Top 10 Songs Over 10 Minutes LongBy
Douglas Newman Share:
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Until Bob Dylan released “Like a Rolling Stone” in 1965, there’s was basically a hard and fast rule that pop songs had to be easily digestible nuggets that clocked in at only a few minutes long. The industry lived and died by singles that could get ample radio airplay. “Like a Rolling Stone” shattered this barrier and expanded the palette an artist could use to create music. This was, of course, a blessing and a curse, because not just any musician had the ability to create extended works that worked. The following is a list of my PERSONAL FAVORITE Top 10 Songs Over 10 Minutes Long. P.S. Just so you know, JAZZ & LIVE VERSIONS NOT INCLUDED (that wouldn’t really be fair). Disagree with these lists? Create your own list of Top Songs Over 10 Minutes Long HERE
 Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. A heady stew of bayou rhythms and voodoo chants, “Angola Anthem” is the quintessential headphones romp. You can practically feel the heat simmering from the swamp as Dr. John, in full Night Tripper mode, leads the charge for a spine-tingling workout over 17 minutes long.
 Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Greeted by pings of sonar, “Svefn-G-Englar” is what I imagine a humpback whale sounds like as it swims the dark waters of the North Atlantic. The Icelandic quartet makes music of another world. Put this on and float away.
 Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Possessed by the spirit of desire, and with all the passion and drama of a Pentecostal preacher, Nick Cave leads his Bad Seeds through over 14 minutes of organ squeals, guitar freakouts and a musical sermon that’ll leave you sweating, exhausted, and speaking in tongues.
 Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. This is cheating just a bit, but I couldn’t stop myself from including an alternate take of “Fun House” from the Stooges classic 1970 album of the same name. Iggy is in top form here, grunting, screaming and strutting his way through over 11 minutes of raw power. Ron Asheton’s blistering guitar work and the brutal rhythm laid down by drummer Scott Asheton and bassist Dave Alexander makes this a high point in the Stooges short, but brilliant, career.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Other than a righteous opening monologue, “Maggot Brain” is a tour-de-force showcase for guitarist Eddie Hazel, recorded in only one take. According to legend, George Clinton, under the influence of LSD, told Hazel to play the song like his mother had just died. Mother Earth is pregnant for the third time
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COMMENTS (150)
Tom Humes said:
Nice Site layout for your blog. I am looking forward to reading more from you. Tom Humes Clint said:
Great list! Another good one is The Roots’ “The Session (Longest Posse Cut In History)” of the Organix album. Clocks in at 12 minutes plus. Flamenco Dancing Guitar and Cajon Spanish Music » Blog Archive » Top 10 Songs Over 10 Minutes Long said:
[...] 10 Songs Over 10 Minutes Long fruitals wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptFeaturing sublime Spanish-style [...] shane said:
that sigur ros song, #9. is actually called “Svefn-G-Englar” amazing track Jbev said:
Amazing List. I’m especially partial to Nos. 1,3, and 4. Dwight said:
Anesthetize by Porcupine Tree is a notable absence here (17:43) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvYZs6htSVs (alhough the recording on the album is much better… definitely a must download) Chuckles said:
Where’s Supper’s Ready? Easily one of the best prog pieces ever, and plenty long too Whitespiral said:
BS, the best songs are: #3 Rhyme of the ancient mariner, by Iron Maiden antigrav said:
list=fail Jerrad Hermann said:
What the heck? Why are Genesis, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and Yes excluded from this list? They’re the pioneers of the 10+ minute song! Omitting Supper’s Ready is a crime. jamesey said:
NOFX – The Decline – epic 17 minute punk ballad Brian Reich said:
