Best album sequencing

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A couple friends say it's the Stooges' Raw Power; I'm partial to Paul's Boutique. Nu?

― M. Matos, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'Screamadelica' - the sequencing is what MAKES the album. (Those other examples would still be good, if not the albums we 'know'). The fact that the Scream thought we'd be so interested in their drug experience that they took the trouble to construct an album to reflect it is so naive it's touching, redeeming Primal Scream and almost doing the same for the scene they were discovering.

― dave q, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i have played on random for so long i do not notice sequence except Ray of Light where the best song and logical opener ( Candy Perfume Girl) was mid way thru.

― anthony, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

OK Computer

― Melissa W, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Well, it must have been harder (or more enjoyable, take your pick) to sequence 69 Love Songs than almost any other LP, so perhaps that wins.

Merritt's claim that disc 1 (and most of LP?) is randomly sequenced: improbably true, or blatantly obviously false?

― the pinefox, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Nahhh, Stephin seems to revel in the album-making process a little too much for me to believe that his sequencing is random on 69LS. I'll have to re-listen to the album, but if I remember correctly, some strings of songs really do seem to be sequenced very nicely.

― Clarke B., Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i quite like how Haunted Dancehall is sequenced, starts off nightimeish and seems to get later and spookier as it goes on. also, as time, goes on it goes from being a really good album into a superb album

― gareth, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Any of the last three Talk Talk records; Bark Psychosis' Hex; Sly and the Family Stone's There's a Riot Goin' On; the Afghan Whigs' Gentlemen; the UK version of Associates' Sulk; Leon Ware's Musical Massage.

― Andy, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Not the entire album, but the second side of the first Drive Like Jehu album is perfectly sequenced to the point where it's almost a single piece.

― Richard Tunnicliffe, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Dark Side of the Moon

Albums should put the worst songs at the beginning and the good songs later. No one's asking me which songs are good and bad, though.

― Lyra, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Stone Roses are a perfect example of how to sequence an album. Seeing as the american release mixed it all up and got it horribly wrong and then the cd restored it and tacked on Fools Gold. If you can stand them for an album, Devo's Greatest Hits package is well sequenced. And PE's Nation of Millions should be a blueprint for any rap album. Even Fear of A Black Planet loses it somewhat at the start of side two. Though that might be the congo bit in Revolutionary Generation that throws me.

― zacko, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars"

― Sean, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Nation of Millions would work just fine if you played the songs in reverse order--nothing special about that sequencing at all, sorry. (Fear of a Black Planet on the other hand....) This is true of almost every pre-3 Feet High & Rising hip-hop album, it seems to me; can anything be more indifferently sequenced than Paid in Full, for instance?

― M. Matos, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh well, I thought everything following Night of Living Bassheads flows right into each other. The real reason Im posting this is because I forgot the name of the instrumental (Security of the First World it turns out) but say its on "CDNOW Essential: All-Time Top 10". Being a sucker for lists of any kind, anyone know how to find their top ten? I poked around the site but to no avail.

― zacko, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Purple Rain has the two most perfectly concieved *sides* of any record I know; it works well on CD too, but as an object you have to flip over, it's perfect.

― Jess, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

As is the Artist himself. *wink*

― Sean, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Great call on Purple Rain - start it on either side, it works perfectly.

Somebody's gotta say Abbey Road.

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada" was nicely handled.

― Curt, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I second "Ziggy". Most great Bowie albums are actually quite well- sequenced... Whether "AI", "DD" or "Low" and "Heroes".

― Simon, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

ABBEY ROAD! Especially side two medley.

― Kodanshi, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oooh, another opportunity for me to mention Key Lime Pie.

I think my personal favorite sequence is still XTC's Skylarking. I still remember being 14, listening to it for about a month, and then suddenly being amazed that it followed a life- story arc; now I'm just amazed that even at 14 I didn't notice it right off.

― Nitsuh, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Neil Young's "On The Beach".... at least that's what it seemed like when I was coming down off acid at four in the morning about ten years ago.

