Re TEMPEST:
I agree that "long doesn't necessarily mean better" but perceived length can differ from actual length. As well as the quantitative element, I suspect you are applying a qualitative judgement, too. After all, "Roll On, John", which was not to your liking, is the same length, give or take a few seconds either way, as both "Narrow Way" and "Scarlet Town", which you favoured more [7.25; 7.28; and 7.17 respectively].
All three are about the same length as "Visions of Johanna" incidentally. "Desolation Row" and "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands", from the same "classic" 1965-1966 period, both lasted over 11 minutes. "Highlands" (from TIME OUT OF MIND) lasted over 16 minutes and was much favoured by many but, for reasons I elaborated in another thread, I listened to this less than the rest of the album. "Brownsville Girl", on the pretty poor KNOCKED OUT LOADED album, also got favourable comment and it lasted 11 minutes.
"Scarlet Town" (and "Tin Angel" for that matter) updates, rewrites and transforms an old ballad - and some of those old ballads went on for-ever-and-ever (and ever and ever) without mercy.
Finaally, while I acknowledge the practicality, efficacy and ubiquity of the CD, its format has had an effect on recorded music. The CD offers more time to the performer and listeners feel deprived if that they don't get a pretty full album, not always to the benefit of the quality of the content. By way of contrast, an LP forced the listener to take a break, roughly half way through, in order to turn the LP over. This could be a bad thing (especially for classical music recordings) but so often I found that break to be beneficial. After 4 or 5 songs on a new album, it was a chance to take stock before pressing on. And it was a chance for the performer to structure the album, too.
Therefore, while I know it is not exactly the same thing, I somewhat admire Mark for making PRIVATEERING an album of 2 CDs, each roughly 45 minutes long (or LP length). He could have excluded one or two tracks from PRIVATEERING and produced one 80-minute CD. As it is clear from the bonus CD that he had more material, he could have made each CD a little longer, perhaps 55 to 60 minutes long. But no, he turned out two nicely balanced discs, with a chance to absorb the first before playing the second. Retro Mark. [Re-Mark-able? Mark-nificent?]
