002: Great Songs Over 7 Minutes Long

Tags: 
  • American Pie~Don McLean (8:32)
  • The End~The Doors (11:47)
  • Jesus of Suburbia~GreenDay (9:23)
  • Light My Fire~The Doors (7:08)
  • Stairway to Heaven~Led Zeppelin (8:00)
  • While My Guitar Gently Weeps~The Beatles (7:05)
  • You Can't Always Get What You Want~The Rolling Stones (7:32)

While I personally can't possibly fathom the inclusion of "Jesus of Suburbia", this is otherwise a list well-represented.

It is especially nice to see "Light My Fire" which somehow is rarely included in these sorts of lists, despite its seeming popularity. I also agree with "The End" (one of rock's great dramatic closers), and the inconquerably timeless "American Pie".

I would've left out "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want". Both are solid, but rather overrated in my opinion. There are plenty of greater works that could've been included, though you may or may not have heard them:

Sister Ray-The Velvet Underground
Heroin-The Velvet Underground
Alifib-Robert Wyatt (pretty left-field, and should only be interpreted within the entire context of the album "Rock Bottom". Once you 'get it' very little comes close.)
Moon In June-Soft Machine
Desolation Row-Bob Dylan
Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands-Bob Dylan
Visions Of Johanna-Bob Dylan
Oh Comely-Neutral Milk Hotel
Good Morning Captain-Slint
Paranoid Android-Radiohead (probably not quite 7 minutes, but definitely worth mentioning)
Voodoo Child-Jimi Hendrix
Frankie Teardrop-Suicide
Astral Weeks-Van Morrison
Cyprus Avenue-Van Morrison
Madame George-Van Morrison
Ballerina-Van Morrison
Lorca-Tim Buckley (not for the impatient listener at all)
It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)-Bob Dylan
Idiot Wind-Bob Dylan
Reoccurring Dreams-Husker Du

etc, etc...