Lathspell said:

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American Idiot isn't a double album; it came on a single CD.

Hot take: The Wall is just okay but overrated. Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and Animals are all better records.

Physical Graffiti is by far a better album than the Wall.

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Though I quite like it on the whole, I always think of The Wall as every teenager's favorite Pink Floyd album. As I got older, I grew to appreciate the rest of their catalog a lot more.

I think that would be Dark Side of the Moon.

Funny cause I think of that one as the one that's a bit overrated.

Mellon Collie is the top one for me. SP tend to be either love them or hate them because Billy's vocals don't appeal to some people and some rock fans preferred the sound associated with pure grunge over the more varied influences Billy brought into their mid-90's sound. But for me there isn't another double album out there with fewer skippable tracks. Execs knew that more aggressive/edgier tracks like Zero and Bullet With Butterfly Wings would play well on the radio, but for me there are far greater songs that most people never heard. I wore those two CD's out driving around San Antonio in high school.

Use Your Illusion isn't a double album. GnR just released two standalone albums in the same day.

Bob Newhart explained it on Carson show.

birdman said:

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Use Your Illusion isn't a double album. GnR just released two standalone albums in the same day.

Bob Newhart explained it on Carson show.

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Yeah but they did later package it together as well.

Hence the dual cover I used.

And really I and II were each a double album in vinyl form unto themselves.

Brian Earl Spilner said:

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There's the wall, then everything else.

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EOT

Other notables not
Mentioned yet:

Husker Du Zen Arcade
The Clash London Calling
Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde

I feel the same about The Wall and Mellon Collie. 2/3 of the album is great and the rest is meh.

One under the radar album is Transistor by 311.

StinkyPinky said:

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Brian Earl Spilner said:

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There's the wall, then everything else.

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EOT

Other notables not
Mentioned yet:

Husker Du Zen Arcade
The Clash London Calling
Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde

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The 2 ones I bolded were in the actual OP

What about Electric Light Orchestra's "Out of the Blue" (1977)?

Sold 10 million copies.

Three big hit singles: "Turn to Stone;" "Mr. Blue Sky;" and "Sweet Talkin' Woman." And two other hits that charted.

Reached No. 4 on the Billboard charts in both the U.S. and England.

Chipotlemonger said:

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StinkyPinky said:

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Brian Earl Spilner said:

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There's the wall, then everything else.

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EOT

Other notables not
Mentioned yet:

Husker Du Zen Arcade
The Clash London Calling
Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde

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The 2 ones I bolded were in the actual OP

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actually all three were

Yep that was in my list as well. Good one.

Brian Earl Spilner said:

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So according to Wiki, even though SOAD's Mezmerize and Hypnotize were released separately, they are considered a double album.

In that case, that's likely my number one. Mezmerize in particular was probably my most listened to album of that year while in high school.

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Stadium Arcadium was mentioned earlier and is in the same boat as Mezmerize and Hyptonize. Both albums released separately, but considered a double album.

You must be thinking of something else.

Lathspell said:

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Brian Earl Spilner said:

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I think that would be Dark Side of the Moon.

Funny cause I think of that one as the one that's a bit overrated.

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Off the top of my head these are some highly-regarded double albums released in my lifetime:

Boards of Canada - Music Has The Right To Children
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cold Roses
M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

Bruce Almighty said:

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You must be thinking of something else.

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Probably GNR Use Your Illusion I and II although technically each is a double album unto itself (2 vinyl LPs).

Nice, missed the Husker Du one. Anyways, that makes Pinky's post even more ridiculous.

Lathspell said:

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Brian Earl Spilner said:

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I think that would be Dark Side of the Moon.

Funny cause I think of that one as the one that's a bit overrated.

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It was so overrated it set the record for being on the Billboard Top 200 for 11 years.

Zombie Jon Snow said:

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Yep that was in my list as well. Good one.

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Whoops ... missed that. I also now see "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" on your list. I didn't think of that one but I should have as I still listen to it today.

Zombie Jon Snow said:

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Bruce Almighty said:

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You must be thinking of something else.

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Probably GNR Use Your Illusion I and II although technically each is a double album unto itself (2 vinyl LPs).

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You can dig yourself into a hole deeper if you like; that's your choice.

Use Your Illusion I & II are NOT a double album. A sales and marketing tactic to sell more material from an artist fans were hungry for does not make those two a double album.

And longer playtimes for I and II individually don't make either of those a double album.

Also, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is not a double album despite it being reissued and sold as a double LP.

American Idiot - yep, see above.

Not sure if I'm missing anything and don't have more time to poke more holes, but I did correct this image for everyone.

Spock's Beard - Snow

Mega Lops said:

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Zombie Jon Snow said:

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Bruce Almighty said:

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You must be thinking of something else.

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Probably GNR Use Your Illusion I and II although technically each is a double album unto itself (2 vinyl LPs).

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You can dig yourself into a hole deeper if you like; that's your choice.

Use Your Illusion I & II are NOT a double album. A sales and marketing tactic to sell more material from an artist fans were hungry for does not make those two a double album.

And longer playtimes for I and II individually don't make either of those a double album.

Also, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is not a double album despite it being reissued and sold as a double LP.

American Idiot - yep, see above.

Not sure if I'm missing anything and don't have more time to poke more holes, but I did correct this image for everyone.

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LOL let's see if I have this right....

Even though their length greatly exceeds the capacity of a single LP album (about 48 minutes without seriously eroding the dynamic range) and even tough they come ONLY in a packaging with 2 LPs they are NOT double albums.

Got it.

I can see a point somewhat on American Idiot I think it's only 12 or 13 songs as I recall (with some having parts) but it is only 57 minutes long. It's like really 1.5 albums worth.

But
Use Your Illusion I is 76+ minutes long
Use Your illusion II is just under 76 minutes long


And again the ONLY vinyl versions of these albums, and Lauryn Hill, and American Idiot are in DOUBLE LP format.

Just because those albums came along in a time when vinyl was nearly gone and were released as a single CD initially is pretty weak sauce. They WOULD have been double albums if released in vinyl then and are double albums in vinyl form now.

The rip off to consumers was never because of vinyl. Hell selling what were double albums (originally) in a 2 CD format even though they could have been fit onto one CD was the industry's tactic early on. I had a few like that. This is the opposite. GNR I and II could have been put out in double vinyl and double CD form instead of a single CD.

Regardless not sure why you are hanging onto some criteria based on its original release form (on CD) when the definition of a double album back in the day was always how many vinyl LPs it fit on.

What do you say makes something a double album - if it's not the length compared to an LP capacity or the packaging as a double LP? Just whether it was initially marketed as such initially?

Hell everyone I know talked about those GNR albums as double albums when they came out - like each were double. We all knew it was like 30 songs combined. And they did 4-5 minute songs or longer. The only band that could do 30 songs on just 2 LPs was the Beatles with their penchant for under 2 minute songs (see White Album).

And anyway if you don't like my thread and criteria feel free to start your own.

And then there's Big World by Joe Jackson: recorded live in a studio but with no crowd noise, and it's an album and a half. Literally. I bought it on vinyl (from Columbia House!), and it actually has two LPs, one with a blank side. He managed to talk the record company into selling it for the price of a single album.

Zombie Jon Snow said:

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Mega Lops said:

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Zombie Jon Snow said:

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Bruce Almighty said:

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You must be thinking of something else.

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Probably GNR Use Your Illusion I and II although technically each is a double album unto itself (2 vinyl LPs).

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You can dig yourself into a hole deeper if you like; that's your choice.

Use Your Illusion I & II are NOT a double album. A sales and marketing tactic to sell more material from an artist fans were hungry for does not make those two a double album.

And longer playtimes for I and II individually don't make either of those a double album.

Also, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is not a double album despite it being reissued and sold as a double LP.

American Idiot - yep, see above.

Not sure if I'm missing anything and don't have more time to poke more holes, but I did correct this image for everyone.

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LOL let's see if I have this right....

Even though their length greatly exceeds the capacity of a single LP album (about 48 minutes without seriously eroding the dynamic range) and even tough they come ONLY in a packaging with 2 LPs they are NOT double albums.

Got it.

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your criteria would make damn near half of the albums I own a 'double album'.

All of TON's catalogue, opeth, metallica, etc etc. No one has ever considered metallica's black album or and justice for all double albums, even though they come on 2 lps..


Illusions I and II are not a double album, they literally have different names, and occupied the #1 and #2 spot on the billboard upon release, a double album can't do that. It would be one spot on the chart.

And the two SOAD albums were released like 6 months apart, that's asinine to consider that a double album.

It's a great album, but I go with The Wall and Wish You Were Here before Dark Side.

But I recognize it's their most popular album and sort of the introductory one for most Pink Floyd fans.

The Wall sold 30 million copies for a reason. It's in a class by itself as far as double albums.

I'll put these up there as well, three live double albums of various performances of The Wall:

Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 198081

Live at Earl's Court London from Aug 80 and June 81, may be better than the original album version.

Not sure which cover is the original, I think the masks one but both images are cool





The Wall Live in Berlin

Took place near the Berlin Wall's no man's land, featured many guest performers with Roger Waters.

Original cover



Rereleased cover



Roger Waters: The Wall

The latest iteration of The Wall, modernized and amazing to see live. Recorded between 2010 and 2013.

I don't want to get between y'all in the definition of a double album, but agree that if running length is the primary factor target than format then most of the ones I own could be called double albums but I would have never considered that before. Hell, every Dream Theater album would be a double.

Anyway, this is one of my favorite true double albums. I remember hearing part of our on radio on DFW on Halloween night one year back in the 80s and had to track it down.

I believe that same night the local news media did their own recreation of the Orson Wells broadcast. I think Chip Moody (RIP) from WFAA was on it if I remember correctly.