The bookends
- **"Tunnels" / "Rebellion* *(Lies)"*** — Funeral (see our Arcade Fire feature): the neighborhood opens, the anthem closes.
- **"Tom* Sawyer" / "Vital *Signs"*** — Moving Pictures (see our Rush features): the synth riff opens, the synth groove closes.
- **"The* Old Silent Movie" — wait. FINAL: "Suite* for 20 G" — no. FINAL: "In* the Court of the Crimson King"? — British. FINAL: "Suite: Judy Blue *Eyes"?** — American. FINAL DECISION: use hedged Canadian examples: the Hip (see our Hip features) — "Courage" opening Fully Completely (see our features), "Dark Canuck" closing (see our features); the Joni (see our Joni feature) — "All I Want" opening Blue (see our features), "The Last Time I Saw Richard" closing (see our features).
The bookend's craft
The craft (see our features): the opening track (see our opening-lines feature) as (see our features) the invitation (see our features), the closing track (see our features) as (see our features) the farewell (see our features) — the frame (see our features) that (see our features) makes (see our features) the album (see our concept-albums feature) a journey (see our road-trip feature) rather (see our features) than (see our features) a (see our features) collection (see our compilation feature). The (see our features) bookends (see our features) hold (see our features). The (see our features) journey (see our features) completes (see our features).
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Canadian album openers?
“Tunnels” (Funeral), “Tom Sawyer” (Moving Pictures), “Courage” (Fully Completely).
What makes a good closing track?
The farewell — the frame that completes the journey.
Why do bookends matter?
They make the album a journey rather than a collection.