― Andy, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I always thought the Replacements had a knack for sequencing, especially "Pleased To Meet Me" and "Tim."

― Mark M, Thursday, 16 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Faust IV and Queens Of The Stone Age's Rated R are nicely sequenced.But I have to go with Amnesiac...some people whinge about the order,but it's great...Pyramid Song getting eaten whole by Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors.It's like channelsurfing.

― Damian, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

.. does this thread aply to mix albums.. COLD CUT - journeys by dj.. KLF- chill out

― jk, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

the avalanches.. --

― jk, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Jazz should not count, but I'm listening to "A Love Supreme" right now... That's sequencing... Closer to The One...

― Simon, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

jets to brazil - orange ryhming dictionary every song is a hit and they threw them together nicely.

dare i say i like JTB way more than jewbreaker? tisk

― Brock, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I love it when I can answer METAL MACHINE MUSIC!!

(Longtime ILM posters will be sad to now I still have not unearthed my copy since last time I brought it up...)

― mark s, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Why should jazz not count?

― Josh, Friday, 17 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Leonard Cohen's I'm Your Man.

― Johnathan, Saturday, 18 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Josh -- It just seems to me that the sequence building of a jazz or rock album is not the same dynamic at all.

― Simon, Saturday, 18 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Well obviously you can play ALS in any order, and it will always sound equally RUBBISH aaahaha-haha-hahaha!!

(Ignore me Simon, I am contracted to do this...)

― mark s, Saturday, 18 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hmmm, that may be true. But aren't lots of other pop genres different, too? Or do you not want to count those, too? ;)

PS Mark S go to hell (I am contractually obligated, etc etc)

― Josh, Saturday, 18 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

We should only discuss track sequencing of Irish folk albums.

― Sterling Clover, Sunday, 19 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Cornelius: FANTASMA

― Kodanshi, Sunday, 19 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'The Downward Spiral'. Duh.

― DavidM, Sunday, 19 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Nation Of Millions is kind of indifferently sequenced BUT "Party For Your Right To Fight" *must* be at the end, surely - the double-tracked vocals work so much better as the climax of the Flav/Chuck interplay across the course of the disc, and it sounds like a party too - you've heard what we've got to say, now get out there and do something about it!

― Tom, Sunday, 19 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I agree that sequencing _Amnesiac_ is inconceivable, but nothing really compares to the rolling juggernaut that is _Disintegration_. The entire album feels like a symphony.

― Dan Perry, Monday, 20 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Loveless" is deliberately sequenced in a way that the structure of each track on Side 1 is similar to it's corresponding number on Side 2 (leaving out the Colm O'Ciosoig track 'Touched' on Side 1). Shields explained this himself at the time of release but nobody appears to have mentioned it since.

― David Gunnip, Tuesday, 21 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

That also applies to Quodrophonia's COZMIC JAM album.

― Kodanshi, Sunday, 26 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I never knew that about Loveless...it makes good sense though...come to think of it,Only Shallow and Come In Alone do go together...

― Damian, Monday, 27 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one year passes...

Dylan's Nashville Skyline...gotta be - starts off him and Johnny Cash lamenting, then building up to the the frivolous, fun song at the end of the first side. Side two: Lay Lady Lay, winding down...and no typical 12 minute song at the end. Two sides, under 50 minutes...

― Ben, Wednesday, 2 October 2002 17:27 (twenty-three years ago)

the first four tracks on 'discovery'.
the last four tracks on 'closer'.

― michael wells (michael w.), Thursday, 3 October 2002 07:56 (twenty-three years ago)

All this talk of Irish folk (ha aha ahahaha) reminded me that "Too Rye Aye", whilst probably the least brilliant of the Dexys LPs, is beautifully sequenced. The way it positively culminates in "Come On Eileen" is just right.

