Sequencing.....the art of arranging album tracks so that everything flows well and creates a desired listen-through experience. Probably an increasingly forgotten art, but one that's harder than it sounds. When I was the interim music director at the San Marcos church for a while I had to procure a Christmas mix, and I was surprised at how long it took me to arrange the order of a bunch of good songs in a way that didn't feel hodge-podge, and make them flow well together. Of course, that was probably harder than normal because I was dealing with different artists, styles, and eras. But I've heard from industry guys that it's a serious thing that used to not be taken lightly.
One of my favorite bands initially put out an album in the 90's overseas, and the front-end felt awkward for some reason. They weren't happy with the sequencing and they were able to get the record label to re-sequence the tracks for the American release. That one flows way better, imo. But it's all the same songs. Very interesting.
