Hidden track

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

In the field of

mastering stage production of the recorded media.[1] However, since the rise of digital and streaming services such as iTunes and Spotify
in the late 2000s and early 2010s, the inclusion of hidden tracks has declined on studio albums.

It is occasionally unclear whether a piece of music is 'hidden.' For example, "Her Majesty," which is preceded by fourteen seconds of silence, was originally unlisted on The Beatles' Abbey Road but is listed on current versions of the album.[2] That song and others push the definition of the term, causing a lack of consensus on what is considered a hidden track. Alternatively, such things are instead labeled as vague audio experiments, errors, or simply an integral part of an adjacent song on the record.[3]

Techniques

A

Opiate EP,[4] and Mr. Bungle's Disco Volante
.

With the invention of digital media and

tracks are sometimes given their own separate index point on digital media. Songs can be placed in the pregap of the first track of certain CD formats, so that the CD must first be cued to the track, and then manually back-scanned. These are often referred to as Track 0[5] or Hidden Track One Audio (HTOA).[6] A CD player will not play these tracks without manual intervention, and some models (including many computer operating systems) are unable to read such content. On Super Furry Animals' Guerrilla
, "The Citizens Band" is found in the pre-gap approximately five minutes before the beginning of track one. A glossary of terms used in the song's lyrics is printed on the interior of the cardboard outer sleeve of the CD. This essentially renders them inaccessible without taking the sleeve apart, hiding the glossary in a parallel way to the song itself.

A less concealed method is to place the song at the end of another track, typically the last track on the album, following a period of silence. For example, Nirvana's song "Endless, Nameless" was included as a hidden track in this way on their 1991 CD Nevermind, after 10 minutes of complete silence within the track listed as the final song.[7][8] Although it was not the first hidden song to use this technique, it gained significant attention.[9] Similarly, short tracks of silence can be layered before the hidden track plays.[5] On Lazlo Bane's debut album, 11 Transistor, the eleventh song is followed by 57 silent tracks, each four seconds in duration, with "Prada Wallet" (sometimes referred to as "The Birthday Song") being the 69th track on the album. The total length of silence between the two songs is 3:48.[10]

It is possible for a track to be playable only through a computer, such as the '15th' track on Marilyn Manson's Mechanical Animals album, which can only be accessed through an Enhanced CD executable.

There are yet-deeper ways a track can be hidden. A "ghost" track can be subtly mixed to play concurrently with other, dominant audio, or heavily distorted in a way which must be undone to be played. For example, on a DVD included with the deluxe and 'ultra-deluxe' editions of Nine Inch Nails' Ghosts I–IV, two hidden bonus tracks ("37 Ghosts" and "38 Ghosts") are included as digital multitrack files, from which the songs may be reconstructed.

Reasoning

  • Aaliyah's self-titled album Aaliyah features the hidden song "Messed Up" on track 15. During the stages of the album creation, Aaliyah had no desire to put this song on the album, but after numerous inquiries from different labels and colleagues, she settled on making it a hidden track.[11]
  • In some rare cases, it is used to avoid legal issues. An example is Ramones' Loco Live American version, which has the song "Carbona Not Glue" hidden after Pet Sematary on track 17. It was originally recorded on their album Leave Home, but the makers of the spot remover Carbona, a registered trademark, objected. Therefore, reference to the song was removed from the album and cover.[12]
  • "
    9/11 victims, and McCartney wanted it on the album. The artwork was already finalised, so there was no choice but to make it a hidden track.[13]
  • "Train in Vain" by The Clash, which appears at the end of London Calling, was left out of the vinyl's track listing simply because it was a last-minute addition to the album, when the sleeves were already printed. It is thus not a real hidden track. It was originally intended as a promotional giveaway for NME. The later CD versions list the track on the sleeve.[14]
  • Green Day's "All By Myself" (by drummer Tré Cool) was added as a secret song to Dookie due to the low sound quality of the original live recording.
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Bite Me" from the album Off the Deep End was put on after ten minutes of silence to scare listeners who had forgotten to turn off the CD player.[15] It was also a loose parody of "Endless, Nameless" by Nirvana. The cover of Off the Deep End is also a parody of the album containing that track, Nevermind, and its first track is a parody of that album's first track, "Smells Like Teen Spirit".
  • The X-Files: The Album features a hidden track at 10 minutes and 13 seconds into the final track. The track consists of series creator Chris Carter explaining the series mythology and meaning behind the alien conspiracy. The hidden track even includes spoilers and minute details about the show's overall plot that had not yet been resolved on the show itself when the album was released. This track was included as both a surprise to devoted fans who would seek out answers in cross-promotional merchandise, and as a mystery to new fans who would need to watch the show more closely to better understand the track.[16]
  • Eugene Mirman's album The Absurd Night Club Comedy of Eugene Mirman includes a hidden track making fun of hidden tracks, and telling the listener that they have a very bizarre mission.[17]
  • The Jam's All Mod Cons does not list the song "English Rose" and its lyrics on original vinyl copies because Paul Weller believed the title and song would lose meaning without accompanying music. They have been added to re-releases of the album.
  • Oasis' compilation album Time Flies features the single "Sunday Morning Call" as a hidden track. The album was an anthology of all of the band's singles, but principal songwriter Noel Gallagher openly detests the song,[19] so chose to have it hidden.
  • Oasis' studio album Heathen Chemistry also features the hidden instrumental track The Cage. In CD versions it can be heard after the listed track Better Man, after nearly 30 minutes of silence. Some streaming services have removed the 30-minute silence and list the track in their platforms, although initially hidden on original release.
  • 311's Transistor album contains an instrumental intro track that was performed on their 1996 tour, often referred to as the “Transistor Intro.”

