POV -- Album openers that should have been the closers

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Nico -- The Fairest of the Seasons (from "Chelsea Girls"). Weepy strings, long final chord, to me it sounds a lot more like the end of something than the beginning. After hearing it I usually don't feel the need to hear anything else on the album.

The Delgados -- The Past That Suits You Best (from "The Great Eastern"). Hollywood-style production, sweeping strings, a fake ending, etc.

Joy Division -- Disorder (from "Unknown Pleasures"). Frantic pace and a house of cards ending. One could argue that the second track, "Day of the Lords" might have also worked better at the end. Maybe it would have been better to ease into the album with a slower build a la "Insight".

Teenage Fanclub -- The Concept (from "Bandwagonesque"). The Six Minute Two Part Epic is supposed to happen at the end (although the actual closer, "Is This Music?", already works quite well).

Third Eye Foundation -- What to Do But Cry? and Corpses as Bedmates. The first half of the album is loud and creepy, the second half is quiet and creepy. They would be better off in reverse order, in large part because the massive "Corpses" is the best thing Matt Elliott has ever done, so there's really no point in having to listen to anything else once it's finished.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 22:26 (twenty-two years ago)

(oh, the TEF album is "Ghost")

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 22:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Shellac "Didn't We Deserve a Look At You The Way You Really Are"
Oneida "Sheets of Easter"
Silkworm "Contempt"
Blur "Tender"
Talking Heads "Born Under Punches" (never liked the way that album kept slipping down in tempo and I think a big spike in BPM for the finale might help me want to play it more)

― F Ath, Wednesday, 9 June 2004 00:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Is this question even relevant in the iPod era?

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 00:44 (twenty-two years ago)

This thread is custom-designed for Funkadelic's "Maggot Brain", as I said on the "Best Album Openers" thread. Don't know if I can think of 4 more...

2.Public Image Ltd.,"Theme". Those really epic dirge-y things belong at the end, not the beginning.
3.Captain Beefheart, "Frownland". It shouldn't necessarily be LAST, but it certainly shouldn't be first - it's possibly the single most cacophonous track on the LP! Trout Mask Replica's hard enough to get into without having to hurdle that racket right away. ('Course, on the other hand, it may be like learning to swim by diving right into a river.)

That's all I can think of. But it's maybe worth noting that my old 8-Track tape copy of The Yes Album had "Perpetual Change" as the first track, whereas it was the last track on the original LP. Odd.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 03:52 (twenty-two years ago)

"Perpetual Change" as the first track, whereas it was the last track on the original LP.
That reminds me, how could I have forgotten Orbital's "Belfast". It was the first track on the UK album (the "proper" track order, if I'm not mistaken) but the last one on the US album.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 04:20 (twenty-two years ago)

I was going to cite "Jahya" by Skinny Puppy, which ushers in The Process, but on second thought, I like it just where it is.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 14:23 (twenty-two years ago)

is this music? is an awesome closer. i forgot about that one - it always reminds me a little of here come the warm jets, with that real high tuned guitar tone.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 14:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, on second thought I should take that one back. "Bandwagonesque" can remain as it is, and "Belfast" is a far better pick anyhow.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 16:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Portishead 'Glory Box' - because of the way the end jumps back to the beginning i find this more satisfying as the end of 'Dummy'

trying to think of four more but failing miserably

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 16:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought it was the end of "Dummy" and that Mysterons was the opener.

― edward o (edwardo), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 16:13 (twenty-two years ago)

haha, oh yeah, what a colossal brane error. my entire argument should be reversed - i prefer it at the start. argh, carry on.

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 16:15 (twenty-two years ago)

(obv. it doesn't matter to me either way and i have now revealed myself to be full of shit, oh well)

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 16:16 (twenty-two years ago)

I have this strange feeling that if "Hello" and "Champagne Supernova" had been switched then the third album would've been better

― dave q, Wednesday, 9 June 2004 16:29 (twenty-two years ago)

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