2 minute read
Rock & Metal Profs
ROCKthe
& METAL PROFS
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WITH MATT ALSCHBACH & DR. COURT LEWIS
Associate professors at Owensboro Community College and Pellissippi State Community College, respectively, Alschbach and Lewis host the popular podcast The Rock & Metal Profs: The History & Philosophy of Rock & Metal. Now they're bringing their keen insights to the pages of News 4U with a monthly deep dive into some of the best bands of the rock/metal genre and thoughts on music in general.
FILLER TIME
We all know of albums that are great, except for one or two “filler” songs. Two that instantly come to mind are Pearl Jam’s “Bugs” and Guns N' Roses’ “My World.” Such songs are not only out of place, but they seem to serve no other purpose than to fill empty space. But do bands really go through the trouble of writing and producing songs that have no merit other than taking up space?
Though it might be counterintuitive, there are several reasons why bands include filler. Prior to the 1970's, the music industry was geared towards singles. Bands would produce a variety of singles in hopes of having a hit. If they were lucky enough to have one or two hits, they would then be asked to record a complete album. As a result, albums contained several hits, along with a handful of other songs designed to fill up a full LP (“long play”) record. By the end of the 1960’s, the music industry had become album-based. The problem of filling a full album still existed, but record producers also discovered they could boost sales by adding filler tracks. Most commonly, these tracks were cover versions of older hits. Judas Priest is well-known for their early covers of “Diamonds and Rust” and “The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown).” Sometimes producers used filler as a gimmick to bring in fans, as seen with “Kissing Time” on KISS’ first album. Not only did the song feature the names of several cities - a good tactic to generate sales in those towns - but there was a kissing contest in which fans could participate. “Kissing Time” wasn’t on the original album. It was only added later when the record company had a “great” idea, which failed miserably. Another reason filler exists is because record companies paid bands for the number of songs that appeared on each album. As a result, bands would often include filler to ensure they received a full paycheck. This is also why bands like Rush and the Grateful Dead, who sometimes wrote 30-minute songs, would label their songs with different parts.
It is hard to imagine a reason for the existence of filler today. Since today’s artists make a pittance selling albums, there is minimal incentive for them to invest an inordinate amount of time creating a masterpiece. Why would G N' R or Sebastian Bach bother to write and record new songs (including filler) when fans only want to hear the classics live? Would an artist consciously set out to write filler, phoning it in, so to speak? Do you love an album that is “all killer and no filler”? Hit us up on The Rock & Metal Profs Facebook page and share it with us!
