Extended play
"EP" redirects here. For the parliament in Europe, see European Parliament. For other uses, see EP (disambiguation).Extended play (or
EP) is the name typically given to
vinyl records or
CDs which are too long to be called
singles but too short to qualify as
albums. Usually, an album has eight or more tracks (anywhere between 25â€"80 minutes), a single has one to three (5â€"15 minutes), and an EP four to seven (or around 15â€"25 minutes). Some artists, especially in the days of vinyl, have released full-length albums that could fit the definition of a modern-day EP (
Yes'
Close to the Edge is nearly 39 minutes long;
Prince's
Dirty Mind is seconds short of a full half hour.) Conversely, there are EPs that are long enough to be albums (
Marilyn Manson's
Smells Like Children for example, which is 54 minutes long;
Estradasphere's
The Silent Elk of Yesterday clocks in at 74 minutes).
There are also some EPs which are even shorter than the standard single. It has become customary in recent years for new bands to release their first release nominally as an "EP" to give it more grand connotations than a single. By giving the release a unique name (as opposed to it being named after the lead track on the CD) the band can garner more attention for the other tracks on the CD. Using the example of Arctic Monkeys, by calling their first release
Five Minutes With Arctic Monkeys rather than
Fake Tales of San Francisco (the first track on the CD) they also put the second track "From The Ritz to the Rubble" in the limelight. Thus,
Five Minutes With Arctic Monkeys is more akin to a
double-A side than a standard EP. Subsequently, similar releases by other new bands could be described as "triple-A sides" or even "quadruple-A sides".
A
remix single is not considered an EP unless it also has other songs on it (an EP/single
hybrid). The name "extended play" has become something of a misnomer, for though it originally was used for singles that were extended beyond the standard length, it is now more often synonymous with an album that is shorter than usual; indeed, EPs are sometimes referred to as "
mini-albums" (see below). For this reason, among others, they are referred to as "EPs", the full name being used much more rarely.
EPs were released in various sizes in different eras. In the 1950s and 1960s, EPs were typically 45
RPM recordings on 7" (18cm) disks, with two songs on each side. By coincidence, the format gained wide popularity with the coming of
Elvis Presley, and it is sometimes erroneously stated that the term "EP" derived from his initials. Nevertheless, he practically ruled the
Billboard EP charts, hitting the top 10 sixteen different times, six of them going to number 1, the latter staying at the top for 86 weeks. Through his EPs, Presley earned 6 Gold, 10 Platinum, of which 2 were Multi-Platinum RIAA certifications, representing sales in excess of 16.5 million units, the most ever, by any recording artist, whether solo, or group.
In
1967,
The Beatles released a double-EP containing all the songs from their TV film
Magical Mystery Tour. In the
1970s and
1980s there was less
standardization, and EPs were made on 7" (18cm), 10", or 12" (30cm) discs running either 33â…" or 45 RPM. Some
novelty EPs used odd shapes and colours, and a few were
picture discs.
Alice in Chains is the first and only band to ever have an EP reach #1 on
Billboard album chart. The EP,
Jar of Flies was released 22 January of 1994.
The term
EP is also sometimes applied to
compact discs with short playing times. However, since a CD can carry any amount of material up to around 80 minutes, the distinction between a CD EP and a short CD LP is somewhat arbitrary and is based on artistic and
marketing factors.
The Mars Volta ran into problems with their five-track album
Frances the Mute before its release; the final track, "Cassandra Gemini", was divided into eight semi-arbitrary sections so the band would be paid an album's wages rather than an EP's.[
1]
Autechre decided to name one of their releases
EP7 even though it contained 11 tracks and was over an hour long.
Weezer's
Green Album is not considered an EP even though it falls short of half an hour.
|
London's 1977 4 track EP available in 7" and 12" formats. |
The first recordings released by many
punk rock bands were released in 7" EP format, mainly because the short song nature of the
genre that resulted made it difficult to create sufficient material to fill an LP. Many such bands also were unsigned, or signed to a minor record label that did not have the funds to release a full length album, particularly by newly formed bands. As many record stores would not sell
demo tapes, the 7" EP became a standard release for punk rock bands, who could sell them nationwide at a cheap price, and thus be heard beyond the areas where they performed. These records would vary in length, having anywhere from 2 to as many as 10 or more songs (4 being somewhat of a standard), and recorded at 33 RPM as often as 45 (outside of punk rock many people refer to any 7" record as a 45, as it has been the standard speed for such records). Some of these recordings would qualify as
singles, although this term was sometimes eschewed as being a mainstream design for determining commercial airplay, which did not apply to the vast majority of such bands. The term "single" also had a way of being somewhat dismissive of any tracks other than the primary one, delegating them as
b-sides, when many bands, having a 7" record as their most significant release, would put all their best songs on the recording. Using the term EP in such cases would be considered technically incorrect, as they were not "extended", and the term "7 inch" became a standard. For bands that went on to achieve commercial success, it was often customary for the original EP tracks to be released later on full-length albums, or to be somehow re-issued in another format.
The split 7" EP has also been a widespread feature in the genre, in which two bands would release such a record together, each performing on one side. This was a way to cut costs, particularly for self-released EPs, and was often used as a way for a more established band to help promote a promising newer act. Alternately, two bands with friendly relations with each other would release split EPs together. In some countries, split EPs are also used by major record labels to promote two new albums by wholly different artists, usually in the form of radio promos.[
2]
*
Gramophone record*
Concept EP*
Long Play