Glad to see Nick Cave on your list. One of my favorite artists. kev said:
In-a-gadda-da-vida just barely missing? DAVE ID said:
Nice to see Echoes up there. An often forgotten classic of PF. Another super long song, Thick as A Brick, limited only by the Vinyl of the time. Bort said:
Sigur Ros – Untitled 8 > every other song in existence Jared said:
What happened to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Freebird? The Grateful Dead have TONS of 10+ minute songs too, even studio recordings. Brian said:
The Doors – THE END Elliott said:
Great to see sigur ros on the list. fred said:
Um, where’s the Rush? (e.g. 2112-20:38, Fountain of Lamneth-20:00, Cygnus X-1: 18:08, Necromancer-12:33, Xanadu, By-Tor, Camera Eye, etc…) Kraftwerk might belong here too with Autobahn. Duane said:
What about In a Gadda Da Vida by Iron Butterfly. I don’t think there is any other epic song over 10 minutes except maybe 2112 by Rush… Howard G. said:
Genesis – songs 10 min + (I may be wrong on a couple of these, or omit some) The Musical Box Marko said:
What about Rare Earth “Get Ready”?! Or, is it saved for 20min songs? wer said:
Dire Straits Telegraph Road should be on the list. Joe said:
Close to the Edge: The Solid Time of Change/Total Mass Retain/I Get Up Shatter Sub One said:
I believe Moya by Godspeed You! Black Emperor deserves a place! strongbox5996 said:
Can has better 10+ minute songs. Hallelujah is where its at same with Future Days. also, take sigur ros of that list. Electronic musicians also have tons, and I mean tons of 10+ minute songs. For #1, it should have been Manuel Gottsching. 58 minute long song — basically the first “techno” song. booya Shane said:
Very cool page and I love the fact that you have the songs embedded for everyone to hear. I’d certainly recommend dropping one for Joanna Newsom’s song Emily off her album Ys. It’s really a masterpiece, and much better than some 10-minute jam. GM said:
Hmmm, What!? no Meatloaf on this list? tsk tsk Uncle Roger said:
How about Alice’s Restaurant Massacree by Arlo Guthrie? And Blues at Sunrise by Albert King and SRV? And then there are *tons* of fantastic classical works that clock in at well over ten minutes. Robert said:
Ah… Arlow Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant” has to be right up there! At a little over 20min’s it’s a winner. Mike said:
Three Days by Jane’s Addiction should be on this list. Jimbo said:
This list should have been titled “Top 10 Songs No One Has Ever heard Of”. Yes, ELP, Genesis – these are bands who did long songs right. Girls On You Tube said:
I love “Marquee Moon” lol. Great article, thanks for sharing! Er Lern said:
“Art of Life” song by X-Japan, clocking at 29 minutes, tops everyone else. zsasz said:
great to see nick cave…that song rules. Jeff said:
Meatloaf misses by 12 seconds….. Doug said:
What, no Inna-Godda-Da-Vida from Iron Butterfly? Trey said:
I agree with some of the others added in the comments, but no one yet has added Meat Loaf’s “I’d Do Anything for Love”…one of my fav’s. And at 12 minutes, fits the requirements. Matthew said:
Richard Lloyd is awesome. He’s also my guitar teacher. Stubie said:
Dire Straits – Telegraph Road?? Andy said:
tool third eye Thomas said:
Fizheur Ziheur by Ricardo Villalobos! Brian said:
Meatloaf’s “Anything For Love” definitely should have made the list. The most epic of epics. It’s like 12 minutes long of the same thing over and over and over. I’m definitely kidding. But not really. Over and over and over. Blake said:
I’ve seen a tool song has already been mentioned but ‘Pushit’ from Aenima still ranks on my top 10 best songs of all time. Sympodius said:
What about Tubular Bells? just sayin said:
The Mars Volta – Cassandra Gemini on their album Frances the Mute is a little over 35 minutes. also throwing my 2 cents in for Tool Trenchbroom said:
This list needs Stephen Stills & Al Kooper’s version of “Season of the Witch” from the Super Sessions album. Over 11 minutes of goodness. It also needs Kraftwerk’s “Autobahn”. Baloo said:
