Best four-song run on an album?

I think my favorite six-song run is Evenings of Damask, The Sea Beasts, Iscariot, Nijinsky Hind, The Pilgrim's Tale, The Misty Coast of Albany.

Also
Run to the sun, baby doll, am I high, rock star
Napoleon says, consolation prizes, rally, long distance call
Beat it, billie jean, human nature, pyt
...
Animal, love bites, pour some sugar on me, armageddon it

this thread has me cranking some jailbreak. loving it.

i think you could chop up Pink Flag into any consecutive four-song chunks and come up w/a winner.

^^ agreed

speed trials -> alameda -> ballad of big nothing -> between the bars

Either/or .. good one

so many great possible choices, some of which are album sides:

(FTW?) Heart And Soul/Twenty Four Hours/The Eternal/Decades

Hey Pocky A-Way/It Ain't No Use/Loving You Is On My Mind/Africa

Mr Tambourine Man/Gates Of Eden/It's All Right, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)/It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

more personal faves:

Doctor Robert/I Want To Tell You/Got To Get You Into My Life/Tomorrow Never Knows*

When A Man Needs A Woman/Passing By/Anna Lee, The Healer/Little Bird (fave Beach Boys sequence)

Chanson d'O/Le Martien/Mer/Oui, Je Dis Adieu

*(also strong: Eleanor Rigby/Love You To/I'm Only Sleeping/Here, There And Everywhere)

Also, Belly's "Star" has Slow Dog > Low Red Moon > Feed The Tree > Full Moon, Empty Heart, which is just, like, put those four on repeat and never leave the house again.

whoa, I came here earlier just to post this, but I couldn't decide whether to go with the run you posted or Low Red Moon > Feed The Tree > Full Moon, Empty Heart > White Belly. I still can't decide actually.

angel > risingson > teardrop > inertia creeps

― mookieproof, Saturday, September 18, 2010 3:13 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

God that is SO otm.

Wait wait wait we're totally forgetting one of the best ever:

Money Changes Everything > Girls Just Wanna Have Fun > When You Were Mine > Time After Time

Let Yourself Go Another Time -> The Paisley Window Pane -> I Realized You -> By The Sea

(from Wendy & Bonnie: Genesis)

Roxy Music, "Country Life:"

"The Thrill of It All"
"Three and Nine"
"All I Want is You"
"Out of the Blue"

ABC, "Lexicon of Love:"

"Show Me"
"Poison Arrow"
"Many Happy Returns"
"Tears Are Not Enough"

Of course, the ABC album just keeps killing it, and I just realized there's no reason to go with the first four songs of a album. I guess it'd be a lot tougher to think of albums in random chunks. At least for me, it would be.

"Peter Piper"
"It's Tricky"
"My Adidas"
"Walk This Way"

― kenanpolaris (Whiney G. Weingarten), Saturday, September 18, 2010 7:24 AM (7 hours ago) Bookmark

hard to beat

brown sugar > sway > wild horses > can't you hear me knocking

harborcoat > 7 chinese bros. > so. central rain > pretty persuasion

runnin' with the devil > eruption > you really got me > ain't talkin' 'bout love

dalliance > dare > suck > blonde

owner of a lonely heart > hold on > it can happen > changes

i stand by mezzanine tho

Money Changes Everything > Girls Just Wanna Have Fun > When You Were Mine > Time After Time

Damn, yeah, that's pretty amazing.

The first four on "OK Computer" is a pretty mighty run.

