5 Albums Test

Jack-Flash-Jr

Here's an interesting avclub article which suggests another way of determining a band's "greatness"... there's some holes in the thinking but makes for a good read:

http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-fivealbums-test,59098/

I would include Stones because Aftermath and Between the Buttons should surely count...

Any other bands?

Bob-Dubery

It's an interesting test - though still dependent on who says an album is B+ or better.

I think there's an arguable case to be made for John Martyn, starting with Bless The Weather, though his profile is so low that he doesn't get much attention from the critics.

If you're allowed live albums then there's a case to be made for Little Feat - From Dixie Chicken through to Waiting For Columbus. Though probably live albums should not be included as they don't represent new compositions (though the likes of Jackson Browne's Running On Empty and Joe Jackson's Big World should be allowed as they were all new or mostly new).

Bob-Dubery

I'm not a big fan but Joni Mitchell? Blue through to Hejira is a strong streak.

make-and-do

Interesting criteria ?
According to said 5 album haul:

Tom Waits:
Bone Machine
The Black Rider
Mule Variations
Blood Money
Alice

Bowie
Space Oddity
The Man Who Sold the World
Hunky Dory
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Aladdin Sane

Nick Cave:
Let Love In
Murder Ballads
The Boatman's Call
No More Shall We Part
Nocturama was a dud though...so almost 5

Radiohead:
The Bends
OK Computer
Kid A
Amnesiac
Hail to the Thief
In Rainbows
6 and counting (haven't really listened to the new album)

PJ Harvey
Rid of Me
To Bring You My Love
Is This Desire?
Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
Uh Huh Her, 5th again was a big dud though

The White Sripes
The White Stripes
De Stijl
White Blood Cells
Elephant
Get Behind Me Satan

Bob-Dubery

make and do wrote Bowie
Space Oddity
The Man Who Sold the World
Hunky Dory
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Aladdin Sane

I thought about Bowie and that sequence, but I couldn't convince myself of the merits of Space Oddity. If you start from The Man Who Sold The World you run into Pin Ups which really doesn't cut the mustard.

Hmmm.... Diamond Dogs through to "Heroes"?

make-and-do

X-rated Bob wrote
make and do wrote Bowie
Space Oddity
The Man Who Sold the World
Hunky Dory
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Aladdin Sane
I thought about Bowie and that sequence, but I couldn't convince myself of the merits of Space Oddity. If you start from The Man Who Sold The World you run into Pin Ups which really doesn't cut the mustard.

Hmmm.... Diamond Dogs through to "Heroes"?

Yes, that's a good selection too....although I've never really liked Low that much - although I know I should

Riaan-Combrink

The article writer already the ones I had in my mind after the first few paragraphs; ie
Steely Dan, Neil Young, Pink Floyd and Talking Heads.

I would tentatively also put forward Van Morrison [Astral Weeks (1968), Moondance (1970), His Band and the Street Choir (1970), Tupelo Honey (1971) and Saint Dominic's Preview (1972)] - although a few critics (notably Jon Landau) did not rate the 2nd album.

Most interesting is how some of my favourites don't make it on this test.

@make and do: +1 on the Tom Waits sequence (although Closing Time will always be one of my favourite albums ever).

doc-phil

Opeth:
Still Life
Blackwater Park
Deliverance
Damnation
Ghost Reveries
Watershed

There's not a dud in there... Therefore Opeth = Greatest Band of All Time!

IceCreamMan

The kiss albums up to Dynasty were all great imho including the live albums would be 8.

singemonkey

Intriguing thought. Seems to me though, that taken literally, this merely establishes bands who have had great streaks. Can you really say a band with 5 great albums in a row and no other good ones is greater than a band that released 7 great albums out of 10? A bit dodgy that.

@Make & Do: Great list. Nick Cave for sure.

@Jack: If live albums are included, then you've got a straight run from Beggars' Banquet to Sticky Fingers - including Ya Yas.

make-and-do

Riaan C wrote
@make and do: +1 on the Tom Waits sequence (although Closing Time will always be one of my favourite albums ever).

