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Blacksword 
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 22 2004
Location: England
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 Posted: July 24 2009 at 06:49 |
There is of course the other extreme. Can an album be too short? 
I was listening to Van Halens 1984, the other day, having just bought the CD to replace my vinyl copy. I'd forgotten it was only about 35 mins! Still a good album, though.
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npjnpj
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Location: Germany
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Posted: July 24 2009 at 06:49 |
I think that being able to listen to a long album in one sitting shouldn't really be a consideration. It would be unfair to a release to be judged on the strength of how much time a listener has to spare. An abundance of time is a luxury not all of us have.
I can get aquainted with a long album in several sessions and get to know and like it just as well as a shorter length album.
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valravennz
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Posted: July 24 2009 at 06:41 |
Unfortunately - yes - some albums can be too long. Double cd's tend to be the worst. Frankly, I inveritably listen to the first cd on a two cd set and either ignore or fall asleep during the second cd. I cite the recent release of Dream Theatre as a prime example and others such as "Snow" by Spock's Beard and TLLDOB by Genesis. I really think that anything over 70 mins is stretching the concentration and listening power of most. Annoyingly, it requires several listens to actually hear the album as a whole or in my case, if it has not been absorbed by then, the album ends up on the "may-be later" pile.
I am fairly certain this topic has been around the forum before on several occassions and I agree with previous comments that the best album length is between 40 and 50 mins.
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"Music is the Wine that fills the cup of Silence"
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npjnpj
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Joined: December 05 2007
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Posted: July 24 2009 at 05:59 |
Oh come on, there is no perfect length.
I know 35 minute albums that are too long, and I know maxed out double CDs that aren't long enough.
It depends entirely what's on them.
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The Runaway
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Joined: May 28 2009
Location: London
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Posted: July 24 2009 at 03:40 |
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40 minutes is NOT the perfect length for an album, it's just that around 44 minutes of a single record, the record would lose quality. Van der Graaf was notorious for making albums around 51 minutes length in 1976, and such. Now, that the CD is out, the most you can do is 80 minutes, and after that it is just impossible to burn on.
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progrules
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 14 2007
Location: Netherlands
Status: Offline
Points: 958
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Posted: July 24 2009 at 01:18 |
 Soul Dreamer wrote:
The answer to the question is Yes, an album can be too long, especially when while playing it you get the feeling that it's getting boring, while you like the music generally...TFK is notorious for this (for me). |
Strange enough I agree with you on this one. Strange because I'm a huge TFK fan. But yes they have several dispensable songs on all of their releases. But I do wonder what you would think of the example I mentioned. I'd say check out Martigan and I'm curious what you would say about the length then !
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A day without prog is a wasted day
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progkidjoel
Prog Reviewer
Joined: March 02 2009
Location: Australia
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Points: 19643
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Posted: July 24 2009 at 01:16 |
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progrules
Prog Reviewer
Joined: September 14 2007
Location: Netherlands
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Points: 958
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Posted: July 24 2009 at 01:12 |
Luca Pacchiarini wrote:
progrules wrote:
Can albums be too long? |
Of course, every Dream Theater album which is longer than 3 seconds bores me to death  |
I knew answers like this were coming so that's why I asked for sensible comments
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A day without prog is a wasted day
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A Person
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 10 2008
Location: __
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Posted: July 24 2009 at 00:01 |
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To me an album is over long when it contains too much filler. I am perfectly content with GG albums that are short, all the way up to the 80 minute TFTO. If the music feels like it has lost it's "drive" or passion or w/e you want to call it, then that music should be cut from the album.A good examples iare most pop albums, where you can clearly tell the hit of the album from the filler.
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PROGMONSTER2008
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 09 2007
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Points: 610
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Posted: July 23 2009 at 22:23 |
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40 minutes is the perfect length.
