Swayin in the breeze

I already know what you're going to say.

It won't be word for word, but it'll be something along the lines of, 'it should be as long as it needs to be'.

But how long do you think an album should be? Do you prefer long albums that demand your time and attention? Or do you prefer short, sharp blasts that don't hang around or outstay their welcome? And what of double albums? Can they ever really be justified?

The reason I ask relates to my listening habits over the Bank Holiday weekend. Despite the vast array of great new releases from Elbow, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, The Long Blondes, Frightened Rabbit and The Kills, I spent much of the time rediscovering a band I've not listened to for quite some time. Now, Queens Of The Stone Age aren't a band that I'd put in my top 10 favourite bands ever. Nor are they a band that I'd instinctively reach for when deciding what to listen to. But for whatever reason, I had the urge to stick them on and play them loud. And despite not having listened to them in an age, I found myself coming the the same conclusion I always reach with them. That they've only ever released one truly great record. Rated R is not only their most enjoyable album, it is also the most cohesive, focused and tellingly, the shortest. The rest of their output, while containing moments of brilliance, all seem to suffer from the same ailment that regularly strikes down Marilyn Manson and Ryan Adams. That of terminal quility control. Symptoms include overlong albums, the inability to trim weak tracks and the ruining of potentially great records with too many songs. They seem to forget that just because you can put over an hours worth of music on a cd, doesn't mean you have to or that you should.

Now don't get me wrong, I've nothing against long albums. But only, if the music justifies the length. 'Ladies And Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space' is a great example. It's easily one of my favourite ever records and you'd struggle to physically fit anymore music onto it. And I'm sure there are many more examples and exceptions to the rule. But honestly, if more bands and artists self imposed a 40-45 minute limit, I'm sure we'd see a lot more truly great albums.

Queens Of The Stone Age - 3's & 7's (live acoustic session version) original version available on 'Era Vulgaris'

Queens Of The Stone Age - hanging tree (live acoustic session version) original version available on 'Songs For The Deaf'

Queens Of The Stone Age - I never came (live acoustic session version) original version available on 'Lullabies To Paralyze'

Queens Of The Stone Age - into the hollow (live acoustic session version) original version available on 'Era Vulgaris'

mp3 / music / queens of the stone age