A double album is an audio album of sufficient length that two units of the medium in which it is sold (especially records and compact discs) are necessary to contain the entirety of it. Sound' is Vibration transmitted through a Solid, Liquid, or Gas; particularly sound means those vibrations composed of Frequencies An album or record album is a collection of related audio or Music tracks distributed to the public A gramophone A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio
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History
The first ever double album was Benny Goodman's Live at Carnegie Hall, the famous jazz concert of 1938, released by Columbia Records in 1950. The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert by Benny Goodman, Columbia Records catalogue item SL-160 was first issued in 1950 Events January 16 Benny Goodman plays the first jazz concert at Carnegie Hall. Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Events January 3 - Sam Phillips launches Sun Records at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis Tennessee. The first rock double album, and first studio double album, ever released is believed to have been Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde in 1966,[1] also on Columbia, although at the same time Frank Zappa and his Mothers of Invention band were at work on the double album Freak Out!, released two months after Blonde on Blonde. A recording studio is a facility for sound recording. Ideally the space is specially designed by an acoustician to achieve the desired acoustic properties (sound Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major Blonde on Blonde is Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan 's seventh Studio album, released in 1966 by Columbia Records. Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21 1940 – December 4 1993 was an American Composer, Electric guitarist Record producer and Film director The Mothers of Invention was an American Rock and roll band active from 1964 to 1975 Freak Out! is the debut album by American Experimental rock band The Mothers of Invention, released June 27 1966 on Verve Records. The first rap studio double album, on the other hand, wasn't released until 1996, with 2Pac's "All Eyez on Me" This album was, however, predated by a No Limit Records compilation album called "Down South Hustlers" in 1995 and a Too Short Greatest Hits album in 1993. Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16 1971 &mdash September 13 1996 also known by his Stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper All Eyez on Me is the fifth studio album and a Double album by U The best selling double album of all time is Pink Floyd's The Wall, with over 30 million copies sold worldwide. Pink Floyd are The Wall is a Rock opera presented as a Double album by the English Progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in late [2]
The double album was a much more common format during the vinyl LP era than during the CD era. A gramophone A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio A single LP had two sides, each of which could be no longer than half an hour, however, not unlike the bitrate/filesize quality relationship with modern digital music storage, having less recorded on one side of a record allowed for the greater sound quality of what is being recorded (thus one sacrifices quality for space). Most LPs were between 30 and 45 minutes in length. A single CD can be as long as about 80 minutes. Hence, many old two LP albums have been re-released as a single CD. The double album format is now more often used for live albums for which material is often plentiful. A live album &ndash commonly contrasted with a Studio album &ndash is a recording consisting of material (usually music recorded during stage performances The format is also frequently used for concept albums. In Popular music, a concept album is an Album which is "unified by a theme which can be instrumental compositional narrative or lyrical"
Since the late 1980s, albums which were originally packaged as double records are often sold on a single compact disc, such as the aforementioned Blonde on Blonde (although the SACD version of the album was issued with two discs), The Who's Tommy, Jimi Hendrix Experience's Electric Ladyland, The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St., and U2's Rattle and Hum (though not in all cases, because it may not fit on one CD, such as the Beatles' White Album and Pink Floyd's The Wall). The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend "The Experience" redirects here For other uses of this term see Experience (disambiguation. Electric Ladyland is the third and final album by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, released on October 16, 1968 on Reprise Records (see Exile on Main St is an album by the English rock band The Rolling Stones. Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American musician Rattle and Hum is the name of both an album and its companion motion picture recorded by Irish rock band U2, released in 1988 The Wall is a Rock opera presented as a Double album by the English Progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in late Sometimes CD re-releases of LP double albums are made 2 CDs despite being able to fit on 1, to preserve the intended continuity of the LP release (such as Prince's Sign "O" the Times or The Who's Quadrophenia). Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American musician Sign “☮” the Times (or Sign O' The Times) is a Studio album by soul and Funk musician Prince The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend Quadrophenia is the sixth album by the English rock band The Who. Also, albums of the compact disc era are often longer than those of previous decades, and are sometimes packaged on two records if vinyl copies are produced. Further, there are cases, such as Mike Oldfield's Incantations and Chick Corea's My Spanish Heart, in which some double-LP tracks have been dropped from or shortened to CD release in order to make the album fit on one CD (both examples mentioned were later released on one CD with all the original material when CD making techniques allowed longer durations in 1990s). Michael Gordon Oldfield (born 15 May 1953 in Reading, Berkshire) is an English Multi-instrumentalist Musician Incantations is a Double album written and produced by Mike Oldfield. Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (born June 12, 1941) is a multiple Grammy Award winning American Jazz Pianist My Spanish Heart is an album recorded by Chick Corea and released in 1976 In general, an album is usually referred to as a double album when its audio content requires two units of the prominent format of its time period.
