I wanted to explore this, it seems like it mostly happens in classic rock. I like it because it’s like the group delivering a thesis statement for the content of their music or their intended commercial trajectory.
I think it works even better when it’s done by a band later into their career, like they’re reflecting on the culmination of their work. Can people link me examples? I’d love to see if this has happened more outside of the rock genre
Off the top of my head:
Bad Company (debut album)
Black Sabbath (debut album)
Damn Yankees (debut album)
Blue Öyster Cult (11th album)
Dimmu Borgir (8th album, black metal)
Run the Jewels (debut album, rap)
Eyes of Noctom (debut album, black metal, fun fact: this is Nicholas Cage’s son)
Highwaymen (debut album, country)
They Might Be Giants have a self titled track (but not album) included in their third album Flood
Their first album is self titled, always bothered me that the eponymous song wasn’t on the eponymous album.
You’re right. I had the collection of their first two albums with bonus tracks. I forgot it was actually self titled originally.
You mean Then: The Early Years? There are some solid bonus tracks. The Joshua Fried remix of The World’s Address is great
Lol what genre is this? I love the utterances of BOY
TMBG defies genres, but they can’t be silenced.
They are a little bird house in my soul.
Not to put too fine a point on it
I saw them play and record a song backwards and then play the tape backwards for us to hear the song forward. Does that make sense? Too much musicality for my brain…
Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love played backwards, seemed like a COVID project, considering the timing. Not the first time either, On Earth My Nina was the then (officially) unreleased Thunderbird backwards.
BOY