While I don't disagree with you, being a fan of not only Coltrane, but of The Grateful Dead and of Breton dance music like Blowzabella, where songs often segue into each other, I feel that there is also a purpose for the 3 minute song. When I was living in Denmark, I wrote a longish piece for the NME that they titled "The Rot at the Roots of Rock and Roll". I posited that the format of the 3 minute single taught discipline, and that rock musicians in particular, without much training or experience, were often unable to sustain longer pieces. One of the best examples, IMO, was Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother, which I saw performed at The Fillmore East in 1970 with the band backed by a small choir. (I understand that they also had a string section when they toured Europe, but did not bring that to the US, probably due to cost.) The piece simply didn't have enough ideas to sustain the length. Nor were the band great improvisers. The best Pink Floyd is the short, early songs on Piper at the Gates of Dawn or Nick Mason's solo album Fictitious Sports. Nick was being pressured by Columbia for a solo album, realized that he didn't have enough ideas, and simply handed the keys over to the great Carla Bley and asked her to make an album for him. The result was the best PF solo album aside from Syd's 1st two.
While the 3-minute song was limited by 78 and 45-rpm technology plus the advertising-hungry radio stations, look what the Beatles did with moving from song to song with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Similar to Karen Bennett's comment on Gary Bartz's performances.
While this post makes a true and important point, I think it fails to recognise the paradoxical value of brevity and its connection to beauty.
Two of the most beautiful Beatle songs, both containing complex dramas, are very short. Eleanor Rigby and Norwegian Wood are each barely two mintes long. They are as close to formal perfection as any song I know, and neither would gain from extension.
I have only once heard Webern's Op 6 pieces for orchestra performed live, and it was the most gloriously transcendent obliteration of ordinary time I have ever heard. To the summit of the mountain there are many paths.
Explains why I listen to Indian Classical and Psyambient music while working ... I can only stay in the groove if tracks are long and thematically relatable.
❤️ this blog post hard. Lived in an ashram for 3 years where the Saptah - 24/7 continuous chant - was one of the most anticipated events of any year. The experience is hard to describe other than feeling like you had sunken into another realm where everything had slowed down and the edges were soft and the reg world’s nonsense had no sway. I miss this so. Our culture is poorer for not providing access to this experience. Thanks for your research and the opportunity to delve into this wonderful topic.
The LP (and later CD) made the longer tracks possible. You're right that there is no physical limit anymore. As for ten minutes to ecstasy, religion has been on to this for centuries. The power of the Jewish High Holidays, with long, long liturgies is overwhelming, especially if you have been fasting all day.
Great commentary. Gary Bartz does not pause between songs in a set when he performs; he segues directly into the next. It is a more cohesive and compelling experience, IMO. I also find it jarring when a musician starts off with the most upbeat tune in a set; something the band knows well, and after the break, switches tempo and sometimes band members are reading and playing in a halting manner. Really disruptive and tiresome. Keep the audience WITH you!
Hence jamband performances, EDM marathons and so much more. I still get “lost” listening to the one song that makes up the second side of the Yes album Relayet in a way that I am not able to in their 3-4 minute songs.
While I don't disagree with you, being a fan of not only Coltrane, but of The Grateful Dead and of Breton dance music like Blowzabella, where songs often segue into each other, I feel that there is also a purpose for the 3 minute song. When I was living in Denmark, I wrote a longish piece for the NME that they titled "The Rot at the Roots of Rock and Roll". I posited that the format of the 3 minute single taught discipline, and that rock musicians in particular, without much training or experience, were often unable to sustain longer pieces. One of the best examples, IMO, was Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother, which I saw performed at The Fillmore East in 1970 with the band backed by a small choir. (I understand that they also had a string section when they toured Europe, but did not bring that to the US, probably due to cost.) The piece simply didn't have enough ideas to sustain the length. Nor were the band great improvisers. The best Pink Floyd is the short, early songs on Piper at the Gates of Dawn or Nick Mason's solo album Fictitious Sports. Nick was being pressured by Columbia for a solo album, realized that he didn't have enough ideas, and simply handed the keys over to the great Carla Bley and asked her to make an album for him. The result was the best PF solo album aside from Syd's 1st two.
Great format Ted.
As always the content is excellent.
Now I understand why I play Led Zeppelin's "Dazed and Confused" (and lots of their other tracks) on repeat in my car.
While the 3-minute song was limited by 78 and 45-rpm technology plus the advertising-hungry radio stations, look what the Beatles did with moving from song to song with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Similar to Karen Bennett's comment on Gary Bartz's performances.
While this post makes a true and important point, I think it fails to recognise the paradoxical value of brevity and its connection to beauty.
Two of the most beautiful Beatle songs, both containing complex dramas, are very short. Eleanor Rigby and Norwegian Wood are each barely two mintes long. They are as close to formal perfection as any song I know, and neither would gain from extension.
I have only once heard Webern's Op 6 pieces for orchestra performed live, and it was the most gloriously transcendent obliteration of ordinary time I have ever heard. To the summit of the mountain there are many paths.
Going by this reasoning, we should all be better off being on MDMA.
Explains why I listen to Indian Classical and Psyambient music while working ... I can only stay in the groove if tracks are long and thematically relatable.
Why didn't this video end with "Do you feel like I do? If so, click "like" and subscribe."
❤️ this blog post hard. Lived in an ashram for 3 years where the Saptah - 24/7 continuous chant - was one of the most anticipated events of any year. The experience is hard to describe other than feeling like you had sunken into another realm where everything had slowed down and the edges were soft and the reg world’s nonsense had no sway. I miss this so. Our culture is poorer for not providing access to this experience. Thanks for your research and the opportunity to delve into this wonderful topic.
The LP (and later CD) made the longer tracks possible. You're right that there is no physical limit anymore. As for ten minutes to ecstasy, religion has been on to this for centuries. The power of the Jewish High Holidays, with long, long liturgies is overwhelming, especially if you have been fasting all day.
Great commentary. Gary Bartz does not pause between songs in a set when he performs; he segues directly into the next. It is a more cohesive and compelling experience, IMO. I also find it jarring when a musician starts off with the most upbeat tune in a set; something the band knows well, and after the break, switches tempo and sometimes band members are reading and playing in a halting manner. Really disruptive and tiresome. Keep the audience WITH you!
Hence jamband performances, EDM marathons and so much more. I still get “lost” listening to the one song that makes up the second side of the Yes album Relayet in a way that I am not able to in their 3-4 minute songs.