10 Tracks For The Perfect Album

We have all done it. We have all put together in our heads probably the perfect rock and roll album. Of course, for each one of us, it would be different. It is based on personal taste. The Perfect Album is not a compilation of what we believe are the best songs or greatest recordings of all time, or any of that stuff. For the most part, it is like the ultimate mixtape, except in this situation, we are putting together a side one and a side two, just like the old days. I have often thought of this—usually when I’m driving—and wondered what the ultimate perfect record would be. After considerable thought, I decided to put it together and share it with everyone out there.

In order to keep it at the same length as most single albums were in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, the only requirement would be to limit each side to only five songs. Now, of course, so many songs that I’ve picked are pretty long songs, and they probably might not have fit on the standard LP unless we were talking K-Tel quality sound. But we’re going to try to ignore that simple fact. The opening and closing songs on each side are pretty important because anyone who was a record collector understands the value and importance of opening and closing tracks. Additionally, the second song on each side is pretty important. So a lot of thought went into that.  I would love to hear yours. Let me know in the comments what your perfect album would be.

Two big rules

Only one song per artist.

Only five songs per side.

Side One

1 – Funeral For A Friend/ Love Lies Bleeding – Elton John

Is there no more perfect opening track than Elton John’s legendary Funeral For a Friend/ Love Lies Bleeding?  Opening Goodbye Yellow Brick Road with nearly twelve minutes of theatricality, blistering rock energy, and lyrical devastation, Elton John and Bernie Taupin crafted a piece that functions as both an overture and an explosion of loss and resentment. Recorded at Château d’Hérouville in France between January and April 1973 and produced by Gus Dudgeon, this medley is a masterclass in dynamic storytelling, beginning as a sweeping instrumental lament before transforming into a bitter, anthemic breakup song. The track featured Davey Johnstone on guitars, Dee Murray on bass, Nigel Olsson on drums, and Ray Cooper on percussion. I have listened to this song probably at least a thousand times, maybe more, who knows, but I never get tired of listening to it.

2 – That Smell – Lynyrd Skynyrd

Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve gotten so used to hearing this song that’s the second track on Street Survivors that my subconscious mind forced me to put this as the second song on the perfect album. Additionally, this has always been my favorite song from one of my favorite bands of all time, and it brings me back to being 15 years old again. It is so perfectly placed in the second spot.

Recorded in 1977 at Criteria Studios in Miami for Street Survivors, this cautionary tale of excess and destruction was written by Ronnie Van Zant and Allen Collins. Produced by Tom Dowd, the track features Van Zant’s searing vocals, Collins’ and Gary Rossington’s dueling guitars, Leon Wilkeson’s driving bass, Artimus Pyle’s crisp drumming, and Billy Powell’s killer piano work, all culminating in one of the band’s most haunting compositions. While Street Survivors would become tragically linked to the plane crash that claimed Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines just days after its release, this is a song that just so completely defined life for so many of us in the 1970s.

3 –  And You And I – Yes

The third song on most albums, especially in the 1970s, was usually reserved for a ballad. Although it may be a little overkill to call this progressive masterpiece by Yes a ballad, it truly is—one of the most beautiful songs the band ever released. Ask any Yes fan the name of their favorite song, and as I’ve said many times before on this site, “And You and I” will always be one of the most common answers.

“And You and I” was recorded by Yes for their fifth studio album, Close to the Edge, which was released on September 13, 1972. The song was produced by Eddie Offord and the band, and it was recorded at Advision Studios in London. The track ran for 10 minutes and 9 seconds, structured in four distinct movements: “Cord of Life,” “Eclipse,” “The Preacher, the Teacher,” and “Apocalypse.” The lineup for this recording featured Jon Anderson on lead vocals, Steve Howe on guitars, Chris Squire on bass, Rick Wakeman on keyboards, and Bill Bruford on drums, making it one of Bruford’s last recordings with the band before he departed to join King Crimson.

Though it was not released as a single, “And You and I” became one of Yes’s most celebrated compositions, frequently performed in concert and featured on multiple live albums. The album, Close to the Edge, was a critical and commercial success, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart.

4 – Where the Levee Breaks – Led Zeppelin

One of the biggest challenges in putting together this album was deciding which Led Zeppelin song to include. If I wanted to follow my own rule of selecting just one song per artist or band, it was going to be tough choosing only one from my favorite band of all time. I don’t think any other song by Led Zeppelin defined their sound and the importance of John Bonham to the band as much as this one did.

