Putting the worst track first: C or D, also S&D

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So I've been really getting into this new Black Keys album Rubber Factory, but I've gotten to the point where I just skip the first track by habit. It's a rather plodding, unexceptional electric blues dirge - generous critics might call it "haunting" but to me it's just kind of drab. In contrast, the second track is an invigorating shot of stripped down classic rock energy with a huge hook. In fact, once the first track is done, the great tunes just keep coming. (Probably the easiest comparison point is the White Stripes, since both are garagey blues-rock guitar/drums duos - though Akron must be on a more southern latitude than Detroit, because the Keys have a lot more Skynyrd in their sound - which is entirely to the good - not to mention better songs.)

But anyway the thing that bothers me is that they took the weakest track on the record and made it the introduction to the record. It strikes me that this the worst possible place to put a weak track. I got to wondering if there are any other good or even great records that start off with the weakest track. I couldn't think of any off-hand, so I thought of putting the question to ILM. A second question would be, Is this sequencing ever a good idea?

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:04 (twenty-one years ago)

a defining element of the no neck blues band approach to record sequencing

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:06 (twenty-one years ago)

It's definitely not a good idea in general. If it's a long album, you can get away with a weak track that serves as the preamble to what follows. "Introducing the Band" from Suede's "Dog Man Star" comes to mind.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Tales From Topographic Oceans

― Not Really Here (Begs2Differ), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I guess there are some debatable examples where the first track is the hit single, which the veteran fans of the band disparage as a sell-out move, while they praise the rest of the album. I'm thinking of Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation - I've heard it said by a certain type of SY fan that "Teenage Riot" is the weakest track on it - no doubt since it is the most accessible - but that seems to be a deliberately contrarian view, so perhaps it's not really an example of leading with a weak track.

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:17 (twenty-one years ago)

blonde on blonde
some say sign o' the times (just read matos's book last night while i watched the baseball game - great job, matos.)

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:22 (twenty-one years ago)

blonde on blonde

That is a good example, even though I kind of enjoy "Rainy Day Women", it doesn't seem to really hold up to the rest of the album.

sign o' the times

I think there are some weaker tracks on this. "Sign o the Times" is very topical, so it has dated more than most of the songs, but it's still a good track.

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:26 (twenty-one years ago)

the title track of "sign o' the times" is one of prince's best tracks! mostly for the rhythm track, but i'd also argue that it's just as topical today as it was in 1987 -- i'm not sure if it's dated at all!

and "teenage riot" is, um, the best song SY ever did.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:30 (twenty-one years ago)

What about Rap/Hip Hop albums? Most of the time, the first track is a skit or intro thing.

― Doobie Keebler (Charles McCain), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:33 (twenty-one years ago)

xpost: but it's not really the first track, there's that Kim "miss me, don't dismiss me" intro bit "smooth design, smooth design" etc.

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:34 (twenty-one years ago)

xpost - Yeah, I thought of that too. I don't know whether skits and intros should count, but they are often eminently skippable.

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:35 (twenty-one years ago)

that intro bit is part of "teenage riot," isn't it?

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:35 (twenty-one years ago)

I mean the skits and intros are fun the first time you hear the record, but after that, they wear out very quickly.

xpost- I think of it as part of the same song too.

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Orbital -- In Sides (I expect to have my sanity questioned with this choice)

The fairly upbeat "The Girl With the Sun In Her Head" sounds disjointed from the seriousness of the album's remainder. On it's own, it's better than a track such as "Adnans", but the latter is much stronger in the context of the album.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Obviously it depends on which track you consider worst, but still DUD. I'm impatient & highly strung, and I wanna hear the good stuff NOW! and not have to sit through (or skip) some filler first. PiL's First Edition, Mr. Bungle's Disco Volante, Butthole Surfers' Hairway To Steven - these are all fine records that deserve more of my attention, and would get more, if the opening tracks weren't so off-putting. Listening should be a pleasure, not a chore.

And the exact same thing applies to rap LPs that open with a skit, and Metallica LPs, back when they used to sabotage perfectly fine opening cuts by tacking on extremely tedious 60-second acoustic-guitar preludes for no discernible reason. (Back when Metallica were still worthy of my attention, I mean, obv.)

"Teenage Riot" is a great example - not the whole song, just Kim's whispery intro. (Which I actually really LIKE, personally, but it's still a good example!)

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:48 (twenty-one years ago)

I think "Jacqueline" is by far the weakest track on the Franz Ferdinand album and have come to start the disc on track 2 by rote. FF is still my #1 album of the year, though.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think there's anything weak about Kim's whispery intro to "Teenage Riot" - it builds tension and it contributes to the overall effect of the song.

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 21 October 2004 16:56 (twenty-one years ago)

'Army Of Me' to thread :(

― latetotheparty (latetotheparty), Thursday, 21 October 2004 17:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think there's anything weak about Kim's whispery intro to "Teenage Riot" - it builds tension and it contributes to the overall effect of the song.

total agreement. and i like those metallica acoustic intros too. i love slow, tension-building ramp-ups to the beginning of an album. if they ramped up to a crappy track, that would suck though.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Thursday, 21 October 2004 17:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I like the Sonic Youth intro too - I just saw it mentioned & found it a good example. Given 20 minutes, I could probably name something similar but far less effective.

As for Metallica, I would estimate that of the eight songs on Master Of Puppets, FIVE of 'em take too goddamn long to start! (But that's just me.)

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Thursday, 21 October 2004 17:17 (twenty-one years ago)

well, that's the thing about metallica. when you do it on every song, it becomes rather annoying.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Thursday, 21 October 2004 17:20 (twenty-one years ago)

MYONGA!!!! i cant believe you just nominated PiL's First Issue for this. "theme" is the loudest, slowest, heaviest thing ive ever heard. seriously, one of my top 10 songs of all time. the rest of that album pales in comparison as far as im concerned.

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 21 October 2004 17:27 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't know...he said First Edition, so he could have also meant Second Edition, which has the even more excellent "Albatross" at the lead off...although I do think "Theme" is the best song on the debut.

― Ian Moraine (Eastern Mantra), Thursday, 21 October 2004 19:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah but after ten minutes of Albatross, comes the knockout blows of Memories, Swan Lake, Poptones and Careering. It's not really a ramp up, more like a long, desert drive to devil's tower, or, uh, something.

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Thursday, 21 October 2004 19:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, I think it all boils down to how many good songs you actually have.

Too many albums (usually the ones that end up in the bargain bin) have a great first song, but it's the best song on the album so the rest of it feels like it's not worth listening to.

If even the weakest song isn't that bad though, I think putting the worst one first makes the album kick that much more ass, because it means it only gets better from there.

Sometimes in a live set I like it when a band opens with a slower one, then a medium one, and then starts cooking around the 3rd or 4th song.

― Hurting (Hurting), Thursday, 21 October 2004 22:46 (twenty-one years ago)

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