Yup it’s nearly Listmas. Surprisingly, 7 of my current top 15 albums of this year are over an hour long, which got me to thinking what my pre 2016 favourites where, as in which ones didn’t feel long or felt good feeling long. Putting an arbitrary length of 70 mins on it, my top 5 would be
Godspeed YBE! - Lift Your Skinny Fists…
Have a Nice Life - Deathconsciousnnes
The Humble Bee - Morning Music
Modest Mouse - This is a Long Drive…
Mark Kozelek & Jimmy Lavalle - Perils From The Sea
Clouddead - Clouddead & Nils Frahm - Spaces just miss the cut.
For what it’s worth other than Max Richter Sleep (which I doubt can be beaten) at 8 hrs and Basinski’s Disintigration Loops at 5hrs, Kyle Bobby Dunn & the infinite sadness is the longest in my collection clocking in at 2hrs9mins49secs and just pipping the 2 big Stars of the Lid albums.
Give me some of your favourites that at least clock in over an hour and 5.
Kamasi Washington’s The Epic is an obvious one - it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a TRIPLE album praised BECAUSE of its length, rather than in spite of it.
Yep… there are some relatively unremarkable songs in the first half but you’re right, it builds beautifully. I can’t think of a better album-closing trio than Ex-Cowboy / Chocky / Christmas Steps. (I know that there’s an outro as well but I’m not counting that).
Underworld - 2nd Toughest in the Infants
Nick Cave - Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Raekwon - Only Built For Cuban Links 1 & 2
Red House Painters - Songs For A Blue Guitar
Prince - Sign O’ The Times
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
Outkast - Stankonia
Swans - To Be Kind