“When the Levee Breaks” was a defining moment in Led Zeppelin’s catalog, capturing the sheer force of their sound and the irreplaceable power of John Bonham’s drumming. Originally written and recorded by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie in 1929, the song was reimagined by Led Zeppelin for Led Zeppelin IV, released on November 8, 1971. Recorded at Headley Grange, a remote English manor house that provided a natural reverb, the track became legendary for its colossal drum sound—achieved by placing Bonham’s drum kit at the bottom of a stairwell and capturing it with distant microphones. The band crafted a blues-drenched epic that stood apart from the rest of the album’s material.

5 – While My Guitar Gently Weeps – The Beatles

The closing song on side one is important but probably not as important as the closing song on side two. That one has to be epic, but of course, this is still one of the most epic Beatles songs ever released, and I would venture to say that it’s an easy argument to define it as one of the most loved Beatles songs of all time.

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was recorded by The Beatles for their self-titled double album, commonly known as The White Album, released on November 22, 1968. The recording sessions took place at EMI Studios in London, primarily on September 5 and 6, 1968. The track featured George Harrison on lead vocals and guitar, Paul McCartney on piano and bass, Ringo Starr on drums, and Eric Clapton, who contributed an uncredited lead guitar part. George Martin produced the song.

Side Two:

1 – Baba O’Riley – The Who

There was a lot of competition in my brain for this spot. The opening song on side two of an album is one of the most important spots. It is pretty much interchangeable with side one. We all know that if you’ve been collecting records your whole life, you didn’t always look at which side you were playing. Sometimes, we just pulled the album out of the sleeve and placed it on the turntable without giving much thought to what side it was because it was one of our favorite albums, and we were going to play the other side anyway. I have written multiple times on this site that the greatest rock song of all time may belong to The Who, and that’s the one I went with to open up side two.

“Baba O’Riley” was recorded by The Who for their fifth studio album, Who’s Next, released on August 2, 1971. The track was laid down in May 1971 at Olympic Studios in London, with the band and Glyn Johns handling production duties. The song runs for 5 minutes and features Roger Daltrey on lead vocals, Pete Townshend on guitar, Lowrey organ, and synthesizer, John Entwistle on bass, and Keith Moon on drums and Dave Arbus on violin.  The song’s title is a fusion of Townshend’s spiritual mentor Meher Baba and avant-garde composer Terry Riley, indicating the diverse influences that shaped its creation.

2 – Driving Wheel – Foghat

Foghat’s “Drivin’ Wheel” served as a great album opener for their classic Night Shift album. That opening screeching guitar lick instantly captured attention. Dave’s vocals on this track were off the charts. While Fool for the City, the album that featured “Slow Ride,” was the band’s most commercially successful release, I have always felt that Night Shift was their strongest record. Like I said in the opening the second track on either side has to be really strong and this one has more than enough energy to fit the bill.

3 – Memory Motel – Rolling Stones

Like side one, we picked a ballad for the third track. The Rolling Stones’ “Memory Motel” was released on their Black and Blue album in 1975. It’s probably one of the band’s most underrated albums. It was the one that featured Ronnie Wood as the newest member of the band. This is a sentimental song for me because I live on Long Island, and I am very well aware of the motel they’re referring to out east. Nonetheless, despite the locality of the song, it is still one of the band’s greatest ballads and probably the most underrated. However, if you were around at the time, it was widely celebrated when it was first released.

4 – Aja – Steely Dan

Steely Dan’s Aja album was my first introduction to jazz music, although I didn’t really know it at the time. I just thought it was a great record that had very cool songs with intricate parts that were simply captivating to listen to. I didn’t understand the musicianship behind it because I was only 16 years old at the time. The musicians that the band hired to play on this record, combined with Fagen and Becker’s incredible songwriting skills, delivered one of the most fascinating, interesting, captivating, and brilliant records of all time. Every song on this record is perfect, but this song is about as close to perfection as you can get in crafting pop, jazz, and rock all in one. There are many legendary stories about the recording of this album and how many takes were required, and it’s pretty clear to me by listening to how perfect this is that all those stories are probably true.

5 – Jungleland – Bruce Springsteen

The closing song on side two is usually reserved for the most epic piece of the album—at least, that was the case for so many classic rock albums of the 1960s and 1970s. I think The Doors really set the bar high with “The End.” Nonetheless, there are a handful of albums from the 1970s that changed the course of music, inspired countless artists to follow in their footsteps, and have stood the test of time as spectacular achievements of musical brilliance. Every single song on Born to Run is perfect. So how does one end such a perfect album? The answer is with a song like “Jungleland.”

I wonder how many mouths dropped open when people heard this song for the first time. There was no doubt in my mind when I started putting this perfect album together in my head that this would be the closer. “Jungleland” is as epic as a rock song can get, both in its musical brilliance and sheer lyrical beauty. It is both sad and hopeful at the same time.

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