Bands who legitimately never had a bad album

The_Captain · 25-01-2016 09:56AM #1

Are there any bands out there where every album they released was rated well by critics, sold well and was generally regarded as being good by their fans?

The 80s was a rough time for a lot of the great, Dylan and the Stones released some guff. The 90s were a hard time for Bowie with some of his less stellar stuff released.

Only going with studio albums. Live albums, cover albums and best ofs don't really count in my opinion, and obviously no point in looking at bands that only had one album (the Avalanches, Minor Threat)

The only onesI can think of off the top of my head is Rage Against theMachine (three albums, Evil Empire is probably the weakest, but still holdswell in its own right) and Arcade Fire (pretty much each release has been aserious hit)

Any other bands you can think of?

Welsh Megaman · 25-01-2016 02:16PM

Joy Division

JohnFalstaff · 25-01-2016 02:23PM

The Smiths
The Blue Nile

flasher0030 · 25-01-2016 05:38PM

I'd say The Stone Roses, even though it's only 2 albums.

Maybe Sigur Ros - but I've never listened to Von. So haven't the full picture. But they haven't made a bad album since.

Nirvana??

Welsh Megaman · 25-01-2016 06:37PM

Nine Inch Nails

The American metal band Tool

OhHiMark · 25-01-2016 09:20PM

The National

riffmongous · 25-01-2016 09:25PM

Judas priest! Although I haven't listened their recent stuff they've released a huge amount of albums with only one that 'divided opinion'

caviardreams · 25-01-2016 09:30PM

Polly Harvey.

Kerrigooney · 25-01-2016 09:42PM

Sparklehorse.

The Smiths.

sweetie · 25-01-2016 11:08PM

Wilco, Super Furry Animals, White stripes

Creamy Goodness · 26-01-2016 07:06AM

Muse

:pac:

Akrasia · 26-01-2016 07:25AM

The_Captain wrote: »

Are there any bands out there where every album they released was rated well by critics, sold well and was generally regarded as being good by their fans?

The 80s was a rough time for a lot of the great, Dylan and the Stones released some guff. The 90s were a hard time for Bowie with some of his less stellar stuff released.

Only going with studio albums. Live albums, cover albums and best ofs don't really count in my opinion, and obviously no point in looking at bands that only had one album (the Avalanches, Minor Threat)

The only onesI can think of off the top of my head is Rage Against theMachine (three albums, Evil Empire is probably the weakest, but still holdswell in its own right) and Arcade Fire (pretty much each release has been aserious hit)

Any other bands you can think of?

Radiohead have released loads of albums in wildly differing styles of music and I don't think any of them are bad albums. Some people don't like Pablo Honey because it's so different from the later work but for what it was, a indy guitar sound it had some great tracks

Stealthfins · 26-01-2016 07:34AM

The Cure

ButtersSuki · 26-01-2016 07:41AM

Depeche Mode.

Not everyone's cup of tea but throughout all the experimentation and evolution the core remains very special.

Welsh Megaman · 26-01-2016 07:06PM

Portishead

Zeek12 · 26-01-2016 07:24PM

Talking Heads
Steely Dan
The Black Keys

loyatemu · 26-01-2016 08:15PM

Zeek12 wrote:

Talking Heads

Not a big fan of "Naked"

Arghus · 27-01-2016 02:22AM

I'd say Ween.

Heavy amount of personal bias on my part, they are my favourite band. But I like to think that them being so awesome has a lot to do with why I like them so much.

In nine studio albums, I don't think I could legitimately call one "bad". Some are more special in my eyes than others, but they all have their time and place.

Arghus · 27-01-2016 02:22AM

I'd say Ween.

Heavy amount of personal bias on my part, they are my favourite band. But I like to think that them being so awesome has a lot to do with why I like them so much.

In nine studio albums, I don't think I could legitimately call one "bad". Some are more special in my eyes than others, but they all have their time and place.

cometogether · 27-01-2016 06:21AM

Arctic Monkeys

Decuc500 · 27-01-2016 10:33AM

Pearl Jam.

25 years worth of albums and not one bad one amongst them.

Pighead · 27-01-2016 11:35AM

I think quite a few of these suggestions fall down on the 'sold well' part of the listed criteria in the opening post.

jooksavage · 27-01-2016 11:39AM

The Stooges...

Oh wait, I just remembered their last 2 albums.

dinneenp · 27-01-2016 11:44AM

MBV, Red House Painters, Cocteau Twins, The Frank and Walters, LCD Soundsytem, Stereolab.

PropJoe10 · 27-01-2016 11:51AM

Soundgarden
Led Zeppelin
Pearl Jam

PropJoe10 · 27-01-2016 11:51AM

Soundgarden
Led Zeppelin
Pearl Jam

endacl · 27-01-2016 11:54AM

I've been in several bands. Never released an album.

I'd have to say, I've a remarkable track record in never releasing a bad album!

:pac:

jooksavage · 27-01-2016 11:54AM

Arghus wrote: »

I'd say Ween.

Heavy amount of personal bias on my part, they are my favourite band. But I like to think that them being so awesome has a lot to do with why I like them so much.

In nine studio albums, I don't think I could legitimately call one "bad". Some are more special in my eyes than others, but they all have their time and place.

Nice! My wife used to despise Ween but she's even come around to GodWeenSatan now. I put it down to expoure therapy.

The_Captain · 27-01-2016 03:50PM

Pighead wrote: »

I think quite a few of these suggestions fall down on the 'sold well' part of the listed criteria in the opening post.

And the critical acclaim bit too, but I'm happy to let it run

Arghus · 27-01-2016 04:35PM

jooksavage wrote: »

Nice! My wife used to despise Ween but she's even come around to GodWeenSatan now. I put it down to expoure therapy.

In my experience they can work their charms on almost anyone, if given enough time.

sweetie · 27-01-2016 10:02PM

Tindersticks

Canadel · 29-01-2016 05:36AM

The_Captain wrote: »

Arcade Fire (pretty much each release has been aserious hit)

I agree (apart from disc 1 of Reflektor). Huge admirer of Arcade Fire. If they can deliver on their next album they will have eclipsed all other indie/rock bands, if they haven't done so already. History will remember them well either way.

timmaii · 29-01-2016 11:04PM

Fugazi
Pavement
REM (some of the later ones maybe weren't as good but no bad albums)
Vampire Weekend
Sparklehorse

Was going to say the Pixies but then I realised I haven't heard their new one and I suspect it's going to ruin my arguement.

loyatemu · 29-01-2016 11:16PM

REM (some of the later ones maybe weren't as good but no bad albums)

None of their albums after "Up" are great, and "Around the Sun" is terrible.

lordgoat · 30-01-2016 01:04AM

Wilco
Elliott Smith Up to From a Basement. I don't count after that.

loyatemu wrote: »

None of their albums after "Up" are great, and "Around the Sun" is terrible.

It's absolute garbage and this is from someone who thinks Monster is easily their best album.

PropJoe10 · 30-01-2016 01:40PM

loyatemu wrote: »

None of their albums after "Up" are great, and "Around the Sun" is terrible.

I thought Collapse Into Now and Reveal were really good. Around The Sun is an absolute snoozefest though.

iomega · 30-01-2016 07:29PM

Pixies

Grayditch · 30-01-2016 07:31PM

Radiohead. Elbow. Tool. Deftones. At The Drive-In.

timmaii · 31-01-2016 01:10AM

PropJoe10 wrote: »

I thought Collapse Into Now and Reveal were really good. Around The Sun is an absolute snoozefest though.

I forgot about Around The Sun, that kills my REM arguement alright.

jooksavage · 31-01-2016 08:21AM

I know John Fahey isn't a band but he's my pick. Some of his output in the 80s was patchy enough but he never made an album that I regret buying. His movement towards the avant garde late in his career was also admirable. Getting namechecked by the likes of Sonic Youth, he was being "rediscovered" in a similar way that he helped bring back the likes of Skip James et al. in the 1960s. Instead of falling back on his huge reportoire he starts recording a series of rather difficult albums. I don't LOVE all those records but they're quite interesting and really improve on repeated listens.

Anesthetize · 31-01-2016 11:40AM

Grayditch wrote: »

Radiohead

Pablo Honey was fairly poor. The King of Limbs was average at best.

PropJoe10 · 31-01-2016 02:33PM

Grayditch wrote: »

Radiohead. Elbow. Tool. Deftones. At The Drive-In.

Tool is a great shout, although Undertow isn't my favourite.

Alice In Chains have never done a bad album. The new stuff is stellar.

S.M.B. · 31-01-2016 02:59PM

Grayditch wrote: »

Radiohead. Elbow. Tool. Deftones. At The Drive-In.

Could be new albums from all of these bands over the next 12 months too.

sweetie · 31-01-2016 06:22PM

Smiths, supergrass, go-betweens

Grayditch · 01-02-2016 10:00AM

Anesthetize wrote: »

Pablo Honey was fairly poor. The King of Limbs was average at best.

I think only with revisionism is Pablo Honey a bad album. At the time, it was a good grungy British rock album. King Of Limbs wasn't great but it isn't "bad".

Riesen_Meal · 01-02-2016 10:03AM

Grayditch wrote: »

I think only with revisionism is Pablo Honey a bad album. At the time, it was a good grungy British rock album. King Of Limbs wasn't great but it isn't "bad".

Pablo Honey is just dated really IMO...

King of Limbs is amazing, but I've a 10inch picture disc with the newspaper and acid blotting paper, im biased...

Queens Of The Stone Age haven't released a bad album IMO....

cnocbui · 01-02-2016 10:04AM

The Beatles
Curve
Goldfrapp
The XX
Dead Can Dance

Grayditch · 01-02-2016 10:08AM

Fieldog wrote: »

Pablo Honey is just dated really IMO...

King of Limbs is amazing, but I've a 10inch picture disc with the newspaper and acid blotting paper, im biased...

Queens Of The Stone Age haven't released a bad album IMO....

I think I'll give TKOL a couple of spins again today.

QOTSA is a good shout too.

The_Captain · 01-02-2016 10:40AM

The weak list:

Pavement - Wowee Zowee
Pixies - Trompe le Monde
Radiohead - King of Limbs
Nirvana - Bleach
QOTSA - Era Vulgaris

Wanderer78 · 01-02-2016 10:47AM

The_Captain wrote:

Pavement - Wowee Zowee Pixies - Trompe le Monde Radiohead - King of Limbs Nirvana - Bleach QOTSA - Era Vulgaris

Bleach rocks!

Grayditch · 01-02-2016 11:01AM

Is a bad album, not just one universally panned by critics and fans? We're getting into weak and weak by career comparison. Like a St. Anger or ... anything by Muse lately.

Bands who legitimately never had a bad album

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