Man, there are a lot of these in classic rock once you start looking. And I found a bunch of albums that I didn’t even remember that I owned. So thanks for starting this thread.
Trying to avoid repetitions, but no guarantees. There’s a thread to be had for why people look for items that might have already been mentioned and fail to find them. We all do it, and I’ve certainly done it and will probably do it again now. But how to explain claiming “The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys” as unmentioned when it had already been in two posts? The thread wasn’t even on its second page yet. It’s an interesting question about perception.
Anyway.
All over ten minutes.
Blind Faith - “Do What You Like” 15:20 Emerson Lake & Palmer - "Take a Pebble " 12:32 Joe Jackson - “Symphony in One Movement” 16:13; “Zemlo” 11:05 Van Morrison - “Almost Independence Day” 10:03; “Listen to the Lion” 11:08 Quicksilver - “Calvary” 13:25; “Who Do You Love” 25;22 Renaissance - “Can You Hear Me?” 13:39 Santana - “Flame Sky” 11:32 Starcastle - “Lady of the Lake” 10:26 Supersession - Steve Stills & Al Kooper - “Season of the Witch” 11:07 Traffic - “Dream Gerard” 11:03; “Roll Right Stones” 13:40; “(Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired” 10:01 Neil Young - “Cowgirl in the Sand” 10:03
Not as long as many mentioned but “Evie Parts 1, 2 and 3” by Stevie Wright (formerly of the Easybeats) clocks in at 11:09 by my count. Supposedly the longest track to hit number 1 in Australia.
Yeah, like I said, I’ve been noticing that many contemporary musicians seem to put out shorter songs… I guess I’m getting a little bit of confirmation. Frankly, I blame all the drugs back then.
Another mention: Tom Waits - Nighthawk Postcards from Nighthawks at the Diner, a little over eleven minutes.
And Weird Al’s Albuquerque get’s around eleven minutes too, doesn’t it? But I guess that one’s mostly monologue…
Well, the length of singles hasn’t changed all that much. They were never over three minutes, then the Beatles made it okay by having a bit hit with Hey Jude (the longest #1 song ever at a little more than seven minutes), and sometimes they’re longer, but not much. Layla was originally released as a radio edit about four minutes long, with no coda (glad I’m too young, I can’t even imagine hearing the song that way). I’m sure a bunch of these other songs came out the same way.
Bah. I find it a shame - thought not a surprising one - that the industry seems geared for shorter songs. The shorter they are, the more they can play over the radio!
I guess I’m just a sucker for long songs. Anything under two minutes feels like a tease, to me. Like heavy macking with a girl only to find out that she doesn’t have a vagina.
