SOUND BITES

We all know that expression is the most important ingredient in art. We also know that, sometimes, the way an artist expresses themselves isn't what some would call "appropriate". Ever since the first person took offence to an artistic statement, there have been artists that revel in offending. Recently, Wakrat (side project featuring Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford) released their new single Generation Fucked, a snappy little tune with a nice groove. Oh, and 36 F-bombs. That got me thinking about this week's column, and what might make the cut on a list of the most explicit songs ever released. As it turns out, there are a lot of explicit songs, so I had to pare the list down somehow. With that in mind, the boundaries I set are as follows: a) No hip-hop or extreme metal. Low hanging fruit. b) No joke/novelty bands. Sorry, Tenacious D and Steel Panther. c) No album tracks. For inclusion on this list, a song has to have been released as ...

Ah, the double album. The ultimate artistic statement. When your vision absolutely, positively cannot be confined to the restraints of a single platter. Over the years, we've seen countless artists try to tiptoe down this slippery slope, and only a few have made it to the bottom without grass stains on the ass of their jeans. The double album's meaning has been warped and twisted so many times in the last half century that it's often confusing when trying to determine what counts as a double album or not. When the compact disc raised the maximum length on one disc, many double albums technically became single albums; likewise, many single albums recorded since are so long that they would have undoubtedly been doubles in the original vinyl age. With the albums on this list, though, it's not necessary to bicker over the rules. These albums aren't like the others.