there are notes out there that carry onto the back cover, it's be hard to make them much longer.

idk I've got reissue/comp booklets that are definitely longer than that - those ones that come with booklets. I've got a Gene Clarke one that's 10 pages. LITA Lee Hazlewood comps have similar booklets.

the laurie spiegel expanding universe reissue has some long and in places hard to read notes all over the sleeve

https://e.snmc.io/i/600/w/30147000d494945786d63f3937cd4258/3111638

if we're talking just printed on the sleeve, whatever gatefold LP has the tiniest text is the winnah (bonus points if front and back cover are also all text)

LITA Lee Hazlewood comps have similar booklets.

The 3 LITA Roky Erickson CDs have about 100 pages of notes by Joe Nick Patoski spread between them. Obviously not as many pages on the LP versions.

seems like reissues really go overboard with this stuff, might be easier to determine what the longest liner notes are for an original album LP release

Depends on how far we want to stretch the definition, because the Get Shown the Light May '77 Grateful Dead box set from a few years ago came with a copy of a book - Cornell '77: The Music, the Myth and the Magnificence of the Grateful Dead's Concert at Barton Hall, which, according to Amazon, runs 232 pages.

In the Book of Rock Lists, they mention some 80s album (don't remember the artist, but I think it was R & B or Dance) that the liner notes consisted solely of like 8-12 pages of 'Thank You's'.

i don't think that stretches the def, i just think box sets with book add-ons are a different category

yeah box sets feel like a separate category

Totally fair, it was just the first thing that popped to mind for this thread.

Not sure if Jethro Tull's "Thick as a Brick" newspaper counts as liner notes, but it's fairly elaborate

isn't the lamb lies down on broadway's story pretty long

I just got copy of that Them comp in the mail today (thanks eBay!), and WOW at those liners in person.