Short @r$3s

[Barking Spiders]

Following on from the double albums thread at the other end of the spectrum are short albums with running times less than half an hour. Some  albums this length are still way too long, by 30 minutes.  Some bands only have one or two songs  anyway so 30 mins is enough (hello Ramones). Others leave you frustrated wishing there was more.  Which shorties would you have liked to have been another 10-20 mins longer and which are just fine at the sub-30 mins level. I'll kick off with Come on Pilgrim by Pixies. There are 8 tracks so IMO it's not an EP but it is just 20 mins 28 secs.  Could've done with another half dozen tracks for my money but then I'm a huge fan so am biased.

[Oxnard Montalvo]

Slayer - Reign in Blood. 28:55 of aggressive perfection. I don't think I could cope if it was any longer.

[Crawford13]

Blink 182 - Enema of the State. The album came out when I was about 15 and I loved it, but it's like 29 minutes long, I always ended up listening to it several times. I still do love that album. 

[Doctor J]

Deicide - Legion

29:01 of deity-bashing fury.

[Nail Soup]

This one comes to mind:

The Dickies - The Incredible Shrinking Dickies ........comes in at just under 27 mins.

The songs are are short and fast, and it does seem long enough.

Edited October 13, 2020 by Nail Soup

[casapete]

Elvis Costello - My aim is true. Only around 28 mins I believe, but blew me away when I first heard it in 1977. Still sounds fantastic today too. Maybe worked so well because there was absolutely no filler?

[Fozza]

Hardcore Punk is good for this sort of thing.

Case in point - Circle Jerks first album, Group Sex, has 14 songs and lasts just under 15 and a half minutes!

[Muzz]

The Stormtroopers Of Death's seminal Speak English Or Die album has 21 tracks and clocks in at a whopping 27:09...I particularly like the calm soundscape of 'Diamonds And Rust (Extended Version)', running to 0:02, or, if you're in the mood and fancy something a little more indulgent, Hey Gordy will assault your ears for seven of your earth seconds...

Edited October 13, 2020 by Muzz

[rushbo]

I think most of the Dave Lee Roth era Van Halen albums are about the thirty minute mark. They still feel complete though.

Nick Drake's Pink Moon album is just over 28 minutes long, but it's so bleak, I doubt if many people would have been able to listen to much more of it. That may sound like a dig, but it's not meant to be, as it's one of my favourite albums. 

[Heathy]

Eat 'em and Smile - we needed a lot more from that line up at that moment in time

[Barking Spiders]

1 hour ago, rushbo said:

I think most of the Dave Lee Roth era Van Halen albums are about the thirty minute mark. They still feel complete though.

Nick Drake's Pink Moon album is just over 28 minutes long, but it's so bleak, I doubt if many people would have been able to listen to much more of it. That may sound like a dig, but it's not meant to be, as it's one of my favourite albums. 

Just had a quick gander at my VH Cds.  Fair Warning's the shortest at 31:18, followed by Diver down at 31:21,  VH2 at 31:57, Women..at 33:28 . The debut is the longest at a whopping 35:13. Yep, I don't think any of them would've benefitted from another track or 2. The inferior van Hagar platters are up to 20 mins longer yet could've done with being 30-40 mins shorter.

Edited October 13, 2020 by Barking Spiders

[Paul S]

This gives me an idea for 'disappointingly short gigs'...  

[Maude]

10 hours ago, Muzz said:

The Stormtroopers Of Death's seminal Speak English Or Die album has 21 tracks and clocks in at a whopping 27:09...I particularly like the calm soundscape of 'Diamonds And Rust (Extended Version)', running to 0:02, or, if you're in the mood and fancy something a little more indulgent, Hey Gordy will assault your ears for seven of your earth seconds...

That 'Antiprocrastination Song' drags on though doesn't it. 

[davepb24]

The first time I saw Editors (about 15 years ago now lol) one of the supports was somebody called Brakes, who apparently had an album out with 16 tracks that was 29 minutes long in total... one they actually did play consisted literally of the singer shouting "comma comma comma comma full stop!" over a couple of chords, roughly 9 seconds from beginning to end

[Doctor J]

Since they're mentioned in the short gigs thread... albums by Nails don't hang around

Abandon All Life - 10 songs - 17 minute

Unsilent Death - 10 songs - 13 minutes

You Will Never Be One Of Us -10 songs - 21 minutes

[casapete]

1 hour ago, Doctor J said:

Since they're mentioned in the short gigs thread... albums by Nails don't hang around

Abandon All Life - 10 songs - 17 minute

Unsilent Death - 10 songs - 13 minutes

You Will Never Be One Of Us -10 songs - 21 minutes

Blimey - makes The Ramones stuff seem like a prog rock epic by comparison....

[Maude]

Although way over the 30 minute mark at 50 minutes, the 'Short Music For Short People' compilation has an impressive 101 tracks by 101 bands. 

[doomed]

27m 27s

[Barking Spiders]

20 hours ago, Maude said:

Although way over the 30 minute mark at 50 minutes, the 'Short Music For Short People' compilation has an impressive 101 tracks by 101 bands. 

That's what I like to hear. As 99.999r % of songs are repetitive it makes sense  to cut them short to avoid repetition. Recently heard a very dull one by Aretha Franklin about love on the Freeway which went on for 5+ mins. One minute would be sufficient. Back in the 50s I think most rock n roll songs were around the 2 minute mark.

[Maude]

3 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said:

That's what I like to hear. As 99.999r % of songs are repetitive it makes sense  to cut them short to avoid repetition. Recently heard a very dull one by Aretha Franklin about love on the Freeway which went on for 5+ mins. One minute would be sufficient. Back in the 50s I think most rock n roll songs were around the 2 minute mark.

This might be just about the right length 😉. 

 

[cheddatom]

My solo album, 12 tracks 26 minutes:

https://weisenheimer.bandcamp.com/releases

Not my finest hour but I had to do something during lockdown

[Guest]

Sum41 - Half Hour of Power.

A delicious  pith take of hair metal, and, strangely enough, half an hour long.

[Dapper Bandit]

Gridlink - Amber Gray

11 tracks in 11:47. Not so fancy for a grindcore album.

But when they manage to cram in about 30 minutes worth of material into that? Good lord! If you like it fast and heavy, please check it out! It will make all yer Slayers and Deicides look like village vicars...

[Oxnard Montalvo]

The image of Glen Benton sipping tea and eating scones with Kerry King works for me for some reason.

[Dapper Bandit]

And Tom Araya calling the bingo in the church hall on a Wednesday evening

"Monarch to the kingdom of the dead; number 42. That's monarch to the kingdom of the dead; number 42."