Arrange the Album

[QuikSand]

Okay, for this game, you are the producer for a pop/rock band of some repute. They are capable of making the charts with hit records, and capable of touring for major income, especially if it's fueled by lots of airplay, streaming, and whatever else counts as "visibility" these days.

If you're my age, references in this thread will all make sense. If you're half my age, perhaps not. Continue at your own peril.

Anyway, the band has completed its recording sessions, and have left it to YOU to develop the next full studio release. So, these are the bits you have to work with, described below in relevant fashion. I'm trying to give you a little bit to work with, but not weight this down too much.

The game? You lay out what tracks make the album, and in what order. If you feel motivated to do so, you may declare where the A-side and B-side are split for purpose of vinyl, but in general, this is a matter of how the CD or digital download would be assembled. We'll assume that the capacity of a CD (I haven't looked it up, somewhere just over 60 minutes I think) is the practical limit of what could conceivably be included in the "base" album, though it seems digital distribution has freed up the universe for countless extras.

Your goal is to make a POPULAR and SUCCESSFUL album. If it springs multiple singles that keep the band front of minds for sales, streams, videos, and touring -- that's what we want.

So, here are the contents you have available to use:

(abbreviations: playing time, quick abbreviation, stars to indicate your overall assessment of quality, my narrative description)

3:40 SINGLE1 **** - planned as the first "single" released, heavy production, seems likely to be a hit

4:10 SINGLE2 *** - if everything goes to plan, this is the next single and possible hit

2:50 CATCHY *** - up-tempo number (CK: ponderous!) but probably not as slick as the singles

4:30 SHESINGS *** - female guest singer with decent recognition provides vocals

5:40 GUITAR *** - lead guitar gets a feature here, strong extended solo but risks being boring

4:40 DRUMMER ** - drummer wrote and sings this song, a little rough but important to him and his many fans

6:40 JAM *** - band goes on various tangents, vocally weak but musically solid

4:00 TECHNICAL **** - instruments click on all cylinders here, not catchy but technically really good

2:25 INSTRUMENTAL *** - not the band's strong suit, but it's pretty good and it fits ok

3:20 DISCO *** - unusual offering for this band, twangy disco backbeat, but decent song

3:50 FILLER1 ** - typical output from bands like this, pretty listenable but not likely to catch on

4:00 FILLER2 ** - typical output from bands like this, pretty listenable but not likely to catch on

3:00 FILLER3 * - typical output from bands like this, listenable but not likely to catch on

4:40 QUIRKY **? - really hard to judge, seems like it could be a sneaky cult fave

2:40 SUGGESTIVE ** - lots of sexual references, potential as a "bar song" despite being a bit sloppy

3:30 BALLAD ** - decent effort, heavy with vocals, slow pace and soft topic

4:50 POLITICAL ** - well-constructed song expressing some rabble-rousing political outrage

5:30 STORY ** - narrative speaking in place of most of the lyrics, with a decent chorus

4:15 RAPPER *** - label gets a non-controversial rapper to guest some lyrics, they blend in okay with a solid song

3:50 BASSIST * - written by bassist, he's very into it, but it's not very good, he's not a major player

2:40 GIRLFRIEND * - "written" by lead singer's hot GF, she sings a bit too, it's not good at all

3:30 OUTTAKE1 ** - a charming live outtake from making SINGLE1, which ends up messy but fun

2:50 OUTTAKE2 ** - the band falls apart a bit trying to keep up with CATCHY song tempo, levity ensues on tape



So, what stuff makes your album release? And in what order?

For cut/paste convenience:

3:40 SINGLE1

4:10 SINGLE2

2:50 CATCHY

4:30 SHESINGS

5:40 GUITAR

4:40 DRUMMER

6:40 JAM

4:00 TECHNICAL

2:25 INSTRUMENTAL

3:20 DISCO

3:50 FILLER1

4:00 FILLER2

3:00 FILLER3

4:40 QUIRKY

2:40 SUGGESTIVE

3:30 BALLAD

4:50 POLITICAL

5:30 STORY

4:15 RAPPER

3:50 BASSIST

2:40 GIRLFRIEND

3:30 OUTTAKE1

2:50 OUTTAKE2

[Toddzilla]

80 minutes, based on the size of the disc, 12cm

[QuikSand]

Okay, well... part of the game is to decide how much to jam into the release, and how much to shelve for B-sides, future possible releases, and whatnot.

