Very good, but OVERLONG songs?

[SeRoX]

DT - The Ministry Of Lost Souls

I mean the song is already boring but the length makes it even worse. It could sound as pretty emotional ballad if it was 3-4 min around.

[MirrorMask]

That's what I turned it into, by completely removing the entire solo section. I have a 8'30'' or so version of the song which is the only version I basically listen to.

[The Curious Orange]

DT - A Nightmare to Remember (I like a lot of portions of that song, but there's a lot of fat that could have been trimmed off of that one to make a better more-concise song)

This.

I don't think Nightwish's "The Greatest Show On Earth" is too long, so much as it's in 5 sections and some of those sections, while not too long in themselves, don't really add much to the whole. I quite enjoy the intro - the outro, not so much.

And as for "The Angel and the Gambler" - the repetitiveness is a problem sure, but it's that "parp parp parp" keyboard riff that makes that a truly horrible song. Almost makes "Bring Your Daughter..." look good.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

DT - The Ministry Of Lost Souls

I mean the song is already boring but the length makes it even worse. It could sound as pretty emotional ballad if it was 3-4 min around.

Yup, it simply just doesn't need a cheesy prog metal instrumental slapped into the middle of it.

[Learning2Live]

So Many Roads has some beautiful moments, but I'd rank it in the lower 10% of Neal's epics. His 20min+ songs are always composed of several shorter songs, but he usually manages to tie them together so that they work as one piece (Stranger In Your Soul, World Without End). But So Many Roads is the one of his songs where that approach worked least.

Couldn't have worded that any better. I love Neal's epics as he (mostly) has a way of making a 20/30-minute song not feel that long to me. But as much as I like many parts of So Many Roads, it just doesn't seem to flow as smoothly as his other epics.

[Stadler]

DT - A Nightmare to Remember (I like a lot of portions of that song, but there's a lot of fat that could have been trimmed off of that one to make a better more-concise song)

This.

I don't think Nightwish's "The Greatest Show On Earth" is too long, so much as it's in 5 sections and some of those sections, while not too long in themselves, don't really add much to the whole. I quite enjoy the intro - the outro, not so much.

And as for "The Angel and the Gambler" - the repetitiveness is a problem sure, but it's that "parp parp parp" keyboard riff that makes that a truly horrible song. Almost makes "Bring Your Daughter..." look good.

FOR ME:  A&TG >>>  BYD...TTS

[WildRanger]

Is Rime of the Ancient Mariner overlong or perfect from start to finish?

[Adami]

Is Rime of the Ancient Mariner overlong or perfect from start to finish?

Yes.

[hefdaddy42]

John Cage - 4'33"

Just a tad too long for my tastes.

[ChuckSteak]

The only time a songs length bothers me is when there's some pointless noise/ambient bullshit tacked on at the end of it. I'm referring to songs like The Fluke by Devin Townsend and... well like a fourth of the songs by Periphery.

I agree with that.. and as much as I love Devin, there are some songs of his that fit this category.. 

[Adami]

John Cage - 4'33"

Just a tad too long for my tastes.

Never heard the radio edit? Cuts out the 3rd refrain and goes right to the chorus. Brilliant.

[hefdaddy42]

John Cage - 4'33"

Just a tad too long for my tastes.

Never heard the radio edit? Cuts out the 3rd refrain and goes right to the chorus. Brilliant.

Thanks!  I'll check it out!

[Architeuthis]

Guns n Roses "knocking on Heavens Door"  way overstays it's welcome, especially the live version.
Come to think of it, it's not even a good song.   

[pg1067]

Cutting 10:43 off DT's Repentance would make me like the song more.

ftfy

[pg1067]

Is Rime of the Ancient Mariner overlong or perfect from start to finish?

There are times when I think it's a bit bloated, but not by much.

[Zook]

Nightwish's intro for The Greatest Show on Earth goes on forever. And the outro as well. It's like the doctor ordered a 24 minutes song at all costs.

After Dawkin's speech at the end, it goes on too long, but I like both the intro and outro.

[romdrums]

John Cage - 4'33"

Just a tad too long for my tastes.

Never heard the radio edit? Cuts out the 3rd refrain and goes right to the chorus. Brilliant.

Thanks!  I'll check it out!

Link, please.  This sounds like something I should be looking for.

[ZirconBlue]

My votes:

8vm - Great song, but the intro is way too long
SDoIT - Similarly, the Overture overstays its welcome, to me.
Illumination Theory - I'd trim most of the ambient stuff in the middle and get on with the orchestral section sooner


 

[pg1067]

My votes:

8vm - Great song, but the intro is way too long
SDoIT - Similarly, the Overture overstays its welcome, to me.
Illumination Theory - I'd trim most of the ambient stuff in the middle and get on with the orchestral section sooner

Absolutely agree as to Octavarium, as I've commented many times (I didn't really think of it for this thread because it's the intro that needs trimming).

I disagree about SDOIT, but I can understand the sentiment.

As for IT, that middle section came VERY close to feeling "too long" for me, but I think they cut it at the right time.  Again, though, I can understand the sentiment.

[WildRanger]

Is Rime of the Ancient Mariner overlong or perfect from start to finish?

There are times when I think it's a bit bloated, but not by much.

How about Cygnus II Hemispheres and The Camera Eye by Rush?

[Zantera]

Late 90s-early 00's Maiden has several picks you could throw in. The Angel and the Gambler was already mentioned, I think Brave New World has a couple (Blood Brothers, Dream of Mirrors) where they just repeat the chorus maybe a few.. 20 times.. too much, but I would be slightly hesitant to call those songs "very good" even if you cut them down. They would be better for sure, but even in a trimmed down format they wouldn't be among the best songs on the album for me.

[pg1067]

Is Rime of the Ancient Mariner overlong or perfect from start to finish?

There are times when I think it's a bit bloated, but not by much.

How about Cygnus II Hemispheres and The Camera Eye by Rush?

Not in the slightest.

[Ruba]

When a song is unnecessarily long, how can the full song still be 'good'? Or is a small part of the song good then?

True. If I feel that say, a quarter of the song's running time is filler, it's probably not very good anymore.

That being said, I think the outro of Type O Negative's Black No. 1 drags on a bit too long. Great song nevertheless.

[hefdaddy42]

Is Rime of the Ancient Mariner overlong or perfect from start to finish?

There are times when I think it's a bit bloated, but not by much.

How about Cygnus II Hemispheres and The Camera Eye by Rush?

Definitely not Hemispheres.

TCE is not my favorite song in the world.

[SwedishGoose]

I thinh John Cage's Organē/ASLSP as played in St. Burchardi church in Halberstadt, Germany might be a tad too long at 639 years.

Other than that I can't think of one song.

[The Curious Orange]

Nightwish's intro for The Greatest Show on Earth goes on forever. And the outro as well. It's like the doctor ordered a 24 minutes song at all costs.

After Dawkin's speech at the end, it goes on too long, but I like both the intro and outro.

For me, "Song Of Myself" on Imaginaerum is worse - the track itself is brilliant, but all that "I see a dead dog in a ditch, a fat girl gets into a lift" stuff at the end is just cringeworthy. I do hope the next album has a more conventional closing track, but somehow I doubt it.