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Tsevir Leirbag
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Posted: July 23 2009 at 20:45 |
If the album's good, there's no such problem as "too long album", I think 
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Les mains, les pieds balancés
Sur tant de mers, tant de planchers,
Un marin mort,
Il dormira
- Paul Éluard
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mr.cub
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 06 2009
Location: Lexington, VA
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Points: 971
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Posted: July 23 2009 at 20:42 |
Soul Dreamer wrote:
The answer to the question is Yes, an album can be too long, especially when while playing it you get the feeling that it's getting boring, while you like the music generally...TFK is notorious for this (for me). The other way around happens more often, though...an album which is too short, and could use another track. An example of this is Deep Purple's Machine Head. Great album, but only 37 minutes...and then you learn (later) that they had the killer track "When a Blind Man Cries" but didn't put it on the album... |
In this day and age one has the ability to create their own playlists and be as selective as possible. So as a listener, you are more in control of what you are listening to than ever before. As for the length of an album, I would have to agree with previous posts in that the length of an album is in direct relation to the material on the album; however, one person may find TfTO too long while another person find it just right. So yes an album can be too long if it fails to engage the listener throughout
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The Quiet One
Prog Reviewer
Joined: January 16 2008
Location: Argentina
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Points: 15745
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Posted: July 23 2009 at 20:15 |
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I think that when in a review someone states that the album is too long, it means it has filler, that less minutes could do without. I don't think it's length per se.
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Luca Pacchiarini
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 08 2009
Location: home
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Points: 530
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Posted: July 23 2009 at 20:14 |
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35-45 minutes are generally enough for me
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SergiUriah
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 03 2009
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Posted: July 23 2009 at 19:58 |
I think usually an extense lenght (65-74 mins) can show some low moments in the music.
I preffer not very long albums (´til 55-65 mins max.) but if any band can do a big and very long album, it´ll be welcome.
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zappaholic
Forum Senior Member
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Posted: July 23 2009 at 19:19 |
If a band can keep up the momentum and the musical quality and hold a listener's interest for 70+ minutes, then more power to 'em.
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"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." -- H.L. Mencken
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Soul Dreamer
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Joined: October 17 2005
Location: Netherlands
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Posted: July 23 2009 at 19:14 |
The answer to the question is Yes, an album can be too long, especially when while playing it you get the feeling that it's getting boring, while you like the music generally...TFK is notorious for this (for me). The other way around happens more often, though...an album which is too short, and could use another track. An example of this is Deep Purple's Machine Head. Great album, but only 37 minutes...and then you learn (later) that they had the killer track "When a Blind Man Cries" but didn't put it on the album...
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To be the one who seeks so I may find .. (Metallica)
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Chris S
Special Collaborator
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Joined: June 09 2004
Location: Front Range
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Posted: July 23 2009 at 18:02 |
It's a great question and depends on the quality of the album
Some great ones spring to mind:
Roger Waters - Amused To Death
The Cure - Kiss me, Kiss me , Kiss me
Shakti with John McClaughlin
Then again the remasters with 5 x versions's of Camel's Lady Fantasy or Caravan's For Richard is overkill IMO. Yes we can all skip songs but that is not the point. In terms of pure studio albums and even the odd live ones it all depends on quality otherwise you can lose interest.
Klaus Schulze's Moondawn another good long album |
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Any Colour You Like
Prog Reviewer
Joined: May 15 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 12294
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Posted: July 23 2009 at 17:21 |
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Long albums for the sake of long albums bore me. What can be succinctly crafted in 45 minutes of music does not need to take 30 more minutes, especially if that music becomes repetetive or dull.
That being said, if DSOTM had been 20 minutes longer, I probably would still enjoy it.
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topofsm
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 17 2008
Location: Arizona, USA
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Posted: July 23 2009 at 16:52 |
I'd say that in the times we live in today there really isn't such thing as too long of an album. The majority of people today listen to select SONGS, not albums today, so the more music you pack on to a CD the better. Even if most of the tracks suck as long as you release one good hit song then the other 75 minutes of an album is worth releasing, since fans will ultimately get the album and the whole thing will be released on iTunes.
As for us prog community who generally listens to the whole thing from beginning to end, of course there is such thing as too long of an album. I haven't listened to all of Unfold the Future in one sitting yet because it's so long. Tales From Topographic Oceans has tons of padding. Paradise Lost by Symphony X is the same song over and over again. These are my two cents.
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Can albums be too long ??