[stevew]

Seems like the movement is to make a 9song record and maybe do a deluxe version with 2-3 songs/remixes to refresh it in 3-4 months.

I'll look at this later when I have time.

[digamma]

Here's an effort

1) Single 2 4:10
2) Catchy 2:50
3) Technical 4:00
4) Single 1 3:40
5) Ballad 3:30
6) SheSings 4:30
7) Guitar 5:40
8) Suggestive 2:40
9) Story 5:30
10) Drummer 4:40
11) Instrumental 2:25
12) Disco 3:20

By my count it's about 46 minutes of music.

We lead with the second single to try to build that one into a hit.

Our hit bats clean up.

We layer the back half of the album with a mix of pet projects and upbeat potential hits.

[Izulde]

What's the target audience's tendency of consumption? All in one go? Piecemeal, gradual listening until the whole album is gone through? Bought for the hits and everything else mostly ignored? Put on the background for other tasks? Randomly skipped around rather than chronological order?

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by Izulde

What's the target audience's tendency of consumption? All in one go? Piecemeal, gradual listening until the whole album is gone through? Bought for the hits and everything else mostly ignored? Put on the background for other tasks? Randomly skipped around rather than chronological order?

Your typical Pop/Rock band's target audience? My read here is that part of the fun is figuring out the best way to hit all of the above "demographics," if you will.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Love the concept here; album architecture is a forgotten art. My first go:

1. 2:50 CATCHY
2. 4:10 SINGLE2
3. 4:30 SHESINGS
4. 3:50 FILLER1
5. 4:00 TECHNICAL
6. 3:40 SINGLE1
7. 4:40 QUIRKY
8. 3:20 DISCO
9. 5:40 GUITAR
10. 4:15 RAPPER
11. 4:40 DRUMMER
12. 6:40 JAM
13. 2:50 OUTTAKE2 (Bonus Hidden Track)

Start the album up-beat and strong; Catchy goes first to set the tone, and maybe to gain some notoriety as the lead-off track to hopefully put it into the same good graces as Singles 1 & 2. Follow directly with one of our best offerings, and supplement it with a solid track buoyed by some name recognition with SheSings. Filler 1 is next as we try to distance ourselves from the guest artist before reminding the audience how incredibly talented the group is with Technical. Now that the listener is primed for it, hit them with our very best in Single 1.

Quirky finds a home right after, to serve both as a counterpoint to Single 1 and maybe to absorb some of the good vibes that the highs of Technical and Single 1 have given our audience on back-to-back songs. Disco immediately after to continue this breach from the band's traditional sound and illustrate the range of the band.

Guitar brings us back to what we do best and the position is very intentional - two songs removed from our typical sound should help avoid the risk of it being considered boring. Follow it up with Rapper to capitalize on a potentially new fan base, then make sure the drummer feels included by putting his song in there. Close out the album with a nice jam session...and bookend it with the hidden Catchy outtake.

The criticisms I have for myself here:

• Potential to lose the audience completely after track 6, especially considering our strongest songs are already gone.
• Somewhat front loaded with very little left in the tank for future releases; most of the tracks left off the album are very weak.
• Filler 1 could derail the strong opening sequence I am going for.

[Izulde]

1. 4:30 SHESINGS ***
2. 3:00 FILLER3 *
3. 4:10 SINGLE2 ***
4. 3:50 FILLER1 **
5. 4:15 RAPPER ***
6. 4:00 FILLER2 **
7. 3:40 SINGLE1 ****
8. 2:50 CATCHY ***
9. 4:40 QUIRKY **
10. 4:00 TECHNICAL ****
11. 3:30 BALLAD **
12. 3:20 DISCO ***

Okay, so I've split this album up so that there's quality throughout. There's a bit of a collab theme in the first half, sandwiched by the comfort candy of filler content.

