# Other examples of Abbey Road-style song medleys in rock **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 16, 2006, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644 "2006-11-16T05:58:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/1 "2006-11-16T05:58:39Z")
\*Abbey Road \* is my favorite Beatles album. I love the medley of songs that segue into each other. Another great (and much more out-there) example is the first side of Todd Rundgren’s mind-blowing prog epic _A Wizard, A True Star._ If I wracked my brain long enough, I might be able to come up with some other examples of medleys. But instead, I’m just going to ask you guys. Can you think of any? Oh, and just to make things interesting, I’ll also include single-track songs, like _Suite: Judy Blue Eyes_ or _Scenes From An Italian Restaurant_ (or for a more recent example, _California One/Youth And Beauty Brigade_ by The Decemberists) that are made up of several songs that flow into each other. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/2 "2006-11-16T06:22:48Z")
**The Guess Who** - _No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature_ ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/3 "2006-11-16T06:23:58Z")
The Beach Boys’/ Brian Wilson’s album Smile. It’s similar to side 2 of Abbey Road, but it’s even more fragmented. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/4 "2006-11-16T06:26:18Z")
The Doors’ “The Soft Parade” on the album of the same name is essentially their answer to side B of Abbey Road. The Who’s “A Quick One While He’s Away”, from _A Quick One_ (_Happy Jack_ in America) actually predated Abbey Road. ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/5 "2006-11-16T06:39:28Z")
Lou Reed’s [Street Hassle](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/l/lou+reed/street+hassle_20085288.html) is a pretty sad trio of songs, beginning with the sweet gigolo tale _Waltzing Matilda_, leading into a possibly unrelated post-overdose bit of nastiness (_Street Hassle_), and finally ending with the Bruce Springsteen-assisted _Slip Away_, which seems to be about how badly Matilda (or Lou himself?) misses a guy who robbed her blind. The three-part song cycle is on his album **Street Hassle** , which I recommend to any Velvet Underground fans out there. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/6 "2006-11-16T12:47:31Z")
Jethro Tull’s Minstrel In The Gallery has a sequence of songs that is a medley. It’s pretty much the whole second side of the album as it was originally released on vinyl. It’s my favorite piece of music by Ian Anderson. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/7 "2006-11-16T13:05:49Z")
> [@](#): > > The Who’s “A Quick One While He’s Away”, from A Quick One (Happy Jack in America) actually predated Abbey Road. Their new release, Endless Wire, also features a medley of this style - the entire second half of the album is a ‘mini-opera’ of ten short songs. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/8 "2006-11-16T13:46:30Z")
One could argue that Jethro Tull’s “Thick as a Brick” and “A Passion Play” are medleys instead of single-album songs. “Thick as a Brick” is especially good. The original LP of Traffic’s “Mr. Fantasy” album was an interesting variation: the album began with “Paper Sun” and, in the spaces between the grooves you could hear them playing “Paper Sun” between other songs. The final song – “We’re a Fade You Missed This” is a coda to “Paper Sun,” so it’s as if the song were playing all the time the rest of the album is going on. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/9 "2006-11-16T13:50:30Z")
The A-sides of Queen’s first 5 albums (_Queen, Queen 2, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night at the Opera_, and _A Day at the Races_) were medleys. Two, _Sheer Heart Attack_ and _A Night at the Opera_, pulled it off nicely. The rest sounded a little forced. On second thought, the segue from Take My Breath Away to Far Away on _Races_ is very smooth. Oh, and the segue from The Prophet’s Song to Love of My Life on the B-side of _Opera_ is so smooth, it’s almost impossible to tell when on song ends and the next begins. EMI decided on the CD to put it where the harp picks up the melody, even though the melody had subtly changed ten to fifteen seconds earlier. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/10 "2006-11-16T13:53:29Z")
\*\*Green Day’s American Idiot \*\* has two 9-minute song medleys, IIRC… ---
**Author:** ![DrMemory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DrMemory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrMemory)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/11 "2006-11-16T13:55:54Z")
Paul McCartney had one on his 1973 album Red Rose Speedway. Hold Me Tight Lazy Dynamite Hands of Love Power Cut ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/12 "2006-11-16T14:04:04Z")
[QUOTE=Exapno Mapcase] The Doors’ “The Soft Parade” on the album of the same name is essentially their answer to side B of Abbey Road. [/QUOTE] Not an answer–_Soft Parade_ predated _Abbey Road_ by a couple of months. My contribution: side one of _A Wizard, A True Star_ by Todd Rundgren. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/13 "2006-11-16T14:05:23Z")
:smack: Read the OP, Biffy, read the OP… ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/14 "2006-11-16T14:11:42Z")
Speaking of Todd Rundgren, he does a Motown medley on the live album “Back To The Bars”. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/15 "2006-11-16T14:21:24Z")
Adding some rap to the discussion Beastie Boys B-Boy Bouillabaisse from Paul’s Boutique. At 12:33 it’s pretty long. [Get On the Mic] [Stop That Train] [Year and a Day] [Hello Brooklyn] [Dropping Names] [Lay It On Me] [Mike On the Mic] ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/16 "2006-11-16T14:24:35Z")
Hah! I was gonna answer B-Boy Bouliabaisse too except most of the songs don’t really _segue_ into each other, but then again, do the ones on the Abbey Road medley (I’ve only heard the entire thing once.) ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/17 "2006-11-16T15:09:25Z")
Robert Palmer’s _Sailing Shoes/Hey Julia/Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley_ ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/18 "2006-11-16T15:25:53Z")
They Might Be Giants’ “Fingertips” is the medley to end all medleys. ---
**Author:** ![muzzynyc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@muzzynyc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muzzynyc)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/19 "2006-11-16T15:34:01Z")
Two songs off the new (fantastic) The Decemberists album, The Crane Wife: _The Island: Come & See/The Landlord’s Daughter/You’ll Not Feel The Drowning_ and _The Crane Wife 1 and 2_ ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644/20 "2006-11-16T15:48:27Z")
I submit “Marie’s The Name (Of His Latest Flame)/Rusholme Ruffians” by The Smiths (appears on the Rank album). I like the medley “Squabs On The Forty Fab” by Squeeze, which is a Stars On 45-type medley of their big hits (the uptempo ones anyway). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-examples-of-abbey-road-style-song-medleys-in-rock/380644.md?page=2)