Suites: i) classic; ii) dud; iii) search pt I; iv) search pt II; v) the jester's laugh shall be longest

I know only the finest of these - The Long Medley, The Ninth Wave, B-Boy Bouillabaisse, An Endless Sky Of Honey.

What others are there? How many are sufferable? Which non-proggy acts have had a go?

Beach Boys "California Saga" is about half-classic

Suite: Judy Blue Eyes

Never heard it, but the most insufferable pun.

Important subtopics: post WWII-era jazz, film score excerpts and suites boiled down from ballets and operas.

(j/k I know no one else will want to discuss those)

Chicago managed to have THREE of these on their second album:

6. "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon"

"Make Me Smile"
"So Much to Say, So Much to Give"
"Anxiety's Moment"
"West Virginia Fantasies"
"Colour My World"
"To Be Free"
"Now More Than Ever"

9. "Memories of Love"

"Prelude"
"A.M. Mourning"
"P.M. Mourning"
"Memories of Love"

10. "It Better End Soon"

"1st Movement"
"2nd Movement"
"3rd Movement"
"4th Movement"

Yes owns this.

Sufjan Stevens' horrible BQE album:

"Prelude on the Esplanade" – 2:56
"Introductory Fanfare for the Hooper Heroes" – 1:07
"Movement I: In the Countenance of Kings" – 5:19
"Movement II: Sleeping Invader" – 4:34
"Interlude I: Dream Sequence in Subi Circumnavigation" – 3:33
"Movement III: Linear Tableau with Intersecting Surprise" – 4:09
"Movement IV: Traffic Shock" – 3:24
"Movement V: Self-Organizing Emergent Patterns" – 3:45
"Interlude II: Subi Power Waltz" – 0:28
"Interlude III: Invisible Accidents" – 0:54
"Movement VI: Isorhythmic Night Dance with Interchanges" – 3:17
"Movement VII (Finale): The Emperor of Centrifuge" – 3:51
"Postlude: Critical Mass" – 2:59

Yes owns this.

― Will Chave (Hurting 2), Wednesday, July 18, 2012 6:10 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ummmmmm

Where does the definition start/end? E.g., does "Trilogy" off Daydream Nation count?

12. "Trilogy" – 14:02
A) "The Wonder" (lyrics/vocals Moore) – 4:15
B) "Hyperstation" (lyrics/vocals Moore) – 7:13
Z) "Eliminator Jr." (lyrics/vocals Gordon) – 2:37

That's kind of what I was wondering actually. Why is the Mingus one a suite rather than just an album? Is Bohemian Rhapsody a suite?

I was also going to suggest a CD-80 but there'd only be about three things on it.

Almost every early King Crimson song title looks like:

"Epitaph"
including "March for No Reason" and "Tomorrow and Tomorrow"

BS&tSL is a single piece w a few different parts -- i know there's a lot of albums like this, and wouldnt call all them all suites, but i guess it's the ballet-like structure that lends itself to suitism

.. and whats the difference between a concerto and a suite.

cos surely concerto for a rainy day by elo could be a contender here ?

Almost every early King Crimson song title looks like:

"Epitaph"
including "March for No Reason" and "Tomorrow and Tomorrow"

As I recall the reason for this was something to do with royalties? Since In the Court had "only" five songs I thought they divided them up into sections because they'd get paid more that way.

xp A concerto (from the Italian: concerto, plural concerti or, often, the anglicised form concertos) is a musical composition usually composed in three parts or movements, in which (usually) one solo instrument (for instance, a piano, violin, cello or flute) is accompanied by an orchestra.

oooh .. ta ..

Acting on a recommendation from Zappa, the band split the main tracks into smaller pieces to increase the band's income from the album.[3]

Rivmic Melodies - 17:07

"Pataphysical Introduction – Pt. I" (Robert Wyatt) – 1:00
"A Concise British Alphabet – Pt. I" (Hugh Hopper, arr. Wyatt) – 0:10
"Hibou, Anemone and Bear" (Mike Ratledge, Wyatt) – 5:58
"A Concise British Alphabet – Pt. II" (Hopper, Wyatt) – 0:12
"Hulloder" (Hopper, Wyatt) – 0:52
"Dada Was Here" (Hopper, Wyatt) – 3:25
"Thank You Pierrot Lunaire" (Hopper, Wyatt) – 0:47
"Have You Ever Bean Green?" (Hopper, Wyatt) – 1:23
"Pataphysical Introduction – Pt. II" (Wyatt) – 0:50
"Out of Tunes" (Ratledge, Hopper, Wyatt) – 2:30

Esther's Nose Job - 11:13

"Fire Engine Passing with Bells Clanging" (Ratledge) – 1:50
"Pig" (Ratledge) – 2:08
"Orange Skin Food" (Ratledge) – 1:52
"A Door Opens and Closes" (Ratledge) – 1:09
"10:30 Returns to the Bedroom" (Ratledge, Hopper, Wyatt) – 4:14

^same story behind the sub tracks on sabbath self titled iirc

From Chad and Jeremy's "Of cabbages and kings" LP from 67... I give you "The progress suite" :
1. Prologue
2. The Progress Suite
3. Editorial
4. Fall
5. Epilogue

Then ELP's "Tarkus", the title track is listed thus:

1. Eruption
2. Stones of years
3. Iconoclast
4. Mass
5. Manticore
6. The battlefield
7. Aquatarkus

Caravan's "Nine feet underground" has a similar list of titles too, iirc

Suites are all over '70s prog albums. Yes' "Starship Trooper" (three parts) and Genesis' "Supper's Ready" (seven parts) are amongst the highlights of this genre.

