The longest song you know

The Whirlwind (Transatlantic) is like 77:50.

Some classical works (usually German Operas) just last hours and hours.... and you aren't allowed to cough the whole way thru it!  

When questions like this come up, I always assume we're talking about "written" music. Not noise music or droning music that just repeats; or the long player thing, which is improvised anyway I believe.

Aside from classical music, which I am not an expert on, I think Transatlantic - "The Whirlwind" (78 minutes) is the longest song written.

Others are The Flower Kings "Garden of Dreams" which is 60 minutes. I'm sure there are many things longer, but I don't remember/know them.

The problem with songs written longer than a CD can hold, is there has to be breaks or intermissions. I don't think there's any real reason for one song to be so long. At that point, it's not a song any more once you start marking the time by hours.

Probably Amarok by Mike Oldfield.

"The Whirlwind" of the Transatlantic. It is 77 minute-suite divided into 12 songs

The longest one which will probably end up in my collection soon is Klaus Schulze's Into the Blue - 78:25.

clarke2001 wrote: This. And it's one hell of a song. A honourable mention goes to song/album Requiem Apocalyptique by Guillaume de la Pilliere. Very good, too.

I remember reviewing something that had a near two hour piece, but can't find it--  off the top, I guess the Grobbies 'Solar Music Berlin' live at 53 mins

Andyman1125 wrote: turtle wrote: Brian Eno has a piece that lasts 10,000 years without repeating. I haven't listened to it all (!), but there is a short extract available on CD:   http://longnow.org/store/january-07003-bell-studies-cd/ 10,000 YEARS?? My god that's superfluous

Good thing Listening Room implemented mod controls.

Oh this is  but I'm drawing a blank...but I do know threads like this have popped up before and someone found an 89 minute song, it was literally enough to fill an entire CD.

Of course the internet isn't bound by length limits and I have heard of songs being hours long.
Someone here on PA told me about this band "Nanocyborg Uberholocaust" that makes drone songs supposedly like 3 or 4 hours long in some cases.


Depending how far you want to push it....technically the longest song ever made is still going on. It was written by John Cage, called "As Slow As Possible" which started being played in 2001 and is slated to take 639 years to finish.



Edited by JJLehto - October 01 2011 at 22:51