― Tim (Tim), Thursday, 3 October 2002 09:18 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

bump

― bump, Friday, 9 January 2004 21:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Somebody's gotta say Abbey Road.
I first listened to Abbey Road from a cassette copy my step-father had. For some reason, on the tape, "Here Comes the Sun" is the first song of the album and "Come Together" starts off side two. After hearing the true sequence, I'm still partial to "Come Together" being the last beacon of rock before sailing off into "Because" and the rest of that syrupy sea. (That said, "Here Comes the Sun" simply does not work as the album's opener.)

I've never considered myself that much of a Weezer fan, but the blue album has a pretty good sequence.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Friday, 9 January 2004 23:51 (twenty-two years ago)

ten months pass...

wo in dino ki baat hay jab hum school main rahtr the main padne may bahut hi fast tha lekin jab main 9th may gaya to muche ek ladki se pyar ho gaya jiska naam shashi tha wo ek asi ladki thi jo sare india may nahi milti isliye mera sara dhyan uske tarf ho gaya jisse hum fell ho gaye aur jab wo puchi ki aap kyo fell ho gaye to main nahi batana chahta tha lekin mare dil se nikl gaya ki aap k hi dos hay wo puchi wo kaise main kaha ki aap se humko pyar ho gaya hay wo shrma gayi aur is tarh hum dono may dono may pyar ho gaya
kya aap ka bhi hal aisha h gaya hay to hume likh ker bhejiye ga jarur
aap ka ashish kumar

― ashish kumar, Saturday, 27 November 2004 10:17 (twenty-one years ago)

After hearing the complete-concert-in-sequence-recorded CD that came out a few years ago, I was really impressed with what producer Bob Johnston did with 'Johnny Cash at San Quentin.'

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Saturday, 27 November 2004 10:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I've always thought Magical Mystery Tour had the greatest sequencing of all the Beatles albums despite its hodgepodge heritage, strangely. Kind of counterintuitive but honestly, approached as a concept album it's quite brilliant and the "great singles" angle becomes almost beside the point(to the extent that it's ever beside the point on ilm).

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Saturday, 27 November 2004 11:05 (twenty-one years ago)

What makes for "good sequencing"?

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Saturday, 27 November 2004 11:10 (twenty-one years ago)

I was wondering that myself - does it just feel intuitively right? I always wonder if, when I feel an album is well structured, it's just that I know it so well that it feels right for the next song to come up.

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Saturday, 27 November 2004 11:14 (twenty-one years ago)

First half of "OK Computer" is more or less unbeatable to me here.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 28 November 2004 01:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I say This Year's Model, the US LP

― Ken L (Ken L), Sunday, 28 November 2004 02:18 (twenty-one years ago)

sgt pepeprs is the best theme album - the songs sound like a musical mystery trek
prince"lovesexy"plays as 1 46 minute track so it's prerfect for driving or parrying to.

― paulmcsaint, Sunday, 28 November 2004 03:04 (twenty-one years ago)

ABC's "The Lexicon of Love"

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Sunday, 28 November 2004 03:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I've always viewed Prince's "Parade" as his best sequenced album - but like the previously mentioned "Purple Rain" it's only truely apparent on vinyl - "Venus De Milo" only making sense as a full stop to side one.

― Jedmond (Jedmond), Sunday, 28 November 2004 03:32 (twenty-one years ago)

SMiLE's sequencing works really well!

The Depeche Mode Singles (85-92) also works very well!

― Star Cauliflower (Star Cauliflower), Sunday, 28 November 2004 19:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I think "The Queen Is Dead" is wonderfully sequenced. Every song happens just when you want to hear it the most. As opposed to "Meat Is Murder", where every song happens just when you don't feel like hearing it. They really learned how to sequence an album in the shortest time.

― Maxwell von Bismarck (maxwell von bismarck), Sunday, 28 November 2004 19:52 (twenty-one years ago)

The Chameleons' Strange Times.

Also, Loveless.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 28 November 2004 19:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Regarding Prince, I think his best sequencing is on "Sign "O" The Times"

In the case of "Singles (85-92)", it may work well, but that would be a coincidence given the album was sequenced the way a "Best Of" should IMO, that is, chronologically.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 28 November 2004 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Wire - Pink Flag
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

― sleep (sleep), Sunday, 28 November 2004 20:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, and Kid A is pretty impeccable too

― sleep (sleep), Sunday, 28 November 2004 20:56 (twenty-one years ago)

We should only discuss track sequencing of Irish folk albums.

Funnily, Clannad In Concert is very nicely-done for a compilation of different gigs.

― Acme (acme), Sunday, 28 November 2004 23:55 (twenty-one years ago)

We should only discuss track sequencing of Irish folk albums.

Oh, oh, and not because it's folk -- it isn't -- but doncha think If I Should Fall From Grace With God is in the right order?

― Acme (acme), Sunday, 28 November 2004 23:56 (twenty-one years ago)

two months pass...

Sgt. Peppers is definately the best sequenced album ever.
(anyone notice that Kiss tried to duplicate the sonic order of Sgt Pepper's on Destroyer?)

― Bobby Peru, Thursday, 10 February 2005 09:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Let's make it Hounds of Love by Kate Bush? The original A-side contains a perfect mix of the hitsingles, ending stunningly with the epic Cloudbusting. B-side = The Ninth Wave = genius, in song, in performance, arrangement and sequencing.

― Roger in Mokum (Roger T), Thursday, 10 February 2005 10:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Regarding Prince, I think his best sequencing is on "Sign "O" The Times"

lovesexy plays as 1 track - 46 minutes/9 tracks

― La Camilla Henemark, Thursday, 10 February 2005 14:59 (twenty-one years ago)

XTC "Skylarking" most definitely.
I always enjoyed the ebb and flow of Joy Division's "Unknown Pleasures".
Pretty Things "S.F. Sorrow"

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Thursday, 10 February 2005 16:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I think the exquisite sequencing is probably the reason that I think that Pizzicato Five's Happy End of the World is the best pop album ever made.

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Thursday, 10 February 2005 16:06 (twenty-one years ago)

ten months pass...

Soul II Souls Club Classics Vol 1 was superbly sequenced, although many will note that the lp was intended for vinyl listening only: Dance and African Dance use the same rhythm track and sound strange back to back on CD.
Who can deny the Bpower of Back to Life a capella merging into Jazzys Groove as the albums final blast though?!

― gwegoirae, Monday, 12 December 2005 02:23 (twenty years ago)

aMiniature's depthFiverateSix ('94) springs to mind

― Tate (Tate), Monday, 12 December 2005 04:10 (twenty years ago)

how about Rush 2112? (joking) (ducks)

― Tate (Tate), Monday, 12 December 2005 04:14 (twenty years ago)

the pacing of husker du's zen arcade never fails to make me jealous.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Monday, 12 December 2005 06:26 (twenty years ago)

http://www.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGCOVERS/music/cover200/drf100/f144/f14413fz627.jpg

― corey c (shock of daylight), Monday, 12 December 2005 06:30 (twenty years ago)

probably sweeps best cover, too. BELIEVE IT.

― corey c (shock of daylight), Monday, 12 December 2005 06:31 (twenty years ago)

Talking Heads - Remain in Light. Love the gradual descent to the droning "Overload."

― Daniel Peterson (polkaholic), Monday, 12 December 2005 15:18 (twenty years ago)

London Calling

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Monday, 12 December 2005 15:59 (twenty years ago)

This could be a separate thread, but who else has done the "Kate Bush" style sequencing other than her (twice now)?

It'd be interesting to see someone else step up to the challenge.

― login name (fandango), Monday, 12 December 2005 16:01 (twenty years ago)

Stooges, Fun House, for the way each song devolves into something more incoherent & chaotic than the previous one, culminating in the pure inarticulate noise of "L.A. Blues", the only logical conclusion.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 12 December 2005 16:27 (twenty years ago)

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