What about In a Gadda Da Vida by Iron Butterfly!?!? There are also many good Genesis Songs over 10 Min. This list kinda sucks someone did not thinks this one all the way threw. Baloo said:
PS – Tool also one of the most amazing bands ever!!!!!! Shel said:
What about 2112 by Rush? It’s an amazing song and 20 minutes long. Dana said:
Todd Rundgren’s Utopia has the longest album side ever recorded, with the song The Ikon being 30:22. The song Utopia Theme is better, however, at 14:18. The four tracks of Yes’ Tales from Topographic Oceans range from 18:37 to 21:33, but it could be argued they added time to them just to fill up space. Honorable mention should go to ELP’s Pirates, at 13:19. ing said:
hmm i like Josh said:
what about funeral for a friend/love lies bleeding by elton john on the epic goodbye yellow brick road. that is well over ten minutes and an incredible piece of music! Mr. Hermeteelwich said:
My votes go to ‘2112′ by Rush and ‘Free Bird (Live)’ by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Evan said:
What about the Thick as a Brick full version by Jethro Tull. I believe it’s 43 minutes long, an excellent song for a road trip. dave said:
Forgot Pink Floyd’s Dogs and Pigs on a Wing. Both are better than Echos [...] Top 10 Songs Over 10 Minutes [...] Klaus said:
‘Do You Feel Like We Do’ by Peter Frampton (Yes, I know it’s live, but it really is the definitive version). [...] Top 10 Songs Over 10 Minutes Long Tags: música | | Salta [...] Scott said:
No Rush(2112)…Worst List Ever. Baytown Bert said:
When I saw the title of this article I immediately looked for: Thick as a Brick by Jethro Tull hockeyzep said:
Achilies Last Stand anyone?????? and for my $ Pink Floyd’s dogs would top the list Elwood Herring said:
Dana: Todd Rundgren’s “Treatise on Cosmic Fire” is the longest rock LP side – 36 minutes. The whole album (”Initiation”) clocks in at 68 minutes. Pity it’s terrible. As for longest classical – I have one of Mahler’s 5th symphony with one side over 45 minutes, total running time 73 mins. jo-el said:
Jethro Tull “Thick as a Brick” is the only song on the self-titled album; over forty minutes! jan said:
I would say Pink Floyds Dogs and Shine On You Crazy Diamond should be on there. Paul said:
Needs more Opeth Corb said:
Silverfuck is 8:44 long, Free Bird is 9:07 long. The following should be on this list: and of course… Sleep – “Dopesmoker” (63:31) Strummer said:
Echoes is not only one of the greatest “long” songs it may very well be one of the Floyds all time greatest. It has everything one could ask for in a sonic masterpiece, it’s perfect Izzy Rocks said:
Tom Verlaine said:
I assume you have never heard “East-West” by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. That can be the only explanation for its omission. Here it is: Tom Verlaine said:
By the way, no offense, but most of you have really shitty music taste. [...] See #5 to #1 on the Next Page Pages: 1 2 [...] Andrew said:
Among numerous other omissions (particularly Telegraph Road, numerous Floyd songs and Iron Butterfly), how about some love for Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys? And for the more recent crowd: Andrew said:
Tom Verlaine: By the way, no offense, but I’m guessing everybody has really shitty music taste compared to you. Because your music is so much cooler than everybody else’s. I know I sure wish my musical taste was as good as yours. Then I’d be complete. Bobbo said:
Mountain Jam by the Allman Brothers. chantix said:
“Art of Life” by X….good list regardless. mjh said:
i’m a huge fan of yes, the king of the full-side lp track. my favorite of theirs, ironically, is “awaken” which is from what’s probably one of their worst albums, going for the one. i think it clocks in somewhere around 18 minutes. James Rankin said:
I’ve never heard of any of these. Well, Pink Floyd’s “Echoes” is a familiar title, so I may recognize it if I hear it, but at this point I couldn’t say how it sounds. I can’t think of many songs myself, but there are 3 I can readily think of that I like very much: “In-a-Gadda-da-Vida” by Iron Butterfly”, of course, “Time Has Come Today” by the Chambers Brothers, of course, and Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells”. Oh, “Terrapin Station” by Grateful Dead would qualify. And if you add “House of 4 Doors” to “Legend of a Mind” by the Moody Blues, which is the way it used to be played (they start out singing “House of 4 Doors”, and then each door opens to a snippet of a tune, most sounding rather classical, then the 4th opens to the 6:37 long “Legend of a Mind” then it ends with one last chorus of “House of 4 Doors”. All of these songs are very good, original, and classic, and would be hard to rank, but I think it would be a duel between “Legend of a Mind” and “In-a-Gadda-da-Vida”. Oh, also on Days of Future Passed by the Moody Blues, “Tuesday Afternoon” and “Nights in White Satin” are tied together with an intermediate part to make one piece well over 10 minutes long, and that has to be one of the best. James Rankin said:
Oh, I agree with “Low Sparks of High-Heeled Boys” by Traffic. Also, I think there may be a deserving song or two each by Jethro Tull and Tool, and Pink Floyd’s “Shine On, You Crazy Diamonds” should be on the list, too. Please, no Meat Loaf! SCB said:
Good list, though I’d recommend Curl Up and Die’s “God Is In His Heaven, All Is Right With The World” Rob said:
I’d say The Glass Prison by Dream Theatre deserves a listen. be why. said:
diamond sea by sonic youth. JD said:
Guess I’m alone in this view, but ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ by Iron Maiden? NWOBHM might not be your cup of tea, but you’d be hard pressed to find a more epic 13 minute long song. brandon said:
this list blew me away. Japetto said:
good to see this, would make life alot easier to see top 20 songs over 10 minutes would make life easier, never heard of alot of the stuff up their, Funkadelic – Maggot Brain was interesting and a good piece while echoes is deserving but apart from that id redo it completely.Id included Jethro Tull – Thick as a Brick, Yes – Awaken, Mike Oldfeild – Tubular Bells, Elton John – Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, The Doors – The End, Genesis – The Battle of Epping Forest, amongst others… hard :S and not necessarily in that order Morgan said:
You know, when listing Top Ten Song Over Ten Minutes, I think one has to gravitate to songs that really stay interesting, and for that, I would’ve included something by Between The Buried And Me (the aforementioned “White Walls” being in mind at the moment). I don’t have the same music taste as you, though. Alex said:
Awh, Rime of the Ancient Mariner should have been on this list, as well as Bossk’s .1 EP. badwolfbay said:
GOD BLESS YOU for bringing me back to reality in “Voodoo Chile” by the Immortal Mr. Jimi Hendrix. I slap wore it out in ‘68 or ‘69 or whenever it was released ( on vinyl of course ) I’m now 56 and it made me feel 18 again………too cool, Right On !! Jack said:
When I was in college, The End was used by a fraternity to torture their pledges. They played it non-stop for a week. I would have depledged after the first time through. SRF said:
Great list! I would add Dylan’s “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” but it ain’t my list. Pete said:
Rapper’s Delight? The song that launched a genre? SeattleGuy said:
“…a hard and fast rule that pop songs had to be easily digestible nuggets that clocked in at only a few minutes long.” That rule was based on the amount of music you could cram onto a 7 inch 45rpm piece of vinyl. Essentially through the 1960’s that was 3 minutes. The rule was based upon the technological limitations of the medium. Rambo said:
Honourable (or just odd?) mention should go to “the Song of Roland”, a French epic poem, which (when spoken, or sung, although it doesn’t have music) would last about 5 hours. More closely to the spirit of this list (but still only ‘honourable mention-worthy’, Zarbizarre and the Cereal Killers released a track of just over 8 hours (from a recording of an all-night continuous-mix DJ party) as a single 600+mb MP3. Doug said:
America pie should be #1 Andy R said:
Doug Doug said:
