If Recovery Could Only Have 13 Tracks?

[EminemBase]

One thing that's to be said, or that's at least been said by a lot of critics throughout the course of his career is that Em has long albums. I think he has so much material and really likes to give a hefty batch. If you notice though, a lot of classics, or... a good amount at least have a small amount like Illmatic. Usually 11-13, something about 13 that seems about right.

Em always has at least 15 I think and maybe a few of his albums could of done with better selection or even just being shorter. I'm an Em fan so I like more material anyway but I can see where critics are coming from. I'm glad Recovery had no skits.

So lets assume you could only have 13 tracks on Recovery. What would you keep and how would you structure it? Don't just name your top 13, order it as you would want to here it and how you think it would be best presented if only X 13 could be there.

Mine would probably be...

1. Cold Wind Blows
2. On Fire
3. Talkin' 2 Myself
4. So Bad
5. W.T.P.
6. Seduction
7. Not Afraid
8. Going Through Changes
9, Space Bound
10. 25 to Life
11. Cinderella Man
12. Almost Famous
13. You're Never Over

Would less tracks make it a classic to you? I used to just consider Recovery a really good album but have thought up until now it just didn't have that classic 'spark'.

But for some reason, more it's been setting in the more coherent it all seems. The production all seems to work for me now when I listen to it through, before it felt random but when you really listen - all the beats gel really. Mostly similar drum patterns over bass lines etc. and every song is decent and sounds like it should be on the album.

Even the sequencing is making more sense to me.

It's actually seeming not far off a classic to me now. And the lyricism is so dense like... I always knew it was good but felt ultimately a bit like it was just still so under par in comparison to old work but when I really listen again (even though I've heard it 1,000 times over)... I don't know... I think time has just improved it. It's just 'set in' as an album.

It's pretty much near-flawless - by which I don't mean the content, ideas and album's worth are near-flawless - I'm still expecting better on all fronts. But I mean, in its own right, in what it is... it's near-flawless in every aspect. I think it would be a lot better if he produced it all but it's a great album that I think will only garner more praise overtime. Just like we're seeing with Relapse, I think it might just start dawning on people how good Recovery is (fans I mean) more and more.

I think part of it is the expectations. Due to the length of time he was gone and what everyone keeps expecting, each album feels like a shell-shock puzzle that takes a while to adjust to. Of course there is still some corny lines and bad lyricism on Recovery but the good stuff far outweighs the bad and there is only a few truly cringy lines. One being "guess that's why they call it window pain".

I'd say Recovery is a possible future classic though. And in say... 10 years, after he's made maybe 3 more solo albums - I think it may be placed a lot higher in people's (and critics minds) by then. Kind of how like It Was Written was so steam rolled by the expectations after Illmatic but then with time, it got its fair shake. Now, before anybody takes that analogy literally (always happens) - I'm not saying Recovery is Em's it Was Written. I just mean it may go through a similar treatment.

[Cam_24]

Didn't read all of it, but no it's just fine with 17 tracks. There's 1 or 2 mediocre songs, but no bad songs.

[EminemBase]

Didn't read all of it, but no it's just fine with 17 tracks. There's 1 or 2 mediocre songs, but no bad songs.

Well maybe you should read it all then.

Or just don't post. Because then you misunderstand the point of the post like now.

I'm not saying I think it should have 13 tracks. I'm saying if that was the limitation, what 13 would you choose, to make the best album possible from them.

[xxTrigger1989xx]

Recovery is one of the most enjoyable Eminem albums to listen to front to back. Really, the only tracks I would remove are Won't Back Down and W.T.P., and replace W.T.P. with Ridaz. But even then, I like W.T.P., but it's definitely among the weaker tracks off of Recovery

[EminemBase]

^ I'm not asking if you would remove any though lmao.

I'm saying, theoretically if you HAD to. If 13 was the limit and you had to make the album out of 13 of those tracks, which would you pick.

[xxTrigger1989xx]

^ I'm not asking if you would remove any though lmao.

I'm saying, theoretically if you HAD to. If 13 was the limit and you had to make the album out of 13 of those tracks, which would you pick.

Oh, I know, I was just putting my two cents in...

Well, this would be my 13 tracked Recovery:

1. Cold Wind Blows
2. Talkin' To Myself
3. On Fire
4. Going Through Changes
5. Not Afraid
6. Seduction
7. No Love
8. Space Bound
9. Cinderella Man
10. 25 To Life
11. So Bad
12. Almost Famous
13. Love The Way You Lie

And Untitled would be a hidden 14th track

[Slill_Slim_Shady]

Recovery is the only Em albums that doesn't have filter tracks, it's the first Em album with no intro/outro or skits and yeah he's enjoyable for listening from to front to back, somethink that i won't say about Relapse or Encore for example!!! But yeah i can get what you're saying, with only classic tracks the album is better!!!

[xxTrigger1989xx]

Recovery is the only Em albums that doesn't have filter tracks, it's the first Em album with no intro/outro or skits and yeah he's enjoyable for listening from to front to back, somethink that i won't say about Relapse or Encore for example!!! But yeah i can get what you're saying, with only classic tracks the album is better!!!

