I have written before that one of the experiences I think has been lost in recent years is that of listening to all the tracks on an album in order. In my recent post about Pipedream by Alan Hull I made reference to the musical and emotional journey that this provides for the listener and the pleasure resulting from this experience.
I have always found the notion and the experience of that journey fascinating and enjoyable. I remember when I first got a CD player noticing that it had a “shuffle” button, and wondering why anyone would want to play the tracks of an album in random order rather than the order intended by the artist.
I have worked on the recording and production of a handful of albums, and in every case, significant thought and discussion was given to the track sequence. There can be little doubt that the order in which the tracks are heard leaves an emotional impression on the listener.
Sometimes the running order of an album can work to the detriment of its sales, when the band presents its audience with something too unexpected or unfamiliar. I have mentioned Music from The Elder by Kiss before on this blog.
The band’s 1981 attempt at a concept album in the vein of Pink Floyd’s The Wall was met with utter confusion when it was first played for record company executives. Imagine, if you will, sitting around the table with the other bigwigs at Casablanca records and the band that gave you Rock and Roll All Nite and hearing this (and I don’t mean the ad that YouTube will probably play!)
The execs’ response was, predictably, “Where are the guitars? Where is Kiss?” The end result was that the order of the tracks was altered to emphasise the two potential singles from the album, putting The Oath, a hard rock song, at the top of side 1 and the ballad A World Without Heroes at the top of side 2. Of course, this reordering lost any narrative sense that the album might have had.
On a personal note, the reordered track sequence didn’t stop my friends and me from trying to piece together what the story of the supposedly-upcoming movie of The Elder might be. Unfortunately for us (and Kiss) the album was a weak seller and the band’s grand plans for the project were shelved, so we will never know how close our guesses were.
We did wonder at the time why the order of tracks on the back of the album cover was different to the record, but didn’t really question it at the time. When The Elder was re-released on CD in 1997, the originally intended track sequence was restored, and although this order makes more sense narratively, the order I feel most comfortable with is still the one I heard back in 1981, because that is the order I am used to hearing.
Next, here’s an example of how changing the order of an album’s tracks just might have made a difference to its sales had it been done.
The early 1980s, in retrospect, does seem like a time of musical experimentation for several bands. Another of my favourite bands of the time, Queen, also confounded fans and critics alike with their 1982 release Hot Space.
Hot Space is generally, and perhaps unfairly, regarded as the weakest of Queen’s studio albums because of its radical stylistic departure from the band’s earlier works. For this album, the band moved away from the guitar-driven rock and multi-layered vocals that had previously defined their sound, instead embracing synthesisers, drum machines and funk and soul styles.
We had already seen Queen’s funkier side in the shape of Another One Bites the Dust from 1980’s The Game, but the release of the single Body Language in April 1982 took things even further in that direction, featuring a slinky, synthesised bass line, a drum machine and an almost complete absence of guitars. Unlike Another One Bites the Dust, which reached the UK Top 10, Body Language stalled at number 25 before dropping out of the Top 40 two weeks later.
The Hot Space album was released in May 1982. When I first put the stylus down on side 1 of my copy, I felt a bit like the Casablanca execs must have felt listening to Music from The Elder – this sounded nothing like any Queen album I had ever heard. As one reviewer put it, there was very little of any familiar Queen sound for fans to latch on to.
The opening track, Staying Power, once again features a synth bass and drum machine, this time with the addition of horns. Brian May’s guitar is once again conspicuous by its (almost) absence, making the track a bit of s stylistic shock to open the album.
The second track on the album, Dancer, is a dance-rock song, and whilst it still maintains the synth bass and funky feel, it sounds a lot more Queen-like with the prominent electric guitar and backing vocals in the chorus.
Track three is Back Chat, a funky song driven by a clean electric guitar and synth, and featuring a short drum solo by Roger Taylor as well as a guitar solo by Brian May. Different, yes, but featuring some familiar elements.
The next track on the album is the aforementioned Body Language, but I am going to stop there as you by now have an impression of what listening to the first side of Hot Space felt like. Here is where I contend that the shock impact of the album could have been lessened by the switching of two tracks in the running order.
What if we switched the opening tracks of the two sides, putting Staying Power at the top of side 2 and the side 2 opener, Put Out the Fire, as the album opener? This has a much more familiar sound for Queen fans to latch on to, and provides a much more gentle transition into the funkier material over the next couple of tracks.
I’m not saying I’m 100% right, but just that it’s possible that this may have made Hot Space a little more palatable to fans back in 1982. For what it’s worth, I think Hot Space is a great album, and I am glad that it is generally viewed more favourably now than it was at the time of its release. I can’t help but wonder, though, if that one track switch might have made a difference.
Is the running order of an album still something you care about? Do you see an album as a complete musical experience rather than just a collection of songs? Let me know in the comments or send me a private message via the Contact Me page. I’d love to hear your opinion!
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