America Pie was the best of all time. jake said:
I would suggest nearly every song by opeth travis said:
ummmm helloooo Ksheep said:
Albuquerque by Weird Al Yankovic – 11:22 Kathy said:
Thick as a Brick by Jethro Tull. It’s about 40 minutes and it should be #1!! KopLaFez said:
My favorite is The Gumbo Variations by Frank Zappa. Also, Pass the Hatchet, I Think I’m Goodkind by Yo La Tengo is pretty good. Very repetitive. I like putting it on repeat when I’m running. jones said:
some other suggestions: The Cinematic Orchestra Feat. Roots Manuva – All Things To All Men Fat Freddys Drop Mono Ryan G said:
Echoes by Pink Floyd is undoubtedly one of the best tracks ever created. Sun said:
Nice to see Maggot Brain and the Funkadelics remembered. Thank you Kyle said:
First thing that came to my mind as soon as I read the title of the list was Desolation Row should clearly be #1, and it was, great call. Kalle said:
Checking my library, I only have these songs that are 10 min+. They’re not even a very good indication of my taste, but what the hey. Tool – Rosetta Stoned/Lost Keyes(which really doesn’t count since they’re two sep. songs) Grant said:
I can’t tell you how stoked I am to see “Marquee Moon” on there. Nice list. Olivia Fogel said:
Where’s Bob Dylan’s ‘Desolation Row’?? 11:21 Douglas Newman said:
Desolation Row is on the list as NUMBER ONE. Go to page 2 to see it. Eric said:
Actually, it’s “Voodoo Child” not Voodoo Chile UTogger said:
This is an interesting idea for a blog post. I’m going to look up some of this music. Thanks! abbey said:
To Eric, minor correction, “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” is a different song and it is only 5 min. 12 sec. long. “Voodoo Chile”, is 14 min. 59sec. As for the list, Echoes is amazing (probably should be # 1). Have to agree with some posters, Yes “Close to the Edge”, Jethro Tull “Thick as a brick”, Traffic “Low Spark of High-heeled Boys” should all be on the list. What about Emerson, Lake, Palmer’s “Tarkus”? Fuzzmeisterflex said:
Luckily antigrav and jamesey pointed out the one that SHOULD have been #1; NOFX – The Decline Saw NOFX play in Bristol (UK) in 2007 where they played herojuana said:
YES! The Decline, definitely. Thank you antigrav, jamesy and fuzzmeisterflex. NOFX is my favourite band, and The Decline is a masterpiece. Fuck all this old stuff, some people can’t get out of the 60s and 70s, just like the writers of Rolling Stone, still claiming Dylan is God. Get over it, the world has moved on. Hendrix and Dylan were great, yeah, but 35 years ago. Mars Volta said:
Emmm what about Creedence Clearwater Revival’s version of “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” ??? theturbolemming said:
Grah! How have only two people mentioned NOFX’s Decline!? Also, want to second Godspeed You! Black Emperor (Storm) and add a couple others: Herbie Hancock’s ‘Chameleon’ (15:43) and finally -F. said:
I was hoping to see Pushit (The one from Salival, not Aenema) by Tool on this list, but according to the post a lot of people expected a lot of different things here. Still, I’m very happy Nick Cave and Sigur Ros (probably one of my favorite bands of all time) made it. shakey said:
whoever said Eno 1/1, hell yeah.. such a nice memory attached to that vinyl (music for airports) I always thought it was too short. And sigur ros are epic. I heard they were invited on Letterman, but they dont HAVE a song less then 6 minutes and were only allowed 3, so they passed or were passed over, something. wild street productions said:
Thats a quality article. I especially agree with the comment about Sigur Ros, they really do take you off into another world. Grey said:
Great list. Was hoping to see Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Iron Maiden) or Alice’s Restaurant (Arlo Guthrie) up there. Bill e bob said:
And…… Marty said:
Lateralus ALMOST made it. 9:24. dyermaker said:
needs some fucking STARLESS, man. best song ever, by King Crimson. listen to it and you’ll shit yer pants (if you like prog and jazz, anyway) Matt said:
here are my pics in no order; those are my 10 Javier Alcalá said:
