YOU ARE HERE: zharth.net / Zharth's Music Log / Week 184 (Twofers)
(Originally finalized on February 13, 2026)
Preface: This is another idea I've had stuffed down in the bottom of my bag for quite a while. Largely an artifact of the album-oriented rock era, in conjunction with corporate radio - which I stopped listening to ages ago - its contemporary relevance is questionable; but why should that matter for a blog dedicated to music that is predominantly 50 years old (or older)? In an age of unprecedented musical experimentation, when bands sought to expand beyond the boundaries of the concise, self-contained single, there were, on occasion, hit songs that courted considerable radio airplay, despite being inextricably linked to the tracks that preceded or followed them on the album on which they originally appeared. These "twofers" would, therefore, be consistently played together as one, to the point that listening to either song individually has become an incomplete experience.
Monday: Queen - We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions [News of the World, 1977]
Comments: Owing to its ultra-simple stomp-stomp-clap rhythm, this stadium taunt and school cafeteria staple stands pretty strong on its own, but the followup (released as the A-side on the near chart-topping single) adds depth and versatility, ensuring that its ubiquity in athletic competitions of all kinds is likely to endure.
Tuesday: The Doors - Peace Frog/Blue Sunday [Morrison Hotel, 1970]
Comments: For a time, I had this song earmarked for my Days of the Week theme, but as the eleventh hour approached, I pulled it in anticipation of squeezing this theme in during overtime. Anyway, I'm happy with the choice I went with in the end. The two parts of this popular montage from The Doors' penultimate album couldn't be more disparate in tone, and yet, like peanut butter and jelly, they complement each other perfectly; you almost couldn't imagine them being separated.
Wednesday: Yes - Long Distance Runaround/The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus) [Fragile, 1971]
Comments: Progressive rock was a fertile breeding ground for the type of modular song structure we're exploring this week - but there's a fine line between multi-part extended suites (which are common in this genre), and true twofers, which are typically characterized by numerical separation on the official tracklist (often making them a bear to properly sequence, without pause, on playlists - evidenced by the difficulty in finding them listed together even in the relevant bands' official YouTube releases). A popular example of the latter is this combination from Yes' most celebrated album.
Thursday: Pink Floyd - Empty Spaces/Young Lust [The Wall, 1979]
Comments: Pioneering dabblers in long-form conceptual albums and rock operas that they were, Pink Floyd had a number of twofers in their repertoire. One of them (shared here) is one of their most recognizable tunes, which many don't even realize is two tracks rolled into one! From that same groundbreaking album is this mash-up which has avoided being spent on not one, but two themes (and arguably a third) dedicated to its namesake. For even more, you need only pull up the tracklist to Dark Side of the Moon, which technically only pauses once - where the two album sides meet.
Friday: Steve Miller Band - Threshold/Jet Airliner [Book of Dreams, 1977]
Comments: I would've had a more definitive collection of twofers this week, if several of the most notable ones had not already been scooped up by other themes. So these next two songs are going to be more in the vein of songs with extended intros (which could be a category in and of itself) - that are sometimes unceremoniously truncated for radio play. Like Fly Like An Eagle (and its "Space Intro") from the Steve Miller Band's previous album, Jet Airliner is one of those songs.
Saturday: Styx - Prelude 12/Suite Madame Blue [Equinox, 1975]
Comments: Some of my favorite twofers that were disqualified this week include Led Zeppelin's Heartbreaker/Living Loving Maid, ZZ Top's Waiting For The Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago, and Boston's Foreplay/Long Time. The latter more closely follows the "extended intro" approach - like this sometimes-overlooked hard-rocking ballad from a period in Styx's history just before John Curulewski was replaced by guitarist Tommy Shaw.
Sunday: Grand Funk Railroad - I'm Your Captain/Closer To Home [Closer To Home, 1970]
Comments: It's a good thing we're bending the rules, because I don't think this song technically qualifies as a twofer - despite consisting of two distinct portions, it's not even listed as separate tracks. One of Grand Funk Railroad's best-known songs, it's not as hard-driving as some of their other material, but it relates a fun story of mutiny on the high seas.
Honorable Mention: Steppenwolf - Monster/Suicide/America [Monster, 1969]
Comments: Veering ever further from our starting point, and entering the realm of multi-part "suite" songs, I don't think I've even heard this title track from Steppenwolf's fourth album ever played on the radio - except chopped up for a sound bite on a political talk show. From an era of patriotic skepticism, adopted hypocritically (but predictably) by conservatives who stand for everything democracy is not, it builds to a motivational crescendo that I can't help but find inspiring. And in this year of our nation's 250th anniversary, with the most corrupt administration in our history (by far) hijacking the federal government to lie, steal, and violate our civil rights at every opportunity - even going so far as attempting to enact a racial cleansing in our city streets - I think a little angry protest music is disgustingly appropriate right now.
"There's a monster on the loose, and it's got our heads into a noose."