The Single1 comes in much later than usual to re-invigorate the listener for the backend, whereupon we go with a couple sprightly offerings to continue refreshing the palate before going strong again with technical and closing out with a popular genre and something avant-garde for the band to get people talking about the last offering as something crazy from the group.

I considered the guitar/drummer in there, but figured those would be things to bank for future offerings. I wanted this album to feel fresh and new - hence the collabs that aren't ass (sorry, HotGF) and stuff that might be a little out there for the group.

[BYU 14]

I want to sandwich the album with the potential singles near the front and the back, with the lead single at the back to hopefully keep listeners engaged.

4:10 SINGLE2 - Get it exposure as the lead off to help elevate it when released

2:50 CATCHY - Draw the listener further in

3:50 FILLER1 - Assuming this is the best of the filler tracks

4:00 TECHNICAL - Follow up filler with a tight well produced tune

4:30 SHESINGS - Capitalize on the guest vocal star power

4:40 DRUMMER - Assuming his fan base will overlook the flaws

5:30 STORY - From the description, this could be a second catchy tune

4:40 QUIRKY - Gamble that this will have some appeal

4:15 RAPPER - Again rely on guest's appeal and good lyrical construction

2:25 INSTRUMENTAL - Expose the bands musicianship, good lead in to main single

3:40 SINGLE1 - Place the big gun here to encourage listening through the record

3:30 BALLAD - Always end with a good Ballad

2:50 OUTTAKE2 - Hidden bonus track

[cuervo72]

It might also be an interesting exercise to analyze past albums and see how they might be classified, and if you could discern any patterns.

[bhlloy]

I don't have a clue when it comes to this, but seems to me like digital download/Spotify might have changed the parameters a bit on this. Whereas people used to buy a CD and then they were invested and would almost certainly listen to the whole thing, the digital format means people might only listen to the first 30 seconds of your first song and decide it's not for them as they browse through, and move onto the next.

[PilotMan]

1. 2:50 CATCHY
2. 5:40 GUITAR
3. 3:40 SINGLE1
4. 3:50 FILLER1
5. 2:40 SUGGESTIVE
6. 4:40 QUIRKY
7. 3:00 FILLER3
8. 4:10 SINGLE2
9. 4:30 SHESINGS
10. 4:00 TECHNICAL
11. 4:40 DRUMMER
12. 6:40 JAM

This is made for the cassette and continuous end to end listening.

Fans are expecting a solid output and we need to get their attention right away, so we open with our catchy tune to hook them in. Ride right into a heavy guitar lick then drop the hammer with the first single. We have them for another few songs so we back off with the filler and throw our suggestive party song. Not a strong pairing, but it'll be interesting. Our progressive new quirky sound follows with another filler. The next single comes after to bring them back into the solid effort. From there, we open things up with a female guest artist, rock hard into our heavy technical sound. We finish the album with our drummer's song and finish with our jam session. Fans will finish and we'll roll right back to the top.

We use the singles to stretch the audience's attention, open strong, feature some different sound in the middle and finish with some raucous 'band' music that the hard core fans will love.

[AENeuman]

It may be just as fun to guess the band/album Quick had in his head making the list.

My guess REM- out of time/ automatic

[JonInMiddleGA]

Just so I'm clear ... we are conducting this exercise with it occurring 2018, right?

[Toddzilla]

Originally Posted by AENeuman

It may be just as fun to guess the band/album Quick had in his head making the list.

My guess REM- out of time/ automatic

My guess was the last Foo Fighters album.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Just so I'm clear ... we are conducting this exercise with it occurring 2018, right?

I guess so, but if that variable influences your approach, maybe reveal that and why.

[albionmoonlight]

4:30 SHESINGS—Start with a well known singer from outside the band to get people listening.

2:50 CATCHY –Then keep the momentum going with a catchy song

3:40 SINGLE1—Then into our “best” song.

