Bands who legitimately never had a bad album

The_Captain

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

Joy Division

JohnFalstaff

The Smiths
The Blue Nile

flasher0030

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

Nine Inch Nails

The American metal band Tool

OhHiMark

The National

riffmongous

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

Polly Harvey.

Kerrigooney

Sparklehorse.

The Smiths.

sweetie

Wilco, Super Furry Animals, White stripes

Creamy Goodness

Muse




:pac:

Akrasia

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

The Cure

ButtersSuki

Depeche Mode.

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

Welsh Megaman

Portishead

Zeek12

Talking Heads
Steely Dan
The Black Keys

loyatemu

Zeek12 wrote:

Talking Heads

Not a big fan of "Naked"

Arghus

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

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

Arctic Monkeys

Decuc500

Pearl Jam.

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

Pighead

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

jooksavage

The Stooges...

Oh wait, I just remembered their last 2 albums.

dinneenp

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

PropJoe10

Soundgarden
Led Zeppelin
Pearl Jam

PropJoe10

Soundgarden
Led Zeppelin
Pearl Jam

endacl

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

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

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

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

Tindersticks

Canadel

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

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

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

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

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

Pixies

Grayditch

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

timmaii

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

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

Grayditch wrote: »

Radiohead

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

PropJoe10

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.

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

Smiths, supergrass, go-betweens

Grayditch

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

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

The Beatles
Curve
Goldfrapp
The XX
Dead Can Dance

Grayditch

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

The weak list:

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

Wanderer78

The_Captain wrote:

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

Bleach rocks!

Grayditch

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.