Remove one song from an almost perfect album to make it a perfect album

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Take "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and "Octopus' Garden" off Abbey Road. Every other track on it is sublime.

I know that's two.

― Wooden (Wooden), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 13:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd remove the live cover of "Light My Fire" from the end of Massive Attack's Protection

So, so right.

Also:

Take "Don't Stop" off The Stone Roses
Take "Someone Like The Moon" off His'n'Hers

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 13:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Remove Meat Is Murder from Meat is Murder ....

― svend (svend), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 13:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Maggot Brain?!?!

Oh well, whatever...I'd purge "Hell Ain't a Bad Place To Be" from Let There Be Rock, "Tea For One" from Zep's Presence, "3-Minute Rule" from Paul's Boutique and the title cut from Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy.

Oh, and "Dreams" from Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. Nothing wrong, I just don't like it.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 13:53 (twenty-one years ago)

10 min wack gtr solo before the funk comes = party pooper

― sexyDancer, Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:13 (twenty-one years ago)

there is no wronger answer than "maggot brain".

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Take "Young Lovers Do" off Astral Weeks.
Or "I Love You Because" off Sun Sessions.

― Burr (Burr), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:43 (twenty-one years ago)

d'yer maker or whatever the fuck it's called and the crunge from houses of the holy.
I'm with you on getting rid of fever from the superpitcher lp.

― simon 803 (simon 803), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:47 (twenty-one years ago)

take #6 off of room on fire. whats it called? "between love & hate", thats it.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:51 (twenty-one years ago)

aww man - the crunge has that awesome keyboard sound, though. thats the song that makes that album interesting to me, and makes it more than just led zeppelin V. not that i have a problem with another LZ album like the first 4, but i think their attempts to expand their sound are usually interesting, and a lot of times successful.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 14:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Definitely replace "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again" on Can't Buy A Thrill. Otherwise, it's perfect.

Maybe "The Murder Mystery" from The Velvet Underground.

I don't like "Good Vibrations" tacked onto the CD and tape versions of Endless Summer.

I've never much liked "She's Out Of My Life" on Off The Wall.

"O My Soul" is a good song, but a rather sluggish (and lengthy) opening for Radio City.

"Thorn Tree In The Garden" from Layla.

"Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)" from Discography (Pet Shop Boys)

"Snappin' & Trappin'" from Stankonia

"In Love With You (ft. Stephen Marley)" from Mama's Gun (Erykah Badu)

Comments?

― Bradley, Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:12 (twenty-one years ago)

It's no exactly a "perfect" LP, but "Pawn Star" on De la Soul's "AOI: Bionix" is far worse than any other track on that album.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Another candidate: "Mind Sex" on Dead Prez' "Let's Get Free".

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:15 (twenty-one years ago)

"The Murder Mystery" is without a doubt my vote for GOT TO GO.

― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:17 (twenty-one years ago)

ooh ooh - in addition the fact that every outkast album is at least 15 minutes too long, "mamacita" totally distinguishes itself as being the wooooooooorst song on the otherwise flawless aquemini. theres nothing else id cut, but i do with it were like 55 minutes instead of 73 or whatever.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:23 (twenty-one years ago)

"...every outkast album is at least 15 minutes too long..."

I totally agree with you. However, I'm looking at Aquemini and Stankonia, and I don't know what I'd take off. I picked on "Snappin' & Trappin'" because it follows "Gasoline Dreams," "So Fresh, So Clean" and "Ms. Jackson," and just kills the momentum.

On a side note, "Kim and Cookie" is the best thing ever.

― Bradley, Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:31 (twenty-one years ago)

10 min wack gtr solo before the funk comes = party pooper

wack???!!

Take "Stand" off of Green. It wouldn't end up a perfect album, but for me it'd make it the last early REM album instead of the first late REM album.

― martin m. (mushrush), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:51 (twenty-one years ago)

play like your mama just died.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:52 (twenty-one years ago)

'Light my fire' and 'born to be wild' - absolutely; surprised no-one's mentioned 'Sloop John B' on Pet Sounds, though.

― falseazure, Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:53 (twenty-one years ago)

"Dreams" from Fleetwood Mac's Rumours

Shouldn't it be "Songbird"? That's the dud one for me.