Nah, The Eminem Show has practically no fillers, too. Drips would be a filler of sorts, but Recovery does have a song or two that I would consider as fillers.

[Slill_Slim_Shady]

Recovery is the only Em albums that doesn't have filter tracks, it's the first Em album with no intro/outro or skits and yeah he's enjoyable for listening from to front to back, somethink that i won't say about Relapse or Encore for example!!! But yeah i can get what you're saying, with only classic tracks the album is better!!!

Nah, The Eminem Show has practically no fillers, too. Drips would be a filler of sorts, but Recovery does have a song or two that I would consider as fillers.

Nah Em said by himself that Recovery hasn't filler songs!!! He worked on this album a lot, it's normal to be like that!!!

[EminemBase]

Recovery is the only Em albums that doesn't have filter tracks, it's the first Em album with no intro/outro or skits and yeah he's enjoyable for listening from to front to back, somethink that i won't say about Relapse or Encore for example!!! But yeah i can get what you're saying, with only classic tracks the album is better!!!

Nah, The Eminem Show has practically no fillers, too. Drips would be a filler of sorts, but Recovery does have a song or two that I would consider as fillers.

I don't think you could call any fillers really due to the amount of effort in each verse of every song. There isn't a lazy verse on the album.

I don't think subject-matter makes a song filler because he may of genuinely wanted to rap about it and that's what a real artist should do. But if effort is put into the execution I think it has to be considered real work, as real effort went into it.

Where as... "My 1st Single" and some songs on Encore - whilst he still shows skill in some parts (when doesn't he) - I would consider them filler as he's visibly bored. He tries to sort of cover his boredom with an ironic wink to camera as if it justifies it lmao but, they're still filler.

He's aware he sounds lazy that's the thing. And I seriously doubt he didn't have any other decent songs to put there, so I don't even know why he put them on. He must of wanted that goofy side to Encore, that's all that wrecked it though, the silliness.

[xxTrigger1989xx]

Recovery is the only Em albums that doesn't have filter tracks, it's the first Em album with no intro/outro or skits and yeah he's enjoyable for listening from to front to back, somethink that i won't say about Relapse or Encore for example!!! But yeah i can get what you're saying, with only classic tracks the album is better!!!

Nah, The Eminem Show has practically no fillers, too. Drips would be a filler of sorts, but Recovery does have a song or two that I would consider as fillers.

Nah Em said by himself that Recovery hasn't filler songs!!! He worked on this album a lot, it's normal to be like that!!!

I mean, in my eyes, Won't Back Down and W.T.P seem like fillers. It's only those two, and even then, those two aren't bad songs, but compared to the rest of them, I consider them fillers...

And I just saw your post, EmBase. I agree with you 100%, I won't deny the amount of work he put into Recovery. I know he worked very hard, but it's just, in my personal opinion, WBD and W.T.P. are sub-par compared to the rest of the songs. I can definitely still listen to them, but they get a lot of skips from me

[EminemBase]

And I just saw your post, EmBase. I agree with you 100%, I won't deny the amount of work he put into Recovery. I know he worked very hard, but it's just, in my personal opinion, WBD and W.T.P. are sub-par compared to the rest of the songs. I can definitely still listen to them, but they get a lot of skips from me

Yeah I'm not saying they can't be skippers. I usually skip WBD also but that's just taste, I don't think a track you skip automatically becomes filler.

I think a filler should be songs with lyrics and execution that was lazy and without passion, for the sake of 'filling' the album. I don't think that could be said about a single track on there, regardless of what you think of the actual content or end result.

[xxTrigger1989xx]

And I just saw your post, EmBase. I agree with you 100%, I won't deny the amount of work he put into Recovery. I know he worked very hard, but it's just, in my personal opinion, WBD and W.T.P. are sub-par compared to the rest of the songs. I can definitely still listen to them, but they get a lot of skips from me

Yeah I'm not saying they can't be skippers. I usually skip WBD also but that's just taste, I don't think a track you skip automatically becomes filler.

I think a filler should be songs with lyrics and execution that was lazy and without passion, for the sake of 'filling' the album. I don't think that could be said about a single track on there, regardless of what you think of the actual content or end result.

Yeah, that's true, you bring up a very good point

[S.T.A.N.]

Theres a reason why he put out 19 tracks. He is the bawss and we shouldn't decide how he should do his job.

[AJS]

ok so ima change up the sequencing a little bit for my dream recovery with 13 songs

1. Cold Wind Blows
2.Going Through Changes
3.Not Afraid
4. 25 To Life
5. Talkin 2 myself FT.Kobe
6.Seduction
7.Spacebound
8.So Bad
9.Love The Way You Lie FT.Rihanna
10.No Love FT.Lil Wayne
11.Almost Famous
12.Cinderella Man
13.You`re Never Over
hidden track-14.Session One FT. Slaughterhouse
idk something like that lol i wanted to include w.t.p,wont back down and on fire but i couldnt really fit em anywhere where i felt they were necessary