Recording artists often think of double albums as a single piece artistically; however, there are exceptions such as Pink Floyd's Ummagumma, one live album and one studio record packaged together, and OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, consisting of one practical solo album by each member of the hip-hop duo. Pink Floyd are Ummagumma is a Progressive rock double album by Pink Floyd, released in 1969 A live album &ndash commonly contrasted with a Studio album &ndash is a recording consisting of material (usually music recorded during stage performances Outkast (typeset as OutKast) is a Grammy Award -winning American hip hop duo based out of East Point Georgia, a city Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is a Double album by the hip hop group OutKast, released on September 23 2003 on Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with Particularly in the compact disc era, artists sometimes will release albums with bonus discs, featuring studio out-takes, alternate mixes, or other material that would not typically be suitable album material but which would be of interest to fans (e. g. , The Beatles' Let It Be... Naked, which featured a bonus disc of studio chatter and jamming entitled Fly on the Wall). The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 Let It Be… Naked is a Remixed and Remastered version of the original session tapes from the 1970 Let It Be Album by
Sesquialbums and triple albums
There were only a few examples during the vinyl-LP era of a sesquialbum, i. A vinyl compound is any Organic compound that contains a vinyl group (also called ethenyl) &minus C[[Hydrogen H]] =CH sub>2 A gramophone e. , a one-and-a-half album. Johnny Winter released a three-sided album on two 12-inch discs, with the flip side of the second disc being blank. John Dawson "Johnny" Winter III (born on 23 February, 1944 in Beaumont Texas, USA is an American Blues guitarist Joe Jackson's 1986 release "Big World" is another example. The vinyl release of Pavement's Wowee Zowee also had only three sides of music. Pavement was an American Indie rock band in the 1990s Although they experienced only moderate commercial success they achieved a significant cult Wowee Zowee was the third studio album by Pavement. The album showcased a more experimental and spontaneous side of the group returning them to the clatter More recently, Boards of Canada's 2002 album, Geogaddi, is a two-and-a-half album (a triple album, but with one side of vinyl left uncut). Boards of Canada (BoC are a Scottish Electronic music duo consisting of brothers Michael Sandison (born June 1, 1970) and Marcus Eoin Sandison Geogaddi is the second album by Boards of Canada. It was released in February 2002 on three different days for each region to a large degree of anticipation The Monty Python album Matching Tie and Handkerchief was originally issued with two concentric grooves with different programs on side B. Monty Python (sometimes known as The Pythons) is the collective name of the six creators of Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British Television The Monty Python Matching Tie and Handkerchief is the fourth album by the comedy group Monty Python, released in 1973 Elvis Costello and The Clash (amongst other 1980s acts) would sometimes release early pressings of their albums with extra material on a 45 rpm single. Elvis Costello (born Declan Patrick MacManus 25 August 1954 is an English Musician and Singer-songwriter, with Irish ancestry For the debut album by The Clash see The Clash (album The Clash were Leonard Cohen wanted to do the same with his album Recent Songs but Columbia rejected the idea. Leonard Norman Cohen CC GOQ (born September 21, 1934 in Westmount, Quebec) is a Canadian Singer-songwriter Recent Songs was the sixth studio album by Leonard Cohen, released in 1979 In 1993, Alice in Chains made a limited-edition vinyl release of Jar of Flies/Sap, which was a "sesqui-double-EP". Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle Washington in Jar of Flies is a studio EP, released on January 25, 1994, by the Seattle, Washington grunge band Alice Sap is a studio EP by the American Grunge band Alice in Chains. An extended play ( EP) is a Vinyl record, CD, or Music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify The album contained 2 EPs of music, but only took up three sides of the double album; the fourth side was an etching of the band's name. In 2005, The Mars Volta released their album Frances the Mute, on which the vinyl pressing spans five sides of vinyl, the sixth is an etching of tree roots. The Mars Volta is the name of a partnership between guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala founded in 2001 Frances the Mute is the second studio album by Progressive rock band The Mars Volta released in the US on March 1, 2005 Released in 2006, the LP version of A Twist in the Myth by German power metal band Blind Guardian, spans on three vinyl sides. A Twist in the Myth is the eighth studio Album by the German Power metal band Blind Guardian. Blind Guardian is a German heavy metal band which is often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in Power metal and Speed metal The fourth side (aka 2nd side of the 2nd album) contains interviews and bonus material. Another example of a sesquialbum is The Beach Boys' 1973 release Holland. The Beach Boys is an American rock band Formed in 1961 the group gained popularity for its close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting a California Youth culture Holland is the sole 1973 studio release by The Beach Boys, their sixteenth studio Album. Brian Wilson composed a fairy-tale titled "Mount Vernon and Fairway (A Fairy Tale In Several Parts)", which he intended to include on the album proper, but the thought was quickly dismissed by the other members of the group. Carl Wilson, younger brother to Wilson and practical leader of the band at the time came up with the compromise that it would be issued as a bonus EP with the album.
