I probably shouldn't call it a "song," since it's actually three songs ("3 Kilos," "Skylined," and "Claustrophobic Sting"), but The Narcotic Suite at the end of The Prodigy's Music for the Jilted Generation clocks in at 20:36.

I consider them to be one song, since I always listen to the 3 of them in a single sitting. It just doesn't sound right to listen to any of them out of the context of the other two songs.

kwakerjak

quote:

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Originally posted by kwakerjak:
I probably shouldn't call it a "song," since it's actually three songs ("3 Kilos," "Skylined," and "Claustrophobic Sting"), but The Narcotic Suite at the end of The Prodigy's _Music for the Jilted Generation_ clocks in at 20:36.

kwakerjak

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This is an interesting point. As with Yes and ELP, some of the longer songs are broken down into suites, "Close to the edge" for Yes, and "Tarkus" by ELP are examples of this. However, if vuo press the next track button, and it goes to the next song, then it should be considered a seperate song. Other wise those "Chill out sessions" and the like could be considered one song, not to mention all the first seven Moody blues albums, which do not have breaks between tracks.

Cruising around on the DJ pages at KEXP, I found this one:

http://www.kexp.org/programming/djpage.asp?DJID=318

The DJ, Rachel, plays a listener requested long song every Tuesday and Wednesday morning at 3am. She's got a list of all of them from July 2004 on.

That is one of my fav shows on kexp...well not shows but the best variety mix at least.I really like her as a dj.That is a cool long song list also!

Led Zeppelin did play long live. Off of how the west was won (the live album recently released) three went over 15 minute mark and 2 well over the 20 minute. However for consitently long album material I'm gonna have to go with Godspeed You Black Emperor. 4 Songs on the Lift Your Fists... Album all but one goes over the 20 minute mark and that one is 18 minutes long. Antistar off Massive Attack's 100th Minutes album is 19:40 longs and M83's Dead Cities... off the album of the same name is 17:42, but it gets on my nerves.

In terms of songs that aren't long comparably but are just TOO long in the context of the album. "Straight Out Of Compton" and "Fuck tha Police" are far too long and blemish what would be a flawless album...

Yes - Close To The Edge comes in around 18 minutes.

The average song on a Metallica album before they sucked was 6-8 minutes.

My favorite "long song" has got to be Sister Ray by the Velvet Underground at 17+ minutes, I love listening to it. By the tenth or eleventh minute it literally sounds like each member is trying to play louder than the next.

I know there are a lot of long songs on the Fiery Furnaces Blueberry Boat, but I love the songs "Blueberry Boat" and "Inspector Blancheflower."

Explosions in the Sky is another band with wome long songs. "First Breath After Coma" at almost 10 minutes might be their best.

Pink Floyd (who I've just started listening for the first time the last few days) has some great long ones like "Echoes" (at 23 minutes probably a bit too long) and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond Pt. 1 (over 13 minutes)."

Out Hud's longest songs are my fovorite of theirs (they have some of the longest titles around as well): "The L Train Is A Swell Train and I Don't Want To Hear You Indies Complain" and "Mr. Bush, There Are Over 100 Words for Shit and Only One for Music. Fuck You. Out Hud."

From Animal Collective's latest album their longest song, "Visiting Friends," is their worst, which is never good. It's the main reason I never listen to that CD anymore.

I love long songs that are epic, and it doesn'nt get much better than Grandaddy's opener from Sophtware Slump, "He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot."

A more recent group that plays longer songs is The Mars Volta. The Frances the Mute album contains 5 songs - 4 of which are over 10 minutes long.

Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus - 13 minutes
L'Via L'Viaquez - 12 minutes
Miranda That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore - 13 minutes
Cassandra Gemini - 32 minutes.

The Widow is the only sub 10 minute song.

quote:

Originally posted by paxsoprano:
My favorite "long song" has got to be Sister Ray by the Velvet Underground at 17+ minutes, I love listening to it. By the tenth or eleventh minute it literally sounds like each member is trying to play louder than the next.

On The Quine Tapes, the Velvets have got a version of Sister Ray tat runs nearly 40 minutes, but, though it's at times awesome, it can't match the sheer chaos of the studio version.

