Albums where the second half is the best one

(runs off)

Mekons' Fear and Whiskey and Shudder to Think's Pony Express Record never really take off until the second half.

Personally I think it applies even more to "Fear Of Music

Presumably neither LP is a particular Geir favourite!

And "The Las Vegas Story" by the Gun Club.

Debatable of course, but Side two has the first couple of singles, "Juicy" and "Big Poppa," as well as my favorite
two songs on the CD--"Everyday Struggle" & "Unbelieveable."

first half is brilliant, but doesn't get classic until "swamp thing" in my opinion.

Revamping this thread because I listened to "Magical Mystery Tour" today, and while the title track, "Your Mother Should Know" and "The Fool On The Hill" are nice enough, it's still hard to argue with "Penny Lane, "Strawberry Fields Forever", "I Am The Walrus", "Hello Goodbye" and "All You Need Is Love". Probably the most obvious contender in the entire thread.

The 2nd side of Roxy Music's Stranded is much stronger that 1st.

Big Science

Big Science and this post:

The second sides of both Fun House and White Light/White Heat have probably been played half-again times as many as the first sides, which translates to countless hundreds (thousands?) of playings in the 19.5 years since I first found 'em. The fact that both (second) sides have their own specific identity - 'saxophone side', '"Sister Ray"' side - is key.

Presumably neither LP is a particular Geir favourite!

-- Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, March 20, 2006 2:05 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Link

are big YES. And Bad Moon Rising

Hounds of Love

Not an orthodox album per se, but as listening experiences go, I'd cite Once Upon a Time/The Singles by Siouxsie & the Banshees (which is not to say that the first half is shit).

Slayer's Seasons in the Abyss.

Ritual de lo Habitual

Queen II is what leaps to my mind first. the first half is quite restrained and doesn't really have much Queen-ness.

I'll agree with Queen II's second half being better, but I grew to quite like the first half (especially "Father to Son" and the song that comes after it). OTM about it not having what would later be considered the staples of Queen.

March of the Black Queen=\m/

yeah Father To Son is by far my favourite song on the first half.

what's your opinion on the debut?

Queen II and Night at the OPera are my favorites, but I never could get into the original Queen album.

Some of the songs were quite good ("Keep Yourself Alive") but I found some of them to be way pedestrian compared to what would come later.

The Melvins - "Lysol"

-- r lynch (solarmanite), Monday, March 20, 2006 3:58 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Link

yeah, the covers make this record!

Joy Division - Closer

King Crimson - In the Wake of Poseidon
King Crimson - Three of a Perfect Pair
XTC - Wasp Star

Led Zeppelin - III
Primus - Frizzle Fry

Somebody probably said it upthread but On The Beach owns this thread (even though side 1 rules too)

also - Tattoo You?

the smashing pumpkins - mellon collie and the infinite sadness (disc 2 = second half)

deerhunter - cryptograms

rolling stones - exile on main street

AC/DC ~ Back in Black
The Police ~ Synchronicity

Always felt Boards Of Canada's "Music Has The Right To Children" gradually turned into realms of near-pop in it's 2nd half. The first half is intolerable under mainstream perspectives... weird, everlasting beats that don't really do so much in the melody-spectrum.

dj sprinkles - midtown 120 blues
neu! - 75 (by a fraction)

sonic youth - sister
vu - white light

all of 'music has the right' is great

Soft Machine- Third

― Joe (Joe), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 23:20 (4 years ago) Bookmark

Stevie Wonder - Talking Book and Innervisions

Cosmo's Factory, Astral Weeks, In the Light.

Nevermind is the correct answer to this thread.

The Beach Boys - Keeping The Summer Alive. Very dodgy album, but the really horrific stuff is arguably on side one. Side two is OK.

I like Good Timing though.

beck - midnite vultures

The Queen Is Dead

Good Timin' is on L.A. (Light Album) which I reckon is 3/4 great (Sumahama included)

have to disagree with 'stranded'. as good as that album is towards the end, it starts with one of the best opening trio of songs i can recall off the top of my head.

suicide's second album

Nevermind is the correct answer to this thread.

― Fellini.Kuti, Monday, 26 April 2010 05:14 (6 months ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Orbital, "Snivilisation"

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Monday, March 20, 2006 6:56 PM (4 years ago) Bookmark

I'd say In Sides as well.

Portishead - Third belongs here as well

are the later tracks on nevermind really that much better? i mean, the thing kicks off pretty strongly.

Portishead - Third belongs here as well

― lol tea partiers and their fat fingers (HI DERE), Thursday, 28 October 2010 15:06 (2 hours ago)

crashingly OTM

Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping is one of the more extreme recent cases

I really like that 25 minute closer on the new Sufjan album, so maybe that. Haven't really listened to the rest of the album though.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs-Fever to Tell

It's a trick of a number of Classic albums: If it can end on a stunning track, the whole album becomes classic by association.

Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells a Story

i find myself starting the trey songz album midway through as often as not: it opens with a few ok-to-good radio-friendly songs, sags in the middle, then gets pretty outré and compelling towards the end

are the later tracks on nevermind really that much better?

I am sure they are for those who hated the idea of Nirvana having catchy hit singles.

every super furry animals album since Phantom Power has been like this. It's kind of frustrating.

high on fire's recent snakes for the divine ends with the two best songs on the album. so that.

xpost I hope you're including Phantom Power in that, because it's got this trend more than the others - mediocre (save for Hello Sunshine and The Piccolo Snare) right up until Cityscape Skybaby, then killer for the rest

yeah, I'm including Phantom Power and I agree that it does this more than the others

Even "Radiator" is kinda backloaded, but that one has some good stuff earlier on too.

never could decide about daydream nation, go back and forth. first LP's got "silver rocket", "the sprawl", "eric's trip" and "total trash", but the 2nd has "hey joni", "candle", "rain king" (forever), "hyperstation" and "eliminator jr." FITE

^ would be my favorite record ever. plus "providence" as a b-side.

anyone who thinks nevermind is backloaded has no business listening to it

something I think Super Furry Animals would be a lot more popular if only they were better at track sequencing

I would say the main reason for SFA not being as popular as they deserve is their lack of ability to pick the best singles.

especially for the past three albums! single choices mostly killer up until and including RATW

songbook 2 is gonna be kinda lame :(

anyway RATW is their only perfectly-sequenced record IMO, even guerrilla doesn't quite get it right

single choices mostly killer up until and including RATW

Other than "Demons" and maybe "Play It Cool", I feel the singles choices from "Radiator" were completely wrong. Just the fact that "She's Got Spies" was not a single. That one remains my fave SFA moment.

There was some other thread where I said that the rule of thumb on the Pretenders s/t debut was that every track was better than the one preceding it.

I suppose that means that Side 2 >>>>>>> Side 1. Which it is.

Tunnel of Love