Great! I’d never seen that one.
In the mid-70’s I did see him perform it on the Dick Cavett show, with his wonderful comments afterward about how the 5th Symphony first made him aware of “the absurdity, the (pause) chutzpah of some of Beethoven’s cadences.” I was pleased to find that episode on YouTube a few years ago, although without the interview comments before and after. Worth looking for.
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That whole second disc of Cream’s Wheels of Fire, which contains extended solos: “Train Time” with guitars, and “Toad,” with drums. Even the guitar work grows dull in a hurry, but I’d as soon have an audio recording of a gymnastics event as listen to a purely show-offy drum solo.
Oh, I’ve got nothing against pushing envelopes and nothing against trying to do things that haven’t been done before.
I do have something against doing it badly. That’s the problem with Hey Jude.
The ne plus ultra in the pop world would have to be The Orb’s “Blue Room”, which got to number eight in the UK pop charts in June 1992. The official mainstream UK singles chart. It was 39:57 long, just a few second shy of forty minutes (at which length it would have been ineligible for the singles charts).
It’s a rare example of an ultra-long song that’s actually engaging throughout its length - the band were on a roll at the time - without coming across as a silly novelty. And in theory it could have gone on literally forever, if the band had just looped the sequencer / automated mixing desk. I’m sure you could compile the samples together and issue the single as an iPad app (instead of an MP3) that generates the music algorithmically.
I don’t know if any algorithmic compositions have hit the pop charts. Autechre don’t sell many records. But it would be a simple matter to use automated, algorithmic compositional techniques to create a dancey ambient song that’s pleasing to the ear and goes on forever; you could issue patches as the years go by in order to upgrade the instruments, add new voices etc. It would be the final evolution of music.
There are certain songs by Renaissance that are still playing, i.e. “Trip To The Fair”.
And of course, “Layla”.
I can’t believe this thread has lasted so long with no mention of
I would do anything for love,
But I won’t do that …"
Gee, thanks, Mr. Loaf. Not.
Dear god yes. Criminally underrated guitarist and my favorite moment of the movie next to Michael Shrieves drumming.
I also have the problem with “Paradise by the Dashboard Light.” The baseball part seems to last longer than most actual baseball games.
The Allmann Brothers’ “Jessica” has too many notes. If they could cut a few, it would be perfect.
the first song that came to my mind was Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’ “na na na na na”…
Also, I’ve always been a big fan of Bruce Springsteen’s Glory Days, but like others have stated - I always change the station once the “outro” rolls around.
My man! My feelings exactly.
Ahem.
I stand by that. It’s 12 minutes long and every second of it is essential.
As my ex-husband used to say, “Will someone please stop that man before he na-nas again?”
I think Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir feels like it plods on for an inexorably long time.
“Duhn nuhn nuhn-duhn nuhn nuhn-duhn nuhn nuhn-duhn nuhn nunh”
Sometimes a song has a perfectly acceptable but rather short natural length by which time it has run out of ideas, ‘Hey Jude’ is a perfect example of this - more is not always more, sometimes its less, check out TRex with Metal Guru
The thing is, it is not even a long song, but its a good 1:30 longer than any ideas the song actually has, and here is another one that ran out of ideas long before the finish
This one has a beginning and end, and no middle, yet surprisingly is only 3 minutes long.LOL
Fleetwood Mac just had to have one of these, and I love the first half of it, but it does have a rather long second half, you used to have to flip the single to get it all - or buy the album
One endless disco version of ‘Heaven must be missing an angel’
How about this for self indulgent twaddle
No wonder punk was a breath of fresh air.
This is the way to do the extended mix, ‘Pick up the pieces’
And here are the B52’s with the extended version of Rock Lobster - proof that it can be done, and done well
The only song that makes me literally scream when I hear it is:
I keep
Working my way back to you babe
With a burning love inside.
End it, already.
‘Wurm’ from “The Yes Album” has a looming three-chord glacial inevitability - like the name.
King Crimson’s ‘In the Wake of Poseidon’ does the Mellotron Heat-Death of the Universe quite well, too.
Hmm, we seem to be drifting over to prog rock, and that’s way too easy a target
Bonus points for actually knowing who Renaissance are, but I think their winner would have to be the live version of Ashes are Burning from Some Enchanted Evening.
“More guitar solo? Really?”
Um - “Alice’s Restaraunt”? - usually played on Thanksgiving day a few time (just keeps comin’ round on the gitar"…