An all-new version of the ILX code is being developed. You can test and comment at sandbox.ilxor.com.

Pre-CD-age albums where the famous tracks were all on one side

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed
Today it isn't all that unusual to see a CD where all the best/most famous tracks are at the start. Back when an album used to have two sides this was a bit more unusual.
The CD age is hard to define. Personally I would say the start of the CD age was not 1982, when the first CDs started to arrive, but rather around 1989-90, when the CD was overtaking vinyl in terms of sales. So here the pre-CD age is defined as the 80s or earlier.

Some examples I can think of are:

David Bowie: Scary Monsters
David Bowie: Let's Dance
Kate Bush: Hounds Of Love
U2: Achtung Baby

Plus, arguably, "Brothers In Arms" (arguably because 1. the famous title track was on side 2 and 2. that CD was in a lot of ways the start of the CD age)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 9 October 2006 13:43 (twenty years ago)

mysterious ways was on side 1?

― Charlie Howard (the sphinx), Monday, 9 October 2006 13:47 (twenty years ago)

yeah, achtung is a pretty bad example of this. at least for my experience with it in the US.

― AaronK (AaronK), Monday, 9 October 2006 14:18 (twenty years ago)

Love - Da Capo.

Today, I am mostly posting Love.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 9 October 2006 14:23 (twenty years ago)

Aren't all the singles from the Joshua Tree the first songs on the first side?

― nate woolls (napawo), Monday, 9 October 2006 14:48 (twenty years ago)

low - bowie also

― pisces (piscesx), Monday, 9 October 2006 14:50 (twenty years ago)

I always found "Rumours" to be front-loaded. The biggest hits were all on side 1, although one single did appear on side 2 ("You Make Loving Fun") and virtually every track is famous in its own right.

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Monday, 9 October 2006 15:09 (twenty years ago)

Yellow Submarine!

― autovac (autovac), Monday, 9 October 2006 15:44 (twenty years ago)

My bad, I meant "Joshua Tree" not "Achtung Baby".

All the singles plus the two other tracks on Side 1 are well-established fan favourites too.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 9 October 2006 16:16 (twenty years ago)

I guess Bowie kind of owns this thread, as you may also add "Heroes".

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 9 October 2006 16:17 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, but if there's one thing everyone knows about Low and Heroes, it's that "Side two has weird spacey instrumentals"

So, no.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 9 October 2006 19:21 (twenty years ago)

Although, to be fair, the title only has it on "one" side, doesn't say which!

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 9 October 2006 19:23 (twenty years ago)

billy joel 'glass houses'

― dave q (listerine), Monday, 9 October 2006 19:28 (twenty years ago)

prince - 1999 - side a
A1 1999 (6:22)
A2 Little Red Corvette (4:58)
A3 Delirious (3:56)

― a.b. (alanbanana), Monday, 9 October 2006 19:31 (twenty years ago)

I was gonna say "I bet Geir means The Joshua Tree"!

― Young Fresh Danny D (Dan Perry), Monday, 9 October 2006 19:34 (twenty years ago)

Rod Stewart: Atlantic Crossing
(One of rather few cases of all of the famous tracks being on the second side)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 9 October 2006 20:33 (twenty years ago)

the first B-52's album, certainly.

― fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Monday, 9 October 2006 21:05 (twenty years ago)

I can't track down my copy right now to double check, but I recall Pearls before Swine having this effect (Dear Ms Morse is such a kickass song).

― Andi Headphones (Andi Headphones), Monday, 9 October 2006 23:30 (twenty years ago)

Marquee Moon

― hank (hank s), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 00:16 (twenty years ago)

Side 1 of Cameo's "Word Up" contains Word Up, Candy and Back and Forth. I don't think I ever listened to the second side more than once.

― Dr Benway (dr benway), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 03:38 (twenty years ago)

"Just The Way You Like It" by SOS Band

"Weekend Girl" and "Just The Way You Like It" are both on Side 1, along with two other Jam/Lewis productions. Side 2 consisted of non-Jam/Lewis productions only.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 09:21 (twenty years ago)

VU - Loaded

― eyesteel (eyesteel), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 11:50 (twenty years ago)

Rolling Stones--Aftermath

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Tuesday, 10 October 2006 12:50 (twenty years ago)


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.