Order of songs (1 Viewer)

[egg_]

Say you have an album recorded and are trying to decide what order to put the songs in. Do you put them in order of how good you think they are (cos no-one will ever listen to the whole thing anyway) or in an order you think makes musical sense?

 

[minka]

Say you have an album recorded and are trying to decide what order to put the songs in. Do you put them in order of how good you think they are (cos no-one will ever listen to the whole thing anyway) or in an order you think makes musical sense?

the latter. though it's always good to have something reasonably fab/attention-grabbing at the start.

 

[Alan Remorse]

the sign of a truly great record is when the best songs are in the second half... course, you could have a record that is amazing all the way through...

 

[Latex lizzie]

tell a story kinda way is best methinks.

 

[Unclealo]

tell a story kinda way is best methinks.

I concur. If there is alot of diversity in style, tempo etc, try to ease one into the other. Though sometimes having a total change without warning is a good effect.

Also try listening to them on random play for a while.

 

[Pantone247]

Say you have an album recorded and are trying to decide what order to put the songs in. Do you put them in order of how good you think they are (cos no-one will ever listen to the whole thing anyway) or in an order you think makes musical sense?

I've noticed records now start with 4 great tunes, then utter muck for the middle and then end strongly, the idea being everyone will think it's great cause it starts strong and ends strong. It's amusing how well this theroy fits on many of yr modern 'Rock' Records.

I think if you feel some songs are stronger then others, then you should really go back and work on them lesser songs...

 

[LMD64]

if your songs don't tell a story, or you have no particular preference or favourite...

fast song
slow song
fast song
slow song
et al...

 

[egg_]

Though sometimes having a total change without warning is a good effect

Heh, well I hope so, seeing as it's the number one trick in the Book of Stoat
Been listening on random play and have come up with something but John reckons we should just put the stuff in order of goodness. Pretty hard to tie a ragbag of songs like these together, seeing as they were written over an eleven year timespan

 

[billygannon]

Alphabetical order?

Most albums should start off with a fanfare.

And include an epilogue - like they did in The Streets of San Francisco.

 

[Latex lizzie]

Heh, well I hope so, seeing as it's the number one trick in the Book of Stoat
Been listening on random play and have come up with something but John reckons we should just put the stuff in order of goodness. Pretty hard to tie a ragbag of songs like these together, seeing as they were written over an eleven year timespan

eleven years?? and I thought we were bad.

 

[egg_]

Alphabetical order?

Bizarrely, alphabetical order means all John's singing is at the start and all mine is at the end. Doesn't really work

 

[MDR]

Cormac - could you post up the list of songs and we'll all have a go of ordering it (for the songs we know anyway).

My initial thoughts:

Oh happy Day first
The ship wrecked song second
boys and girls
acunamanacana
Gilette man (the 3 exhausting songs)
Piano song as a breather (worte this to woo you, if you're putting that on)
I wish I was stoned last

...what else is on it?

 

[Wicker]

Personally I would start off with a cracker.....and end with a cracker

But rather than dumping the weaker tracks in the middle, disperse them with the best of the rest.

Bear in mind that you want them to listen from start to finish, I would tend to not have many weaker tracks together so that strong tracks following them will compensate

There is no harm in lending the album to someone whos musical opinion you trust, sometimes they might approach things a little different than yourselves and suggest a track listing to you

 

[billygannon]

If you want it to be an upbeat album:

SELECT tracks
FROM stoat_album
ORDER BY tracks ASC

And a downbeat album:
SELECT tracks
FROM stoat_album
ORDER BY tracks DESC

 

[egg_]

Heheh
Sure thing Ro - lots of the songs you mentioned though aren't on it ...

Here's the list (in the order I think is best):
Central Bank
Saltee Tango
Nobody in Heaven
Rivethead
Resistolero
Periscope Down
Shit on the Mirror
Capital
Acunamanacana
Fat Pig
Oh Happy Day
Folk Song

Some of these you might not know - Central Bank is a very old one in new clothes, lots of guitar, drums dropping in and out, kind of talked vocal and a melodic piano bit near the end; Saltee Tango is the shipwreck song; Shit on the Mirror is another kind of seafaring one, but a bit weirder; Folk Song is an actual folk-song type song written by John (with acoustic guitars and the like)
Need suggestions fast, mastering is starting today ...

 

[MDR]

Heheh
Central Bank is a very old one in new clothes

I figured that - it should be the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority

 

[MDR]

Heheh
Sure thing Ro - lots of the songs you mentioned though aren't on it ...

Here's the list (in the order I think is best):
Central Bank
Saltee Tango
Nobody in Heaven
Rivethead
Resistolero
Periscope Down
Shit on the Mirror
Capital
Acunamanacana
Fat Pig
Oh Happy Day
Folk Song

Some of these you might not know - Central Bank is a very old one in new clothes, lots of guitar, drums dropping in and out, kind of talked vocal and a melodic piano bit near the end; Saltee Tango is the shipwreck song; Shit on the Mirror is another kind of seafaring one, but a bit weirder; Folk Song is an actual folk-song type song written by John (with acoustic guitars and the like)
Need suggestions fast, mastering is starting today ...

Soory, Corm, too many known unknowns. Start with O'Happy day and Saltee Tango, and then some of the fast ones....emm.....emmmm....I dunno what else....

 

[The Fwames]

Best song first, second best song second, third best song last. Mix-up the rest so they flow nicely. Not too many similar tempo songs in a row and if there's any mediocre tracks (which there shouldn't be of course) put them after a much stronger track. I always like albums that finish with a nice downbeat song for some reason.

 

[#10-7]

random things:
personally i think the catchy stuff should be near the start - the more immidiate ones - and the deeper ones, the ones that either aren't as happy near the end.
i also think the song with the best ending should be last.

album tracklistings are complicated indeed.

another thing is to put a song you think is the biggest grower, or the least immediate, directly after the most. people who listen to that one will then more often than not listen to some of the next track, thereby connecting the songs.

also, songs that end suddenly souldn't be beside songs that start slowly.

soooo~
does this help?

 

[Jim Daniels]

I always like albums that finish with a nice downbeat song for some reason.

Me too..!

Like the way Low end one of their LPs with their tiny little song "The Dark"

There are many things to be afraid of
Like Ghosts and Death and Climbing too high.
There are many things to be afraid of
But don't be afraid of the Dark...
----------------------------------------

I reckon "Oh Happy Day" to start.
The 2nd track should begin with drums

Whats the one where John tells a wee story at the end of the track and its different each time you play it live...? That would make a good 2nd last track, followed by a low key effort if you have any!