Some other long songs I really like are British Sea Power's Lately, Jesu's Sun Day, and Spiders (Kidsmoke) from Wilco

This message has been edited. Last edited by: whitebrice,

A lot of people didn't like Spiders (Kidsmoke), but I don't see why not...what a cool riff.

I'm a big fan of Spiders (Kidsmoke) as well. Also:
Anything Godspeed You! Black Emperor has done
Bob Dylan - Desolation Row
CCR - Heard it Through the Grapevine
Sleater-Kinney - Let's Call it Love

My favorite of all time would have to be:
Sigur Ros - Svefn-G-Englar

I don't have the words to describe the power of this song. Just amazing.

I have a big attention span so I love long songs

Boris - Absolutego
Can - Aumgn, Quantum Physics, You Doo Right, Mother Sky
King Crimson - Lizard, Starless
Faust - Why Don't You Eat Carrots, Miss Fortune
Dire Straits - Telegraph Road
Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick, A Passion Play
13th Floor Elevators - Slip Inside This House
Melvins - Boris, Charmicarmicat
Eric Burdon & The Animals - Sky Pilot
Black Sabbath - The Writ
Bob Dylan - Chimes of Freedom, Desolation Row
NoMeansNo - The World Wasn't Built in a Day
Jefferson Airplane - Spare Chaynge
MC5 - Black to Comm
Funkadelic - Mommy, What's a Funkadelic
Quicksilver Messenger Service - The Fool
Leonard Cohen - Please don't pass me by (Live Songs lp)
Lots of Grateful Dead (from Dick's Picks)
Pink Floyd - Dogs, Echoes, Saucerful of Secrets, Careful with that Axe, Eugene
Kyuss - all the three suites in Sky Valley
Sleep - Jerusalem
Guru Guru - Bo Diddley
Ash Ra Tempel - Freak 'n' Roll
Hawkwind - Brainstorm, You Shouldn't Do That, Assault & Battery/ Golden Void, Psychedelic Warlords...
on and on...

I don't even want to get started on jazz...

The greatest 'long song' i would have heard would be the live 'silverfuck jam' that smashing pumpkins played in 96/97. It went from around 15 to up to 40 mins. The version i know the best went for 25 mins and contained silverfuck, an unreleased song and the chorus of Bury Me into one big instrumental/spoken jam i still rate it as the best live track ive heard.

The Decemberists-'The Mariners Revenge Song', nearly 9 minutes...

and 'The Tain', 18 minutes 35 seconds...

Godspeed You! Black Emperor of course, along with the 4 movements on 'Lift Yr Skinny Fists...' the 3 movements on F#A#oo...

'Mogwai Fear Satan', that's around 16 minutes long...

LCD Soundsystem...'Beat Connection' and 'Yeah', around 9 minutes...

!!!-'Me and Giuliani...', 10 minutes...

Modest Mouse-'The Stars Are Projectors'...

Red House Painters-'Mother', 13 minutes, 'Katy Song', 8 minutes...

Tindersticks-'My Sister', nearly 9 minutes of perfection...

The Decemberists are great at writing long songs that don't feel too long, with a prime example being "California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade" (9:50).

Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row" (11:22) is, in my opinion, among his best songs.

And it would be easy to pad out a list like this with any good post-rock pieces, at least to someone with a reasoanble amount of knowledge of the genre (I don't qualify).

"Mmm Skyscraper, I Love You" (13:08) from Underworld's Dubnobasswithmyheadman, one of my all-time (and out-of-print, I hear) favorites.

I had to bump this with some additions, sorry. Let's start with the shortest:

"Mountain Jam" by The Allman Brothers Band clocks in at approximately 44 minutes on the uncut version. At around a minute longer is "Mother" by Goldie. "Pink Lady Lemonade (You're So Sweet)" by Acid Mothers Temple lasts just over an hour, as does the slightly longer 63 minute "Dopesmoker" by Sleep (the full, extended, version of the mere 53 minute long track Jerusalem). Surely one of the longest songs in existence, however, is the 73-minute long "Odin" by Julian Cope.

Which isn't as long as "As Slow As Possible" by John Cage, which lasts 639 years.

OK, so it's not technically a song. But I still win :P

Lets all agree that post rock is long as a genre.

That been said:

Maggot Brain - Funkadelic
Aether - Necks

I'm sure you all know Funkadelic's spliff masterpiece, but for those who dont know "Necks", they make single track albums of hypnotic improv jazz.