4:50 POLITICAL—Probably the biggest decision on the album. What will people hear when they finish the song they are most likely to listen to? It is 2018, so we are looking for clicks/exposure any way we can. If this song is “controversial,” then that is to our benefit. We put it here to maximize that opportunity.

3:50 FILLER1—And then a break.

At this point, I’m hoping that the first part of the album gets us our “mainstream” play and a little political controversy. We are shifting gears a bit with the second part, trying to get the Chuck Klostermans of the world to write a blog post pointing out that people who really understand music like the second half of the album better.

4:40 QUIRKY—This is where the “real fans” start listening.

4:00 TECHNICAL—“The thing is, these guys can really play. Don’t just think that all they can do is CATCHY”

4:40 DRUMMER—Keep the drummer and his fans happy. And show that this is a real band, not just a singer and a guitar.

5:30 STORY—Something different. Maybe it catches on. Or maybe it gets buried in the middle here.

4:00 FILLER2—Our next break

At this point, we finish kind of weird

2:40 SUGGESTIVE—With this first album, we will try anything to get hits. Hoping this ends up being used as the background song for a humorous sex scene in, like, The Hangover Part 5 or something like that.

2:40 GIRLFRIEND—On the surface, to keep the lead singer happy. Secretly, we are hoping that this is so bad that it gets ironic attention. Maybe autotune it to make her singing sound even worse. And, hey, she’s hot, so this gives us a chance to make a nice T&A video.

3:30 OUTTAKE1

2:50 OUTTAKE2

This keeps us just under an hour and also leaves us with strong songs like 4:10 SINGLE2, 4:15 RAPPER, 6:40 JAM, and 3:30 BALLAD to release/play in case we catch on and want to keep the momentum going.

[albionmoonlight]

I've given this a lot more thought than I thought I would.

I think that I replace STORY with RAPPER and flip it with DRUMMER.

Replaces a ** song with a *** song and gets another voice on the record that might bring in his own fans, and it still fits with the "something different" vibe of the middle of the album.

I think that I also flip the songs to put the stronger song first. The DRUMMER song is there for him and his fans, so its location is not as essential.

[britrock88]

In album structure, with below the "---" tracks as bonuses in whatever medium.

2:50 CATCHY ***
4:30 SHESINGS ***
4:40 DRUMMER **
4:10 SINGLE2 ***
6:40 JAM ***

4:00 TECHNICAL ****
4:40 QUIRKY **?
5:40 GUITAR ***
3:40 SINGLE1 ****
2:25 INSTRUMENTAL ***
---
3:30 OUTTAKE1 **
3:20 DISCO ***

Each side comes in at just over 20 minutes, and there's something of interest in every song. As a whole, the album is not too long to sit through in one go, and provides a good variety of listening without any real misses among the tracks.

From the A-side: CATCHY and SHESINGS bring the hook and novelty to convince listeners to keep with the album. DRUMMER, which, while relatively weak among the album tracks, appears to be a worthwhile inclusion from among the member-centric songs, and its inclusion on the A-side will be a treat for his fans. SINGLE2 is buried a bit, operating as a glue track that's worthy in its own right. A good JAM is a tried-and-true way to close out a first side.

From the B-side: TECHNICAL is both a strong song generally and a contrast to the open-ended nature of JAM, the A-side closer, so it's a no-brainer to start the B-side. Now that the listeners are paying attention to the group's craftsmanship, it's a good time to try out QUIRKY to see if listeners catch on to this--you can't ignore the song's potential. GUITAR reverts to a more expected sound and acts as a buffer to SINGLE1. SINGLE1 is the prize, and listeners have finally reached it in the penultimate track. INSTRUMENTAL serves as a change-of-pace, a denouement for the album proper, and as a spacer to...

OUTTAKE1, the beginning of the bonus material and the light-hearted version of SINGLE1 that's still fresh in your memory. DISCO, while a worthy tune in its own right, is more an amusing digression (whereas SHESINGS draws from another artist's fan base and the other album tracks feature the band closer to its native musical environment).