Anyone else miss the days when an artist would release two sometimes three singles before releasing the album?

I do, it used to really build up to the album, give you time to decide if you want to buy it and just seemed like much more of an event. The artists also seemed to last a lot longer...

Now its like, single one week.. album the next.. end of story.

i guess now it's because of sales, but i wouldn't mind a secon d single being relased before the album like the saturdays did with chasing lights,

Some artists still do release two singles before an album, especially those who know they will be able to flog whatever to an adoring fanbase. Case in point, JLS.

They released "Beat Again" and "Everybody in Love" before their album, the week following "Everybody in Love".

Now I don't mean to disrespect JLS fans but chances are alot of them will just buy the single regardless of whatever. I never, ever buy a single when the album is out the following week. The only time I've done it was with Leona and "Happy" when I wanted to support her.

Forgive me if I'm wrong but isn't this what Sophie Ellis-Bextor is doing? She released Bittersweet, she's releasing another single in August (?) and then the album a few weeks after or something.

It's been first single one week, album the next for seemingly the majority of artists for donkeys' years.

i do like her but with the not so successful bittersweet, i would guess shes needs another single to help get people intrested.

Releasing a single WAY before the new album is presumably what the Saturdays are doing (who i really like btw) in ANOTHER attempt to get Number 1.

I am glad to hear that some artists are returning to that way (according to here) but it used to be ALL artists that did it.... i much preferred getting to know an artist before i commit £10 to their whole album which can turn out to be nothing like the first single...

i guess the risk of doing that now is the concept of floopping mafor.

September released Cry For You, a massive hit spending 8 weeks in the top 10 alone, and selling well over 300,000 during its chart reign. However if she would have released the album then she would have sold a decent amount, BUT Can't Get Over (#14 in charts, 2 weeks top 20, 3 in top 40) was a mild hit and because of Until I die getting refussed by almost every radio, the album flopopped due to only beingg releassed onto itunes. Mini Viva is another example,

More money comes from the album and i guess nowadays you still have a lot of 1 hit wonders and if the artists releases the album straight after there first single, its got a better chance of performi9ng well.

Oasis did that

April 1994- Supersonic
June- Shakermaker
August- Live Forever
September- Album release
October- Cigarettes and alcohol
December- Whatever- stand alone single, coinciding with Christmas.
1995
April- Some might say
July- Roll with it
October- Wonderwall and new album release.
Feb 1996- Don't look back in anger

with 4 top top quality b sides per single.

It's a good tactic, provided you've got the songs.

I always feel albums sell more when they're released after just 1 single.

For example, Dizzee Rascall released 3 singles before his newest album (Dance Wiv Me, Bonkers and Holiday), with the latter leading the album. But then he only released one more single - Dirtee Cash - after the album's release to increase more sales for the album. IF the album had of been released after Bonkers, it would have charted extremely well, and then with the release of Holiday, the album could have hit the top spot again (although Holiday itself may not have gone #1, but it's better to get a #1 album than single), and then the album would have sold continuously while Dirtee Cash was also released. But it didn't. For having 4 huge singles, only 1 was released after the album release & the album only scraped platinum sales - had it have been released after Bonkers, it could have hit the million mark!

I think the risk of an album leaking onto the internet also means labels want to get their completed albums into shops ASAP.

"Sitting" on a completed album for several months while you release two or three singles is a risky business if it leaks - some people may have the full album for months prior to release.

Yeah I miss the singles.

I totally agree, i think every artist/band should release at least 2 songs before an album release. Not only does it give the fans/audiences a real taste of the album but also i think ensures more singles success for the artist.

...and some acts release an album then release every possible song from the album (Lady Gaga and Shania Twain spring to mind).

It varies. There's singles and album acts. The album acts, where the majority of the sales come from albums, probably care less about singles so release one for promotion then release an album shortly after. They're usually bigger acts or acts with a 'cult' following.

Then on the other hand there's singles acts (mainly cheery pop like The Saturdays) who don't do too well with albums but their singles get much more promotion.

With downloads becoming pretty big for singles, there's less point in releasing them properly now.

I think you have hit the nail on the head with that one.

Couple of other points to consider though, single releases are 'special' to fans because they often contain a b side which does not appear on the album, or a remix of the single etc. so to many, they will buy the singles anyway as well as the album.

I also think that many artists these days have 'ruined' the album, as many now release albums full of songs that 'could' be singles.
Call me old fashioned, but I liked the days when album tracks were different to the singles, and depending on the band, much better.
As lifelong Queen fan, I NEVER listen to the Greatest hits albums, and tend to skip through many of the singles on the albums, as I simply prefer the album tracks.
A 'hit' single does not always mean 'great song'.

Hmm its a toughie, it's an artist I'm just getting into releasing their debut or first album to go mainstream (Ke$ha and Example, respectively) I wouldn't buy off the back of one single so I'm glad the latter is doing three singles first to really build up hype, and Ke$ha was going to but brought it forward to stop UK people downloading illegally which is fair. I didn't buy Lady Gaga's The Fame until Poker Face but got Fame Monster (for Christmas) after Bad Romance.

So there's pros and cons either way but I'd say new artists 2 singles before album and artists who have got big fanbases can do it after one single.

I like it when artists release two singles before an album, it gives people more of a chance to get a feel of the album before they buy it. The Pet Shop Boys used to do this on most of their albums of the 1980's and 90's.

West End Girls and Love Comes Quickly released 1985/86 before Please which came out on 24/3/86
It's A Sin and What Have I Done to Deserve This released 1987 before Actually which came out on 7/9/87
Always on My Mind and Domino Dancing released 1987/88 before Introspective on 10/10/88

For Behaviour, only one single preceded the album, that was So Hard.

Can You Forgive Her? and Go West released 1993 before Very on 22/9/93
Before and Se A Vida E released 1996 before Bilingual on 02/9/93
I Don't Know What You Want... and New York City Boy released 1999 before Nightlife on 11/10/99

One single has been released before every album since 2002's Release.

Home & Dry - Release. I'm With Stupid - Fundamental. Love etc. - Yes

I miss the days when you'd buy a single and have bonus tracks (B sides, non album track ect)

That was one singles were worth buying.

Now if you buy the album you have the single (Minus a sh!tty remix)

Doesn't make it worth getting the single.

Thats why i dont really buy the CD's no more, i get all the GaGa ones but thats more of a collection coz i love her, like when kids collecetd pokemon cards.

I agree. A single backed with a remix is always disappointing in my book. It seems to be the way now though

I also miss the days of CD1s and CD2s. Obviously physical sales are almost nil nowadays but i still miss them.

I think Kylie and PSBs are the only artists who still releases singles over 2 CDs.