So I was driving around a lot today, and I got to thinking about that majestic beast of the musical world, the Double LP. That clunky collection of songs that so many bands have released before and, hopefully, will to come.
A lot of people's opinion of the Double is lukewarm at best. Many bands have put out bloated, indulgent messes that serve to alienate all but their most loyal fans. I have a different opinion. I love the medium, I think it affords the artist to release the songs that they're not so sure of, songs that would forever be doomed to sit on a hard drive in some warehouse somewhere, never seeing the light of day. At best they might be released in some B-Side collection at the end of the groups career.
I have set forth to track down some of the best examples of this phenomenon. Songs that are off the beaten path, little gems that those of us who scour the back catalogs of our favorite groups know by heart, and cherish as much as any single.
So here are 5 examples of just the types of songs I'm referring to, and hopefully they might be new to you fine folks as well.
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This is probably my go to example of a double album achieving true greatness.
Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Stadium Arcadium", released in the summer of 2006, is not only my favorite Chili P's album, (which has earned me much scorn and harsh words from other fans) but one of the most important records young teenage me has ever heard. The song, recorded in the tumultuous state the band was in after it's phoenix from the ashes return of Californication, is about a family dog that belonged to Flea. The 200lb pooch, named Martian, acted "as a kind of spirit animal" to the band while they pulled themselves up by their bootstraps. Full of love and the ever present "chill" (likely inherited from it's owner, Flea), when she fell ill and eventually died, Anthony described it as a tremendous sense of loss, and felt like he had to write a song about her. The track itself is superb. The ever present John Frusciante floats about the song in the verses', his ethereal guitar weaving in and out like a needle through hair. John's harmonies are as spot on as ever and sync up with Fleas' fuzz bass flawlessly. The song ends with Kiedis spitting out a spoken word poem he had stowed away in a notebook, and with a final, somber closing verse, speaks of "sweeping the echoes of yesternights fallen freckles away". This gorgeous track may have gone largely unheard had SA not been the glorious double album it is. Thanks for that, Peppers.
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2:
Houses of the Holy by Led Zepplin
When the mighty Led Zepplin wrapped up initial recording for their double album, "Physical Graffiti", in 1974, they found themselves with one of those good kinds of problem. They had recorded too much. The decision to extend the album was unanimous, as it afforded the band the chance to get tracks like "Bron-yr-aur", the above, and the fantastic "Boogie With Stew" to the masses. The album was a smash, eventually going 16 x Platinum and becoming the bands second best selling record. Houses of the Holy was always a personal favorite of mine, a compact, funky tune that has what Zep historians agree to be, the only cowbell ever put to tape by the Gods of Rock. Despite it's jazzy chords and sexy shuffle, Zep never played the song live, depriving thousands of the fantastic track. The song was initially recorded for the bands' album of the same name, two years prior, but was cut because it "didn't fit". It found it's home nicely on Physical Graffiti, and continues to inject peoples' steps with just a little bit of that Robert Plant swagger.
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3:
Just Like You Imagined by Nine Inch Nails
One of my all time favorite songs by my all time favorite bands, Nine Inch Nails "The Fragile" is a masterful trip through the void. Recorded while Trent Reznor was battling addiction, the sprawling monster of an album chronicles the twisted journey from one end of depression to the other. Opening with the pulsing death march of "Somewhat Damaged", the record ascends and descends, from slow, melodic, seething synth lines to crashing, furious burns through the grimy underbelly of existence. "Just Like You Imagined" is an instrumental, led by the dulcet tones of Trents' piano expertise. Not long after the subdued opening, the marching drums take the track into space, leading the song into a roller coaster of a soundscape, the piercing synth acting as hand-rails to keep the listener grounded in some concept of reality. The track builds into an absolutely
CACOPHONOUS climax, the music crashes like waves over Trents' earnest yell, and races to a close just as you are able to regain your footing. This is a song I always urge non-NiN fans to listen to, the sheer musicianship of the track exhibits Reznors' raw talent as a producer in a fantastic way, almost extenuated by the lack of vocals, letting the piano and synth take it's rightful place in the forefront.
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4:
Never as Tired as When I'm Waking Up by LCD Soundsystem
James Murphy has never played by anyones' rules except his own. Period. When Nike put out a call for someone to record an album that was "ideal for a 40 minute workout", James jumped at the opportunity, creating the spawling "45:33". An entirely instrumental record that he later admitted, "didn't have anything to do with running at all". He just wanted to make the thing. LCD Soundsytem was one of the most critically hailed bands of the 2000's, and, even early in their career, Murphys' production genius did not go unnoticed. The groups debut album was anything but traditional. A double LP that clocked in at just over 100 minutes, the album has two damn versions of the SAME SONG. The genius singles are still on repeat by cool kids to this day. The brilliant, spaz-dance rock of "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" and the sardonic dissection of "Art school Brooklynites in little jackets" in "Losing My Edge". The sound on "Never as Tired.." is that of the narrator drunk on the sex of the night before, but not the girl. He dryly states that he's in love with what you do, but not with you, and you can't help but feel for the guy. The tainted afterglow of the lyrics is echoed by the music a Beatles-esque stumble through a melody that's as sexual as it is sarcastic. The bass hops along with the jarring guitar chords, and Murphy throws himself out onto the street for another late Sunday afternoon. A soothing break between the furious disco-punk of the first disc.
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5:
Fourth Time Around by Bob Dylan
Although it was a really tough pick for number 5, it all came down to the one that started it all. Bob's "Blonde on Blonde" is actually the first ever recorded rock double album. Recorded primarily in Nashville with his crack backing band "The Hawks", (who would later become the legendary "The Band"), the sessions would lead to one of the most well crafted albums in history. 4th Time Around may sound familiar to some, it was recorded as a sort of evil twin to The Beatles' song "Norwegian Wood" by Dylan in response to the obvious influence he was having on the group at the time. One critic even went so far as to say that 4th Time sounded like "Bob Dylan impersonating John Lennon Impersonating Bob Dylan". The song itself is a darker version of the whimsical Beatles original, with Bob crooning about his relationship with a woman who just doesn't seem to care about him all that much. Levon Helms' skipping drum beat and a simple, folkish strum is set apart from the rest of the albums bluesier sound, and Bob's lyrics ring of a playful bitterness. He keeps returning to the woman like a puppy shamed, with his tail between his legs, and once he's finally had enough he leaves on a vague warning. "I never asked for your crutch / So don't ask for mine". Narrative? Possibly. It could also very well be a call from the man himself to all the up and comers looking to him to help them achieve pop greatness, in particular, Mr. Lennon, whos' young band was drifting ever closer to Bob's side of the spectrum and further from the "I wanna hold your hand" days of their past.
