Best way to start an album - Progressive Rock Music Forum

Some time ago somebody had two "side 1 track 1" polls. Here's my own. This is a topic of special interest to me. Often I like the first song of an album most, but not every song will work in the beginning. Here's a collection of some of my favourite starts. Please vote for the best way to start an album, which may or may not the song you like best.

From your list I don't know but for me Gentle Giant wins the award for best ever openers.

1. Find the album.

2. Play it.

3. Listen to it in great detail.

4. Hopefully enjoy it.

Does this help!! Big smile

Barbu wrote:

From your list I don't know but for me Gentle Giant wins the award for best ever openers.

There's something in this. 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. GG were good at this, as were Steely Dan, eg Caves of Altamira opening The Royal Scam with that killer horn riff and rolling groove...

Edited by Mascodagama - June 29 2018 at 07:06

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I don't know. I think Tarkus is one of the most epic ways to start any album. Hemispheres too

The Cardiacs one is quite special; this approach is probably not used a lot. Let's start the album with a special fanfare piece that makes a mark and celebrates the start of the album - even if it's completely different from the music that comes later. (Frith's Sparrow Song is a bit like this, although more in the vein of the rest of the album.)

Kate Bush's one is a very effective execution of the principle to lead the listener slowly into it, with stronger instrumentation coming in later; the singer has her more intimate moment with the listener before more is kicking in, but the main theme of the song is brought up very early on.

Camberwell Now give only a few seconds time to adapt to the major adrenalin injection; not sure whether this fits the description of "striaght down - pulling you into its world", I think it does.

Porcupine Tree gives some more introductory time but it's not a slow build up, rather it goes all in after some very minimal preparation; I love the moment in which this happens.

I love the dark build-up of Surrounded by the Stars, like illuminating a dark room with some glimpses of light, not really showing but hinting at what will be in it.

Art Zoyd's one rather puts up a massive wall of mystery, acoustic equivalent perhaps to dry ice fog at the beginning of the concert behind which the band finally appears, expect here doom will appear and you know it from the start.

Edited by Lewian - June 29 2018 at 08:14

I love that Zoyd track!

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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.

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Zoyd

Dig me...But don't...Bury me
I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive
Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect.

Poll Question: Which of these is the best way to start an album?
Poll Choice	Votes	Poll Statistics
Amon Düül II - Surrounded by the Stars	7	[25.00%]
Art Zoyd - L'oeuf du serpent	1	[3.57%]
Kate Bush - King of the Mountain	1	[3.57%]
Camberwell Now - Working Nights	1	[3.57%]
Cardiacs - The Alphabet Business Concern	4	[14.29%]
Fred Frith - Sparrow Song	2	[7.14%]
Porcupine Tree - Deadwing	12	[42.86%]
You can not vote in this poll

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