― JP Almeida (JP Almeida), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 16:00 (twenty-one years ago)

automatic for the people minus everybody hurts is quite perfect in my memory, right?

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 16:07 (twenty-one years ago)

ehh - i like "sloop john b" there. not every song that sticks out as different on an album is bad - some albums benefit from homogeneity (loveless), but i dont think every album should be like that.

BTW, yknow what another good homogenous album is that ive never seen mentioned here? cass mccombs's A. a friend of mine pointed out that listening to the whole thing makes him feel totally drunk, and i agree.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 16:07 (twenty-one years ago)

"Closed Groove" - the last song from Stiff Little Fingers' Immflammable Material. Get rid of this clunky attempt at new wave-y robot rock and you have a record that absolutely lives up to its name.

― Bren, Wednesday, 11 August 2004 16:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Nashville Skyline - "Lay Lady Lay"

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 16:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Nashville Skyline - "Girl From the North Country"

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 16:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, every hair of "Optimistic" straight out of Kid A.

― Salvador Saca (Mr. Xolotl), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 16:35 (twenty-one years ago)

And no "Go to Sleep" or even "Sail to the Moon" on Hail to the Thief. That album needs strings, as beautiful as it is.

― Salvador Saca (Mr. Xolotl), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 16:36 (twenty-one years ago)

automatic for the people minus everybody hurts is quite perfect in my memory, right?
I'd rather remove "Man on the Moon" to make that album perfect- my guess is that the removal of Everybody Hurts is only because it was so overplayed at the time. The rest of that album maintains a somber mood, broken up only by "Moon".
When I got my first CD burner (a 2x speed model), I re-burned Automatic to remove Man on the Moon and instead replaced it with New Orleans Intrumental No. 2, the B side from the Man on the Moon single.
==
Also worth removing is just about every skit from albums- it's even worse when the skits are tacked on the beginning or end of the song, ala Lauryn Hill's Miseducation. At least when they are given their own track numbers, they can be skipped on CD players and deleted off Ipods, etc. The first skits I can remember marring an otherwise awesome album? ATCQ's Midnight Marauders- although looking back, that woman's voice is a lot more soothing than most of the skits I've heard since.

― mclaugh (mclaugh), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 16:46 (twenty-one years ago)

hah. let's just get rid of this little bit here that wakes me up just before i totaly fall asleep before the last song fineshes.

― danh (danh), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 16:50 (twenty-one years ago)

"Something The Boy Said"

― bahtology, Wednesday, 11 August 2004 21:37 (twenty-one years ago)

This is easy--come on lady, "Kiss That Frog". Sheesh, Pete.

― John 2, Thursday, 12 August 2004 02:00 (twenty-one years ago)

re Nashville Skyline: You'd think Johnny Cash and Dylan would have been a little better together, but you're so right, Peter.

I would submit "Within You Without You" from Sgt. Pepper to this unglorious list.

― jim wentworth (wench), Thursday, 12 August 2004 02:27 (twenty-one years ago)

'We All Fall' from The Stooges' S/T album.

Why do we need a John Cale wank piece in the middle of a rockin' album?

― Sasha (sgh), Thursday, 12 August 2004 02:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I was going to cite "We All Fall" too, actually.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 12 August 2004 02:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Take "Not Me" off of It'll End in Tears by This Mortal Coil and you'd have divine perfection.

I went into greater depth about that here...

In Praise of....It'll End in Tears by This Mortal Coil

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 12 August 2004 02:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Sloop John B out
Murder Mystery in, After Hours out (no one needs to hear Mo do a Ringo)

― wtin, Thursday, 12 August 2004 12:44 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm Your Man by Leonard Cohen - get rid of "Jazz Police"!

― Marcello Carlin, Thursday, 12 August 2004 12:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Run My Way Runway - The Boo Radleys from Giant Steps.

This isn't a bad song at all but it's the only song on this stupendous double album that smacks, just ever so faintly, of filler. It was perfect already but removing this song would push it over the top into transcendence, probably.

