In an era where My Bloody Valentine takes 20 years to record an album, it's easy to forget that recording a good album doesn't need to take a very long time. In fact, some of the greatest albums of all time were recorded in no time at all. Here are seven classic albums that were recorded extremely quickly.
1. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath (1970)
Though the exact date it disputed, Black Sabbath recorded their legendary debut album in a single day in late 1969, and then mixed the entire thing the next day. Every song was recorded live, including the vocals, and according to guitarist Tony Iommi, "We never had a second run of most of the stuff."
2. Belle & Sebastian - Tigermilk (1996)
The origin story of Belle & Sebastian's debut album Tigermilk is one of the more bizarre in rock history. The band was essentially the guinea pig for a Glasgow college course on the music business, which would produce one album each year from a local band. In 1996 they chose Belle & Sebastian, who were given just three days to record their first album.
3. Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade (1984)
Despite the fact that Zen Arcade is a 70-minute double LP with 23 songs, it took Hüsker Dü a mere 40 hours to record the entire thing, with all but two of the tracks being first takes.
4. The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat (1968)
After the Velvet Underground's debut album failed to make an impact on the charts, they followed it up with their raging noise rock classic White Light/White Heat. The album was recorded in just two days, with the band even deciding to record the 17-minute "Sister Ray" in one take and accept any mistakes they might end up making.
5. Nick Drake - Pink Moon (1972)
Though Nick Drake's first two albums Five Leaves Left and Bryter Layter were lushly and carefully recorded, his third and final album Pink Moon is extremely stark, featuring just Drake's voice and acoustic guitar, with a single piano overdub on the title track. Because of the music's simple minimal arrangements, Drake was able to record the album in just two overnight sessions.
6. Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
In 1965, Bob Dylan took just three days in mid-January to record his half electric, half acoustic LP Bringing It All Back Home, though only takes from the last two days would ultimately be used for the finished album.
7. The Beatles - Please Please Me (1963)
When the Beatles went to record their debut album with producer George Martin, they essentially performed their live set into two microphones inside of a recording studio. In just 13 hours, the band ended up recording 10 tracks for the album, which would be supplemented with the four songs from the band's first two singles, to create their classic debut Please Please Me.
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