Notable hidden tracks

Some hidden tracks are historically significant, have become well known and even occasionally received radio airplay and climbed the charts.

See also

References

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  2. ^ "Hidden Songs: The Beatles, "Her Majesty"". Archived from the original on 2007-04-22. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
  3. ^ "Hidden Songs: The Beatles, "Untitled"". Archived from the original on 2007-04-27. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
  4. ^ "The Tool FAQ". Archived from the original on 2007-03-04. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
  5. ^ .
  6. ^ "HTOA - Hidden Track One Audio". Archived from the original on 2009-09-05.
  7. .
  8. ^ "Endless, Nameless". Archived from the original on 2006-07-20. Retrieved 2007-03-08.
  9. .
  10. ^ "11 Transistor - Lazlo Bane". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2015-09-26.
  11. ^ "Rare Gem: Aaliyah 'Messed Up' (early version)". YouKnowIGotSoul.com. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  12. ^ "LOCO LIVE (American version)". Archived from the original on 2008-12-22.
  13. ^ Wawzenek, Bryan. "How Paul McCartney began building his next era on 'Driving Rain'". UltimateClassicRock.com. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  14. ^ "The Greatest Songs Ever! 'Train in Vain (Stand by Me)'". Archived from the original on 2009-02-21. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
  15. ^ "Midnight Star "Ask Al" Q&As for January/February 1998". 2001-06-26. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  16. ^ staff. "X-Files knowledge". Archived from the original on 2012-10-05.
  17. ^ Mirman, Eugene. "Absurd Nightclub Comedy of Eugene Mirman: Eugene Mirman: Music". Amazon. Retrieved 2011-07-27.
  18. Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original
    on April 12, 2007.
  19. ^ ac2006 (30 January 2014). "Noel Gallagher's Oasis DVD commentary highlights". Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2018 – via YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. .
  21. ^ Hampp, Andrew (18 May 2013). "Janet Jackson, 'janet.': classic track-by-track review". Billboard.com. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  22. ^ Naldrett, Peter (March 2000). "The Most Beautiful of Freaks". MusicCritic.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2009.
  23. ^ "'Kerosene Hat' is hot". Archived from the original on 2007-10-17. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
  24. ^ "Piano Sheet Music - Rascal Flatts - Skin". Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
  25. ^ Kot, Greg. "10 nominations put Lauryn Hill atop Grammy heap". ChicagoTribune.com. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  26. ^ "I Have Seen The Rain (feat. James T. Moore) by P!nk on Apple Music". Apple Music. April 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  27. ^ "Mi Caballo Blanco".
  28. ^ "Carry It on [Bonus DVD] - Peter, Paul and Mary | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  29. ^ "Now Available: Peter, Paul & Mary, Discovered: Live in Concert | Rhino".
  30. ^ "Tally Hall - Hidden in the Sand (Music Video)". youtube.com. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  31. ^ Becker, Sarah (April 13, 2024). "Revisiting Tally Hall's surprise hit "Hidden in the Sand"". AudioPhix. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  32. ^ Bresnark, Robin. "Review: Robbie Williams – Life Thru A Lens, Chrysalis". Melody Maker (4 October 1997): 51.
  33. ^ "I've Been Expecting You". Robbie Williams. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  34. ^ "BBC Staffordshire - Robbie Williams - Sing When You're Winning". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  • Hidden Songs — a user-submitted database of hidden song listings