# #343 - SIDE TWO VERSUS SIDE ONE

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/metal-nerdery-podcast-698563/343-side-two-versus-side-one
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/metal-nerdery-podcast-698563/343-side-two-versus-side-one.md
Podcast: [Metal Nerdery Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/metal-nerdery-podcast-698563)
Published: 2026-03-19T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://metalnerdery.podbean.com/e/343-side-two-versus-side-one/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/mtfmbmi9fv2g9fun/343-side2-audio.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/metal-nerdery-podcast-698563/episodes/343-side-two-versus-side-one
Duration seconds: 2870

## Resource

Ever since compact discs came out in the mid-1980s, the concept of SIDE 1 and SIDE 2 on an album sort of fell by the wayside. And with this new quantum leap in technology, the entire process of consuming music began to transform. By the late 80’s and early 90’s, CD sales began outselling vinyl records and cassette tapes, due in large part to convenience and technological innovation, as vinyl records (albums) were limited to a maximum of 20 minutes or so per side and cassette tapes maxed out at around 30 minutes per side. But prior to compact discs, consuming music was (at a minimum) a two-step process which involved inserting the cassette into your tape deck and pressing play or placing the album on your turntable and dropping the needle to begin your music enjoyment experience. With the advent of compact discs, the maximum recording space jumped to 74 minutes, far exceeding the limitations of records and tapes, and bonus: you didn’t have to flip anything over and repeat the process as all of the album tracks were included on one side (so to speak) as one complete, seamless work that systematically eliminated the technologically imposed intermission which required ejecting the cassette or removing the stylus from the album and flipping it over to SIDE TWO, as a CD version of an album quickly became a singular entity devoid of one side or another and just became one complete work (think Reign In Blood on cassette, where both sides are repeated). In the case of a near perfect album, sides didn’t really matter, but what we’ve come to notice over the years is that SIDE TWO would sometimes be superior to SIDE ONE. Granted, this is not by any means an exact science nor is it always a guarantee, but many of the finest albums in metal history have a SIDE TWO that is much bette…

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## Transcript

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