4 Classic Rock Albums That Would Have Been Better if They Were Shortened

There’s a delicate balance when it comes to the length of albums. Most would accept that 45 minutes to an hour, or even less, is ideal for a rock album. However, there are no rules set in stone when it comes to album timeframes. And the following four musicians and bands couldn’t have cared less about what people thought of their hefty album runtimes. That being said, I think these legendary classic rock albums would have been even better if they were shortened just a smidge.

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‘The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here’ by Alice In Chains

The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here by Alice In Chains, released in 2013, clocks in at about 67 minutes and some change. Though many wouldn’t consider the 2010s to be the “classic rock” era just yet, Alice In Chains is very much a classic rock band. So, I’m including this one here.

This record came years after the passing of famed frontman (and arguably the best grunge vocalist of all time) Layne Staley. It’s a great piece of work, but the album is quite long, and a lot of the songs are stretched out to their limit. Though, that’s typically the sludge metal way. Who am I to judge?

‘Mojo’ by Tom Petty

Mojo by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers is a long-winded heartland rock work from 2010 that takes up about 65 minutes total. It’s a much heavier Petty release than fans might be used to. The record is packed with excellent riffs and memorable songs, but the whole of the 15-track album (not including the four bonus tracks from subsequent releases) gets a little bit redundant. 

It’s a bluesy album that doesn’t deviate much from a set formula from song to song. It could have been cut down quite a bit, honestly.

‘Be Here Now’ by Oasis

I’m not going to act like this incredible record by Oasis isn’t amazing. However, Be Here Now, one of the biggest standout 1997 releases in Britpop, is a hefty piece of work. The whole of the album runs about 71 and a half minutes. That wouldn’t be a problem if this album weren’t so well-known for its mixing errors. 

There are a ton of overdubs, sound effects, and whole songs that shouldn’t have made the cut on this album, which can make it a bit of an exhausting listen. If some songs had been trimmed off, there could have been perfection to be found in those mixing errors. They could have been endearing, even. 

‘Self Portrait’ by Bob Dylan

This is the longest entry on our list of rock albums that would have been better if they were shortened. Self Portrait by Bob Dylan also happens to be one of the most universally disliked releases from the Bard, ever. Self Portrait was released in 1970 and takes up a whopping 73 minutes and 15 seconds from start to finish. It’s a country album full of covers with very little new material, and a lot of people weren’t happy about it.

Despite fans and critics alike not loving this release, it was a hefty commercial success. The album peaked at No. 4 in the US and did even better in the UK. Today, a handful of songs from this controversial record have earned some cult attention and praise.

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