How C and D killed A and B

machinebacon
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How C and D killed A and B

Unread post by machinebacon » Mon Jan 04, 2016 10:21 am

Note: the following blah refers to full studio albums only, not necessarily compilations, live albums or singles.

LP albums (and also tapes) had A and B sides, but now with digital media such distinction plays no role anymore. Unfortunately, in my opinion, because I still regard the sides of each album as works of art on their own.

What's your opinion on the matter? Do you think that bands/musicians had a certain idea in mind when they selected songs for a side of an album (apart from running time per side, which was limited to around 23-26 minutes on standard 12" fine-groove records)?

If yes, do you know sources and examples? Which albums contained songs that were purposely chosen for inclusion on A and B sides? Of course 7"/12" singles don't count.

One album that springs to mind is Queen II that had a Black and a White side, typically the songs on each side more or less segued into each other - a technique that can also be found on their Sheer Heart Attack album. Do you know of any other examples?
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Re: How C and D killed A and B

Unread post by wuxmedia » Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:30 am

I know think that the Beatles "Sgt Peppers" album was one of the first to be segued, depends if it is mixed (like a DJ on the fader) or recorded like that.
Peppers also had a cool recorded run out track.

I always liked DJaying with Vinyl as I could mark a side and that cut the tracks down by half to get my fav one.

Yes I suppose the artist would have to consider run time primarily, then get the order right.
slight sidebar, how do you feel about double gatefold albums with 4 sides to consider? I have a re-issue with 2 discs which is a minor chore to play the whole thing :)
Although it is nice heavy plastic and nice spaced out grooves.
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Re: How C and D killed A and B

Unread post by GekkoP » Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:36 am

Really interesting topic, Jules, thanks for opening it.

Off the top of my head:

John Coltrane's A Love Supreme. ALS is Coltrane's prayer to God (and Faith). You can listen to the 4 tracks from a CD and be happy, but the A and B sides play an important role. The A-side is the start of the prayer, from a man with his eyes up to the sky. The more he gains consciousness, the more he's uplifted. So the break from A to B feels like the right pause before going full-on on the spiritual side. It's like stopping before taking a life-changing step. That's what it always felt like to me.

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Re: How C and D killed A and B

Unread post by machinebacon » Mon Jan 04, 2016 12:54 pm

wux, I was thinking of Pepper, too -- obviously the greatest album ever recorded. OTOH I don't feel that A and B want to symbolize a different feeling or theme. The Abbey Road album has a clearer division, with "We & I" themes on side A and "They, She & He" themes on side B, at least IMO :D

Some 4 sided albums do make sense, like for example Wheels Of Fire by Cream, where one disc is In The Studio, and one is Live At Fillmore (IIRC) - more or less as a proof that the band stands its man on stage, too. Maybe the first ever hybrid studio/live double album, a year before Pink Floyd's Ummagumma... But yeah, at least there's a theme, an idea, a concept. And don't forget triple albums, like the Grateful Dead did with their Dick's Picks -- but those are (all?) live albums :D

@gekko, thank you for the contribution, I check that on youtube :)
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Re: How C and D killed A and B

Unread post by wuxmedia » Mon Jan 04, 2016 2:30 pm

^ Yeah it's been a long time since actually listened to a record.
Once I get them back from France and merge with my inheritance:
records.jpg
maybe with Father in law's collection as well.

I have the 20th anniversary version of this:
http://www.discogs.com/Beastie-Boys-Pau ... se/1651542
!! what - seems to only be 1 vinyl disc... have I actually gone mad?
No- Phew: it's this one:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pauls-Boutique- ... B001NJY66Q
no wait, that is CD...
I thought each gatefold had it's own disc... o-0
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Re: How C and D killed A and B

Unread post by machinebacon » Mon Jan 04, 2016 3:31 pm

^ maybe it was a Japanese re-issue, like the ones that look like actual vinyl records.

http://www.beastiemania.com/discog/show ... lue,pbmcuk


pffffff!
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Re: How C and D killed A and B

Unread post by pidsley » Mon Jan 04, 2016 4:59 pm

Yes, I think some albums had selected songs on each side.

The Yes album Tales from Topographic Oceans has four sides, each with a different theme.

Many other progressive bands have A and B side selections. Some have a themed side, and an "everything else" side, like Emerson, Lake, and Palmer's Tarkus or Caravan's In the Land of Grey and Pink.

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Re: How C and D killed A and B

Unread post by machinebacon » Mon Jan 04, 2016 7:41 pm

^ quality post, thanks pidsley. I should have remembered the progressive bands that had concept albums. Possibly some Genesis falls into this "concept album" category too (the early ones of course, like TLLDOB) or The Who's Tommy, or to some extent Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells.

Concept albums might even be worth an own topic.
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Re: How C and D killed A and B

Unread post by wuxmedia » Mon Jan 04, 2016 8:06 pm

^^^ thanks, 2xLP version does exist. phew...
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Re: How C and D killed A and B

Unread post by ivanovnegro » Mon Jan 04, 2016 9:01 pm

machinebacon wrote:
Concept albums might even be worth an own topic.
Definitely.

What a collection Wux, impressive. Paul's Boutique on vinyl, great album.

As most of my music is digital I do not care so much about the side even though some rips are from original vinyls. The most important thing to me is that the album is listened to as an album rather than taking songs out of "concept" (Prog related especially).
But yes, I think some bands made their A and B sides accordingly. Right now I have no other examples, you already mentioned some.

Here we are talking vinyls but in the CD world exists the same thing. CD 1 and CD 2 does the same. Of course especially for live albums but although concept albums. One example is Red Hot Chili Pepper's Stadium Arcadium. Then you have bonus discs both for LPs and CDs.

At least it makes it interesting because today they record stuff differently than before with the almost unlimited amount of space and not thinking in the A B category. Question is, what happens with modern LP releases on vinyl?

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Re: How C and D killed A and B

Unread post by GekkoP » Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:49 pm

^ About CDs, Smashing Pumpkins's Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness is one good example. Also, Today Is The Day's Sadness Will Prevail and Nine Inch Nails's The Fragile.

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Re: How C and D killed A and B

Unread post by wuxmedia » Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:59 pm

I had NIN's closer to god - further away 2 part single. on CD which defies bacon's edict about singles but though it was cool there were a bunch of remixes on 2 CD's
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Re: How C and D killed A and B

Unread post by vic » Wed Jan 06, 2016 12:49 pm

"The Dark Side Of The Moon" by Pink Floyd is a good, maybe too obvious example. Side a is a long creamy wall of dreamy songs connected with each other. The b side is more ordinary with a handful of equally creamy and dreamy songs not connected. :)
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