Also:
Care Of Cell 44
A Rose For Emily
Maybe After He's Gone
Beechwood Park

Jordan, Minnesota > Passing Complexion > Big Money > Kerosene
The Act We Act > A Good Idea > Changes > Helpless
Hunted by a Freak > Moses I Amn't > Kids Will Be Skeletons > Killing All the Flies

Shine On You Crazy Diamond Part I -> Part II -> Part III -> Part IV

Oh shit..
Things Done Changed, Gimme The Loot, Machine Gun Funk, Warning

Rumours
Dreams - Never Going Back Again - Don't Stop - Go Your Own Way

the last four tracks from What's Going On
Mercy Mercy Me - Right On - Wholy Holy - Inner City Blues

Music for the Jilted Generation
The Heat - Poison - No Good - 3 Kilos

Illmatic
NY State of Mind - Life's a Bitch - The World is Yours - Halftime

"One Day" -> "Murder" -> "Pinky Ring" -> "Diamonds & Wood"

"Like a Rolling Stone"; "Tombstone Blues"; "It's a Takes a Train to Laugh..."; "From a Buick 6"

"St. Elmo's Fire"; "In Dark Trees"; "The Big Ship"; "I'll Come Running"

"Love Goes On!"; "Quiet Heart"; "Love is a Sign"; "You Can't Say No Forever"

"Stars of Track & Field"; "Seeing Other People"; "Me & the Major"; "Like Dylan in the Movies"

I Want You (She's So Heavy)->Here Comes the Sun->Because->You Never Give Me Your Money

The QOTSA thread reminded me of Hangin' Tree -> Go With The Flow -> Gonna Leave You -> Do It Again

Mr. Robot's Holy Orders > West Germany > The Politics of Time > Themselves

Buzzards and Dreadful Crows > Tractor Rape Chain > The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory > Hot Freaks

Let Yourself Go Another Time -> The Paisley Window Pane -> I Realized You -> By The Sea

(from Wendy & Bonnie: Genesis)

ah yes, what a fantastic sequence to open a record with

Across the Sea > The Good Life > El Scorcho > Pink Triangle

People Get Ready > Niki Hoeky > You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman > Since You've Been Gone

I'm the Man Who Loves You > Pot Kettle Black > Poor Places > Reservations

the v.u.
candy says/what goes on/some kinda love/pale blue eyes
― ....some kind of psychedelic wallflower (outdoor_miner),

OTM

Down On The Street > Loose > T.V. Eye > Dirt
Sweet Thing > Cyprus Avenue > The Way Young Lovers Do > Madame George
Once In A Lifetime > Houses In Motion > Seen And Not Seen > Listening Wind
Purple Haze > Manic Depression > Hey Joe > Love Or Confusion
See No Evil > Venus > Friction > Marquee Moon

tangled up in blue> simple twist of fate> you're a big girl now> idiot wind

across the great divide> rag mama rag> they night they drove old dixie down> when you awake

made of stone> shoot you down> this is the one> i am the resurrection

Family Snapshot -- And Through the Wire -- Games Without Frontiers -- Not One of Us

1999 -- Little Red Corvette -- Delirious -- Let's Pretend We're Married [-- D.M.S.R.]

so I don't know about you guys, but my general philosophy in posting these is that if I look one or two songs beyond the boundaries of the four-song sequence and find myself saying "ah fuck, I wish I could put that one in too!" I generally don't post it. I only bring this up b/c I'm seeing stuff like:

Sweet Thing > Cyprus Avenue > The Way Young Lovers Do > Madame George
Once In A Lifetime > Houses In Motion > Seen And Not Seen > Listening Wind
Buzzards and Dreadful Crows > Tractor Rape Chain > The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory > Hot Freaks

and feelin' pretty smh

I Wanna Get High
I Ain't Goin' Out Like That
Insane in the Brain
When the Shit Goes Down

Don't Let It Bring You Down
Birds
When You Dance I Can Really Love
I Believe In You

you could start anywhere on the first side of Sloan's Twice Removed but this is my favourite...

I Hate My Generation
People of the Sky
Coax Me
Bells On

6."Three Days" – 10:48
7."Then She Did..." – 8:18
8."Of Course" – 7:02
9."Classic Girl" – 5:07

the run from the third vu album that I would go with would prolley be:

Jesus
Beginning to See the Light
I'm Set Free
That's The Story of My Life

didnt cha know
my life
... & on
cleva

Smashing Pumpkins' Pisces Iscariot*

Hello Kitty Kat
Obscured
Landslide
Starla

*I know I get a lot of strange looks for repping for this album so much, but c'mon! ^THIS is fucking awesome!

