I’ve noticed that for most CDs and Albums, tracks 3 and 4 have the big hit song, and my friends have mentioned that often track 7 or 8 is also a winner. When I was a kid buying LPs I recall that tracks 1 and sometimes 2 were not pressed very well, presumably because they’re on the edge of the pressing plate, and I assumed putting the good songs on 3 or 4 made it so few people would complain about it.
Ummmm… Is there a question here somewhere? Or just a general observation?
wow, that’s cool…never thought of that. but have you noticed lately that the pop bands and “one-hit wonders” have been putting their title tracks on the first track? it’s like they aren’t even trying to get people to listen to the rest of the cd anymore.
Actually, I hate to say this but I have to agree; there does seem to a tendancy for the older albums (say <1995) to have the better, most popular tracks a bit up there >track 3 and then to peter out around track 7/8.
Now of course there is absolutely no scientific statistical analysis here at all, just a general observation I remember from punching in the track #s on my CD player for hundreds of different albums over the years.
So I don’t this will stand up as expert witness in court.
Well, I infer the unstated question “Is it me, or is there really an intentional pattern here?”
All I can add is that I have many CDs that I habitually punch FF to the second or third track because I don’t like the first track or two, but loved the rest of the album enough to buy it.
Perhaps someone from the recording industry can lend insight.
This is the textbook case of Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share
bibliophage
moderator, GQ