Yes I love those first few albums too, the whole jazzy, drunken bar scene beatnik vibe.
Pretty much all of his work is awesome. I'm a huge fan ?

make-and-do

singemonkey wrote Intriguing thought. Seems to me though, that taken literally, this merely establishes bands who have had great streaks. Can you really say a band with 5 great albums in a row and no other good ones is greater than a band that released 7 great albums out of 10? A bit dodgy that.

@Make & Do: Great list. Nick Cave for sure.

@Jack: If live albums are included, then you've got a straight run from Beggars' Banquet to Sticky Fingers - including Ya Yas.

Ta. Yip it's definitely a slanted, yet entertaining way of looking at a band. I think most artists (music, art, design, literature) have one great idea/message that they pretty much
perpetuate in slightly varied forms throughout their careers. Even chameleons like Waits or Bowie. So if you do it over 5 albums or with 1 seminal album, probably shouldn't matter.
Jeff Buckley, Nick Drake, Nirvana, Pixies, made big impressions with small discographies.

Jack-Flash-Jr

The OP has not abandoned the thread... I gave it some thought and pretty much have to say bollocks for all the reasons given above. What's canon and what's not? So what if there's a 10 year 5 album gap between good material? Nah.

Squonk

I suppose being the only Genesis Fan on the forum

Nursery Cryme
Foxtrot
Selling England By the pound
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
A trick of the Tail
Wind and Wuthering

Six albums of breathtaking brilliance before Phil Collins destroyed the band.

Peter Gabriel the first four self named albums plus the more commercially viable "So"

Riaan-Combrink

IceCreamMan wrote The kiss albums up to Dynasty were all great imho including the live albums would be 8.

+1 - yep, Dynasty was the end.

Warren

Jack Flash Jr wrote The OP has not abandoned the thread... I gave it some thought and pretty much have to say bollocks for all the reasons given above. What's canon and what's not? So what if there's a 10 year 5 album gap between good material? Nah.

Well, look at The Cure. One of my faves, but with such a fat discography over such a long time...there are only a few albums I really like. And they're still going.

Renesongs

I usually cant listen to one Album straight through so vary rare for me to have everything but one band or artist but here goes

Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced , Smash Hits, Axis Bold As Love, Electric Lady land, Band Of Gypsies, Rainbow Bridge, Cry of Love ( there are plenty of posthumous rehashes that I won't mention)

Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill, Countdown to Ecstasy, Pretzel Logic, Katy Lied, The Royal Scam, Aja, Gaucho, Two Against Nature, Everything Must Go

Pink Floyd - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, A Saucer full of Secrets, Tonight Let's MAke Love in London, More, Ummagumma, Atom Heart Mother, Zabriskie Point Sessions, Meddle, Relics, Obscured By Clouds, Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall, The Final Cut, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, The Division Bell.

Averatu

X-rated Bob wrote
make and do wrote Bowie
Space Oddity
The Man Who Sold the World
Hunky Dory
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Aladdin Sane
I thought about Bowie and that sequence, but I couldn't convince myself of the merits of Space Oddity. If you start from The Man Who Sold The World you run into Pin Ups which really doesn't cut the mustard.

Hmmm.... Diamond Dogs through to "Heroes"?

Have to agree with you Bob.

Squonk

Averatu wrote
X-rated Bob wrote
make and do wrote Bowie
Space Oddity
The Man Who Sold the World
Hunky Dory
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Aladdin Sane
I thought about Bowie and that sequence, but I couldn't convince myself of the merits of Space Oddity. If you start from The Man Who Sold The World you run into Pin Ups which really doesn't cut the mustard.

Hmmm.... Diamond Dogs through to "Heroes"?

Have to agree with you Bob.

I would include Lodger which is a very underated album

Averatu

Squonk wrote
Averatu wrote
X-rated Bob wrote
make and do wrote Bowie
Space Oddity
The Man Who Sold the World
Hunky Dory
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Aladdin Sane
I thought about Bowie and that sequence, but I couldn't convince myself of the merits of Space Oddity. If you start from The Man Who Sold The World you run into Pin Ups which really doesn't cut the mustard.

Hmmm.... Diamond Dogs through to "Heroes"?

Have to agree with you Bob.
I would include Lodger which is a very underated album

Low and Lodger where part of a concept thing with Brian Eno if memory serves? Recorded in Germany?