It’s me again. I need to rant about these never-ending albums that have been on my mind for a while.
Seriously, why do musicians keep releasing such marathon records?
Yes, they want to provide us with as many songs as possible, but is not quality better than quantity?
Can you recall Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”?
Isn’t it one of the greatest albums ever?
Well, guess what? It had only nine tracks! Then there is Pink Floyd’ s “Dark Side of the Moon” – just ten songs, yet it is an absolute masterpiece.
Nas’ s “Elmatic”? Also ten songs each one a lyrical gem in its own right. And there was Mariah Carey’s “Butterfly” which had twelve well-chosen tracks.
But today, the music industry appears to contain an aspect of a contest on who can fit as many songs on one album as possible.
Are we really required to have 25 tracks?
I’m sorry but those songs aren’t going to be all excellent. It’s like throwing mud at the wall and hoping some will stick.
And what about coherence?
How could an album that has so many songs flow effectively throughout it? It is like you are trying to go through a maze while blindfolded; very disorienting and annoying.
When listening to an album, every song should feel like it belongs there just as if they all are part of the same funky journey.
So here is my two cents for all musicians out there: with all the love I have in me for music, please please please, before you release your next album, take a step back and think about what you want to achieve with it.
Are those extra tracks necessary or are you just filling up space in your album?
Let me assure you that we prefer having 10-15 great songs instead of some bloated mess with twice more filler tracks.
Let’s raise our voice, my fellow music lovers. If we continue to receive this album marathon, artists will keep on delivering them. However, if maybe we begin demanding for quality over quantity, then maybe there is still a chance to turn around the industry.
In any case music is supposed to be enjoyed not suffered.
Thus, let us stop being excessive. We should insist on albums that are considerate of time and attention. Personally I want more concise albums that make me long for more rather than ones which leave me drowning in too much stuff.
Who’s with me?
Let’s move the conversation forward. Use the comments below to share your opinions and push for the right albums!
Pink Floyd’ s Dark Side of the Moon
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I think a lot of it has to do with contracts and shit. They are supposed to deliver X number of songs and in order to do so they make them in this way. The album companies themselves are to blame for so much of the bullshit that’s wrong with the music industry. Other artists who are doing things online only can have the freedom to adjust but there are now some social norms with these things so they likely conform.
wow, Indeed that's a solid point I haven't considered. Thanks for this thoughtful comment. I guess they are not to be blamed for this.
I prefer a single track 😆😆😆
Take for instance E2-E4 album by Manuel Göttsching, a single track, improvised while recording. And then he decided to release it. I do remember a song by Franky Goes to Hollywood. A Dutch radio DJ made an extremely long remix of that one back in the day, must have been somewhere in the 80s, 15 minutes at least, perhaps even longer. I have that one recorded on a tape. A track I listened to very often for quite a long time. Now it is somewhere in my storage room.
I agree, an album with tons of tracks/songs, each of them cut short in length, isn't the best. 10 to 15 perhaps, though I find 15 already a lot. I truly prefer tracks of 6 to 8 even 9 to 10 minutes. But with a BIG IF... The track/song must be dynamic, must good. Otherwise a track can be cut short to let's say ... uhm ... almost 0 seconds 😆😆😆
I was trying to be generous with the 10-15. Now that you've reduced it, I feel like editing the blog 😂. Hopefully they read the comment section. How do I pin a comment, if that's even possible 😂
😂
Pin a comment: I have no idea, I guess this is not possible. But maybe some UI allows this?
No worries, I guess they will definitely see it in the comments 😂