Best way to start an album

From this list...Surrounded by the Stars is a great opener...though my fave song on the album is Green Bubble Raincoated Man...

From that strange list......Deadwing.....,but of course the correct answer is 21st Century Schizoid Man.

Icarium wrote: School on Crime of the Century and Give a Litle Bit on Even In the Quitest Moment

I had to vote for the Cardiacs. That song is a hymn. 

axeman wrote: Kid Charlemagne is the actual opener to Royal Scam. Caves is the second song.

Of course it is! Brain blip in my part

Considering it's probably the album I've listened to more than any other, this is a worrying sign of senility

Edited by Mascodagama - June 30 2018 at 11:10

Best way to start album is Wigwam Losing Hold, so no vote here.

Edited by Mortte - June 29 2018 at 22:58

Zoyd 

Lewian wrote: Well, as always the major criterion is how you like it most. However, it could also be interesting to discuss ways of starting an album more generally, fine by me. I like when an album gets straight down to what it's going to be all about, just grabbing you and pulling you into its world. Not sure but maybe a) this and b) gentle introduction and build up are some major approaches that can work well. Are there more that can be described easily?

I think you've identified a third approach in your subsequent post with reference to Cardiacs - the opener that is essentially unrelated to what comes after it. Not so often employed but it can certainly work. An example that comes to mind is Zappa's Burnt Weeny Sandwich, where the body of the album / weeny in the sandwich is wonderful instrumental music combining rock, jazz and 20th century classical elements almost seamlessly, but the album opens and closes with very straight-up covers of two fifties doo-wop tunes. There's no obvious logic to this and the juxtaposition should be jarring, but I don't find it so - and even though I'm not otherwise a doo-wop listener at all I never skip these bookending tracks.

I love that Zoyd track!