Dave JacobyJun 29, 2023

If you're wanting to listen to albums from the 80s, and you see the remix remaster bonus trax edition, remember that there was only like 40 minutes of music on an album, and they chose the good tracks to fit on them. Even decent tracks are a poor fit to the rest of the album, as they decided 40 years ago when they released the thing in the first place.

It's ALL musical shovelware, and even in my favorite bands, I hate it.

Murmur ends with "West of the Fields", people.

Show threadghorwood↙↙↙
@jacobydave when the knack first got signed, they had two albums worth of material. capitol put all the good stuff on the first record and the rest on the second. and it really shows.
Jun 29, 2023 at 1:58pmtooot
Show threadDave JacobyJun 29, 2023
@ghorwood I love that and get that.
Show threadChristopher E. StithJun 29, 2023
@jacobydave @ghorwood The Clash on the other hand insisted on putting out several double albums. If memory serves, this was at least partly because fans had to pay a little more for a double album but not nearly as much as for two albums.
Show threadDave JacobyJun 29, 2023

@cestith @ghorwood I've never spent quality time w/ ¡Santanista! but I vaguely recall people saying it could be compressed to a small "good" album.

And I know at least one person who would insist that every second was gold.

Show threadChristopher E. StithJun 29, 2023

@jacobydave @ghorwood I think if you're picking singles, it could be one album. I think if you listen to it as an album, it stands strong as that.

It's a triple though, and their fourth studio album. I think blaming the studio for "filler" at that point when the band is insistent on the integrity of the album as the art form is a little off the point.

Show threadDave JacobyJun 29, 2023

@cestith @ghorwood Tangent: I know that Born in the USA always felt like it could be all singles and it got pretty close, and it had all non-album B-sides. (I collected the whole set!) So I'm sure "cohesive statement as a whole" vs "box of songs" has long been a concern.

(I don't listen to Springsteen anymore, but Born in the USA is all-killer no-filler.)

Show threadDave JacobyJun 29, 2023

@cestith @ghorwood Coming back to clarify that London Calling was released as a double album and ¡Santanista! was released as a triple album, and that's as intended.

I rail against the "We have room for 80 minutes of music and it feels wasteful to not fill it" tendencies when whole label catalogs were all remastered for compact disc.

Show threadghorwood↙↙↙Jun 29, 2023

@cestith @jacobydave i think london calling was supposed to be one album, and they pressued the label into adding a 7" single as a bonus. then up-pressured them to a 12" single. then a double album.

then they threw 'train in vain' on the end after the cover had been printed.