best album song order

Personality Crisis - Looking For A Kiss - Vietnamese Baby. Actually, "PC" alone has enough impact to racedrive the full record by itself, truth be told. Since as we all know and agree it is the best song ever written ;)

I also like the more theatrial way of beginning an album, where you don't neccesarily have to start w/ a bang, but build slow into the big moment. Here I'm thinking of Nation of Millions, starting out w/ that loud air-raid siren bit before "Bring The Noise," great way to build tension. Also "For All The Girls--->Shake Your Rump" on Paul's Boutique.

I must listen to that album (and Funhouse, oddly enough) at least three or four times a week, and I always skip over "Personality Crisis".

I've always thought that the first three tracks to Philophobia by Arab Strap was perfectly sequenced. I don't necessarily think the rest of the album tails off afterwards, but I usually do only listen to sides 1, 3 and 4 when I play it.

How odd. To me "PC" naturally seems, and even feels, like the fifth wheel of the "Brown Sugar"/"Kick Out the Jams"/"Search and Destroy"/"Panic in Detroit" rockunroll dragster.

One of these great, cool-defining, perfectly filthy and indecently groovy opening riffs. My favourite song to dance to, also. Yeah. Rock on.

More recently - I can't think of a better opening than Spiritualized's "Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space"/"Come Together"/"I think I'm In Love". It tails off after that, but only a little.

However the best of all time is : Magazine "Definitive Gaze"/"My Tulpa"/"Shot By Both Sides" from "Real Life"

One of the worst sequencing jobs I've ever heard is on Wyclef Jean's The Ecleftic, where somebody had the bright idea of putting the worst 4 songs next to each other right at the beginning. It's the only album I can think of that fails the 3-Song Test (3-Song Test : if nothing grabs you in the first 3 songs, no need to listen any further) and still manages to be decent overall.

At risk of turning this into a Gorky's thread - does anyone have any thoughts on the last two albums "Spanish Dance Troupe" and "Blue Trees". I have the disappointing "Gorky 5" and then sort of gave up. "Barafundle" is fucking genius anyway.

"Discovery" has an astonishing opening sequence in this vein: five or so excellent tracks, all different and all somehow making danceable sense.

For a long time my favourite opening sequence was "Trompe Le Monde" up to but not including "Head On".

It's very hard to think of a non-compilation that flares into life after Track 3 or so. Easier to think of ones that peter out - Lambchop's Nixon, for instance.

The Wu-Tang Clan's last album feels well-sequenced - can't quite put my finger on why but it feels right to have Gravel Pit at the end and Chamber Music and Careful (Click Click) up front.

First six tracks of Ultramarine's "United Kingdoms"; close to perfection. Shame it gets a little soporific and jazz-fusion thereafter.

And... ah, what the hell. Mellow Gold. "Loser" through "Truck Drivin' Neighbors Downstairs". There, I said it, and I'm proud of it.

hahah helmet's 'betty'

first four tracks - 'wilma's rainbow', 'i know', 'biscuits for smut', 'milquetoast'. classique

thereafter, the album veers off into uber trite territory

'ride the lightning' - first 4 tunes are killer, awesome sequencing

Ride the Lightning slays all the way through. I'd argue the first two tracks are the weakest, actually.

The Who Sell Out. The concept is the sequencing, the sequencing is the concept, and there is nary a weak spot on the record.

The A Frames debut album slays me every time when the opener, "Hostage Crisis", the most gnarled four-chord song ever, segues into "Calculate" with the incredible bouncy bassline. And as the disc moves along as you think you've got them pegged them as harsh noise-punkers, they drop the dreamy JAMC-like ode to surveillance cameras.

OK Computer, except "No Surprises" sounds way too much like an album closer.

This subject comes up concerning debut albums sometimes and I think it would be pretty hard to start your LP recording career much better than with "Purple Haze", "Manic Depression" and "Hey Joe."

While we're at it, I must admit I am getting more ashamed every year to realize I still have never heard the whole of "Nevermind". Yet there is absolutely nothing that makes me want to borrow my sister's copy and play the damn thing.

-- Dave Grohl, Sunday, April 8, 2001 8:00 PM

O_O

woah what a strange revive here.

i guess that i don't really think of albums in that way.