I mean what is the best back-to-back-to-back song listing on an original album. This doesn’t include greatest hits compilations or the like.
As one of the board’s resident (Steely) Danophiles, I’d be inclined to go with the opening one-two-three punch from Aja. It leads in with Black Cow then to **Aja **and then Deacon Blues.
Sergeant Pepper’s opening of the title track to With a Little Help from My Friends and Lucy in the Sky is great as well.
But I don’t think anything can top Michael Jackson’s **Thriller **which is great beginning to end (if you discount his duet with Sir Paul, namely, the Girl is Mine). **Thriller **leads to Beat It which leads to Billie Jean (and then Human Nature for that matter). Any one of them could be considered the best track on the album to have them follow in succession is what puts **Thriller **in a class of its own.
Side One of Led Zeppelin IV consists of Black Dog, Rock and Roll, The Battle of Evermore and Stairway to Heaven. That’s a 1-2-3 or a 2-3-4 that’s hard to beat.
The final three songs on Who’s Next are Going Mobile, Behind Blue Eyes and Won’t Get Fooled Again. That might be the best 1-2-3 punch to close an album.
Queen’s News of the World opens with We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions and Sheer Heart Attack.
For a more recent album how about songs 2-3-4 from R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People: Try Not to Breathe, The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite and Everybody Hurts.
“Prelude/Nothing to Hide”
“Natures Way”
“Animal Zoo”
then
“Love Has Found a Way”
“Why Can’t I Be Free?”
“Mr. Skin.”
And on the second side:
“Life has Just Begun”
“Morning Will Come”
“Soldier.”
Van Morrison’s Moondance
“Moondance”
“Crazy Love”
“Caravan”
It’s a Beautiful Day from the group of the same name
“White Bird”
“Hot Summer Day”
“Wasted Union Blues”
Then it continues with
“Girl with No Eyes”
(side 2)
“Bombay Calling”
“Bulgaria”
And, of course “Time Is”
And, of course, Emitt Rhodes (Pick any three).
“With My Face on the Floor”
“Somebody Made for Me”
“She’s Such a Beauty”
“Long Time No See”
“Lullabye”
“Fresh as a Daisy”
“Live Till You Die”
“Promises I’ve Made”
“You Take the Dark out of the Night”
“You Should Be Ashamed”
“Ever Find Yourself Running”
“You Must Have”
I am loving these - firing off sequential neurons in my brain.
It’s funny, I don’t think of sequences of songs, even though my brain always starts playing the next song on the album ahead of time.
The only run of songs that comes to mind isn’t even sequential - there’s a meh song in the middle - but it’s the one where I just shake my head as it goes from song to sing and I hear the powerpop goodness: