Your Favourite Double Albums

SilverScreen

A little debate in the Biffy Clyro thread in the indie/alt forum got me thinking about the pros and pitfalls of double albums. There are a lot of cases where the band or artist is over-stretching things and a single album would have done. But there are some cases where a single disc can limit the band or artist's vision and creativity.

However some brilliant double albums have been released over the decades and here's two of my personal favourites:


Swans - Children Of God (1987)

A dark and fascinating album that marked the change in Swans' sound from punishing post-punk to something entirely different. The variety of styles here is remarkable and every track on this album is vital to complete the bigger picture. It's a concept album about religion but neither glorifies or criticises it.


Unwound - Leaves Turn Inside You (2001)

The band's final album and greatest statement. They took everything that was great about their indie rock/post-hardcore sound and somehow managed to refine it into an epic album. Again, not one moment is wasted and I can't imagine a single album having done.

Some other favourites are Can - Tago Mago, Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation, Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade, Red House Painters - Red House Painters (Rollercoaster)

P.S. I know some double albums on vinyl are single albums on CD, so for the sake of clarity we'll assume double vinyl.

P.P.S. You can mention triple albums as well

Thundercats Ho

Jesus, i haven't used vinyl in 15-20 years, but when i did my most played was Queen live killers. Must look for it on spotify / youtube actually.

Was war of the worlds a double album? if so, i'll go for that also.

notnumber

Can't say i care much for the double albums have bought over the years..was a QOTSA one..can't rememeber the name but was crap..Smashng Pumpkins Mellon Collie..the most maligned double album in history?
The Wall by Pink Floyd is the only exception of note in my collection.

Sadderday

PULSE live album - Pink Floyd

Achtung Maybe

My favourite doble album was the vinyl U2 Rattle & Hum (queued outside HMV Grafton Street at midnight- played it to death much to my parents annoyance

Blisterman

Has to be Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life. Amazing album.

rednik

Physical Graffiti for me.

Sagi

NiN - The Fragile

sbsquarepants

The river - Bruce Springsteen
Speakerbox / The love below - Outkast

Particularly the river - pure genius.

hawkelady

Use your illusions... Still classic to my ears.

mike65

The kids are wondering about this double album concept

The Name of this band is Talking Heads - 1977-1981 double live.

Rigsby

Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew" would be among my favourites.

sbsquarepants

hawkelady wrote: »

Use your illusions... Still classic to my ears.

Can't believe i forgot those 2 - brilliant! I used to have both the t shirts back in the day - the chicks were mad for them, as you can no doubt imagine:D!

GLaDOS

SilverScreen

^ Good call on Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven

As amazing as it is it can be a lot to take in on one sitting. I prefer to listen to each disc individually rather than listen to the whole thing from start to finish, your mind can start to wander at times.

holystungun9

Melancholy and the infinite sadness - Smashing Pumpkins

Casinoking

Rock of Ages by The Band. Quite possibly the greatest live album of all time also.

scuba8

Mad Dogs and Englishmen by Joe Cocker. Stunning concert of r&b and blues. A brilliant album.

delbertgrady

The Beatles: The Beatles. It might be predictable, but for sheer diversity, it's hard to beat, and the 2009 mono master is superb.
Bee Gees: Odessa. A late 60s, psychedelic baroque pop masterpiece.
Derek and the Dominos: Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. Clapton's best studio album by a long shot.
Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Not quite his best album, but pretty close.
Van Morrison: It's Too Late To Stop Now. Peerless mid-seventies live set.
Pink Floyd: The Wall. It runs out of steam at the final hurdle (The Trial), but up to that point, it's great.
Todd Rundgren: Something/Anything? He plays and sings every note on sides one to three. Phenomenal.
Wilco: Being There. One of the few genuine double albums of the CD era.

Judgement Day

Played this one to death back in the 1970s.

mike65

Still do!

Zaph

mike65 wrote: »

The kids are wondering about this double album concept

The Name of this band is Talking Heads - 1977-1981 double live.

Spotted this thread and that was the first album that came to mind.

D-FENS

rcaz

Aphex Twin's Drukqs blows me away every time. One of the deepest albums I know of.

The Clash's London Calling too.

I assume triple albums aren't banned from this conversation? (Still more than just an album...) The Magnetic Field's 69 Love Songs is, for my money, one of the best albums ever recorded. Not artistically perfect, not amazingly produced or anything, just one of the best artistic packages in pop music. You can hear how it was rushed, some of the songs sound like they were thrown together in one take just to get them on the album to make up the required 69 tracks, but then you can hear some of the better songs that they knew should get more effort than others. Papa Was A Rodeo, Luckiest Guy On The Lower-East Side, Busby Berkeley Dreams all spring to mind.

So while the production quality varies wildly over the album, the songwriting, the wit, the warmth never drop below perfect. Stephin Merritt doesn't get nearly enough recognition for his music. If I could write 23 songs as good as these in my whole life, I'd be happy. Stephin Merritt did 69 for one album.

rednik

How the f*ck did I forget this :mad:

rcaz

****ING BLONDE ON BLONDE LADS PAGE TWO AND NO MENTION OF BLONDE ON BLONDE

RikkFlair

M83 Hurry Up We're Dreaming is probably my most recent double that I like, other than that I'd go with the old classics like The Wall, the White Album, Mellon Collie, Physical Graffiti.

Special mention too for GYBE Lift Your Skinny Fists, incredible piece of music....and forgot that Cans Tago Mago was actually a double since I bought it on a single CD disc.

RHCP Stadium Arcadium is a classic example of a double album being too much, half of each disc is pure tripe tbh.

Temaz

rcaz wrote: »

****ING BLONDE ON BLONDE LADS PAGE TWO AND NO MENTION OF BLONDE ON BLONDE

I'm a Dylan obsessive but I find 'Blonde On..' to be overrated, too much filler on it for me.

nocoverart

All been said by now but, Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists..., Pink Floyd - The Wall, and Smashing Pumpkins - Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness.

Irish Guitarist

Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. It has everything from three minute 'pop' (for want of a better word) songs like Crosstown Traffic to the thirteen minute masterpiece 1983.. A Merman I Should Turn To Be. Anyone that says Jimi Hendrix couldn't sing either hasn't heard the (almost) title track or is lying.

Also Live Rust by Neil Young, The Beatles by The Beatles, All Things Must Pass by George Harrison and Sign O' The Times by Prince.

Asiaprod

The Beatles: White Album.
Van Morrison: Philosophers Stone
The Eagles: Long Road Out of Eden
Rolling Stones: Exile on Main Street (2010 Version)