Get outta my fucking way, I'm SIDE A

Prompted by recent listens to Black Sabbath's Paranoid -- what Side A's that take absolutely noooo prisoners can you name?

I'm not asking about "best Side A's" -- awesomeness can if course be built up subtly and quietly (lookin at ya, Rich Dawson's End of the Middle... and The Ruby Cord too, for that matter). And it doesn't have to *all* be loud or fast songs either. What I have in mind is Side A's that waste neither time nor space letting you know what kinds of goods this band or artist has to bring. Just unrelentingly delivering the relevant goods.

The candidates I've come up with so far:

**Yellow Magic Orchestra - Solid State Survivor**
A ridiculous Sakamoto tune followed by a ridiculous Hosono tune followed by a ridiculous Takahashi tune, where the level of "crazy" keeps getting ratcheted up & up & up... until the spaceship bursts through the stratosphere and we go floating in the quiet of Castalia, a beautiful quieter tune that showcases Sakamoto's pretty side (effectively a preview of Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, which was two years ahead)

**Jethro Tull - Aqualung**
Well there's THAT riff straight off, followed by ~seven minutes of epic folk-prog with one of the best guitar solos to ever be tossed off in one take. Followed immediately by the raucuous flute boogie of Cross-Eyed Mary, in which the character from the opening song is back again. And oh, if you're thinking leery rock is the Tull forte, how about Cheap Day Return bringing you back to the Aqualung middle bit? And why don't we go ahead and show that we can MIX the loud and the soft perfectly too (Mother Goose, Up to Me) with a little more pure acoustic sweetness inbetween with Wond'ring Aloud.

**Black Sabbath - Paranoid**
sez Edward III in the dedicated thread: "first is sabbath at their most sabbathy, second is the best punk song by a metal band, third is otherworldly simplicity", fourth is basically the most sublime riff-rock song known to (alas, so doomed) humankind

Some Girls comes to mind. The fact that all the songs are in A probably helps the case (and is probably a thread in its own right)

prefab sprout’s steve mcqueen is my eternal example

Roxy Music's first album was the first thing that came to mind, I can't imagine what it would be like to hear all those songs in a row back in 1972

Marquee Moon

roxy music 1, definitely

especially since I think pretty much everything good they did since kinda stems from one of those songs, in a way all you need to know is right there

It's still very strong even if you omit "Virginia Plain", which the original UK version did.

If the side already has a lot of good songs, I think it's very strong to end side 1 on a "crisis" or field of tension that might get worked out over the second side of the record. "The Red Telephone" on Forever Changes and "Moon Over Kentucky" on A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing by Sparks jump to mind.

Todd Rundgren's A Wizard, A True Star I think qualifies, really great example of "you know the hits, now hear what this guy is really capable of"

also I would argue for Close to the Edge by Yes, maybe that subverts the idea of the thread but really everything I like about the band is there, it goes through so much and there are powerhouse performances by the entire band.

Yeah Roxy is a good call. Virginia Plain was a later addition to the tracklist -- the single came out after the original album.

(VP has always sounded out of place on there to me.)

I agree it doesn't really fit but whatever I'm okay with them retconning it on there

Just don't stick your "Pyjamarama" on Side 1 of my For Your Pleasure

Soft Cell's 'Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret' - the entire album feels like a getouttatheway A side.

Ramones' first? VU's first? Probably true of any great debut album.

vu's first has a notable weak point in "run run run" and side b is weaker but starts with "heroin," so i don't think it's lopsided enough to fit here

Wow, I love "Run Run Run."

Is this supposed to be lopsided albums?

The original post doesn't say so: "What I have in mind is Side A's that waste neither time nor space letting you know what kinds of goods this band or artist has to bring. Just unrelentingly delivering the relevant goods." It's just about Side A.

Burzum "Filosofem" - Side A: three career highlights (1 slow, 1 fast, 1 midpaced), Side B: three ambient/experimental soundscapes

i don't think it's lopsided enough to fit here

― gestures broadly at...everything (voodoo chili), Wednesday, August 13, 2025 3:01 PM (two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

if I'm understanding the OP I don't think that's the point. like okay Side 2 of Aqualung is a little dropoff, but Solid State Survivor? great start to finish. but the first side is where they really get to business, so like the Day Tripper cover, as much as I like it, that's kind of them goofing around. also both Wizard & Close to the Edge have great side 2s. Roxy Music's though I think is the worst side (at least of any of their 6 good ones, haven't heard the other 2)...that might be the single most lopsided record I can think of. save for maybe Nite Flights by The Walker Brothers which would've been a great candidate for this thread if not for "Death Of Romance"

Side A of Def Leppard's Hysteria is fucking ridiculous in the best way. Every song a single and every one absolute state-of-command in terms of what they and ol' Mutt L. were aiming for. No wonder this was the full-on breakout over here. (Side B, not lopsided I'd argue [not with "Dogs of War" kicking it off, "Hysteria" itself, my own deep-cut-as-such fave "Run Riot" etc] but Side A is essentially 'well here's half our greatest hits, thanks for asking.')

London Calling

for example - Van Halen's 1st album - it's amazing all the way through, but god, look at Side 1....Runnin' With the Devil, Eruption, You Really Got Me, Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love, I'm the One...I mean, that's Van Halen. mention the band and any one of those songs come to mind (maybe not You Really Got Me, but perhaps the way they could just spit out a totally ass-kicking cover like that). Side 2 is where you hear them branch out some, it all works of course, but it's easy to forget about something like Ice Cream Man

London Calling

― fetter, Wednesday, August 13, 2025 3:13 PM (three minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

funny you mention it I was thinking if any Side Bs come off like this and my first thought was London Calling. which, yeah, not really the same - though perhaps that first record as a whole?? as for a real 'back half' answer I think Crazy Rhythms by The Feelies comes to mind

ah i see, i did misread the original post as sort of a "most front-loaded album" question

actually I think the prog example that works best in my mind is ELP's debut album. maybe not the best single side they ever did but between Barbarian, Take a Pebble, and Knife Edge, they showcase it all - how they can do organ-led rock, how they interpret classical music, how they write epics, what they sound like when they want to be pretty and wistful. more than that all 3 members get to pull out all their tricks. outside of Emerson's synth obsession and their penchant for barrelhouse novelty music it's all there.

Making Movies

the A sides of both London Calling and Combat Rock are amazing "hope you like our new directions" salvos.

First side of Illmatic.

Sleater-Kinney Dig Me Out always struck me like this - basically side 1 never lets up

trynna think of a good disco answer. i thought chic or sister sledge might have one but there's usually a filler ballad on side a and the last big track leads off side b.

maybe off the wall.

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

And, semi-related (in moving a track from Side B of that to Side A of this): Maxinquaye

I'd say the A sides of both albums are the best introduction you could get to either artist.

my favorite versions of the early-ish talking heads material are on the name of this band is talking heads. yeah it's a double live album but that first side completely rips from start to finish.

oh yeah duh remain in light

who's next

zeppelins II, III, IV, and physical graffiti

dead kennedys fresh fruit for rotting vegetables

REM life's rich pageant

sonic youth daydream nation

sebadoh bakesale