starless – King Crimson Mrius said:
Someone needs to add some Dream Theater to his listening experience. Their “Images and Words” album is especially enjoyable. Nick said:
“Get Ready” by Rare Earth. Full album version. jackmehoff said:
Nobody should bitch that their favorite songs didn’t make the list because there are too many really great 10 min songs to really sort them all out into a list of only the “top ten”. Plus, the idea of “top ten” is relative to the listener, anyway. Paul Kennedy said:
Just my own opinion but what about some of Jean Michel Jarre? I know not to everyones taste but some amazing works down through the years, with his longest being En Attendant Cousteau (Waiting For Cousteau) at 46:47. An amazing chill out track!! I agree with the suggestion of Mike Oldfield but what of the live version of Rattlesnake Shake by Fleetwood Mac 24:39, Ravel Bolero 15:20?? Tchaikavsky 1812 Overture 14:51!!! Santana Soul Sacrifice/Head, Hands & Feet 14:01, Frankie Goes to Hollywood Welcome to the Pleasuredome 14:01 Like I say to everyones taste…………….but some are!!! P@uL said:
what no rush!!!! Ben said:
You forgot SISTER RAY! Ally said:
Of Montreal – The Past Is A Grotesque Animal M@rk said:
Found it amazing that only one person mentioned Led Zeppelin, In My Time of Dying (11.02)which is certainly my Top 10 leader. Heres the others Although my #’s 2&3 were live (but best versions available) all the others are studio cuts and hopefully, as not many of them featured in other peoples entries, I may introduce people to some new (to them) artists, even if they do not put them into their top 10’s. Enjoyyyyyy! Bill said:
1. The End – The Doors mick l said:
great list we are never going to agree on the same ten but found your list very good . what about child in time by deep purple Jinsihou said:
2112…greatest 10-minute plus song ever!!! E5150 said:
Leaving Traffic’s Low Spark of High Heeled Boys off this list is all wrong. mike said:
try almost anything by opeth Brian. said:
I personally would have added The Mars Volta, Herbie Hancock or Buckethead myself, these bands have alot of really good songs over 10 minutes but over all good list. Brian. said:
ps. MAGGOT BRAIN!!!!!! Another Opinion! said:
Some songs that should be at least noted, if not on the list… mostly personal tastes, musical differences or relatively unheard of artists, but I’d still recommend checking them all out, especially Jason Becker’s works. Jason Becker – The End of the Begining (11:42) franky forearms said:
the stones’ ”goin’ home” is the greatest ten minute plus tune ever recorded. Chris said:
What about 2112 – Rush? Some Guy said:
The only good one there was echoes. What about In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida and Nine Feet Underground?? I’d personally add Dogs, Pigs, and Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast but you’re probably not meant to add more than one song for one artist Michael said:
I saw Kathy mention Jethro Tull’s Thick as a Brick – Don’t forget A Passion Play Savannah said:
WTF this site sucks, its like I was going to listen to my Fav. song and it got all mixed up and sounded like CRAP Elmo said:
I have to agree with a few of the others here – missing alot of prog greats. Supper’s Ready though isn’t really a song….it’s an achievement. [...] air for 12 FUCKING MINUTES??? Imagine lil’ Mong, tossing his plane in the air, putting on Desolation Road, handrolling and smoking a couple cigarette, and still having enough time to sit and watch his [...] John said:
where is Rime of the ancient mariner. you have chosen the 10 most unknown songs over 10 minutes long (excluding voodoo child). There are also loads of classical music of over 10 minutes to look at, loads of metal, so noone can make a list of your tital because “everybody has a different way to view the world” so you should have made 1 for classical, 1 for metal and 1 for rock n roll. and more if there are any genres i have forgotten about jew said:
Daft Punk – Too Long 10:01 |
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