Albums with fantastic songs, that suffer from poor sequencing

Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run

Side 1
01 Band On The Run
02 Mrs. Vandebilt
03 Let Me Roll It
04 Helen's Wheels
05 Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me)

Side 2
06 Jet
07 Bluebird
08 Mamunia
09 No Words
10 Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five

 

Queen's Jazz album is definitely a frustrating example from a sequencing perspective, though I wouldn't change either the opening or closing tracks - Mustapha was clearly mixed to have listeners frantically checking their equipment, only to be startled when the louder section finally kicks in, while More Of That Jazz is a similarly constructed excuse to feature a mash-up of the album's previous tracks (or at least those completed by the time of its recording). More than anything, the one detail that annoys me about Jazz is the separation of Fat Bottomed Girls and Bicycle Race, which appears to have been made late into the mastering stage, as an early LP assembly exists with these obviously connected songs placed back to back. Perhaps they didn't want to repeat the effect of News Of The World, where We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions remained together not only on their parent album, but for much of their time in subsequent live setlists? Also, rather than its ending fading out, the aforementioned test pressing had Don't Stop Me Now seamlessly blend into the piano opening to Jealousy, and this particular version was even played once at a fan convention. In addition to a possible remix to bring out the drum and guitar elements, I'm hoping we'll eventually see this more logical running order finally restored...

P.S. The early instrumental version of Coming Soon doesn't actually date from the Jazz period, but was recorded during the initial batch of sessions for what became The Game in 1979. I'm not sure if this is an official title, though a copy was made from a convention playback and circulates under the name of Sandbox.

 

Why is the sequencing poor?

 

Crown of Creation should have opened with the title track instead of Lather.

 

I always thought "Jet", with its great intro, made a perfect side opener. I never liked it right after the title song, especially lyrically. But I do think the lines "Down in the jungle, living in a tent, you don't use money, you don't pay rent" from "Mrs. Vandebilt" fit nicely and it keeps the flow moving.

"Let Me Roll It" into "Helen Wheels" is also a good match, pairing the two rockers and capitalizing on the roll/wheel theme.

I prefer "No Words" into "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" rather than "Picasso's Last Words", which is a nice Side 1 long closing track.

I was trying to consider flow and lyrics, again the most jarring mismatch being "Band On The Run" into "Jet".

 

I often think George Harrison's solo albums from '74 to '82 suffer from sequencing issues. I would never say Thirty-three & 1/3 has "fantastic songs", but it is a pretty strong album, and a solid tier-2 Beatles solo record.

But its sequencing is wonky as heck. There are 10 tracks, and in my opinion the three best all come at the very end: 'Pure Smokey', 'Crackerbox Palace', and 'Learning How to Love You'.

 

I don’t care for the first-side sequencing of The Cars’ debut, as the first three songs all sound like side openers to me. There’s absolutely no flow there, IMO.

However, I don’t know what to do about it. And the last thing I want to do is mess with the terrific side 2 sequencing...

 

Hmm...that’s pretty darn good.

 

I agree that "She Has Funny Cars" is a killer opening song. I never thought about changing the closing song on Surrealistic Pillow. "Comin' Back To Me" would work nicely. So would "Embryonic Journey."

 

Since "Picasso's Last Words" has a quote from "Jet", it wouldn't make much since to me to have it sequenced before "Jet." I love Band On the Run the way it is, including the US addition of "Helen Wheels" which makes the 2 sides more symmetrical and hooks the album with another hit single.

 

The Next Day - David Bowie.

 

On Dusty In Memphis, "Windmills of Your Mind" would have made a stronger closing song than "If You Got To Make a Fool of Somebody."
On the Bee Gees' 2 Years On, "The First Mistake I Made" would have been a much better closing song than to have the album just peter out at the end with the slight "I'm Weeping." The Bee Gees usually came up with great closing songs, but not this time.

 

Oops! Dusty In Memphis closes with "I Can't Make It Alone", and doesn't even include "If You Got To Make A Fool...". I think I was confusing it with the Vanilla Fudge's Rock and Roll album, released the same year and also containing "Windmills Of Your Mind" and "I Can't Make It Alone". The Fudge album ends with "If You Got To Make A Fool...", but IMO, "Lord In the Country" would have made a much better closing song. And I still say "Windmills" would have made a better closing song on Dusty In Memphis.

