Yes, I Hate The First Track On An Album, and What About It?

(image via Dimely)

If you’re in a fully committed, long term relationship with music, like me, then I’m sure you’ve established your dos and don’ts when it comes to listening to a new album. Whether it’s listening on your special over the ear headphones or sitting in complete darkness when the album plays, everyone’s got their unique take on listening to music. 

For me, things run a little bit differently. I’ve always loved listening to an album front to back. I like stories, and I love it when an album can cohesively tell me one. 

I hate the first track on an album. Without a doubt, I will listen to it once and ignore it for the rest of my life. You might be wondering why. Was it some traumatic experience with the first track of an album? No. Do you fear the number one? Also, no. So why? 

To me, the first track on the album can either be so revolutionary it shapes the whole album. Or, it’s terrible and I cannot think of anything else. 

Here are some examples from my two all-time favorite albums: Childish Gambino’s Awaken My Love album versus its influence, Maggot Brain by Funkadelic. Gambino drew a lot of his ideas for the Awaken My Love album from ‘Maggot Brain’ but the one place that they differ is the starting track. 

Maggot Brain starts with the title track Maggot Brain. While the song is beautiful, there is something I can’t get past. How slow it is. Who decided that this should be the first track of the album? Not to mention its extremely long. Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of long songs — but if I was a first-time listener, I don’t think that this track would pull me into this album. 

I hate to even shame this album, but George Clinton — the artist behind Funkadelic and Parliament — really thought that Maggot Brain was the track to define this album? If it were me, which it isn’t, ‘Can You Get To That’ would’ve been a much wiser choice. This track clearly matches the vibe of all the other ones, and to be honest, it’s just more interesting. 

On the other hand, Awaken My Love starts off with the same format. “Me and Your Mama” starts as a nice, slow and steady song that is a little over six minutes. The key difference between the two is that Gambino’s track slowly but surely digs towards a climax. Once the song hits that point, it’s over with. The whole feel of the album changes. 

That is what an effective first track feels like. A rollercoaster of ideas that will show up somewhere else in the album. Though Maggot Brain fails to do this, the album still has a special place in my heart. 

So, if you’re anything like me, give the first track a listen. Support the artist fully, but then ditch that track as fast as you can — I am sure that there are songs that better represent your favorite albums.