Albums that starts with the "wrong" song

[LithoJazzoSphere]

Running an EP round in my roulette further convinced me that order and flow actually isn't generally a big deal for me.

Probably shouldn't do those in the future, then.

Nah, I still might, I like the idea of multiple artists and the possibility of thematic cohesion, and sequencing is still probably interesting for others to think about, and maybe is still effective subconsciously.  I just won't consciously evaluate it and factor it in as much, which I did a bit (actually somewhat more for yours than a number of others), just somewhat less than I thought I would initially. 

[hefdaddy42]

For the most part I'm with Hef here.   

Great minds, and all that.

[El Barto]

EMI was right. Warning's a great opener and NM is better off to end the first side (sides mattered back then).

I agree. And yes, that's how I've always heard it, but I have never once thought that NM156 would make a better opener. To me, it's perfectly placed with Deliverance and No Sanctuary being the perfect lead ins to NM156.

Yeah...Both J-dude and Samsara have advocated passionately about the intended order being better.  I've listened to it the intended way, and I just don't see it.  It's not bad, but it doesn't sound right.  Of course, 30+ years of having listened to it one way before trying the other way plays a big part in that.

I put the cans on and listened to side 1 both ways, and EMI gets the win here. NM is actually not bad at all as an opener. I see why the band wanted to go that route, as it better establishes where they're going. Particular when you factor in Rage, which is a very similar sounding album. Warning probably isn't what I think of when I think of QR, but something like NM is. At the same time, NM is better suited to close the side, and Del-NoS flow into it nicely. I always associate those 3 because they work so well like that. Moreover, the entire side is better paced this way, with the tempo ebbing and flowing. EnF-NoS-Del just didn't work right. Lastly, Flame is a great way to start side 2.

[Deadeye21]

Shit!  Where the hell have you been?

Working at a bottle-o. Working in new music. Playing a lot of gigs. Holidays. Really just about anywhere but here! I really gotta get around to doing the 72 Seasons review lol.

[wolfking]

Shit!  Where the hell have you been?

Working at a bottle-o. Working in new music. Playing a lot of gigs. Holidays. Really just about anywhere but here! I really gotta get around to doing the 72 Seasons review lol.

Nice to have you back.  Good to hear the gigs are still rolling on mate.

The only place I go for holidays is DTF! 

[Deadeye21]

Kinda flattering to have been missed, I must admit.

Hysteria could have opened with something better than 'Women' too.

I’m hard pressed to think of a better opening song on that album, except maybe Gods of War. There just isn’t another song that opens up well enough to me. Rocket, maybe, but that’s just not exciting enough as a song to be a full opening track.

However, I think Women was ideal for Hysteria’s intro because it really settles you into the new sound.

[HOF]

Thought of another one. Spock’s Beard - Feel Euphoria. They should have just left Onomatopoeia off and opened with The Bottom Line.

[Samsara]

Am I missing something re Warning?

The problem with TNotB starting with Invaders is that Invaders is the worst song on the album.

The band set the order for The Warning, then during mixing, EMI changed it without telling them.  So the original release was in an order that the band did not approve.

This was their intended order (I think):
N M 156
En Force
No Sanctuary
Deliverance
Take Hold of the Flame
Before the Storm
Child of Fire
Warning
Roads to Madness

EMI was right. Warning's a great opener and NM is better off to end the first side (sides mattered back then).

Disagree completely. The Warning was intended as a loose concept album. Not a story, but certainly a logical flow of songs, mostly dealing with nuclear war holocaust. NM 156 sets off the story in motion with essentially AI and computer technology.

I realize old fogies who were listening when the record was released, or are too set in their ways, that they are USED TO the album with the stupidly altered tracklisting.  (and I do not say that as an insult, I am an old fart too, but discovered them three years later.) And that understandably feels comfortable and "right." But it isn't, the band didn't want it that way, and if you take The Warning as a loose conceptual piece, the tracklisting as the band intended works wonders.

[El Barto]

Am I missing something re Warning?

The problem with TNotB starting with Invaders is that Invaders is the worst song on the album.

The band set the order for The Warning, then during mixing, EMI changed it without telling them.  So the original release was in an order that the band did not approve.

This was their intended order (I think):
N M 156
En Force
No Sanctuary
Deliverance
Take Hold of the Flame
Before the Storm
Child of Fire
Warning
Roads to Madness

EMI was right. Warning's a great opener and NM is better off to end the first side (sides mattered back then).

Disagree completely. The Warning was intended as a loose concept album. Not a story, but certainly a logical flow of songs, mostly dealing with nuclear war holocaust. NM 156 sets off the story in motion with essentially AI and computer technology.

I realize old fogies who were listening when the record was released, or are too set in their ways, that they are USED TO the album with the stupidly altered tracklisting.  (and I do not say that as an insult, I am an old fart too, but discovered them three years later.) And that understandably feels comfortable and "right." But it isn't, the band didn't want it that way, and if you take The Warning as a loose conceptual piece, the tracklisting as the band intended works wonders.

After reading this I went and listened to Hemispheres to try and remember if it was he heart or the mind that won.

It may bee that conceptually it works better their way. After critical listens both ways I think it sounds better as is. If they want to be mad at EMI for changing the order I can totally understand that. But then I'd have to point a finger at them, though, for not making their concept flow better musically.

[El Barto]

We’re talking about Number of the Beast and Invaders a lot here, but I’d dare say that The X Factor probably could’ve opened with Man On the Edge and moved the 10 minute Sign of the Cross to a bit further in. Man On the Edge and Lord of the Flies would’ve made a brilliant one-two opening punch to Blaze’s time with the band, imo. Love Sign, but it’s a very meh opener.

I thought this was flat out wrong when I first read it. I gave a good critical listen to s1 last night and you're absolutely right. Not to mention, TSotC is works great to open side 2. My first thought was that they were trying to make a statement establishing Blaze. In retrospect, starting with Flies and MotE makes a statement establishing that they're still Maiden, and that's just as important. TSotC is kind of an oddball insofar as Maiden's trademark sound goes. Flies and Man are textbook Maiden.

Interestingly, I'd never noticed it before, but XF was a whole lot closer to the reunion albums than they were to the prior albums. I kept hearing BNW and DoD, and I never heard anything akin to FotD or earlier.

[TAC]

Van Halen's first album starts off with the worst song on the album.