I can think of two good reasons for albums to start with their strongest tracks:
1) If someone listens to an album to see if they like it, they're likely to start at the beginning. You want to make a good impression fast.
2) If someone reads the track listing on the back of an album to see if they recognize/like anything on there, again, they start at the top. Attention spans are short. Why risk hiding your big hit in Track 8? (Of course, some albums get around this by slapping an annoying 'Contains Hit Song Whatever!' sticker on the front.)
I have a friend who approaches album composition like an art, both in considering published albums and in making mix compilations. There has to be a certain flow to the tempo of the songs, the style, the topics, to keep things from jarring or from getting too dull. But I don't know how many albums are actually composed that way in the music industry, and how many are put together through arcane marketing directives.
Whatever the reason, it's usually not a bad idea to start off a project with something attention-grabbing.
(Now, ending an album with forgettable songs is another matter entirely...)
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
1) If someone listens to an album to see if they like it, they're likely to start at the beginning. You want to make a good impression fast.
2) If someone reads the track listing on the back of an album to see if they recognize/like anything on there, again, they start at the top. Attention spans are short. Why risk hiding your big hit in Track 8? (Of course, some albums get around this by slapping an annoying 'Contains Hit Song Whatever!' sticker on the front.)
I have a friend who approaches album composition like an art, both in considering published albums and in making mix compilations. There has to be a certain flow to the tempo of the songs, the style, the topics, to keep things from jarring or from getting too dull. But I don't know how many albums are actually composed that way in the music industry, and how many are put together through arcane marketing directives.
Whatever the reason, it's usually not a bad idea to start off a project with something attention-grabbing.
(Now, ending an album with forgettable songs is another matter entirely...)