Turn a double album into a single*

Turn a patchy Double Album into a very good single LP. I'll start:

I think sprawling disaster-piece Todd (1974) may benefit from a little tightening up.

Goodbye bizarre and somewhat unlistenable Gilbert & Sullivan set pieces and the countless spacey instrumentals, hello a tightened up rock solid single LP. Todd is suddenly one of the artists finest works!



Side One

1. Number 1 Lowest Common Denominator
2. A Dream Goes on Forever
3. The Last Ride
4. I Think You Know
5. Everybody’s Going to Heaven / King Kong Reggae

Side Two

1. Useless Begging
2. Sidewalk Cafe
3. Izzat Love
4. Heavy Metal Kids
5. Don’t You Ever Learn
6. Sons of 1984

 

Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Welcome to the Pleasuredome (1984)

Side one
1. The World is My Oyster
2. Welcome to the Pleasuredome

Side two
1. Relax
2. War
3. Two Tribes (Tag)
4. (Ferry) .. segue .. Born to Run
5. The Power of Love

 

Side A:

- Astronomy Domine
- Careful With That Axe Eugene

Side B:

- Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun
- A Saucerful Of Secrets

 

I'd trim some of "Part 2" and "Part 3" of Incantations (maybe some of "Part 4" as well). "Part 1" is flawless for me.

 

Just to clarify, this isn't a criticism of the artist and not the album, but another way of looking at it, from a fresh perspective and an alternative if snappier way to listen to one of your favorites.

 

A double album is nothing anymore. Now it's a about tightening up Dylan's new 36-disc box set. Could it have been enough with 28? Or should it have been 37?

 

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway came immediately to mind. Sides 3 and 4 should are like a 'B' side to a rather excellent sides 1 and 2.

 

Not a 2lp turning into a single lp, but a reduction from a 3cd to a 2cd. Prince's Emancipation has a lot of great songs, but also a lot of filler. Not too suprising on a 3cd from the mid 90s, so by skipping the lesser songs, you end up with a very nice 2cd. It's a ballad heavy album, but most of the good songs here are ballads. I'll add 2 songs from the Crystal Ball set that were recorded in the same era (Goodbye & She gave Me Angels).
I've tried to make it flow as good as possible. Cd2 is now his 'baby making'-album ;-).



cd1:
1. Slave
2. New World
3. The Human Body
4. Courtin' Time
5. Betcha By Golly Wow!
6. Damned If I Do
7. My Computer
8. Emale
9. Saviour
10. Soul Santuary
11. I Can't Make U Love Me

cd2:
1. La-La (Means I Love U)
2. One Kiss At The Time
3. Dreamin' About U
4. Let's Have A Baby
5. Curious Child
6. The Holy River
7. She Gave Here Angels
8. Goodbye
9. One Of us
10. The Love We Make

 

I'd like to see someone take on Sign 'O the Times, an album I've struggled with in the past. Particularly the sequencing.

 

Bob Dylan "Self Portrait" (1970)
2-LP @ 76 min. --> 1-LP @ 45 min.

Side one
"Alberta #1" 2:57
"I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" 2:23
"Days of 49" 5:27
"Early Morning Rain" 3:34
"In Search of Little Sadie" 2:28
"Let It Be Me" 3:00
"Belle Isle" 2:30

Side two
"Take a Message to Mary" 2:46
"Living the Blues" 2:42
"Copper Kettle" 3:34
"Gotta Travel On" 3:08
"Take Me as I Am (Or Let Me Go)" 3:03
"It Hurts Me Too" 3:15
"Wigwam" 3:09

 

First, you shouldn't edit this album. It doesn't have weak songs and I would miss every song omitted.

That said, by cutting half of the songs you end up with this:

A
1. Sign O The Times
2. Housequake
3. The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker
4. Adore

B
1. U Got The Look
2. If I Was Your Girlfriend
3. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
4. The Cross

But you might as well cut Slow Love to fit it on a single cd ;-)

 

Wheels Of Fire:
White Room
Sitting The Top Of the World
Passing the Time
As You Said
Crossroads

Pressed Rat
Bad Sign
Those Were the Days
Politician
Deserted Cities

Electric Ladyland:
And the Gods
Have You Ever Been
Crosstown
Gypsy Eyes
Voodoo Child Slight Return

Rainy Day/Still Dreaming (One Song)
House Burning Down
Watchtower
Come On
Midnight Lamp

 

That was easy. Now it could be expanded with more stuff from those live recordings

 

Or making The White Album into singles.

Back in the USSR / Not Guilty

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da / What's the New Mary Jane

While My Guitar Gently Weeps / Junk

 

I wouldn't edit the album either, but it's interesting you have no side 2 cuts among your 8 selections. I mentioned in the SOTT Weakest Link thread that side 2 is easily the LP's weakest.

 

The songs are great, but it doesn't have massive hits like the other sides. Hot Thing comes close.

 

The Rolling stones, Exile on main street:

Side 1.
Rocks off
Rip this joint
Casino boogie
Tumbling dice
Sweet virginia
Torn and frayed
Sweet black angel

Side 2 .
Happy
Loving cup
Ventilator blues
Let it loose
All down the line
Shine a light

 

Yes - Tales Ftom Topogrsphic Oceans

A
Side 1

B
Side 4

 

The River - Springsteen (to be titled: I'm a Rocker)

The Ties That Bind
You Can Look But You Better Not Touch
Out In The Street
Hungry Heart
Cadillac Ranch

Ramrod
Two Hearts
Sherry Darling
Crush On You
Jackson Cage
I'm a Rocker

 

Yes - I've I've always liked the rockers uninterrupted from this. I think I'll actually playlist this. And then playlist the leftover slower tracks too and see how that stands. I think both will be good!

 

Put Held Up Without a Gun as a ghost track at the end of side B (after 20 seconds of silence)

 

Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven - Godspeed You Black Emperor

Side one

lift yr. skinny fists, like antennas to heaven... (6:14)
gathering storm (11:09)
"welcome to barco am/pm..." [l.a.x.; 5/14/00] (1:14)
cancer towers on holy road hi-way (3:52)

Side two

atomic clock (1:08)
chart #3 (2:39)
world police and friendly fire (9:47)
she dreamt she was a bulldozer, she dreamt she was alone in an empty field (9:43)

This is in fact all of side one, half of sides two and four, and none of side three.

 

DrukQs - Aphex Twin

Side one

Avril 14th (1:55)
Jynweythek (2:14)
C-ck/Ver10 (5:17)
Vordhosbn (4:42)
54 Cymru Beats (5:59)
Btoum-Roumada (1:56)

Side two

Afx237 v.7 (4:15)
Ziggomatic 17 (8:28)
Meltphace 6 (6:14)
Orban Eq Trx4 (1:27)
Hy A Scullyas Lyf A Dhagrow (2:09)
Kesson Dalef (1:18)

 

Songs in the Key of Life

Side one

Sir Duke (3:54)
Pastime Paradise (3:28)
Knocks Me Off My Feet (3:36)
Summer Soft (4:14)
Isn't She Lovely (6:34)

Side two

I Wish (4:12)
Have a Talk with God (2:42)
Ebony Eyes (4:09)
Ngiculela - Es Una Historia - I am Singing (3:49)
As (7:08)

 

Personally I like the messiness of 'Todd'.

I agree with your track selection for a single LP version, except we really need the playful Shaft Goes to Outerspace instead of the rather predictable stadium rock of Sons of 1984. But maybe not as the last track