― holojames (holojames), Thursday, 12 August 2004 13:13 (twenty-one years ago)

get your hands off my "after hours"! also, keep "murder mystery".

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 12 August 2004 13:35 (twenty-one years ago)

XTC

White Music - All Along The Watchtower
Go2 - My Weapon
Drums & Wires - That Is The Way
Black Sea - Sgt Rock
English Settlement - Melt The Guns
Mummer - Wonderland
Big Express - Shake You Donkey Up (replace it with Red Brick Dream)
Skylarking - Dear God/Mermaid Smiled
Oranges & Lemons - Pink Thing
Nonsuch - Wardance
Apple Venus - Fruit Nut
Wasp Star - Standing In For Joe

― mzui, Thursday, 12 August 2004 13:58 (twenty-one years ago)

"Bruce Lee" off _Beaucoup Fish_ plz

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 12 August 2004 14:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Go2 - My Weapon

Gah! Blasphemy! I love "My Weapon"!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 12 August 2004 15:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Alex, have you heard the other two Barry Andrews penned songs that were left off Go 2? I think both are on the box set. They are much, much better. Odd that.

― mzui, Thursday, 12 August 2004 15:32 (twenty-one years ago)

"We All Fall" is a great idea. I wish I had left it off when I dubbed the tape I listen to in my car, because I'm always fast-forwarding through it anyway.

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Thursday, 12 August 2004 16:02 (twenty-one years ago)

'pitch the baby' from cocteau twins - heaven or las vegas

― Mil (Mil), Thursday, 12 August 2004 23:09 (twenty-one years ago)

"Poor Boy" (uuuuuuggggggghhhhhh) from Nick Drake's Bryter Layter

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Thursday, 12 August 2004 23:14 (twenty-one years ago)

The "rap" section from "Shy" on Peter Murphy's Dust

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Thursday, 12 August 2004 23:15 (twenty-one years ago)

"Spaceboy" from Siamese Dream

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Thursday, 12 August 2004 23:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Roland from "Turn On the Bright Lights"

― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 12 August 2004 23:32 (twenty-one years ago)

i Love Spaceboy though.

― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 12 August 2004 23:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Skipping 180 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

And "Erotic City"!

"Let's Go Crazy" works better as the 12" extended mix, and "I Would Die 4 U" even moreso. In fact, the 10 minute version of the latter is clearly the best single from the album.

― Tuomas, Thursday, 8 September 2016 10:32 (nine years ago)

is there an equivalent thread where you add one song to a classic album to make it better ?

― AlXTC from Paris, Thursday, 8 September 2016 11:36 (nine years ago)

cos PR with "Erotic City" would be great indeed !

― AlXTC from Paris, Thursday, 8 September 2016 11:43 (nine years ago)

yall are INSANE

― MatthewK, Thursday, 8 September 2016 12:09 (nine years ago)

Bon Jovi's spirited use of cliches is not to be confused with Prince's simplicity, not to mention the use of a striking image (uh "purple rain").

― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 8 September 2016 12:17 (nine years ago)

Maybe so, but even with genius lyrics it'd be by far the most boring song on the album.

― Tuomas, Thursday, 8 September 2016 12:57 (nine years ago)

Challops

― niels, Thursday, 8 September 2016 20:09 (nine years ago)

"My Rival"

― Master of Treacle, Thursday, 8 September 2016 20:37 (nine years ago)

thought you were talking about like flies on sherbert for a second and was ready to internet fight you. anyway back on track, i've been listening to green's s/t a lot and technology, while not awful, seems pretty unnecessary and is the only track i ever skip on this record.

― dynamicinterface, Thursday, 15 September 2016 01:16 (nine years ago)

"Born in a Mourning Hall" on Blind Guardian's Imaginations isn't a bad song, but it kind of lags in between two great ones....so that one.

― Neanderthal, Saturday, 17 September 2016 15:32 (nine years ago)

Yes, I'll match him whim for whim now" is the key Gaucho lyric.

― simmel, Monday, 19 September 2016 14:50 (nine years ago)

i don't know if there's a thread about it, but my platonic image of the first roxy music album includes "virginia plain". same goes for _nothing can stop us_ and "shipbuilding".

