Page 1 of 4 1234 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 89

Thread: Pointless tracks!

  1. #1

    Pointless tracks!

    Was listening to the Sabs vol. 4 today & i couldn't understand the point of the track FX ? It's just one & half minutes of...well you tell me! This got me thinking of other tracks that have no structure, melody or real song craft i.e. just noise. The only other song I could think of was Genesis's Ravine. I heard people say it was included to allow Gabriel to change costumes but why didnt they just include it as a jam in concert ?
    What other tracks that arnt really songs can you think of ?

  2. #2
    Member bill g's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Near Mount Rainier
    Posts
    2,646
    Well Ravine just has such a strong and powerful mood to it, very picturesque of standing over a valley/ravine with wind blowing, and a great bridge between 2 tracks. But Chicago's 'Free Form Guitar' has been accused of being pointless noise, but I thought it was kind of cool back in the day. Not now though. I always rather liked those early Sabbath fillers, such as Embryo, Orchid, or Basically, from the debut.

  3. #3
    Member Joe F.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Bothell, Washington
    Posts
    402
    Quote Originally Posted by Rufus View Post
    Was listening to the Sabs vol. 4 today & i couldn't understand the point of the track FX ? It's just one & half minutes of...well you tell me!
    It's guitar "effects" or FX. Clever, huh?

    I don't mind it as it leads into the mighty Supernaut.

    The one track that breaks up the flow of an album for me is Seamus on Meddle. Still, I never skip it when I play the album.

  4. #4
    Insect Overlord Progatron's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    southern Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    7,122
    I like "Ravine". As was mentioned, it has a strong mood to it.

    "Seamus" is okay, but a bit cuter as "Mademoiselle Nobs" on Live At Pompeii.

    Perhaps The Flower Kings' "IKEA By Night" could be considered by some to be a pointless track.
    Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.

    *** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***

  5. #5
    I think of "more fool me" as a pointless noise IMO but I like ravine ...

  6. #6
    How about the 25 minutes of ambiance on the end of the original Open Your Eyes?

  7. #7
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Near Philly, PA
    Posts
    6,583
    Quote Originally Posted by trurl View Post
    How about the 25 minutes of ambiance on the end of the original Open Your Eyes?
    You could argue the rest of the album, too!
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  8. #8
    /rimshot

  9. #9
    The drum solo tracks on the first Trace album come to mind

    -------------
    MIKE (a.k.a. "Progbear")

    "That's my purse! I don't know you!" --Bobby Hill

    N.P.:“Bury Me Dead”-Popol Ace/Stolen From Time

  10. #10
    Member bill g's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Near Mount Rainier
    Posts
    2,646
    Quote Originally Posted by Joe F. View Post
    The one track that breaks up the flow of an album for me is Seamus on Meddle. Still, I never skip it when I play the album.
    Have to agree there. Then there's also the 25 minutes of ambiance at the end of 'Harbour of Tears'.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by trurl View Post
    How about the 25 minutes of ambiance on the end of the original Open Your Eyes?
    I'll second this for sure..

  12. #12
    Geriatric Anomaly progeezer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Madison, WI
    Posts
    11,318
    "Evening Gown" by The Left Banke. Nothing like any other song in their 2 album repetoire, and they're just not at home with all the "yeahs", "alrights" & howls in that song.


    BUT...on further reflection, it does have a great harpsichord break, so I guess it's not pointless.
    "My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"

    President Harry S. Truman

  13. #13
    Member bill g's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Near Mount Rainier
    Posts
    2,646
    Quote Originally Posted by progeezer View Post
    "Evening Gown" by The Left Banke. Nothing like any other song in their 2 album repetoire, and they're just not at home with all the "yeahs", "alrights" & howls in that song.


    BUT...on further reflection, it does have a great harpsichord break, so I guess it's not pointless.
    Yep, nothing like a great harpsichord break to add some meaning when needed!

  14. #14
    "Dogfight Giggle" on A Wizard/A True Star, though it's hard to say anything was too off the wall for that album.

