Origin of 'Secret Tracks' on CDs?

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Also: what's with the latest secret tracks being separated by only a minute or two? Examples being Pete Yorn musicforthemorningafter, Lost in Translation soundtrack.

― Richard K., Wednesday, 2 June 2004 20:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Earliest secret track I know about is on Negativland's Escape From Noise from 1986/87, but there could easily be an earlier one.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 2 June 2004 20:07 (twenty-one years ago)

First I'd heard of (and trickiest) were the hidden tracks before the start of the album on Ash's 1977.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 2 June 2004 21:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually, it's just one track, I think.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 2 June 2004 21:01 (twenty-one years ago)

No there were two, the original version of 'Jack Names the Planets', and its b-side 'Don't Know'.

― wombatX (wombatX), Wednesday, 2 June 2004 22:25 (twenty-one years ago)

the first secret track i encountered was "endless nameless" and i wouldn't be surprised if that was fairly responsible for it becoming such a common practice.

― the surface noise made by people (electricsound), Wednesday, 2 June 2004 22:27 (twenty-one years ago)

hint - if it's a proper track, not a novelty wheezefest (Second Coming) or dirgey howl (In Utero), then it's very likely that the band loves the track but the management, the label, the friends, the aquaintances and the Turkish mastering engineer fucking HATE it. It's a nice way of letting them have their way whilst not.

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Wednesday, 2 June 2004 22:46 (twenty-one years ago)

First I'd heard of (and trickiest) were the hidden tracks before the start of the album on Ash's 1977.

I seem to recall a They Might Be Giants album doing this too, although I forget which one.

― Nick Mirov (nick), Wednesday, 2 June 2004 23:30 (twenty-one years ago)

you're thinking of the song snippets at the end of Apollo 13.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 2 June 2004 23:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Does the original vinyl pressing of London Calling which included "Train In Vain" but did not list it on the label or jacket count as the ur-hidden track?

― phil dennison, Thursday, 3 June 2004 03:06 (twenty-one years ago)

you're thinking of the song snippets at the end of Apollo 13.

The idea was to put it on random play so they would be spread out between the proper songs. Since I only had it on cassette, that string of snippets at the end was both awkward and hilarious.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Thursday, 3 June 2004 03:11 (twenty-one years ago)

do people draw a distinction between uncredited tracks (i.e. they have their own track #) and hidden tracks (you need to use the 'search' button to get to them)?

― the surface noise for the sake of noise (electricsound), Thursday, 3 June 2004 03:41 (twenty-one years ago)

First BEFORE-album hidden tracks I know of were on the X-Files soundtrack. I'm too lazy to look up whether that came before or after the Ash though.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Thursday, 3 June 2004 03:49 (twenty-one years ago)

"First BEFORE-album hidden tracks I know of were on the X-Files soundtrack. I'm too lazy to look up whether that came before or after the Ash though."

you know i only found out about that very recently. there was this cryptic reference in the liner notes: "nick cave and the dirty three would like to let you know that 0 is also a number." i was so stumped by that. i never bothered to check it out until i recently learned it was for that hidden nick cave track.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 3 June 2004 04:43 (twenty-one years ago)

"Does the original vinyl pressing of London Calling which included "Train In Vain" but did not list it on the label or jacket count as the ur-hidden track? "
I've read numerous articles that the band felt the song was too catchy or something, and so they ommitted the song name from the initial track listing- obviously, after initial pressings, it was added?!
I remember Nirvana's hidden track as my first exposure to a hidden song, but some of my friends then purchased the album, and theirs didn't have it. At that time, the only other cd I can remember owning that had hidden tracks was Nine Inch Nails' Broken EP.

― mclaugh (mclaugh), Thursday, 3 June 2004 11:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Also: what's with the latest secret tracks being separated by only a minute or two?

i for one am very grateful (not that it's a new phenomemon). i find the whole secret tracks thing quite tiresome anyway but sitting/fastwinding through 15 minutes of silence is just taking the piss

― zebedee (zebedee), Thursday, 3 June 2004 11:56 (twenty-one years ago)

front 242 - tyrany for you had hidden tracks, and i had that prior to nevermind so that was prob my first cd with hidden extras. i recall that there was a PR ruse re nevermind that only a ltd pressings had the extra track. i suspect that this was bollox ?
xpost - agreed they are a effing pain in't arse on the whole.

― mark e (mark e), Thursday, 3 June 2004 11:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Worst "index space" tracks award has to go to Come on Feel the Lemonheads.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Thursday, 3 June 2004 11:59 (twenty-one years ago)

The new Ministry album looks like a pretty bad example.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Thursday, 3 June 2004 12:02 (twenty-one years ago)

haha. alien on the ball as ever.i am going through a rediscovery of ministry/foetus etc are ministry still pants or have they rediscovered their fury and funk ?

― mark e (mark e), Thursday, 3 June 2004 12:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Worse than that Ministry was the aforementioned Broken EP- check out that track listing. The review on it points out something I'd forgotten- one of my friends had the version that included both a full size CD (broken EP) and that smaller size CD (with the bonus tracks). Otherwise, you had to either sit by the CD player to advance the tracks, or just wait a few minutes.

― mclaugh (mclaugh), Thursday, 3 June 2004 12:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Animositisomina (or whatever the name of the last record was) turned out to be surprisingly good. I haven't heard this new one yet, tho.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Thursday, 3 June 2004 12:16 (twenty-one years ago)

It's a bit off-topic, but Salim Nourallah's Polaroid has the album's title track hidden. Is that a first?

― JC-L (JC-L), Thursday, 3 June 2004 13:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I believe Danzig indulged a bit in this too, but it's not significant enough to warrant specifics.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 3 June 2004 14:05 (twenty-one years ago)

you're thinking of the song snippets at the end of Apollo 13.

No, he's thinking about "Token Back To Brooklyn" before track 1 on Factory Showroom.

I've read numerous articles that the band felt the song was too catchy or something, and so they ommitted the song name from the initial track listing- obviously, after initial pressings, it was added?!

Nah. It was just written (and thus recorded & mastered) after the artwork had been finalised.

― kit brash (kit brash), Thursday, 3 June 2004 14:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Does the original vinyl pressing of London Calling which included "Train In Vain" but did not list it on the label or jacket count as the ur-hidden track?

Beatles, Abbey Road, "Her Majesty".

At least that's what I've read. I've never looked at an original LP. On the CD the song is listed, of course.

― Yan Can Cook, Thursday, 3 June 2004 17:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, "Her Majesty" fits the bill. Sgt. Pepper also ends with a non-song after "Day in the Life," which on vinyl would spin on forever, but on the CD they have it fade out after a bit.

So yet again, beatles win.

― Richard K (Richard K), Thursday, 3 June 2004 17:58 (twenty-one years ago)

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