Songs that go together

Every once in a while, I switch my music player app from "mix em up" mode to "album mode", so that it plays albums all the way through. This morning was one of those onces.

(Note to the younger folks: you may have heard of something called a "record". It's from the olden days, back when music either came over the radio (in FM, if you were lucky) or in analog format on an easily-damaged large vinyl disc. A record that had more than one song per side was known as a "record album", or simply an "album", as in "hey, can I borrow your new Loverboy album for Friday night? I can? Sweet....")

The move towards CDs has already gotten rid of the concept of sides, where half of the album hung together thematically, and then the B side of the album had other stuff (often good, but usually more variable than the A side).

Now, the world of downloadable music may lead to, if not the death, the severe injury of songs that are meant to be listened to in a series. And that's a shame. So, as a sort of pre-wake, I thought I'd list a few of my favorites.

The obvious ones are concept albums. Good ones that I own:

  • 2112 (Rush)
  • Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd)
  • Hemispheres (Rush)
  • Operation Mindcrime (Queensryche)

You can also argue that American Idiot (Green Day) is also a concept album.

Then there are songs that just beg to be listened to at once. One could argue that the reason I want to listen to them in this order is that I have heard them that way so many times, but I think there's more to that. You may choose to differ, if you don't mind being wrong.

  • More than a Feeling / Peace of Mind / Foreplay/Long Time (Boston/Boston). One of the best set of three songs ever put together.
  • Moving in Stereo / All Mixed Up (The Cars/The Cars).
  • Feeling that way / Anytime (Journey/Infinity)
  • Eruption / Your really got me (Van Halen/Van Halen)
  • Back in Black / You shook me all night long (ACDC/Back in Black)

What did I miss? What are other great songs that you have to listen to in order?