At the risk of over-egging the current Van Morrison cavalcade, I’ve just spent a pleasurable hour putting together my own best of VTM playlist on Spotify. Got to 75 tracks without even blinking. What struck me was that I chose the entire first side of Veedon Fleece which to my mind is the best side of music he has made to date (which I guess means the best he will ever make) – from Fair Play to You Don’t Pull No Punches its just a wonderful listen and featuring some of the best piano playing on any rock album (Jeff Labes ?)
So made me wonder what else would you put up there as the best complete side of an album – cd only collectors can switch off at this point.
Side 1 Led Zep IV – Black Dog, Rock and Roll, Battle for Evermore, Stairway to Heaven
Side 2 Physical Graffiti – Houses of the Holy, Trampled Underfoot, Kashmir
The Wild, The Innocent and The E-Street Shuffle, Side Two.
Incident on 57th Street
Rosalita
New York City Serenade
Correct answer
… with side one in close second place:
The E Street Shuffle
4th Of July Asbury Park (Sandy)
Kitty’s Back
Wild Billy’s Circus Story
(was there ever a better-sequenced album? a better album?)
A few come to mind …
Astral Weeks – Side 1
Born to Run – Side 1
Born to Run – Side 2
OK Computer – Side 1
Harvest – Side 1
On the Beach – Side 2
Ocean Rain – Side 1
Odessey and Oracle – Side 1
Pet Sounds – Side 1
A Hard Day’s Night Side 2
The Beatles – Side 3
Abbey Road – Side 2
Station to Station – Side 1
Diamond dogs – Side 1
Plastic Ono Band – Side 2
All Things Must Pass – Side 3
Exile on Main St – side 3
etc
Moondance side 1 definitely
Yeah I dallied over Side 1 of both Astral Weeks and Moondance but for me VF just shaded it mainly because of the way the songs fit together so perfectly. You could argue similarly for AW but Moondance is more a collection of great songs and not really thematically linked ?
Reckon all 3 must be up there in the all time best ofs though
Exile on Main Street – Side 1 – always tops for me – a rush from end to end.
Love – ‘Da Capo’ side one.
So do I, Baron, thank you very much. There are some days I like side two as well.
I like the nuanced brushstrokes of Revolution.
Clash – Give Em Enough Rope (Side 1)
The opening trimuvarate (“Safe European Home”, “English Civil War” and “Tommy Gun”) is an object lesson in how to open an album – to make it even better, swap “Stay Free” with “Last Gang In Town” and all the Rope-deniers would soon change their mind, and declare it the masterwork that it is.
Others worthy of a mention:
Jam – All Mod Cons (Side 1) – and Side 2 is none too shabby either
Jam – Setting Sons (Side 1) – Side 2 is let down by the cover of “Heatwave”
They Might Be Giants – Flood (Side 1) – Side 2 is good, but Side 1 is better
If Prefab Sprout had put side one of Steve McQueen with side one of Jordan:The Comeback……well……
Yes; ‘Steve McQueen’ tails off very badly , but what a first side.
Love ‘Desire As’ though
Must be just me….I love side 2 of Steve Mcqueen….the run of Moving The River, Horsin Around and Desire As is just beautiful. Ok Blueberry Pies is lightweight but then When The Angels Sing is a fine finish to a classic album….
Pink Floyd – Meddle – Side 2
The Mothers Of Invention – “Weasels Ripped My Flesh” side two.
1)Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue
2)Dwarf Nebula Processional March & Dwarf Nebula
3)My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama
4)Oh No
5)The Orange County Lumber Truck
6)Weasels Ripped My Flesh
Fabs – “Abbey Road” side two, as already stated above.
Steely Dan – “Countdown To Ecstasy” side one.
1)Bodhisattva
2)Razor Boy
3)The Boston Rag
4)Your Gold Teeth
Dylan – “Blood On The Tracks” side one
Miles Davis – “In A Silent Way” side two
“In A Silent Way” side one.
Almost forgot:
A Tribute To Jack Johnson side one.
Get Up With It side one.
On The Corner side one.
Bitches Brew side four.
Re: A Tribute To Jack Johnson
Oh yeah – I love “Right Off”.
Try He Loved Him Madly if you haven’t already, duco. Eno’s favourite Miles Davis track.
Closer – Joy Division S1
1. Atrocity Exhibition
2. Isolation
3. Passover
4. Colony
5. A Means To An End
Two fun facts about Closer
1 – for years I thought that this was side two, because there was very little information on the label of the edition I bought, and it works really well if you start on the other side too.
2 – there is a school of thought that the title should be pronounced to rhyme with “poser” – you know, it closed their career?
Scary Monsters side one. It’no game, Up the hill backwards, Scary monsters, Ashes to ashes, Fashion. Hard to beat.
It’s kind of cheating though, because he stuffed all the goodies on Side 1. All the singles are there. Scary Monsters would be a strong contender for “One Side much better than the Other Side” thread.
I agree it’s unbalanced that way. Side 2, where inspiration begins to fade?
Oh that’s interesting. How about that for a thread: “Artists Who Started Losing It During an Album”
Could work. Sgt Pepper? Controversial.
Drat- wanted to post REM’s ‘Life’s Rich Pageant’ but spoiled by ‘Underneath the Bunker’. But wonderful up to that point.
Side one – “Dinner side”
“Begin the Begin”
“These Days”
“Fall on Me”
“Cuyahoga”
“Hyena”
“Underneath the Bunker”
But tangent- Side 2! Better? Maybe.
Side two – “Supper side”
“The Flowers of Guatemala”
“I Believe”
“What If We Give It Away?”
“Just a Touch”
“Swan Swan H”
“Superman”
Tori Amos: ‘Little Earthquakes’. Very powerful Side 1; Side 2 drifts a bit.
Crucify
Girl
Silent All These Years
Precious Things
Winter
Happy Phantoms
In terms of being heavily weighted to one side: Pet Shop Boys, Actually S2
In terms of “holy shit, this is side 4 of a double album”: Peggy Suicide S4
In terms of the bleedin’ obvious: The Wailers Live At The Lyceum S2
Keith Jarrett – Koln Concert (side one)
Every side of every pre-split Pixies album barring side two of Bossa Nova … maybe.
Bunny Wailer – Blackheart Man – Side 1
Brian Eno – Before and After Science – Side 2
The Band – The Band – Side 1
Incredible String Band – The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter – Side 1
Nic Jones – Penguin Eggs – Side 1 (a rare example of a completely perfect side)
Bruce & E-Street Band – Live 1975-85 – Side 6
Well I’m not afraid to say it: Side Black of Queen II is gloriously bonkers.
Side One. Scary Monsters.
Led Zeppelin II I gave as an example of a perfect side 1 on a previous thread and it is. Whole Lotta Love, What Is And What Should Never Be, The Lemon Song (some might find this risible, lyric-wise but it makes up for it instrumentally, especially as regards the rhythm section), Thank You.
ELO 2 – Side 2
From The Sun To The World
Kuiama
‘Beach Boys Today’ – side 2.
‘A Hard Day’s Night’ – side 2.
‘Five Leaves Left’ – side 1.
Not a huge fan of ‘Exile On Main Street’ but, on the few occasions it leaves the CD shelf, tracks 6,7,8 and 9 – side 2 – get played.
Johnny Winter’s “Second Winter” Side 4
Very droll HP