 

The Beach Boys - Shut Down Vol II

."Fun, Fun, Fun"
"In the Parkin' Lot"
"Keep an Eye on Summer"
"This Car of Mine"
"Shut Down, Part II"
"The Warmth of the Sun"

"Dont Worry Baby"
"Why Do Fools Fall in Love"
"Pom, Pom Play Girl"
"Cassius" Love vs. "Sonny" Wilson"
"Louie, Louie"
"Dennys Drums"

Still fizzles at the end. Needs "Be True To School" single version.

 

Do you happen to know the sequence you mentioned? It would be be pretty nice to see that!

 

'Friends Will Be Friends' sounds more like an album closer to me. And I'd open Side 2 with 'Princes Of The Universe'.

 

The Beach Boys - Love You

Side 1
01 Let Us Go On This Way
02 Roller Skating Child
03 Let's Put Our Hearts Together
04 Good Time
05 Honkin' Down The Highway
06 I Wanna Pick You Up
07 Ding Dang

Side 2
08 Johnny Carson
09 Mona
10 The Night Was So Young
11 I'll Bet He's Nice
12 Solar System
13 Airplane
14 Love Is A Woman

 

It doesn't affect the album for me, but McCartney II has two problems. The sequencing's not good, and it feels empty to me without it being a double album.

1. Coming Up
2. Temporary Secretary
3. Waterfalls
4. Front Parlour
5. Nobody Knows

1. On the Way
2. Frozen Jap
3. Bogey Music
4. Darkroom
5. Summer's Day Song
6. One of These Days

If it was a double album:

1. Coming Up (Full-Length Version)
2. On the Way
3. Nobody Knows
4. Bogey Music
5. Temporary Secretary

1. Check My Machine (Full-Length Version)
2. All You Horse Riders
3. Blue Sway

1. Secret Friend
2. Summer's Day Song (Original Version Without Vocals)
3. Darkroom (Full-Length Version)
4. Bogey Wobble

1. Mr. H Atom
2. Waterfalls
3. Frozen Jap
4. You Know I'll Get You Baby
5. Front Parlour
6. One of These Days

I tried to put the more upbeat, commercial songs on side one, and put the more ambient songs on side three. Side two and four are a mix. I tried to spread out the instrumentals more. There's still the problem with Front Parlour and Frozen Jap being close to each other on side four, but whatever

 

I once saw this mentioned online, but it's no longer available from what I can tell - two different early tracklists were more recently presented as part of the Queen Studio Experiencein Montreux, so I'm guessing QPL had this information pulled to keep it exclusive for those attending this exhibition. At the very least, a copy of the originally intended piano segue from Don't Stop Me Now into Jealousy circulates on YouTube along with the unedited instrumental track from the latter song, which includes an additional brief piece that was later recycled into part of Play The Game (both are wrongly described as demos, if that helps anyone to find these).

 

Now here's one album I'd never be able to bring myself to resequence, partly because I've always considered the original running order to be a reflection of Brian Wilson in late 1976, similar to how The Beach Boys Today! had served as a similar snapshot into his mind just over a decade earlier. Indeed, these two LPs have quite a lot in common, with both sharing the same basic concept of their first sides being just a collection of the group's latest songs, while their second halves contain more reflective material with greater thematic cohesion.

 

I've never been a fan of the slow side/fast side or latest songs/reflective material concept. I've found Side 2 to drag too much, even with The Beach Boys Today!, as good as those songs are. I prefer a mixture of fast songs and slow songs, along with some lyrical...coordination.

 

To me, the song selection on The Monkees' Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones is ppretty poor, as two of the best songs from the sessions were left off. So I ended up with:

Side One:
01 Special Announcement
02 Salesman (extended version)
03 She Hangs Out
04 Love is Only Sleeping
05 Words
06 Cuddly Toy
07 Don't Call On Me
08 Goin' Down
Side Two
09 The Door into Summer
10 Daydream Believer
11 What Am I Doing Hanging Round?
12 Daily Nightly
13 Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky
14 Pleasant Valley Sunday
15 Star Collector (extended version)

 

I've had this album for years and have barely played it, perceiving it as being bland. I probably didn't even turn it over! I'll have to play it the wrong way round soon.

 

Hot Space by Queen. So misunderstood...
Side A
Put Out The Fire
Dancer
Under Pressure
Body Language
Action This Day

Side B
Staying Power
Calling All Girls
Life is Real
Backchat
Soul Brother
Las Palabras de Amor

... this sequence doesn’t scare off the rock fans so fast.