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Originally Posted by HomerMcvie
BUT, an album should make a cohesive statement. All the great ones DO. SYW doesn't. It challenges not only the listener's attention span, but also their ability to sit through a few sub-par songs.
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Meant to reply to you earlier, Homie.
I'll be the first one to say that 'Say You Will's' running order was a BIG mistake. I know Lindsey complained in the 'Destiny Rules' doc (or was it in one of the magazine interviews?) that if it were up to Stevie, all of the edgier material would be pushed towards the end of the album. And that he was adamant that that wasn't going to happen with this album.
Most likely this is the "huge battle over the running order" that Mick talked about as having nearly brought the entire ship down.
But I think it was a BIG mistake to weigh-down the first half of the CD with "Murrow," "Illume," "Red Rover" and "Come." They're too dark and heavy to open an album with ("Murrow" is the SECOND track, for Cripe's sake!).
Paired right alongside the aforementioned songs, "Miranda" and "Peacekeeper" also seem too "heavy" (subject-wise), by default. And none of them seem to have the impact they should have.
Had they spaced the tracks better... allowed the album to BREATHE... it would have had more impact, IMO.
I respect Lindsey's desire to shake the listener out of any complacency... but I always feel that it's better when you take the listener on the journey WITH you, as opposed to dragging them along, kicking and screaming. Start them off in familiar territory, and the audience is far more willing to explore new things over the course of the album.
I could be dead-wrong, but I really think it was the running order, FAR more than the amount of tracks, that left so many people cold.
My friend Anne bought the album the day it came out, but she told me that as hard as she tried, she couldn't get into it.
So a while back, I played her the copy I burned for myself with the running order that I came up with (with a valued assist from chiliD), and she told me she loved it. In fact, I know she really did, because she
made me burn her a copy of it that way!
So, I really think a different track order could have made a BIG difference in people's perceptions of this album.
Oh, and for the record....
1. What's The World Coming To
2. Say You Will
3. Bleed To Love Her
4. Thrown Down
5. Peacekeeper
6. Smile At You
7. Murrow
8. Illume
9. Say Goodbye
10. Running Through The Garden
11. Miranda
12. Everybody Finds Out
13. Steal Your Heart Away
14. Silver Girl
15. Come
16. Destiny Rules
17. Red Rover
18. Goodbye Baby