The king of the indulgent studio long tracks is, of course, Jethro Tull’s album length “Thick as a Brick.” It is utterly brilliant, but both musically and lyrically (and the album cover as well) utterly indulgent.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s “Karn Evil 9” is also up there.
My whole life to date has been an excercise in the mastery of the science of self-indulgence, and can really appriaciate the work thusly mentioned. (Man, I really like Topographic Oceans!)
I had a perfect nomination for this (aside from Floyd’s Several Small Species…), but have forgotten it just now. :dubious:
Forgive the obvious shortcomings of this post, as I am self-indulging in homebrew at the moment…
Heheh…I should probably mention that although I wasn’t around when “In-a-Gadda-da-Vida” came out, from what I’ve heard, it was basically created BY people on acid, FOR people on acid. Which at least lends it a bit of purpose, I guess, but it still doesn’t do it for me.
My general take on extended, instrumental-heavy “jam session” - type songs is that they would all probably sound a whole lot better live, in person, than from a recording. So if someone told me about how they once went to a 'Dead concert and the band did a 35-minute song and it just blew their mind, I could understand that, but I would think that a large contributor to that mind-blowing would be the concert atmosphere itself.
Manfred Mann’s “Blinded by the Light”, which takes a scatterbrained snapshot of life in the clubs and tries to turn it into something heavy (and throws in “Chopsticks” for good measure.)
I went to a concert and Mars Volta opened. I wasn’t familiar with their music. To me, it sounded like an hour set of one song. I could not, for the life of me, figure out where one song ended and another began. Hell, for all I know it was all the same song.
Chicago’s “Beginnings” tends to get a little tedious after awhile.
Allmans “Mountain Jam”- you can’t get more indulgent than a song that takes up more than one side of an LP.
Any song with a bass solo or a drum solo that lasts more than 1:30.
John Cage - “4:33”
4:32 too long.
This was the first thing that came to my mind, but of course I’m late to the thread.
It is described as one song, in four parts, over a double album.
Time to free up some room on my iPod for Nous Sommes de Soleil.
Many years ago I went to a Santana concert, and they did a version of Soul Sacrifice that went on for what seemed like hours and hours of pure self-indulgent drum orgying … and I loved it. 
Of course my appreciation for the passing of time was … somewhat affected, shall we say, by the amount of LSD I had taken.
Yes, but considering ‘Das Rheingold’ starts with the basses playing an Eb for about 45 seconds, joined by the bassons with a Bb that goes on for another minute, I think we were made aware from the first that Wagner was in no kind of hurry.
Still a cool set of operas, though.
Oh certainly. I would have added the entire cycle, but the Immolation scene was the easiest single piece to pick out.
I’m with Chuck. Long is not the same as self-indulgent, and I think Mountain Jam is a great piece of music (even if it’s often hard to find enough time to sit there and really listen to it) and maybe the most uniquely Allman Brothers song there is.
The Rascals’ Peaceful World (title track) is another one of those entire album side extended jam sessions, but I have always loved it. Still have it on vinyl, still listen to it.
The entire album was quite a departure from their blue-eyed soul stuff,there is a jazz feel, but also a harp and a chick singing (I’m talking Hubie Laws, Alice Coltrane).
And every second a gem. I might be the only person in the world who was disappointed that the extended version on the box set had a longer intro, not a longer solo.
In-a-Gadda-da-Vita at the other hand demonstrates at length that the drummer of Iron Butterfly had very little talent. Did anyone over 18 buy that album - I think pretty much everyone under 18 did, given the sales. (And I was under 18 at the time.)
I think Hideaway (actually Stepping Out) on Live Cream vol, 2 is far more self indulgent, much as I love Eric.
That explains a problem I’ve been having. I’ve taken out the other three operas from the library, but can’t find this one. Probably because anyone listening to it threw the CD against the wall or something at this point.
“Apple Jam,” anyone?
“All Things Must Pass” is often referred to as a triple album. I prefer to think of it as a double album plus a bonus disc of self-indulgent instrumental noodling that I am free to skip.
The indulgence is taking Bruce Springsteen’s song and messing with it.
Did Manfred Mann actually write anything?