If you ask certain industry pundits, they’ll tell you that the album is in its final death rattles. With the advent of iTunes and now streaming, it’s almost bad business practice to actually invest in a full album for an artist or band.

Some artists are already bemoaning the fact that, since consumers can pick and choose between individual tracks when buying music, as their attention spans shorten further and further, the art of making an album may soon be forgotten, at least in the pop world.

But is this such a bad thing? Yes, we think it is. But you may still be surprised to know that many of your favourite songs, indeed the ones you most closely associate with some of your most beloved bands and artists, never actually appeared on their albums.

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine