the hidden track, a blessing or a curse
A phenominon of the CD era, the hidden track,[in so much as the don;t seem to appear on downloads, but still mess-up your inporting of CD's] as i'm sure we all know was a song or sometimes less added at the end of the CD, not listed on the liner notes, but for what reason?
Was it to provide value money for the consumer, or as a gift for the listerner for completing the whole album, or a way of passing off a song that wasn't deemed good enough to be on the album in th3 first place. Who's idea was it to place these things 23.52 mins after the end of the final track, the artists to sneek a bit of 'extra' to you with out the record company knowing, or the record company putting out some gubbins that the artist didn't like?
Not only but also does anyone have any hidden tracks that they feel add to an album, or any that for the love of god should have never ever seens the light of day?
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Hugely annoying
Is anyone realy meant to sit through several minutes of silence to hear a track that probably wasn't good enough for the rest of the album? Are they supposed to wait consciously, or do the people who programme these things think that everyone sits in open-jawed wonder for quarter of an hour when an album has finished, rather than, I dunno, getting up and putting another album on or doing something else.
Anyway here's a tip to avoid wasting space on your MP3 player on hours of silence. 'MP3 Direct Cut' is a free, easy-to-use download programme with which you can chop about your MP3s as you see fit.
iPod facility
You can do the same thing on the iPod by:
- right clicking on the relevant track in your 'library'
- selecting 'Get Info'
- choosing the 'Options' tab
- entering the time you want the track to stop in the relevant box.
Easy really!
The only real use for a "hidden" track
is to to wake the listener up by putting something very loud and impossible to ignore about 10 minutes after the natural end of any album that might be enjoyed in, er, enhanced circumstances. The number of times I've left African Dub Vol 3 rotating on the turntable all bloody night.
David Gray
On White Ladder he placed a hidden track at the start. To find it you have to start playing the disc and then press the Fast Back button.
Ash
Ash did the same thing on their "1977" album and I think Blur did also on their last CD (Think Tank?).
Spooky
I was discussing this with someone yesterday. My CD player doesn't tell how long the track is so when 13/13 ended I took the cd out.
Since purchasing an Ipod and transferring I've discovered all these hidden tracks that I didn't know I had. Bloody annoying and just showing off.
Favorite one is on Esbjorn Svensson Seven Days Of Falling, after 7 minutes of silence "Love Is Real"
Harmless fun
The Lamb album Fear of Fours also has a hidden track before the first one... wish I could figure out how to rip as an MP3 because it's quite nice.
I think the secret track thing is just messing with the CD medium a little - a bit like the loop on the run-out groove on Sgt Pepper, or those DVD "Easter eggs." Doesn't do any harm if you miss it and you feel like you've had a more complete experience if you find them.
My favourite is the little one at the end of Kid A.
Motion Picture Soundtrack
That's the one I was thinking of too. A wonderful little piece of music thrown in at the end of a great album (Kid A that is).
Jarvis Cocker's Finest Half Hour
I tend to think he's a better idea than the reality, but easily the best thing on his quite likable Jarvis album was C**ts (Are Still Running The World) which, at least on the U.S. pressing arrived about 25 minutes after the 'proper' album finished.