3-Sided Double LPs?

I am seeing more and more 3-sided double LPs being released, is there any particular reason for this, why not just go the whole hog and do a proper double LP. Anybody any opinions?

JG

 

They recorded a CD's length of songs, and the vinyl is an afterthought?

 

If you are seeing "more and more" 3-sided double LPs that means you have seen at least 3. Please can you cite some examples?

 

That's what I always thought too. I have a several in my collection:

Neko Case - The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Mirror Traffic
Mogwai - Mr. Beast
Of Montreal - The Sunlandic Twins
Pavement - Wowee Zowee
Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
Super Furry Animals - Phantom Power

All of these are post-1995 albums. I think most of them have an etching on the fourth side.

 

I know Volto's new album is three sided. Pulverizing sound by the way

 

Not an exact example but Neil Young and Crazy Horse's "Psychedelic Pill" is a 3 LP set with five sides of music.

 

All 33rpm? I wonder why not just make them 45rpm and fill out all 4 sides?

 

I think another alternative is spreading albums across four LP sides with lots of deadwax. I remember being surprised by how short the LP sides are on Tame Impala's Lonerism when I first played it.

 

the last notwist was also 3 sided

 

Yeah, 33 RPM. If you think that's crazy, the Melvins' A Senile Animal spreads the album across four LP sides on 4 LPs at 45 RPM. Each LP has an etching on one side.

 

Smashing Pumpkins "Adore" is 3-sides as well.

 

Johnny Winter: Second Winter 1969

 

The Doors: L.A Woman a Workshop session

 

Earliest example I can think of is Joe Jackson's Big World album, the fourth side having a groove that ran from the centre to the edge so the needle would get bounced from the record if you tried to play it.

Related, but not quite: the debut album by Johnny Depp's former band the Rock City Angels took up 3 sides, with the fourth containing only one song, a radio mix of the first single off the album.

 

Things We Lost in the Fire (Kranky, 2001) by 'slowcore' rockers Low is a great example . It has the lyrics for the entire album etched on side four. Suggests 3-sided by design rather than any another reason.

 

Oh, and Take Care, Take Care, Take Care by Explosions in the Sky is 3-sided with the 4th side totally 'brickwalled'.



In general I guess bands have more music than for a single lp release but not enough music, or enough quality music, for a double lp.

 

Utopia's self titled 1982 album initially came with a 1sided 2nd disc. I prefer a 3 sided lp to uber-short 4 sided ones like R.E.M's accelerate or Wilco's Sky Blue Sky, I feel like a jackrabbit jumping up to change sides every 11 minutes.

Metheny's Orchestrion was 3 sided as was Day Trip and Kin I think and Brad Mehldau's Mehliana

 

John Hiatt - Mystic Pinball
John Hiatt - Dirty Jeans & Mudslide Hymns
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Hypnotic Eye
Neil Young - can't remember which one

JG

 

Neil Young - A Treasure. Side 4 is etched.

 

Yep...Joe Jackson's Big World was my first. This was due to the "new" increased play time of CDs. New albums were coming out to fill out the single CD. To long for a single vinyl lp but not enough music for a full dbl lp.

 

I've got a few offenders like that with around 2 songs a side and tons of deadwax

 

The vinyl version of Picaresque by The Decemberists has the regular album filling up the first 3 sides with the 4th side containing vinyl exclusives.

 

Genesis' Calling All Stations was a three-sided LP with a picture of the (shortlived) line-up etched onto side 4.

 

Second Winter

 

My copy had the contents of "side 3" pressed on both sides of the second disc. I'm curious if they did that for the entire run.