Kicking things off

[Frate, Chris (Indust, PTL)]

Baba is perfect to open Who's Next because, from note one, the listener
is instantly told that they're going to hear something completely new
and unexpected. However, the synth is completely entrancing so, even if
you might be put off by the newness of it, you can't turn away.

-Chris in Cleveland

-----Original Message-----
From: thewho-bounces at igtc.com [mailto:thewho-bounces at igtc.com] On Behalf
Of Jim M
Sent: Friday, January 12, 2007 6:05 PM
To: The Who Mailing List
Subject: Kicking things off

----- Original Message ----- From: "John" <pureneasy at tiscali.co.uk>
>
> In our conversation at work, we touched on the following points.
>
> What is the purpose of the opening song?
>
> Is it to grab us by the balls, so to speak, forcing us to listen to 
> the album?
>
> Is it to set the mood of the album?
>
> Is it the convenient place to put the first single, thus making us 
> think we know the album better than we do from the start?

I agree, John, there's a lot more behind this question than you might
first think.  I noticed recently that album track order seems to be less
significant now than it used to be.  A lot of people are listening to
music on players that support playlists that can be manipulated far
easier than the old way of sitting down and making a cassette tape.
I've been playing a lot with the order of Endless Wire, mostly putting
the extended songs where they belong and trying to find a place for In
The Ether.  But I've also used Fragments in the opera, which meant I
needed to find another opening song, which wasn't as easy as it sounds.

I think all of the factors you mention enter into making a good opener,
and it's not that different from picking a song to open a concert.
Ideally, the song should be well known, short and punchy.  Won't Get
Fooled Again would simply be too long, in my opinion.  The Real Me (as
the first true song on
Quad) might be the best example on a Who album.

Jim M

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