Optimistic
In Limbo
Idioteque
Morning Bell

I'm not really a huge fan of Remake/Remodel, so I think I can post this

Ladytron
If There Is Something
Virginia Plain
2HB

Electricity
Yellow Brick Road
Abba Zaba
Plastic Factory

again: "cyber Insekt" is v. good and could be included, but at the same time, these four (from The Unutterable) flow great into one another:

Two Librans
W.B.
Sons of Temperance
Dr. Bucks Letter

Soldier
The Cell
Twinkle
Master Teachers

Arthur Russell - Another Thought

Another Thought > A Little Lost > Home Away From Home > Lucky Cloud

Kills me.

I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Here Comes the Sun
Because
You Never Give Me Your Money

The US version of the Stone Roses S/T has two great 4 song runs:

I Wanna Be Adored
She Bangs the Drums
Elephant Stone
Waterfall

Made of Stone
Shoot You Down
This is the One
I Am the Resurrection

Since I was just listening to Lifes Rich Pageant:

"Begin the Begin" > "These Days" > "Fall on Me" > "Cuyahoga"

This reminds me how long my music listening has been depressingly removed from “whole albums, in order”

Offhand:

- The last tracks on Behaviour and the first tracks on Very
- The first and last tracks on The Rising (I know it’s not well-loved but it’s a personal sentimental favourite)
- Little Star / Hopefully Yours / Murder in Maryland Park / I See You Again or any four song segment of that album

4+4+2

Hardcore UFO's
Buzzards & Dreadful Crows
Tractor Rape Chain
Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory
Hot Freaks
Smothered In Hugs
Yours To Keep
Echos Myron
Gold Star For Robot Boy
Awful Bliss

― DACA Flocka Flame (Hadrian VIII), Tuesday, 23 October 2018 18:42 (four years ago)

this is such a good answer

so many but the first four tracks on roman candle by elliott smith destroy me

The 2nd side of Rust Never Sleeps.

Side one of John Prine's first album.

Suede - We Are The Pigs > Heroine > The Wild Ones - Daddy's Speeding

Saint Etienne - Avenue > You're In A Bad Way > Hobart Paving > Leafhound (ignoring the 20 second Memo To Pricey interlude there)

Broadcast - Papercuts > You Can Fall > Look Outside > Until Then

Kylie - More More More > Love At First Sight > Can't Get You Out Of My Head > Fever

Sylvester - All four songs on Stars

Broadcast - Papercuts > You Can Fall > Look Outside > Until Then

The 3 songs before "Papercuts" are pretty amazing as well.

Maybe it would be more of a challenge to pick an album with 4 great songs in a row and nothing else that’s very good.

I've been trying to think of examples of this. Somebody already listed the only four songs from Rain Dogs that I like, except for "9th and Hennepin".

A couple of times Tori Amos really rallied at the end of very lengthy and not-entirely-satisfactory albums and came up with amazing four-song conclusions:

Another Girl's Paradise / Scarlet's Walk / Virginia / Gold Dust
Beauty of Speed / Almost Rosey / Velvet Revolution / Dark Side of the Sun

I like other songs from these records, but with each subsequent song in these closing quartets, it feels like she is raising her bets and pulling off a victory.

Cocoon > It's Not Up To You > Undo > Pagan Poetry

Too High > Visions > Living for the City > Golden Lady
Did I Hear You Say You Love Me > All I Do > Rocket Love > I Ain't Gonna Stand For It

More Lana — a six-song run, as good as any I know:

Black Bathing Suit > If You Lie Down With Me > Beautiful > Violets for Roses > Dealer > Thunder

The 2 of Us / Black or Blue / The Asphalt World / Still Life

Here's five:

Sailin' On/Don't Need It/Attitude/The Regulator/Banned In D.C.

Then you get a dub instrumental, so you can catch your breath.