Bands That Only Made Two Definitive Albums?

Nephilim Wolf

I thought this might be interesting to discuss, because it got me thinking that some classic bands only made two definitive/quintessential albums in their entire career, and the rest of the albums are okay to not great at all. What I also mean by Definitive albums is albums that are must haves in any collection. Here are some of my thoughts:

Dissection - Only two albums come to mind are 'The Somberlain' and the equally incredible 'Storm of The Light's Bane'. Both albums are flawless in my opinion and they have no bad or duff songs.

Aerosmith - Mainly for me it's only 'Toys in The Attic' and Rocks' which was released just a year later.

Celtic Frost - I know they made a new album in 2006, but their really is only two albums for me and they are 'To Mega Therion' and Into The Pandemonium'.

Emperor - The first two albums are the most class, and the most flawless. 'IX Equilibrium' was really really excellent, but it was unfortunately let down by two songs, 'The Source of Icon E' and 'Sworn'. I just never got into those two songs ever.

Therapy? - 'Nurse' and Troublegum' are the best two albums released by this band.

Mercyful Fate - Although Mercyful Fate made more albums after 1984, really only two albums come to mind when someone says the name Mercyful Fate, and they are of course 'Melissa' and the stunning followup album 'Don't Break The Oath'.

Joy Division - Joy Division are the only band on this list that literally made only two albums and they also happen to be truly excellent.

Tristania - 'Widows Weeds' and Beyond The Veil' are the bands best and most definitive albums with Morten Veland.

Guns 'N Roses - 'Appetite for Destruction' and both the 'Use Your Illusion' albums. I know the thread says only two albums, but I tend to think of the 'Use Your Illusion' albums as one big double albums.

Amon Amarth - I was never really much a fan of the early stuff, apart from some songs here and there. For me I think that both 'With Oden on Our Side' and 'Surtur Rising' are two of the best albums the band has ever made.

Def Leppard - Def Leppard could almost had three definitive albums, because I consider 'On Through The Night' a classic album, but I think that both 'Pyromania' and 'Hysteria' are somewhat better and more impressive.

Mactätus - Mactätus were a great band and they made four excellent to very good albums. I would pick 'Provenance of Cruelty' and 'Suicide' as the best albums.

Empyrium - Mainly it would be 'A Winter Sunset...' and the stunning 'Songs of Moors and Misty Fields' to be the very best albums. I'm not a fan of the acoustic stuff they did though.

The Cult - Are a great band and their debut album is really excellent, but there are only two albums that define The Cult for me, and they are 'Love' and 'Sonic Temple'. I picked those albums because they are the albums that are the most interesting and of course the most impressive.

Deep Purple - 'In Rock' and 'Machine Head' stick out the most for me. They made a lot albums, and some of them are quite good, but I find most of them to be quite patchy, although they do have some stunning songs here and there.

Venom - 'Welcome To Hell' and of course the excellent and highly influential followup album 'Black Metal' are the best for me.

So what two albums by bands would you conisder to be the most definitive and most stunning?

Skerries

like Rock much?

Passenger

You definitely love your lists man.

Nephilim Wolf

Skerries wrote: »

like Rock much?

I do, but I personally prefer the classic hard rock/heavy rock bands from the 70's and 80's. I've no real interest in the rock bands of today because their are no class bands for me. None of todays bands can match up to Thin Lizzy, Queen, Aerosmith, The Mission Uk, U2, Scorpions, Rush, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and so on.

Lawrence1895

Can't see anything wrong with Dissection's 'Reinkaos'. The lyrics represent Jon Nodveidt's philosophy, so at least fro him it was the most important album, imo

nyarlothothep

Nephilim Wolf wrote: »

I do, but I personally prefer the classic hard rock/heavy rock bands from the 70's and 80's. I've no real interest in the rock bands of today because their are no class bands for me. None of todays bands can match up to Thin Lizzy, Queen, Aerosmith, The Mission Uk, U2, Scorpions, Rush, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and so on.

I tend to agree but Gojira, TMV and Opeth, they're pretty good no? And Rev Bizarre/Lord Vicar were/are carrying the torch of doom/prog metal.

Nephilim Wolf

nyarlothothep wrote: »

I tend to agree but Gojira, TMV and Opeth, they're pretty good no? And Rev Bizarre/Lord Vicar were/are carrying the torch of doom/prog metal.

He asked me do I like rock, and I said I love the old stuff. Gojira and Opeth are metal bands, and I've absolutely no interest in Gojira, and for me Opeth have gone downhill. I don't like the 'Heritage' album at all, and for me the last truly magnificent album was 'Blackwater Park'. There are no good new metal bands for me. I love the old bands like Emperor, Iron Maiden, Paradise Lost, Bathory, Venom, Mercyful Fate, Saxon, Darkthrone, Old Man's Child, Anathema, Black Sabbath, Immortal, Dimmu Borgir, Arch Enemy, Tiamat, Septic Flesh, Hypocrisy, Moonspell and loads of others.

To be honest the only great new metal bands I love are Blood Blood Ceremony, In Solitude, Raventale, Wolves In The Throne Room and Thulcandra.

nyarlothothep

Nephilim Wolf wrote: »

He asked me do I like rock, and I said I love the old stuff. Gojira and Opeth are metal bands, and I've absolutely no interest in Gojira, and for me Opeth have gone downhill. I don't like the 'Heritage' album at all, and for me the last truly magnificent album was 'Blackwater Park'. There are no good new metal bands for me. I love the old bands like Emperor, Iron Maiden, Paradise Lost, Bathory, Venom, Mercyful Fate, Saxon, Darkthrone, Old Man's Child, Anathema, Black Sabbath, Immortal, Dimmu Borgir, Arch Enemy, Tiamat, Septic Flesh, Hypocrisy, Moonspell and loads of others.