― a confederacy of lampreys (rushomancy), Monday, 19 September 2016 15:06 (nine years ago)

Hymn of the Big Wheel

― brotherlovesdub, Monday, 19 September 2016 15:17 (nine years ago)

two months pass...

"Bodysnatchers"

― niels, Saturday, 26 November 2016 18:18 (nine years ago)

Remove "Across The Universe" from Young Americans.

Remove it, place it in lead lined box and dump in somewhere in the North Atlantic. Talking of shitty Beatles' covers, someone please build a time machine and go back and tell Jimmy Webb to not to bother with a finger popping version of "Ticket to Ride" and not to stick it right in the middle of the 5th Dimension's "Magic Garden", like fresh dog turd on fine Persian rug.

― The Doug Walters of Crime (Tom D.), Saturday, 26 November 2016 19:37 (nine years ago)

... lost an 'a' or two there.

― The Doug Walters of Crime (Tom D.), Saturday, 26 November 2016 19:39 (nine years ago)

seven months pass...

this is probably not going to go down well but I don't think removing "Beside You" from Astral Weeks would harm it much

― niels, Monday, 17 July 2017 15:19 (eight years ago)

It's not my favorite song, but it's certainly one of Richard Davis' more intriguing performances on the record. And less Richard Davis would make for a worse Astral Weeks.

― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, 17 July 2017 15:23 (eight years ago)

I think I might prefer an instrumental version

the sequencing doesn't help it any either

― niels, Monday, 17 July 2017 15:30 (eight years ago)

Blasphemers

― bumbling my way toward the light or wahtever (hardcore dilettante), Wednesday, 19 July 2017 02:11 (eight years ago)

one year passes...

Ornette's Town Hall 1962 is pretty much perfect (and the equal of any of his Atlantic LPs) if you lose "Dedication to Poets and Writers"

― Paul Ponzi, Wednesday, 10 October 2018 01:12 (seven years ago)

Take Shot With His Own Gun off Elvis Costello Trust.

― kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 10 October 2018 01:49 (seven years ago)

four years pass...

take "single file" off the elliott smith s/t. it's not awful by any means but it doesn't live up to the rest of the album

― spellbound dogfighter (milo), Wednesday, 16 August 2023 13:31 (two years ago)

"Wendell Gee" from Fables

― Mr. Snrub, Monday, August 22, 2016 2:37 PM (six years ago)

WTF(?!)

― You have been verified with your voice (morrisp), Wednesday, 16 August 2023 14:42 (two years ago)

“Deeper Understanding” should have been omitted from The Sensual World

“Stay Away” from Nevermind (even though I really like the guitar melting with Cobain’s voice on the refrain; “Even in His Youth” should have taken its place)

― beamish13, Wednesday, 16 August 2023 23:57 (two years ago)

Not sure I'd delete any tracks from Rumors, but I'd absolutely close it with "Silver Springs."

― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Thursday, 17 August 2023 00:02 (two years ago)

Yes to Stay Away. Even in His Youth would have been better.

― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 17 August 2023 01:14 (two years ago)

“Stay Away” from Nevermind

illegal opinion

― budo jeru, Thursday, 17 August 2023 01:24 (two years ago)

“My Little Problem” from All Shook Down is corny AF. It wouldn’t be a Replacements album without something self-consciously anti-earnest, but I don’t like this one.

― Chuck_Tatum, Thursday, 17 August 2023 08:47 (two years ago)

Going the other way, I kind of love notorious perfection-interruptor “Student Demonstration Time”. Anyone else?

― Chuck_Tatum, Thursday, 17 August 2023 08:53 (two years ago)

"Box 25/4 Lid" from The Soft Machine, (apart from the 90s CD which also has Volume Two, then it functions as an intermission between LPs)

― the world is your octopus (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Thursday, 17 August 2023 09:49 (two years ago)

I still skip 'The New Stone Age' from Architecture & Morality, I don't really dislike the song, it just sounds so terrible, the horrible, out-of-tune guitars mostly.

It does have a brilliant outro though, so I will skip/rewind and listen to that bit.

― MaresNest, Thursday, 17 August 2023 12:54 (two years ago)

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