Artists who release filled-to-capacity 70-minute CDs might think they’re doing you a favor, but not if you have to keep reaching for that pesky fast-forward button. We came up with some albums that are fat-free classics, most lasting no longer than an average network television commercial break (or thereabouts).
The Strokes ― Is This It (2001)
Length: 35:34
Shortest Song: “Is This It” (2:34)
The album that showed boy bands the door and ushered loud, dirty guitars back onto the pop charts. It’s no coincidence that every song thrusts forward with an incredible sense of urgency.
Pixies ― Surfer Rosa (1988)
Length: 32:50
Shortest Song: “Broken Face” (1:30)
Inspiring everyone from Kurt Cobain to
Billy Corgan, the Boston quartet's first full-length hits you in the guts over and over again with its manic surf guitars, manic yelps and glorious loud-quiet-loud melodies. Even the 44-second “You F---in’ Die” interlude feels essential.
Nick Drake ― Pink Moon (1972)
Length: 28:22
Shortest Song: “Horn” (1:23)
This folk classic is so beautifully crafted that even with the brief running time, Drake left plenty of room for his songs to actually breathe. Like the singer’s life, which ended two years later, it feels short but intense.
John Coltrane ― A Love Supreme (1964)
Length: 33:02
Shortest Song: “Resolution” (7:22)
Sometimes it’s simply a case of quality over quantity. With just three really long songs, this classic short album is often cited as one of the best jazz albums of all time. The best part: The whole thing kicks off with the sound of a gong.
Ramones ― Ramones (1976)
Length: 29:04
Shortest Song: “Judy Is A Punk” (1:30)
The leather jackets and scowling faces confirmed that these guys don't mess around. Going back to the basics of early rock and roll, the Ramones recorded their debut fast and cheap. It remains one of punk’s most essential releases.
The Beatles ― A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
Length: 30:30
Shortest Song: “I’ll Cry Instead” (1:49)
The sprawling White Album was great and everything but for sheer simple thrills it’s hard to pass up the original U.K. version of the Beatles’ first album of all original music. With tracks like “
And I Love Her” and “Can’t Buy Me Love,” it stands as one of the band’s best releases ― no minor feat.
X ― Los Angeles (1980)
Length: 28:05
Shortest Song: “Sex and Dying In High Society” (2:15)
Produced by the Doors’
Ray Manzarek you wouldn’t expect this influential Los Angeles punk band’s debut release to be so compact and crucial. Yet X excelled at defying expectations, offering an album that brilliantly railed against all the clichés conjured by its title.
Van Halen ― 1984 (1984)
Length: 33:08
Shortest Song: “1984” (1:07)
Diver Down, a brief album filled with covers and instrumentals, gave this
hard rock group a reputation for short-changing its fans. But Diamond Dave and company more than made up for it with this tight, synth-driven set packed with parking-lot singles such as “Jump,” “Panama” and “Hot For Teacher.”