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(extra) long songs : Yay or nay?

T

Thomas Kievit

Guest
May 19, 2012
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#1
Okay, maybe this thread will lead to nowhere, but here we go :p

I'm just listening to a song called ''Seven Lands Of Sin'' from Adagio. This song is about 11 ½ minutes long. It's a good song, but I really think 11 minutes is way too long... For me, 7 minutes would be the maximum lenght of a song.

Instrumental.. I don't know. I know a guy who's a drummer and plays in a instrumental band. Their songs are about 17 minutes long each (lol what).

What do you TB-ers think about songs that are longer than 10 minutes?
 
#6
If the song has a lot of variety and goes places then I'm game.

But if its your typical 3-chord blues jam like Freebird, I'm out.

Fact is, if I'm at a venue and the band starts any Skynrd song, I'll down my drink, wave bye to everyone and head for the door. Life is too short to tolerate bad worn out southern rock.
 
#7
There's not nearly as many 11 minutes songs as there are 3 minute songs, and the people who write the 11 minutes songs typically aren't trying to write catchy hooks like the folks writing 3 minute songs.

There was a time when Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" was considered to be too long for the listening public to release as a single. It's not even six minutes. Been at the top of the charts in two different decades.

A decade before that The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" was too long at 3:45, so they just printed that it was 3:05 and no one seemed to complain when it hit the top of the charts.

Is it more challenging to keep listeners entertained for the equivalent of half an album as opposed to a single? Yes. Is it possible? Yes.

My band's closing track on our album is nearly 10 minutes long. Did we envision it being a chart topper? No, but it's the song it's supposed to be.
 
#9
11 minutes is too long???

Here are a few from my playlist:

John Coltrane "Ascension", two takes, 40:51 and 38:25, respectively.
Ornette Coleman "Free Jazz" 37:02
Miles Davis "Zimbabwe" 41:42
Miles Davis "Gondwana" 46:44
Frank Zappa "King Kong" (You Can't Do That Onstage Anymore vol 3 version) 24:28
Frank Zappa "The Adventures Of Greggary Peccary" 20:57
Frank Zappa "Billy The Mountain" (Playground Psychotics version) 30:21
Sonic Youth "The Diamond Sea" (Destroyed Room version) 25:25
Can "You Do Right" 20:27

And many more.
Some hate a long song. I love one.
 
#10
Holy Cow! :eek::eek:

Bassist4Eris said:
11 minutes is too long???

Here are a few from my playlist:

John Coltrane "Ascension", two takes, 40:51 and 38:25, respectively.
Ornette Coleman "Free Jazz" 37:02
Miles Davis "Zimbabwe" 41:42
Miles Davis "Gondwana" 46:44
Frank Zappa "King Kong" (You Can't Do That Onstage Anymore vol 3 version) 24:28
Frank Zappa "The Adventures Of Greggary Peccary" 20:57
Frank Zappa "Billy The Mountain" (Playground Psychotics version) 30:21
Sonic Youth "The Diamond Sea" (Destroyed Room version) 25:25
Can "You Do Right" 20:27

And many more.
Some hate a long song. I love one.
Click to expand...
 
#11
Yeah I was aware of DT doing songs like that. Adagio also has 1 song which is about 24 minutes long. Can't remember which one though...

Btw, I see you like Prog. Listen to adagio, they play Neo-Classical Metal / Symphonic Metal / Progressive Metal.

bassgod0dmw said:
I like them, but I like prog. Rush and Dream Theater can both write some long songs, well over 10 minutes.

A Change of Seasons is 25 minutes.
Click to expand...
 
#12
I'd agree with Nev375. A song longer than, say, 5 minutes, really should have some kind of change in its meter, dynamics, or something. You can't stick with 3 chords and the truth for 11 minutes.

20 is about my max for a multi-part suite like 2112. Any longer and it can drag. Yes, even Karn Evil 9.
 
#15
I find a pop song with 3 chords to be uber-boring after 30 sec since those 3 chords will be repeated ad nauseam for the rest of the 3:30 min ...

Most of the music I listen is in the 10 min and up mark. Classical music is very long, jazz too, some prog like Six Degree Of Inner Turbulance is like 45min.

for those music you have to be make very different music and not use the dreaded pop/blues/rock song structure to make it happen.
 
#20
I haven't written a 3 minute song yet, so I guess I don't mind them being longer. The first song that I really wanted to do and actually finished I did last year, and it ended up being 14 minutes long. Atm I'm doing one that will probably be 8 or 9 minutes. I don't try to make them long, but when I'm doing metal I like to have lots of different parts and not just copy myself for two verses and choruses.
Even when I'm making some silly electronic songs they usually hit the 6 minute mark or something like that (and I don't even like electronic music!) .
 

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