Bonus Hidden Tracks??????

doyler442

I recently just went in and picked up Travis' latest album much to the surprise to have "Includes two hidden bonus tracks" on the front cover and i started thinking that this has become a bit of a joke.

Its hardly hidden if were told about it on the front of the bloody album and really what it is is just two more tracks that the marketing firm try to fend off as "hidden".
There was a time when a hidden track really was worth something to the artist, for example when Damien Rice released O, i was well taken back by the hidden tracks on that and also his second album for that much where when you rewind the first track you get another version of 9 songs - excellent and not touted on for trying to sell more albums

But this appears to be gone with everybody releasing an album now having bloody bonus tracks that we get told about.

Anyone else have an opinion on this?

Doctor J

Yeah, I think it's stupid. Just put the songs there and be done with it. Although a couple of times the hidden track is the best one - Ether Song by Turin Brakes for example or Citizens Band by Super Furry Animals which was actually hidden before the first tune on Guerilla, you had to rewind five minutes before the first song to get it.

Mr E

In fairness, Blue Flashing Light was a great song on The Man Who, but thats besides the point!

lordgoat

A Natural by Whipping Boy.
France by the Libs

ate two of my favourite hidden tracks. But much like encores, just put them all on the back of the album. And don't bother pretending to be finished and come back on. Keep playing. Keep playing.

John

What really annoys me about not listing the "hidden" track in the track listing is that you then have to go and find out what the bloody thing is called! Bah, laziness is meant to be my friend!

RobertFoster

Hidden tracks annoy me. Especially with 20 minutes of dead noise before it starts.

the hero game

lordgoat wrote:

A Natural by Whipping Boy.
France by the Libs

ate two of my favourite hidden tracks. But much like encores, just put them all on the back of the album. And don't bother pretending to be finished and come back on. Keep playing. Keep playing.

'a natural' is one of my fav's too.. i think it's ok to have a hidden track if the song doesn't quite fit w the rest of the songs as a body of work but is too good to leave off completely.. the one at the end of sparklehorse's 'it's a wonderful life' fits that bill i think, and it was so good it appeared again on their next album..

grumpytrousers

RobertFoster wrote:

Hidden tracks annoy me. Especially with 20 minutes of dead noise before it starts.

and taking up HOW much space on the aul mp3 player as well?!?!?

Creamy Goodness

get yourself audacity and chop it into two tracks, or shorten out the 20minutes of dead noise and tag the hidden track right on to the end of the albums closer.

yevveh

Cremo, again with the laziness

But yeah, Mr. E's Beautiful Blues on Eels' 'Daisies of the Galaxy' was the single and it was also a hidden track if I recall right. Gotta love Eels

dream brother

I remember finding the hidden track on Ash's 1st album. The boys puking their ring up and laughing away. Surprised the hell out of me when it came on.

dream brother

Speaking of hidden tracks, on Nirvana's Nevermind there was a song called endless nameless...loads of music and shouting, their song on In Ultreo Gallons Of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through The Strip was ten times better...but should bands put something like that on cd when it doesn't really fit into the actual albums mood. Like damien rice's hidden songs fitted into the groove of the album.
Breathe!

John

On Tool's Opiate, the hidden track on the CD is also on the LP but it's actually hidden on the LP. If you play side two from the start it will just play "Cold & Ugly", "Jerk-Off" and "Opiate" and end. However if you get the needle on the record just right somewhere around "Jerk-Off" you will get the hidden track instead.

grumpytrousers

course whats real funny about the ol' hidden tracks is that they initially appeared on vinyl lps. And of course any of you who have occasion to play your vinyl now and then will know that the tracks are visible and so it was more that a track was uncredited than hidden.

The most famous, i'd think, is Train in Vain from London Calling; initial pressings of the LP didn't mention it on the cover art or the record itself...

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6596137/train_in_vain

and yes yes yes i know you can 'see' tracks on CDs as well, but it's just a darn sight tricker!

stovelid

If only all Travis tracks were hidden

IIRC Stone Roses 'The Second Coming' album had a hidden track at track 99 or 100, you had to skip through all the blank tracks to get to it.

Creamy Goodness

John wrote:

On Tool's Opiate, the hidden track on the CD is also on the LP but it's actually hidden on the LP. If you play side two from the start it will just play "Cold & Ugly", "Jerk-Off" and "Opiate" and end. However if you get the needle on the record just right somewhere around "Jerk-Off" you will get the hidden track instead.

now that's what i call cool.

grumpytrousers

stovelid wrote:

If only all Travis tracks were hidden

IIRC Stone Roses 'The Second Coming' album had a hidden track at track 99 or 100, you had to skip through all the blank tracks to get to it.

indeed. a veritable f*cking hoot when you'd set the CD player to shuffle...

Garret

grumpytrousers wrote:

course whats real funny about the ol' hidden tracks is that they initially appeared on vinyl lps. And of course any of you who have occasion to play your vinyl now and then will know that the tracks are visible and so it was more that a track was uncredited than hidden.

The most famous, i'd think, is Train in Vain from London Calling; initial pressings of the LP didn't mention it on the cover art or the record itself...

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6596137/train_in_vain

and yes yes yes i know you can 'see' tracks on CDs as well, but it's just a darn sight tricker!

that was because it was a late addition to it, afaik

nlgbbbblth

grumpytrousers wrote:

course whats real funny about the ol' hidden tracks is that they initially appeared on vinyl lps. And of course any of you who have occasion to play your vinyl now and then will know that the tracks are visible and so it was more that a track was uncredited than hidden.

R.E.M's Green LP has Untitled as the last track on side 2. Not credited.
Is it mentioned on the CD?

Irish Wolf

The Frames' Fitzcarraldo had a very good hidden track on the first release and then the entire album got over produced and diluted imo... and the hidden track became track 12 on the re-issue...

One thing I used to love about vinyl was reading the inscriptions in the runout...

Legend20

natalie imbruglias first album has a hidden track!!! do not ask me how i know this!!

cashback

nlgbbbblth wrote:

R.E.M's Green LP has Untitled as the last track on side 2. Not credited.
Is it mentioned on the CD?

Untitled is not mentioned on the back cover of the cd. But on the listing on the actual cd, there is a track 11 with no name but it has a running time.

Good tune too.

Basq

I found the final tracks on the last 4 Travis albums to be probably the best stuff on them (don't know if you'd call them hidden though.. as they usually precede the hidden track - supposed the last song so).

The Man Who - Slide Show
The Invisible Band - The Humpty Dumpty Love Song
12 Memories - Walking Down The Hill
The Boy with No Name - New Amsterdam

EDIT: Speaking of Travis... just saw the video for 'Closer' today. Odd to see Ben Stiller popping up in the video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2hYn_4yuhc