Jethro Tull ought to have one of these?

np: colosseum 'the valentyne suite'

a) january's search
b) february's valentyne
c) the grass is always greener

"2112" – 20:34
I: "Overture" – 4:33 (0:00—4:33)
II: "The Temples of Syrinx" – 2:12 (4:33—6:45)
III: "Discovery" (music: Lifeson) – 3:29 (6:45—10:14)
IV: "Presentation" (music: Lifeson) – 3:42 (10:14—13:56)
V: "Oracle: The Dream" – 2:00 (13:56—15:56)
VI: "Soliloquy" – 2:21 (15:56—18:17)
VII: "Grand Finale" – 2:14 (18:17—20:33)

procol harum 'in held 'twas in i'

a) glimpses of nirvana
b) 'twas teatime at the circus
c) in the autumn of my madness
d) look to your soul
e) grand finale

C'mon guys, the prog suites are too easy! Let's focus on the op where it was asked about what non-proggers have done suites.

OK, non-prog:

I always liked "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" because it feels all of a piece, like it was intended to be a single song from the start, as opposed to many suites that are more like seemingly unrelated song fragments stuck together.

Also, "Bohemian Rhapsody": classic.

Having trouble thinking of many suites from the current millenium. Lots of two-part songs but not many real suites. There must be some out there i'm missing.

chris knox divided his 'songs of you and me' album into 'hanging out for time to cure birth' and 'a stranger's iron shore' but calling them suites is a bit much

acid mothers

Is side 1 of "A Wizard, A True Star" an untitled suite? What's actually the difference between a suite and a song cycle?

Non-prog, FZ Dept.:

"Help, I'm a Rock" (Suite In Three Movements)
1st Movement: Okay To Tap Dance
2nd Movement: In Memoriam, Edgar Varèse
3rd Movement: It Can't Happen Here

Suite No. 1: "Absolutely Free" (1st in a Series of Underground Oratorios)
1. "Plastic People" 3:42
2. "The Duke of Prunes" 2:13
3. "Amnesia Vivace" 1:01
4. "The Duke Regains His Chops" 1:52
5. "Call Any Vegetables" 2:15
6. "Invocation & Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin" 7:00
7. "Soft-Sell Conclusion" 1:40

Suite No. 2: "The M.O.I. American Pageant" (2nd in a Series of Underground Oratorios)
No. Title Length
10. "America Drinks" 1:52
11. "Status Back Baby" 2:54
12. "Uncle Bernie's Farm" 2:10
13. "Son of Suzy Creamcheese" 1:34
14. "Brown Shoes Don't Make It" 7:30
15. "America Drinks and Goes Home" 2:46

Lumpy Gravy is in 2 parts subdivided into 22 titled sections.

surely concerto for a rainy day by elo could be a contender here ?

― mark e, Wednesday, July 18, 2012 1:47 PM (8 hours ago) Bookmark

More so the first 4 tracks from On the Third Day, with it's repeated motifs and reprises:

1. "Ocean Breakup/King of the Universe" – 4:07
2. "Bluebird Is Dead" – 4:42
3. "Oh No Not Susan" – 3:07
4. "New World Rising/Ocean Breakup (Reprise)" – 4:05

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT1qgHJD2YU

The Prodigy's Music for the Jilted Generation ends with The Narcotic Suite.

The most recent Trail of Dead has one (or two).

Does Kyuss' Welcome to Sky Valley count?

More dance music examples (interesting that together with the Prodigy these happened in '94, '95 and '96 respectively):

Underworld - Juanita / Kiteless / To Dream Of Love

Goldie - Timeless: (i) Inner City Life (ii) Pressure (iii) Jah

Really any single artist dance album presented as a single mix (e.g. the voices from the lake album) is in this category but the above examples are self-consciously presented as suites.

Shirley Collins first track on Anthems in Eden is a 20 min long song suite that weaves together various folk songs into a story that follows a courtship, a love affair, through heartbreak and old age. It is MAGNIFICENT. I think it was broken up into smaller tracks for another release, but the one I have is all one track. It's heavenly.