To be honest the only great new metal bands I love are Blood Blood Ceremony, In Solitude, Raventale, Wolves In The Throne Room and Thulcandra.

I see, I consider the rock bands you mentioned, for example Aerosmith, Led Zep, Thin Lizzy and metal as being on the same spectrum separated by different gradations of heaviness, technicality and generic conventions but essentially cut from the same root. I don't divide these genres into categories but see them as inter-related. Bands like Joy Division, indie rock and many British punk bands kinda set up a parallel development to that spectrum which I don't consider on the same spectrum at all, which can be attributed to the schism that punk introduced between rock/hard rock/metal and itself and what evolved from it, post punk, indie etc.

Alonso77

The God Machine - Scenes from the second storey - 1992
The God Machine - One last laugh in a place of Dying - 1994

jpm4

Dude.....what is with all the lists? I strongly disagree with the Therapy? one to be honest - at the very least Babyteeth would make their essential albums list also.

GoldenTickets

Nephilim Wolf wrote: »

Therapy? - 'Nurse' and Troublegum' are the best two albums released by this band.

Gotta say, it doesn't sound like you know much about Therapy? if you think Nurse is one of their best albums. Suicide Pact: You First is easily their best album (even the band think so) and there are several other albums that most fans (myself included) would rate more highly than Nurse (which is nonetheless a fine album).

I'd recommend you check out their catalogue beyond Infernal Love and see what you think. Although the last few albums haven't really been top form. But Infernal Love, Semi-Detached, Suicide Pact: You First, High Anxiety, and Never Apologise Never Explain are all very strong (and way better than Nurse, and in most cases better than Troublegum too).

jack presley

Guns n roses on the OPs list is a bit strange I think. If you're counting the UYI albums as one, they really only have 3 albums as Lies is just 2 EPs stuck together and the Spagetti Incident is just covers. So all you're really leaving out is Chinese Democracy

Motley Crue

It's interesting, because this is all just subjective opinion, and either it's been formed by you or formed by rock journalists who have nothing better to do then slate a band who continue to tour after their biggest selling albums...that's more of an Indie trait that we've allowed to creep into Rock and Metal...

Fact is, bands release albums for different reasons and different minds, and a band like Def Leppard has toured over several decades and continents and trends...their albums have to relate to their experience, that's why a musician writes music, not simply to cash the cheque (unless it's ironic in the case of that song the Beautiful South wrote)

Point is, music comes from the heart, but also has to bend and trend with the experiences and the lives of those who are performing it....especially if they're the same as those who wrote it. And on top of that, it has to be marketable, and that's a whole new guessing game.

Some of the bands you're right in saying only had two or three "classic" albums and then have spent the rest of their career chasing that but, look at Green Day, who've had two instances of a "classic" period and then completely relaunched themselves with American Idiot - probably not the majority of fans who bought, or were even born, when Nimrod came out.

It's all subjective, just like this list. IMO

Bluefoam

Kerbdog kerbdog & sally

Malice

Thread titled edited.

Kess73

Would disagree that Aerosmith only made two definitive albums as I think that Pump is one of the highlights of their career and stands alongside the two albums you mentioned. For it is actually better than them.


Would disagree with regards to Guns N Rose as well. I don't see the Illusion albums as being definitive in any way and to be honest at least half the material on each is filler, and what's left would just about make up one good single album but not a definitive album.

Nephilim Wolf

Kess73 wrote: »

Would disagree that Aerosmith only made two definitive albums as I think that Pump is one of the highlights of their career and stands alongside the two albums you mentioned. For it is actually better than them.

Would disagree with regards to Guns N Rose as well. I don't see the Illusion albums as being definitive in any way and to be honest at least half the material on each is filler, and what's left would just about make up one good single album but not a definitive album.

I downloaded 'Pump' by Aerosmith and the only two songs that really stood out for me were both 'Janie's Got A Gun' and 'Love in an Elevator'. It really is down to personal taste and opinion though. For me 'Toys in The Attic' and 'Rocks' are incredible albums that you can listen all the through without skipping a single song, and they are very impressive musically and lyrically as well.

Kess73

Nephilim Wolf wrote: »

I downloaded 'Pump' by Aerosmith and the only two songs that really stood out for me were both 'Janie's Got A Gun' and 'Love in an Elevator'. It really is down to personal taste and opinion though. For me 'Toys in The Attic' and 'Rocks' are incredible albums that you can listen all the through without skipping a single song, and they are very impressive musically and lyrically as well.

It really does boil down to taste alright. Where you would seean album with two stand out tracks I would see an album with many stand out tracks.

Pump would easily be my favourite Aerosmith album, but I guess if we all liked the exact same music then things would be very dull.

stateofflux

taste is a factor but without a doubt 'electric' by the cult is a definitive album, miles ahead of sonic temple in terms of consistency and widely regarded as the album that broke the band and got them serious respect stateside

120_Minutes

Bluefoam wrote: »

Kerbdog Kerbdog & On The Turn

FYP, and sure they only made two full stop! great albums though.

Bluefoam

120_Minutes wrote: »

FYP, and sure they only made two full stop! great albums though.

Thats what I meant

lord lucan

Kess73 wrote: »

Would disagree that Aerosmith only made two definitive albums as I think that Pump is one of the highlights of their career and stands alongside the two albums you mentioned. For it is actually better than them.

I'd actually include Permanent Vacation in there too,fantastic album and the beginning of their return to form and the foundation for Pump.