The triple album contains three units of the medium; the first one of note in the rock era was George Harrison's All Things Must Pass. George Harrison, MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001 was an English rock Guitarist Singer - Songwriter, Author All Things Must Pass is a Triple album by George Harrison recorded and released after the break-up of The Beatles. Another well known triple album is the Clash's Sandinista!, which contains 36 songs on 6 sides of vinyl. Sandinista! is the fourth album by the Punk rock band The Clash. Recent examples include 2006's Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards by musician Tom Waits, The Mother, The Mechanic, and The Path by US rock band The Early November, and Led Zeppelin's live album How the West Was Won. Orphans Brawlers Bawlers & Bastards is a limited edition three CD set by Tom Waits, released by the ANTI- label on November 17 Thomas Alan Waits (born 7 December 1949) is an American Singer-songwriter, Composer, and Actor. The Mother the Mechanic and the Path is The Early November 's second full-length album A musical ensemble is a group of two or more Musicians who perform instrumental or vocal Music. The Early November was an Indie-rock band from Hammonton New Jersey. Led Zeppelin were How the West Was Won is a triple live album by English Rock group Led Zeppelin, released by Atlantic Records on CD on Packages with more units than three are generally called boxed sets. A box set (sometimes referred to as a boxed set) is a compilation of various musical recordings Films Television programs or other collection
Frank Zappa's "Lather" was delivered to Warner Brothers as a quadruple album, but the label refused to release it as such. Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21 1940 – December 4 1993 was an American Composer, Electric guitarist Record producer and Film director It was eventually released in 1996 from its original master tapes, as a triple-CD package.
Simultaneous Releases
Some performers have released two or more distinct albums at the same date; one notable example being Bruce Springsteen's Human Touch and Lucky Town, both issued in 1992. Human Touch is the ninth studio album by Bruce Springsteen released in 1992 (see 1992 in music) Lucky Town is the tenth studio album by Bruce Springsteen released in 1992 (see 1992 in music)
Critical reaction
The concept of a double album is one that often sparks critical debate. Some see them as a testament to a band's creativity, and many double albums, such as Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St., Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde, Pink Floyd's The Wall, the Beatles' White Album, Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life, the Clash's London Calling or Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, were met with great praise upon their release and are now widely considered to be classics. The Smashing Pumpkins are an American Alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988 Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is the third album by American Alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, released October 24 1995 on Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the seventh Studio album by British Singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1973 Exile on Main St is an album by the English rock band The Rolling Stones. Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major Blonde on Blonde is Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan 's seventh Studio album, released in 1966 by Columbia Records. Pink Floyd are The Wall is a Rock opera presented as a Double album by the English Progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in late The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 Stevie Wonder (born Stevland Hardaway Judkins on May 13 1950 name later changed to Stevland Hardaway Morris) is an Songs in the Key of Life is an album by Stevie Wonder, released on Motown on September 28, 1976 (see 1976 in music For the debut album by The Clash see The Clash (album The Clash were London Calling is the third album by English Punk rock band The Clash, released 14 December 1979 on CBS Records in the UK and in January 1980 Led Zeppelin were Physical Graffiti is the sixth album by the English Hard rock band Led Zeppelin. Others, such as Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, received somewhat mixed reviews upon their release, but with the passing of time their reputation has improved. Guns N' Roses is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 Use Your Illusion I is the third studio album by Hard rock band Guns N' Roses. Use Your Illusion II is the fourth studio album by Hard rock band Guns N' Roses.
On the other hand, double albums are often seen as self indulgent and bloated, containing "filler" tracks or old studio out-takes which would not usually be considered of a high enough standard to appear on a single album. In many instances, double albums come at a time in a band's career when they have achieved much success and possibly believe that fans will buy anything they produce.
See also
Notes and sources
- ^ Alan Light, "The All-TIME 100 Albums", Time, November 13, 2006
- ^ Pink Floyd
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