Sorry, it's 28 min long

^^^ that reminds me, I nearly forgot En Vogue's slightly o_O classical motif suite:

1. Suite Intro
2. Love U Crazay
3. Sad But True
4. Love Won't Take Me Out
5. Whatever Will be Will Be
6. Suite Outro

Tanz der Lemminge is maybe my favorite of these

Side A

"SYNTELMAN'S MARCH OF THE ROARING SEVENTIES" (C. Karrer, F. Rogner) – 15:51
1. "In the Glass Garden" (1:39)
2. "Pull Down Your Mask" (4:39)
3. "Prayer to the Silence" (1:04)
4. "Telephonecomplex" (8:26)

Side B

"RESTLESS SKYLIGHT-TRANSISTOR-CHILD" (J. Weinzierl, F. Rogner) – 19:33
1. "Landing in a Ditch" (1:12)
2. "Dehypnotized Toothpaste" (0:52)
3. "A Short Stop at the Transylvanian Brain-Surgery" (5:00)
4. "Race From Here to Your Ears" (5:20)
1. "Little Tornadoes"
2. "Overheated Tiara"
3. "The Flyweighted Five"
5. "Riding on a Cloud" (2:33)
6. "Paralyzed Paradise" (3:07)
7. "H.G. Wells' Take Off" (1:26)

Side C

"CHAMSIN SOUNDTRACK" (C. Karrer, J. Weinzierl, F. Rogner, L. Meid)
1. "The Marilyn Monroe-Memorial-Church" [improvisation] – 18:05

Side D

"CHAMSIN SOUNDTRACK" (C. Karrer, J. Weinzierl, F. Rogner, L. Meid)
1. "Chewing Gum Telegram" – 2:41
2. "Stumbling Over Melted Moonlight" – 4:33
3. "Toxicological Whispering" – 7:45

"Restless Skylight-Transistor-Child" is really great (and not just because it has suites within suites)

screwed up the formatting but "Race from Here to Your Ears" is supposed to be itself a three-part mini-suite

Metal Machine Music ?

what about disco suites comprising entire sides?

Giorgio Moroder - From Here To Eternity
A1. From Here to Eternity - 5:58
A2. Faster Than the Speed of Love - 1:54
A3. Lost Angeles - 2:44
A4. Utopia - Me Giorgio - 3:24
A5. From Here to Eternity (Reprise) - 1:45

Voyage - Fly Away
A1. Souvenirs 6:31
A2. Kechak Fantasy 3:02
A3. Eastern Trip 2:09
A4. Tahiti, Tahiti 5:07

also:

The Incredible String Band - A Very Cellular Song
Tim Buckley - Goodbye and Hello
Bauhaus - The Three Shadows Pts 1 ,2 & 3

Ornette's Chappaqua Suite feels too long to be an actual suite but it is film music and it is classic so that.

Skies of America !!!

The Marjorie Razorblade Suite, Kevin Coyne.

It's only on a Virgin records sampler, but is great.

Does Kyuss' Welcome to Sky Valley count?

^probably not, that's just groups of songs stiched together

Peter Hammill - "Flight" and "A Headlong Stretch" (nb: solo PH is definitely "non-proggy")

Home Service – "Lincolnshire Posy"

does the first side of A Wizard, A True Star count, or is that too proggy?

i) welcome ii) to iii) the iv) pleasuredome

Ooh yes! That's what I'm looking for - all this talk of prog is not enticing me into the world of suites.

someone mentioned the new Trail of Dead already, but I figured I'd add the tracklist. It's easily their best thing since Source Tags. Plus it employs two different kinds of song-suite-ing; 1st part is all separate tracks, 2nd is a long single track.

Tao of the Dead Part I: Tao of the Dead

"Introduction: Let's Experiment" – 2:23
"Pure Radio Cosplay" – 5:26
"Summer of All Dead Souls" – 4:17
"Cover the Days Like a Tidal Wave" – 2:51
"Fall of the Empire" – 2:27
"The Wasteland" – 2:33
"The Spiral Jetty" – 1:48
"Weight of the Sun (or the Post-Modern Prometheus)" – 2:19
"Pure Radio Cosplay (Reprise)" – 3:18
"Ebb Away" – 2:41
"The Fairlight Pendant" – 5:43

Tao of the Dead Part II: Strange News From Another Planet - 16:32

"Know Your Honor"
"Rule by Being Just"
"The Ship Impossible"
"Strange Epiphany"
"Racing and Hunting"

For bonus prog points there was also a bonus track where they played the 35-minute first part in a single take.

You can't go wrong with any of Duke Ellington's suites: Black, Brown & Beige, The Far East Suite, New Orleans Suite...basically, any record with the words "Ellington" and "suite" on it will knock you out.

(and his interpretations of others' suites -- Peer Gynt, Nutcracker -- are pretty jaw-dropping, too)

^I'm especially partial to The Queen's Suite

what about disco suites comprising entire sides?

Yes! See also Side 1 of Moroder's Music From Battlestar Galactica

A1. Theme From Battlestar Galactica
A2. Destruction Of Peace
A3. Transmitter - Part One
A4. Adama's Theme
A5. It's Love, Love, Love
A6. Transmitter - Part Two
A7. Exploration
A8. Theme From Battlestar Galactica