  15. #15
    "Ollie Ollie" from the first Humble Pie album. Short studio nonsense of bass/drums with some stoned chanting.

    "Rhythm of Life" - The Flower Kings. Sounds of a ping pong game opening the album.
    You say Mega Ultra Deluxe Special Limited Edition Extended Autographed 5-LP, 3-CD, 4-DVD, 2-BlueRay, 4-Cassette, five 8-Track, MP4 Download plus Demos, Outtakes, Booklet, T-Shirt and Guitar Pick Gold-Leafed Box Set Version like it's a bad thing...

  16. #16
    Member Yanks2014's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    0
    "Evensong" by Yes on the Union album. It's just Tony Levin and Bill Bruford noodling a bit on bass and percussion. Never saw the point of it, as it leads to nothing in particular.

  17. #17
    (not his real name) no.nine's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    90
    Mahavishnu Orchestra - "Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love"

    I win.
    "I tah dah nur!" - Ike

  18. #18
    Studmuffin Scott Bails's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Near Philly, PA
    Posts
    6,583
    Quote Originally Posted by bill g View Post
    Then there's also the 25 minutes of ambiance at the end of 'Harbour of Tears'.
    Good call.

    Why do artists think this is a good idea?
    Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally

  19. #19
    Geriatric Anomaly progeezer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Madison, WI
    Posts
    11,318
    Quote Originally Posted by Garden Dreamer View Post
    "Ollie Ollie" from the first Humble Pie album.
    Pete - Humble Pie's first album was "As Safe As Yesterday Is" with Frampton. It was nothing like everything else they ever came to record. It was VERY proto-prog (Marriott was coming right from "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake, and hadn't grasped yet that way more money could be made as a blues based balls to the wall band than as a proto p. I have it, and the analogy, I suppose, could be made with Deep Purple after their first 3 Rod Evans albums when Gillan came aboard.

    Strangely enough, I have 1 Humble Pie album and 3 Deep Purple albums.
    "My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"

    President Harry S. Truman

  20. #20
    The closing track on Tool's 10,000 Days, Viginti Tres, is five minutes of some kind of machine sound fading in and out. In the final minute of the track (and thus the album) a man's muffled voice utters something unintelligible.
    Last edited by progeezer's ghost; 06-19-2013 at 05:11 PM.
    'The smell of strange colours are heard everywhere'- Threshold

  21. #21
    Member Oreb's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Brisbane, Australia
    Posts
    80
    Quote Originally Posted by Progbear View Post
    The drum solo tracks on the first Trace album come to mind
    Every drum solo ever recorded fits this bill IMO!

    Does it matter that this waste of time is what makes a life for you?

  22. #22
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    HAM
    Posts
    491
    chris squire's facebook updates.

  23. #23
    Member Vic2012's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    La Florida
    Posts
    7,554
    Revolution 9. I know some of you will defend it as a work of art but I hate it. There are very few Beatles tracks that I hate. In fact Rev 9 is the only one I truly hate.

    I don't get the point of FX either but it's only a minute or so long. The whole idea back then was you were probably taking bong hits while listening to the album and it was this trippy little interlude. I've heard FX under the effects and it's still just noise. Chicago- Free Form Guitar. I wouldn't say it's "pointless" but it is just noise. It's a cool noise. Now pass that doobie.

  24. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    Playing 'Love Beach' again virtually all of that first side springs to mind. Awful stuff, especially the lyrics- what were they thinking?
    That' been explained a lot of times, what they were thinking. Contract obligations, plus their vision on commercial pop rock.

  25. #25
    Nearly any Frank Zappa track with vocals. There are exceptions (like Electric Aunt Jemima, Dog Breath, Truck Driver Divorce and Drowning Witch), but the vast majority of Frank's lyrics sound like they were written by a teenaged dork who can't figure out why he's not one of the "cool kids".

    Infinity on Aphrodite Child's 666 album. I couldn't believe it when I found out that Irene Papas was a respected actress and singer in Europe! I especially couldn't believe it when I found out that the track on the 666 album is actually the edited version of what was recorded!

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •