Double album

Cover for The Beatles' The Beatles, one of the best-selling double albums of all time.

The first double album was recordings from the Carnegie Hall Concert headlined by Benny Goodman, released in 1950 on Columbia Records, that label having introduced the LP two years earlier. Studio recordings of operas have been released as double, triple, quadruple and quintuple albums since the 1950s.[1] The first rock double album was Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde released on June 20, 1966, with The Mothers of Invention's debut record, Freak Out!, as a close second, which was released on June 27, 1966.[2]

The best-selling double album of all time is Michael Jackson's HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I with over 33 million copies (66 million units) sold worldwide.[3][4] The second best-selling double album and best-selling concept double album ever is Pink Floyd's The Wall with over 30 million copies (60 million units) worldwide.[5][6] Other best-selling double albums are The Beatles' White Album, The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St., Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road , Billy Joel's Greatest Hits I & II, Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde, and The Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

The double album has become less common since the decline of the vinyl LP and the advent of compact discs. A single LP had two sides, each of which had a capacity of up to 30 minutes (although 20-25 minute sides were more typical to avoid compromising sound quality), for a maximum of 60 minutes per record. A single CD has a capacity of 80 minutes (originally 74 minutes until the 1990s): accordingly, many old double albums on LP have been re-released as single albums on CD. However, other double albums on LP are re-released as double albums on CD, either because they are too large for a single CD, or simply to retain the structure of the original (in the early days of CD production double albums were sometimes made to fit onto a single CD disc by cutting one or more songs).

There are also double-LP albums, such as Mike Oldfield's Incantations and Chick Corea's My Spanish Heart, for which some tracks were removed or shortened for a single 74-minute CD release, though both were later re-released in their entirety when 80-minute CDs were developed.

Though the average album length has increased since the days of LPs, it remains rare for an artist to produce more than 80 minutes of studio material for one album. Thus, the double album is now more commonly seen in formats other than studio albums. Live albums that either present all or most of a single concert, or material from several concerts, are commonly released as double albums. Compilations such as greatest hits records can also often be double albums. Soundtracks and scores are also commonly released on two CDs; particularly soundtracks to musicals, which typically last longer than 80 minutes, are commonly released in their entirety as double albums, occasionally offering a second single-disc version featuring the most notable songs. The double album format is also frequently used for concept albums.

The double album is not entirely obsolete when it comes to studio albums, however. Some artists still occasionally produce a large enough quantity of material to justify a double album. For example, progressive rock band The Flower Kings have released four double albums out of eleven studio albums. Barenaked Ladies recorded 29 songs (initially intending more than 30) for their first original album following the completion of their contract with Reprise Records, including several songs that were cut from past albums under that contract. Without needing to get a label's approval, they were able to release a 25-track "deluxe edition" double album Barenaked Ladies Are Me, as well as releasing the album as two separate single albums, as well as a variety of other formats. Guns N' Roses famously insisted on releasing their Use Your Illusion I & II albums simultaneously but separately so as not to burden their fans with the expense of having to buy a double CD set. Nellie McKay reportedly fought with her label to get her debut album, Get Away from Me released as a double album, even though the material would have fit on a single disc. She has been said to be the first female artist to have a double album as a debut.

A recent development is the release of a double studio album in which the two discs contain different mixes of the same tracks. An example is Shania Twain's Up!, which was sold with a pop-mix disc and a country-mix disc in North America, or a pop-mix disc and a filmi-mix disc internationally.

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince were the first hip hop artists to release a double album, 1988's He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper which at eighty-five minutes warranted a double vinyl package but was edited by thirteen minutes to allow a single CD release. However, in 1995 "Master P's Down South Hustlers: Bouncin' and Swingin' was released as being supposedly the first double rap album to ever be entirely of an original album format, and was one of the earliest double rap albums to have not been edited by thirteen minutes for a final release. The first rapper to release a full double album globally was Tupac Shakur who was released from prison in 1995. He recorded the entire album the week he got out of prison in the month of October 1995 with his new record label Death Row Records. It went on to sell over 10 million albums worldwide in what became his best selling album ever before his death in September 1996.

Many albums since the recent rise in popularity of vinyl records, while released as a single disc on the CD version, have been released as double albums, typically because they may slightly exceed the limitations of a single record. Many of these releases stretch the album to cover four sides, while some only fill three sides and leave the last one for a bonus track(s), or occasionally an etching. These albums are usually released as two 12-inch records but occasionally as two 10-inch records.

Jamaican recording artist Eldie Anthony was the first reggae artist to release a double debut album at the launch of his career on February 17, 2015. The album, entitled Break Free, was produced by the Reggae Embassy.

On June 30, 2015 Long Beach rapper Vince Staples released Summertime '06 as a double disc debut album. The two discs had 20 songs with 10 on each.

With regard to records, most double album sets have sides one and two back to back on the first disc, followed by sides three and four on the second disc, etc. The record industry term for this practice is "manual sequence." However, some double album LP sets have sides one and four pressed on one disc along with sides two and three on the other. This practice, known as "automatic sequence," began in the era of 78s and was intended to make it easier for listeners to play through the entire set in order on automatic record changers. The use of automatic sequence gradually declined during the 1970s as automatic record changers fell out of favor. High quality manual turntables became more affordable and are often preferred because they cause less record wear.

After a company decided on manual or automatic sequence, production of that title generally stayed in the same configuration indefinitely. Notable examples of albums using automatic sequence include the 1968 Reprise Records release, Electric Ladyland, by The Jimi Hendrix Experience which was still sold in automatic sequence well into the late 1980s. Other common examples include Frampton Comes Alive! by Peter Frampton, Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder, Quadrophenia by The Who, and Bad Girls by Donna Summer.

There are only a few examples of a sesquialbum (i.e. one and a half records).

Johnny Winter released what would be the first three-sided rock album, Second Winter, on two 12-inch discs, with the flip side of the second disc being blank. A 1976 live concert recording by Keith Jarrett and his quartet, released as Eyes of the Heart by ECM Records in 1979, Joe Jackson's 1986 release Big World, and Pavement's Wowee Zowee are other examples of this.

In 1975, jazz artist Rahsaan Roland Kirk released The Case of the 3 Sided Dream in Audio Color which apparently had only three sides, but on closer inspection, there were a small number of grooves pressed on side four with a few short "hidden" conversation snippets; the CD reissue includes all of them.

In 1982, Todd Rundgren and his band released the self-titled album Utopia featuring one full LP of 10 songs, and a second 12-inch disc with five bonus tracks, the same lineup on each side.

The Monty Python album Matching Tie and Handkerchief was originally issued with two concentric grooves with different programs on the second side, but this was done for comedic rather than practical reasons.

The Stranglers, Elvis Costello and The Clash (amongst other 1970s/80s acts) would sometimes release early pressings of their albums with extra material on a 45 RPM single. The Sunlandic Twins by Of Montreal features a third side officially called a "bonus EP", essentially offering an alternate definition of an EP, a single 33 1/3 RPM side instead of a two-sided 45 RPM record.

The 1992 Julian Cope album Jehovahkill contained three sides, or "phases", with a laser-etched fourth side which was unplayable, which also occurred with Norwegian band Motorpsycho's vinyl releases of Motorpsycho presents The International Tussler Society and Heavy Metal Fruit, and Excepter's 2014 album Familiar (the third side, with only one track, being shorter).

Seattle band Alice in Chains released their first two EPs, Jar of Flies, and Sap (EP) on two vinyl discs in 1994 had three sides on vinyl, while the fourth side contained a laser etching of the Alice in Chains logo. The vinyl pressing of the My Chemical Romance album The Black Parade also has three sides worth of content, with side four being a laser etching of a portion of the limited edition album art.

Genesis' Three Sides Live, Kiss' Alive II, Donna Summer's Live and More, and the Moody Blues' Caught Live Plus 5 are examples of double albums with three sides of live recordings (i.e. one and a half albums) and one side of studio recordings.

Among the first successful triple albums (or triple records) were Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More, released August 15, 1970, and George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, released November 27, 1970. A triple album may be live, such as The Band's The Last Waltz (1978) and Led Zeppelin's How the West Was Won (2003); or a compilation of an artist's work, such as Stevie Wonder's retrospective anthology Looking Back. Yes' live album Yessongs was made a triple album owing to its inclusion of many of the band's longer compositions. With the longer time available on compact disc, many albums that spanned three vinyl discs are able to fit on two compact discs (an example being Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile).

Triple albums are released across genres, including punk with The Clash's Sandinista!, alternative rock with Pearl Jam's 11/6/00 – Seattle, Washington, and mainstream pop with Prince's Emancipation.

Frank Sinatra's Trilogy: Past Present Future was originally released as a three LP set in 1980. Compact disc pressings of the album combine the triple vinyl set onto two CDs, with "Past" and "Present" taking up the first disc.

The first triple hip-hop album was American Hunger by New York City rap artist MF Grimm which was released in 2006. It contains 20 songs on each disc.

American hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco's canceled third studio album release LupEND would have been a triple album, composed of discs titled "Everywhere," "Nowhere," and "Down Here." Joanna Newsom's 2010 album Have One on Me is a triple album; due to the unusual length of the songs, there are only six tracks on each disc.

Escalator over the Hill, Carla Bley's jazz opera (lyrics by Paul Haines), was originally released in 1971 as a triple album in a box which also contained a booklet with lyrics, photos and profiles of the musicians.

The Great Concert of Charles Mingus by Charles Mingus was recorded in 1964 and released in 1971.

The Weeknd's compilation album Trilogy was released as a triple album in 2012, comprising his critically acclaimed 2011 mixtapes House of Balloons, Echoes of Silence and Thursday.

The Knife's 2013 album Shaking the Habitual is spread across three LPs and two CDs, being an hour and forty minutes in length. (Although a single-disc edit exists omitting the 19 minute track Old Dreams Waiting To Be Realized)

Swallow the Sun's 2015 album Songs from the North I, II & III is divided into Gloom, Beauty and Despair. In total, each disc contains no more than 8 tracks and no less than 40 minutes.

When albums exceed the triple album format they are generally referred to as box sets. Normally, albums consisting of four or more discs are compilations or live recordings, such as In a Word: Yes (1969–) and Chicago at Carnegie Hall, respectively.

Studio albums with more than three discs are very rare. Notable examples include:

• French singer Léo Ferré's four-disc studio concept album named L'Opéra du pauvre (1983)
• Pan Sonic with a four-disc studio album named Kesto (234.48:4) (2004)
• Esham released a four-disc box set in 2006, which was a re-release of his 1992 album Judgement Day.
• British singer-songwriter Chris Rea with his 11-disc set Blue Guitars (2006)
• Avant-garde guitarist Buckethead with his 13-disc set In Search of The (2007)

Some performers have released two or more distinct but related albums simultaneously (or near-simultaneously) which could be seen together as a double album. Moby Grape's Wow/Grape Jam (released in 1968) is an early example. Others include:

• Archive's Controlling Crowds and Controlling Crowds Part IV were both released in 2009. The latter album serves as an expansion to the parts I-III which the former album's tracks are divided into. A bundle containing both albums has also been sold.
• Basement Jaxx's Planet 1, Planet 2 (2008) and Planet 3 (2009) (Recorded in same sessions, but released months apart)
• Basement Jaxx's Scars and Zephyr (2009) (Recorded in same sessions, but released months apart)
• Bright Eyes' I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn (2005)
• Sabrina Carpenter's Singular: Act I and Singular: Act II (2018/2019) (Recorded in same sessions, but released months apart)
• Coheed and Cambria's The Afterman: Ascension and The Afterman: Descension (2012/2013) (Recorded in same sessions, but released months apart)
• Coldplay's Everyday Life (2019) (Contains two parts, Sunrise and Sunset, recorded and released in same sessions)
• Deerhunter's Microcastle and Weird Era Cont. (2008) (Weird Era Cont. was recorded in response to Microcastle being leaked online months in advance; the two albums were released as a double CD; Microcastle was also a separate releases)
• Death Grips' Niggas on the Moon (2014) and Jenny Death (2015) (Both were recorded in the same year, but released simultaneously nine months after the release of Niggas on the Moon on their double album, The Powers That B)
• Donovan's A Gift from a Flower to a Garden (1967), one of rock's earliest box set releases, comprising two albums, Wear Your Love Like Heaven and For Little Ones.
• Frank Zappa's Joe's Garage, Acts I, II & III (1979) (Act I was released in September 1979, Act II & Act III were released as one double album in November of the same year, all three acts were later reissued as a triple album in 1987)
• Future's Future and Hndrxx (2017)
• Genesis' The Way We Walk, Volume One: The Shorts (1992) and The Way We Walk, Volume Two: The Longs (1993) (Recorded on their 1992 We Can't Dance Tour. Disc one features live versions of their hit singles; Disc two features live versions of their longer album pieces)
• Green Day's ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, ¡Tré! trilogy (2012) (Recorded in same sessions, but released months apart)
• Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion I and II (1991) (In fact both of these were double albums in and of themselves)
• Hurd's The Best Collection I and II (1997) (Recorded in same sessions)
• Insane Clown Posse's Bizaar and Bizzar (2000)
• Lana Del Rey's "Born to Die: The Paradise Edition" (2012)
• DJ Magic Mike's This Is How It Should Be Done and Bass: The Final Frontier (1993)[7][8]
• maudlin of the Well's Bath and Leaving Your Body Map (2001)
• Metallica's Load and ReLoad (1996/1997) (Originally conceived as a double album, before being released separately)
• Mudvayne's The New Game (2008) and self-titled album (2009) (Originally conceived as a double album at one point prior to being released as separate albums years apart, though they were recorded at the same time)
• Nelly's Sweat and Suit (2004)
• Opeth's Deliverance and Damnation (2002/2003) (Recorded in same sessions, but released months apart)
• Periphery's Juggernaut: Alpha and Juggernaut: Omega (2015)
• Radiohead's Kid A and Amnesiac (2000/2001) (Recorded in same sessions and considered for release as a double album at one point[9])
• Simple Minds' Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call (1981) (Originally conceived two separate albums, before released as one)
• Both eponymous Red House Painters albums from 1993 (often named Rollercoaster and Bridge respectively) were initially created with the intent of releasing a double album, but were released separately about five months apart.
• Stone Sour's House of Gold & Bones – Part 1 (2012) and House of Gold & Bones – Part 2 (2013) (Recorded in same sessions, but released months apart)
• Bruce Springsteen's Human Touch and Lucky Town (1992)
• System of a Down's Mezmerize and Hypnotize (2005) (Recorded in same sessions, but released months apart)
• Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience and The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 (2013) (Recorded in same sessions, but released months apart)
• Tom Waits' Blood Money and Alice (2002)
• Sixx:A.M.'s Prayers For The Damned, Vol.1 and Prayers For The Blessed, Vol.2 (Recorded in the same sessions, but released months apart)

• Double EP
• List of double albums
• List of triple albums