who decides track order on albums?

[CRAZY-HORSE]

this has always fascinated me.

how is the track order of an album achieved?

who does the track list on an album?

do they listen to every track in different combinations to see what sounds best next to the previous or following track?

is there a set rule as to how an album should be put together?

[gryphon]

I have just been involved in one ( Can't say for who ) but it worked like this :

• The versions of the tracks are established ( Which take etc )
  
• The artist has their say
  
• The producer has theirs
  
• The record co has their say
  

Then they draw up an acetate or CD R and pass it too uninterested parties to listen too

They feed back and vote

Then there is usually one who has the most say often but not always the artist

Then it is done!

In the olden days there was an extra part

The cutting engineers who also comment on how best quality could be delivered
eg which tracks ended up close to the label

however , in the end , it depends who is top dog!!

I have even known bands who will use all sorts of odd ways to decide which is the best running order or will change mid way through production.

[CRAZY-HORSE]

thank you kind Sir,it makes a lot of sense

[Tiggi]

I have just been involved in one ( Can't say for who ) but it worked like this :

I'm seriously intrigued now, but respect your confidentiality...

[Jerome]

I think track listing has to be decided by the overall flow of the whole album or make a cohesive whole. The rest is irrelevant. How many people do you know who have said, after listening to an album for the first time - 'oh track 4 should have been put before track 3'. People generally just listen to whatever ther is on the album. Remember Rod Stewart's Atlantic Crossing had a novel idea. One side was called the Fast Side and the other the Slow Side. Obviously with concept albums this subject becomes far more important - like scenes in a movie they have to have a logical sequence otherwise the whole thing falls apart. Like a lot of movies are doing because the director is trying to be clever by jumping forwards and backwards in the timeline and eventually has an incomprehensible mess on his hands.

[Jerome]

And then you have some unusual sequences as well;

Shine on You Crazy Diamond - split over two sides of the original vinyl- and it works incredibly well.
Pigs on the Wing - part 1 and 2 introduced and closed the album 'Animals'.

And a really oddball one from 'The Wall' - the first words on the album are '.....I came in' and the last words are 'This is where......' Quite the conceptualist is Mr Waters.

[jazzboCR]

uninterested parties

I know I'm being very picky but I'd use "disinterested" instead--one who has no direct connection to the project rather than one who didn't care at all about the project or the folks involved. English is a tough language because of the seemingly minor differences like this which change the character of the sentence completely.

[SteveO]

I would say that the best way to decide what sequence the tracks are should rely for the most part in the lap of the creator(s) of the music. However usually the tour de force of most albums are on the first few tracks and at the end.