20 Albums With 5 or Fewer Songs That Still Blew Us Away

Not every great album needs 12 tracks, a concept arc, and a deluxe version with acoustic demos. Sometimes, five songs (or fewer!) is all it takes to say everything that needs to be said. Whether it’s an experimental suite, a prog-rock epic, or a stripped-back meditation, these albums prove that a short tracklist can leave a long-lasting impact.

1. Pink Floyd – Animals (1977) – 5 tracks
Three long-form political allegories, bookended by an acoustic lullaby for a dystopian world. Floyd’s bleakest—and maybe boldest—masterpiece.

2.Frank Zappa – Studio Tan (1978) – 4 tracks
Opening with the 20-minute absurdist suite “The Adventures of Greggery Peccary,” this four-track collection blends Zappa’s signature satire, jazz fusion, and orchestral rock. Released during a legal battle with his record label, Studio Tan is weird, wild, and wonderfully Zappa.

3. Miles Davis – Kind of Blue (1959) – 5 tracks
Arguably the most influential jazz album ever recorded—five tracks, zero skips, and infinite cool. Proof that magic can happen in one take.

4. The Mars Volta – Frances the Mute (2005) – 5 tracks
Each song unfolds like a scene from a dream (or nightmare). At over 75 minutes, it’s a five-track epic disguised as a spiritual exorcism.

5. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – F♯ A♯ ∞ (1997) – 3 tracks
Post-apocalyptic soundscapes built from static, strings, and sorrow. It’s like the world ended, and this was the only record that survived.

6. John Coltrane – My Favorite Things (1961) – 4 tracks
Coltrane takes a Broadway standard and transforms it into modal jazz magic. The title track alone is worth the price of admission, with Coltrane’s soprano sax unlocking new emotional dimensions.

7. Fripp & Eno – (No Pussyfooting) (1973) – 2 tracks
Robert Fripp and Brian Eno built this tape-looped sonic experiment in 1973, and it still feels like the future. Two pieces, endless interpretation. It’s ambient, it’s avant-garde, it’s art.

8. John Coltrane – A Love Supreme (1965) – 3 tracks
One of the most spiritually significant albums in jazz history. Divided into four parts but officially tracked as three on many pressings, A Love Supreme is a devotional work that feels transcendent from start to finish.

9. Brian Eno – Ambient 1: Music for Airports (1978) – 4 tracks
The foundation of ambient music as we know it. These four tracks float, shimmer, and hang in the air like soft light in a quiet terminal. Designed to be ignored—impossible to forget.

10. Pharoah Sanders – Karma (1969) – 2 tracks
Including the legendary “The Creator Has a Master Plan,” this is spiritual jazz that spirals upward and inward at the same time. Two tracks, all transcendence.

11. George Harrison – Electronic Sound (1969) – 2 tracks
Forget guitars—this is George Harrison on a Moog synthesizer, pushing boundaries. It’s not easy listening, but it’s a rare glimpse into the Beatle’s most experimental phase.

12. Isaac Hayes – Hot Buttered Soul (1969) – 4 tracks
Only four songs—but every one of them is a journey. From the 12-minute “Walk On By” to the epic 18-minute “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” Hayes redefined soul music with sweeping arrangements and cinematic emotion.

13. Jethro Tull – Thick as a Brick (1972) – 2 tracks
A parody of concept albums that ended up becoming one of the most iconic concept albums ever. Technically one song split into two sides, it’s Ian Anderson’s flute-fueled prog opus at its most clever and complex.

14. Yes – Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973) – 4 tracks
An ambitious double album built from four sprawling compositions, each filling a full side of vinyl. Inspired by Hindu shastric texts, this is Yes at their most indulgent—and for many fans, their most hypnotic. You don’t just listen to it, you get immersed in it.

15. Yes – Close to the Edge (1972) – 3 tracks
A towering pillar of progressive rock. With just three tracks—each a multi-part suite—it blends spiritual searching, virtuosic musicianship, and cosmic ambition. The title track alone redefined what a rock song could be, clocking in at 18 minutes of dazzling complexity.

16. Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells (1973) – 2 tracks
A genre-blending, instrumental triumph that introduced Oldfield to the world (and haunted The Exorcist). Side A and Side B weave through folk, prog, and ambient textures like a musical Rubik’s cube.

17. Bill Evans – Waltz for Debby (1962) – 4 tracks (on LP version)
A live jazz trio performance that’s both technically perfect and heartbreakingly intimate. These four tracks are all-time greats.

18. Rush – Hemispheres (1978) – 4 tracks
Opening with the 18-minute “Cygnus X-1 Book II,” Rush goes full prog here—flexing technical brilliance, philosophical lyrics, and yes, Geddy Lee’s stratospheric vocals. Four tracks, zero filler.

19. Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Arc (1991) – 1 track
This is Neil Young at his most chaotic and uncompromising. Arc is a 35-minute sound collage built from feedback, distortion, and fragments of live performances—less a song and more a war cry of raw sonic energy. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s a landmark in experimental rock.

20. John Lennon & Yoko Ono – Wedding Album (1969) – 2 tracks
Part performance art, part experimental noise collage. One track is literally just them saying each other’s names for 20 minutes. The other is heartbeats, recordings, and bed-in strangeness. You won’t play it often—but you’ll never forget it.