Good songs that feel out of place on their albums

I think Hawkwind often stuck tracks on their albums that deviated enormously from the albums overall feel. I think this was just how Hawkwind worked. Their albnums were often put together in a very 'ad-hoc' way. 'Warrior..' is a good example. Kings of Speed and Motorhead are very out of place on an album which is essentially very symphonic, well performed and well produced. These two tracks sound like they are from a discarded demo imo.

ELP, imo, spoilt the Tarkus album with 'Jeremy Bender' and 'Are you ready Eddie' although these were clearly joke tracks, so fair enough, I suppose. They just put me off listening to this album in it's entirity, after the gravitas and drama of ther title suite, and tracks like 'Bitches Crystal'

Porcupine Trees, 'Wedding Nails' sounds out of place on 'In Absentia' to me. It breaks up the atmosphere of the album far to obtrusively, and by too much, in my opinion.

I can name a couple of Opeth tunes and perhaps one VDGG example. I think Bleak is by a mile out of place on Blackwater Park because the other songs don't even come close to its greatness. It feels a bit wrong for me, it should have been used on later works like Ghost Reveries. I also think "To Bid You Farewell" is an excellent song that doesn't really feel at home with Morningrise, which is undoubtedly and extremely heavy album. It should have been used later on in Still Life, where a mellow song would fit more snuggly. I also think Octopus is one of VDGG's best songs, but it's on their worst album. Enough said really, it doesn't belong there.

Lines in the Sand, Trial of Tears and New Millennium songs from the Dream Theater album Falling Into Infinity

The ultimate example is probably "Most Toys" off of Marillion's album Somewhere Else.the rest of the album is very mellow and melodic, typical modern Marillion stuff, nothing spectacular, and then this song just jumps right at you.I don't think I would have enjoyed that album at all if it wasn't for "Most Toys".

Not Now John from the Final Cut.  Maybe you think it's the only saving grace of the album, but it absolutely KILLS the flow.

Happy With What You Have to Be Happy With on KC's Power to Believe. I love that song, but after really atmospheric songs like PTB II & Dangerous Curves, it just sort of breaks the cohesiveness, especially when two more dark spacey tracks follow it.

More Fool Me on Selling England. Very simple and I dont think it really fits with the semi-concept of the rest of the album.

Asilos Magdalena on Mars Volta's Amputechture. Random spanish ballady song. While I have nothing against the idea, it doesnt work for me and is the only song on that album I skip. Drags the album out and not particularly interesting.

The honky tonks and the hoedowns on ELP albums (though the quality of those is debatable, some are ok.)


Edited by mellors - August 07 2008 at 13:42

Mikerinos wrote: Blacksword wrote: I think Hawkwind often stuck tracks on their albums that deviated enormously from the albums overall feel. I think this was just how Hawkwind worked. Their albnums were often put together in a very 'ad-hoc' way. 'Warrior..' is a good example. Kings of Speed and Motorhead are very out of place on an album which is essentially very symphonic, well performed and well produced. These two tracks sound like they are from a discarded demo imo. ELP, imo, spoilt the Tarkus album with 'Jeremy Bender' and 'Are you ready Eddie' although these were clearly joke tracks, so fair enough, I suppose. They just put me off listening to this album in it's entirity, after the gravitas and drama of ther title suite, and tracks like 'Bitches Crystal' Porcupine Trees, 'Wedding Nails' sounds out of place on 'In Absentia' to me. It breaks up the atmosphere of the album far to obtrusively, and by too much, in my opinion. Yeah, the first time I listened to that I figured those two songs were from a single or unreleased tracks.  Not only musically out of place but lyrically as well.  I enjoy them both though, especially Kings of Speed, but the rest of that album is better.

Actually, Motorhead was originally specifically written as a B-side for the single release of Kings of Speed which I'm not sure whether was on the original release. So you're definitely on the right track.

King By-Tor wrote: If we want to talk about a newer album I think that one of the best instances of a misplaced song is The Sun In my Eyes by The Tangent on their A Place in The Queue album. I like the song a lot - but it's a disco song crammed between two prog monsters - Follow The Leaders and the giant A Place in The Queue

You're sure it's not deliberately misplaced as a joke, like Anyone's Daughter?

Could be. Perhaps that's just one of those things that just happen, with not much rhyme or reason to it. The kind of thing that would really, really frustrate Aristotle.

Toaster Mantis wrote: King By-Tor wrote: If we want to talk about a newer album I think that one of the best instances of a misplaced song is The Sun In my Eyes by The Tangent on their A Place in The Queue album. I like the song a lot - but it's a disco song crammed between two prog monsters - Follow The Leaders and the giant A Place in The Queue You're sure it's not deliberately misplaced as a joke, like Anyone's Daughter?

Anyone's Daughter IMO is a fine inclusion to Fireball. Gives the listener a rest.

Fools from Firebal should have been on In Rock.

"A" 200 from Burn should have been placed to another band. It really sucks, it destroys the whole hard rock flaw of the album.