Opening and Closing songs.

[Gjallarhorn]

Opening and closings songs on albums tend to carry a lot of meaning, at least in regard to the album itself, and typically are some of the best songs of an album. Opening songs can set a tone and a mood, and something which the rest of the album can build on, and closings songs often wrap everything together, or breath new life into it.

So, what are some songs which open and close albums that your like, or think are particularly outstanding?




Ellegarden tends to have a real knack for closing songs, these three in particular are outstanding.
"Marie" on Eleven Firecrackers
"BBQ Riot Song" on Riot On The Grill
"Good Morning Kids" on Pepperoni Quattro

Asian Kung-Fu Generation has a few good intros, and their opening song is usually part of a pair with the second track on the album.
"Flashback" on Kimi Tsunagi Five M
"Shindoukaku" on Sol-fa
"Angou no Waltz" on Fanclub
"World World World" on World World World.
Their only closing song which really stands out to me is the thematic "Atarashii Sekai" on World World World.

OYA has consistently produced good opening songs, including "Atari ha Koko", "Mata Ashita", and "Coin Laundry", and a fantastic closing song entited "JN", which ends a relatively calm EP with song which builds energy.

9mm Parabellum Bullet has always fallen short as far as openings and closings go, but the ending on their album Termination is amazing. For a band which has founded itself of playing fast, violent music, the song "Punishment" goes far and beyond their usual insanity.

[Ayame_Sohma]

My favourite ones
Paradise Kiss-Lonely in Gorgeous by Tommy february6
Chobits -let me be with you
Inuyasha- i want to change the world
Fruit Basket- For Fruits Basket by Ritsuko Okazaki
Akane Iro no Somaru Saka - Hatsukoi Parachute


I might add some more later.

[Gjallarhorn]

My favourite ones
Paradise Kiss-Lonely in Gorgeous by Tommy february6
Chobits -let me be with you
Inuyasha- i want to change the world
Fruit Basket- For Fruits Basket by Ritsuko Okazaki
Akane Iro no Somaru Saka - Hatsukoi Parachute


I might add some more later.

If you didn't notice, this ISN'T for anime openings and closings. Try reading the first post.

[3pleT]

Closing songs are usually not as good as the rest of the album and I don't pay as much attention to them as I pay to the opening ones. Most of them also have hidden tracks after a couple of minutes of silence, and there's nothing in the world I hate more than that.
Anyway, about openings:
Faith No More - Land of Sunshine (Angel Dust)
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet (Fear of a Blank Planet)
Porcupine Tree - Blackest Eyes (In Absentia)
Radiohead - Everything in Its Right Place (Kid A)
Blu Mar Ten - Home Videos (The Six Million Names of God)
Slowdive - Alison (Souvlaki)
Atmosphere - 1597 (Overcast!)
Animal Collective - Leaf House (Sung Tongs)
Venetian Snares - Chinaski (Songs About My Cats)
Sage Francis - Crack Pipes (Personal Journals)
Why? - Ferriswheel (Oaklandazulasylum)
Delorean - Deli (Ayrton Senna)
Lightning Bolt - Forcefield (Ride the Skies)
4hero - Morning Child (Play with the Changes)
Yes - Roundabout (Fragile)
The Flaming Lips - Race for the Prize (The Soft Bulletin)

[RaShayRitto]

on Mastodon's Crack the Skye album

opens with Oblivion (i almost cried when i heard the instrumental version of this, the chorus riff is just godly)
closes with The Last Baron

absolutely perfect album

[Kishiro]

The closing tracks to every Flogging Molly album are usually pretty somber. They deal with times past, life's hardships, life's end, chances missed, or a love lost/wanted/missed.

Album: Swagger
Song: Far Away Boys

Album: Drunken Lullabies
Song: The Son Never Shines (On Closed Doors)

Album: Withing a Mile of Home
Song: Don't Let Me Die Still Wondering

[Aku no Hikari]

I like the opening/ending themes of Death Note:

the WOLRD - Nightmare
Alumina - Nightmare

Both from the album "The World Ruler" (2007).

This time the ending theme is better than the opening, at least in my opinion.

[Gjallarhorn]

I like the opening/ending themes of Death Note:

the WOLRD - Nightmare
Alumina - Nightmare

Both from the album "The World Ruler" (2007).

This time the ending theme is better than the opening, at least in my opinion.

For the second time I've had to say this, NOT opening/ending themes from anime. Opening and closing tracks on albums.

[Baka]

Weeze Blue Album


Opening - My Name Is Jonus


Closing - Only In Dreams



My Name Is Jonus starts the album off in an upbeat way. It sets the stage for the next few songs. In the middle, Say It Ain't So slows the tempo down a bit. And Only In Dreams closes the album out. It is a long song but in a good way. The way the intro progresses is great. It starts off with just bass with each of the other instruments coming in one at a time until they are all playing. The song moves around a lot. I love the solo. The song finishes the same way the intro is except the instruments exit one at a time ending in just bass. This is one of my favorite albums ever.

[TheAsterisk!]

Well, I'd have to say Yes's "Close to the Edge" from the album of the same name has got to be the most impressive opening song I've yet heard, but nineteen minutes of musical fun does require some patience and existing interest. It starts a bit strangely, with the sound of flowing water and chirping birds, and the music begins a little off kilter, as if it takes time for the music to get going, but it's truly epic (and not the "EPIC!" type epic, either- truly epic). It has everything from impressive guitar and bass work to intricate vocal arrangements to Wakeman seeming to go mad with keyboards. When it finally ends, the water and birds return.

I'd say my favorite final song on an album would have to be Kansas's "Magnum Opus" from Leftoverture. I think that might be their very best song. Drums that seem to emulate tipanis (but don't sound quite right) and some relatively calm synth-work eventually leads to a nice albeit short guitar bit. There's all of maybe half a minute to a minute of vocals before the keyboards (yeah, I love 'em) arrive with force, violin not far behind (the guitars catch up shortly thereafter). The musicianship, and very brief vocals, goes on for just over 8 minutes.

Closing songs are usually not as good as the rest of the album and I don't pay as much attention to them as I pay to the opening ones. Most of them also have hidden tracks after a couple of minutes of silence, and there's nothing in the world I hate more than that.

What groups are you listening to that do that? I've only encountered such a hidden track once, and it was on a Wierd Al CD and he just screamed at the top of his lungs fourteen minutes after the song ended, so... it seems odd, that's all.

Yes - Roundabout (Fragile)

"Roundabout" is nice enough, and pretty popular, but I would have put even "Machine Messiah" before it (but then again I like Drama- a lot). Just my unsolicited, possibly bizarre opinion.

[miniPhil]

I suppose the opening and ending songs of the Dream Theaters albums:
Scenes from a Memory
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Train of Thought
Octavarium
Scenes from a memory opens with a reverse sound bite from Metropolis and ends on static. Six Degrees then opens on that same static and the end note of Six Degrees is the starting note of Train of Thought, and so on. Also the songs in question rule. But then most DT songs rule.

As for albums that don't tie together:
Agalloch: Ashes Against the Grain ~ Limbs
Air: Moon Safari ~ La Femme D'argent
Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath ~ Black Sabbath
Cannibal Corpse: Tomb of the Mutilated ~ Hammer Smashed Face
Cynic: Traced in Air ~ Nunc Fluens(not a particularly impressive song but sets the mood perfectly)
Devin Townsend: Ziltoid the Omniscient ~ ZTO(again this just sets up the album perectly)
The Faceless: Planetary Duality ~ Prison Born
Fair to Midland: Fables from a Mayfly ~ Dance of the Manatee
The Frames: For the Birds ~ In the Deep Shade(Not only an amzing song but a perfect opening. Possibly the best opening to an album ever)
Gonin-Ish: Naishikyo-Sekai ~ Tokoyami Kairou
Ice Cube: Death Cirtificate ~ The Funeral
Lamb of God: Wrath ~ The Passing(Dont care too much for this album but the opening and ending, Reclamation, are amazing)
Nile: In their Darkened Shrines ~ The Blessed Dead
Opeth: Sill Life ~ The Moor
Pig Destroyer: Prowler in the Yard ~ Jennifer
Rush: 2112 ~ 2112
Sigh: Hangman's Hymn ~ Introitus Kyrie
Slayer: Reign In Blood ~ Angel of Death
Tool: Lateralus ~ The Grudge

[3pleT]

Well, I'd have to say Yes's "Close to the Edge" from the album of the same name has got to be the most impressive opening song I've yet heard, but nineteen minutes of musical fun does require some patience and existing interest. It starts a bit strangely, with the sound of flowing water and chirping birds, and the music begins a little off kilter, as if it takes time for the music to get going, but it's truly epic (and not the "EPIC!" type epic, either- truly epic). It has everything from impressive guitar and bass work to intricate vocal arrangements to Wakeman seeming to go mad with keyboards. When it finally ends, the water and birds return.

It is epic, but I didn't think it would be fair to put the song that makes the whole A-side of an album.

What groups are you listening to that do that? I've only encountered such a hidden track once, and it was on a Wierd Al CD and he just screamed at the top of his lungs fourteen minutes after the song ended, so... it seems odd, that's all.

I remember these albums containing such hidden tracks:
Nirvana - Nevermind, In Utero
QOTSA - Rated R
Blu Mar Ten - The Six Million Names of God
Blue Man Group - The Complex
Chumbawamba - A Singsong and a Scrap
RJD2 - Dead Ringer
Cujo - Adventures in Foam
Rob Dougan - Furious Angels
Aesop Rock - Labor Days
Atmosphere - Seven's Travels

Indie rappers seem to do that the most. If I took my time to look it up, this list would have been full of them. Also, I know Deerhoof like to do that in the middle of the album instead of the end, so I'm sure I would hate them if they weren't all that good.

"Roundabout" is nice enough, and pretty popular, but I would have put even "Machine Messiah" before it (but then again I like Drama- a lot). Just my unsolicited, possibly bizarre opinion.

Well, people don't seem to like Fragile very much, but I like it even better than Close to the Edge for some reason. And I'm not sure if Roundabout is the best song on the album, but it's pretty damn good of an opening.

[Dr. Evil]

Opening and Closing Song on Bullet For My Valentine's Scream Aim Fire album work.

Opening- Scream Aim Fire. It starts the album off with a "We get in your face then melt it off" jam. It sets a really heavy mood for the album.

Closing: On the normal copy, the final song is Forever and Always which sets a good ending, like a farewell if you know the song because it's really slow and steady during the outro to the song. If you have the Special Edition copy (like me :-P) the final song is a bonus track called Ashes of the Innocent. This is the most brutal track on the album and it makes you wanna thrash. Its also a good closer because it finishes the SE copy with a hardcore assault on your senses.