Maybe we did this before maybe we didnt, but lets see what everyone thinks. What in your mind have been the greatest album runs for artists you like, doesnt have to be anything commercial, just really stong artistic statements, but should be 3 or more albums in a row by the artist to qualify as a "run".....

To start with an obvious one:

Beggar's Banquet - Let It Bleed - Sticky Fingers - Exile On Main Street


and my personal favorite:

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere - After the Gold Rush - Time Fades Away - On The Beach - Tonight's The Night - Zuma - Anerican Stars and Bars - Comes A Time - Rust Never Sleeps

Stevie's 1970s-mid-1980s output

First!!!

...Pick a time frame, any time frame.



tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

Prince '80 or '82 through '87 or '88

Bowie '70 through '80

Beatles '63 through '69 or '70

Stevie '72 through '80

Elton '70 through '75

Bjork '93 through '01

Tori '92 through '99 (then they just got too long, and too concept-y, though i like the others as well).

Van Halen - The Diamond Dave years

Prince - the 80s

David Bowie - 70s - 80s

i kno theres more

Hendrix and Hathaway -- all careers.

Prince -- Controversy to Batman.

Doyle Bramhall II -- the whole thing (he builds from his influences very, very well)

Norah Jones, Jonatha Brooke -- same.

Marcus Miller -- from The Sun Don't Lie to present (before that, his virtuousity was too scattered and only hinted at).

Raze said:

I'd start with '71 (Where I'm Coming From).

Marvin Gaye: Let's Get It On, I Want You, Here My Dear, In Our Lifetime?

Crowded House: Crowded House, Temple of Low Men, Woodface, Together Alone

The Isley Brothers: "3+3," "Live It Up," "The Heat Is On," "Harvest for the World," "Go for Your Guns" and "Showdown."

Earth, Wind & Fire: "That's the Way of the World," "Gratitude," "Spirit," "All 'n' All," "The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1" and "I Am."

Al Green: "Al Green Gets Next to You," "Let's Stay Together," "I'm Still in Love with You," "Call Me," "Livin' for You," Al Green Explores Your Mind" and "Al Green Is Love."

The Brothers Johnson: "Look Out for No. 1," "Right on Time," "Blam!" and "Light Up the Night."
[Edited 1/30/08 20:07pm]

Destiny - Off The Wall - Triumph - Thriller

Music of my Mind - Talking Book - Innervisions - Fulfillingness' First Finale - Songs in the Key of Life

Prince - Dirty Mind - Controversy - 1999 - Purple Rain - Around the World in a Day - Parade - Sign 'o' the Times - Lovesexy

AlexdeParis said:

QUICK QUESTION: Did you mean to leave out "What's Going On?" and the "Trouble Man" soundtrack or was that an oversight? I also would include 1974's "Marvin Gaye Live" and 1977's "Live at the London Palladium" among the albums.
[Edited 1/30/08 20:03pm]

Some of my favorites:


U2: War, Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, Zooropa (omitting Rattle and Hum due to the preponderance of live songs/cover songs)

REM: Green, Out of Time, Automatic for the People, Monster, New Adventures in HiFi

Pearl Jam: Ten, Vs, Vitalogy, No Code, Yield

Talking Heads: Fear of Music, Remain in Light, Speaking in Tongues, Little Creatures

The Beatles: Help, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour (if it counts), The Beatles, Abbey Road

Depeche Mode: Black Celebration, Music for the Masses, Violator, Songs of Faith and Devotion, Ultra

For me id say



a-Ha: Minor Earth Major Sky, Lifelines, Ananlogue

Norah Jones: First sessions, come away with me, Feels like Home, not too late

the Jayhawks: Tomorrow the green Grass, sound of lies, smile, Rainy day music

john mellencamp: scarecrow, lonesome jubilee,big daddy, whenever we wanted, Human wheels

the Beatles: Rubber soul till Abbey Road
Inxs: Welcome to wherever you are, Full Moon dirty hearts, Elegantly wasted

Elton john: Elton john,Tumbleweed connection,madman across the water,honky chateu, Dont shoot me im only the piano player, goodbye yellow brick road

Elton john: Songs from the west coast, peachtree road, Captain and the kid

Ryan Adams: Heartbreaker----everything recorded

Billy Joel: the stranger, 52nd street, Glass houses, Nylon Curtain, An innocent man

REM: out of time, automatic for the people, Monster

Stevie: music of my mind,talking book, innervisions, fulfillingness, songs in the key of life

George Michael: Faith, listen without predjudice, older,patience

Paulina Rubio: paulina,border girl,paulatina,ananda

[Edited 1/30/08 21:41pm]

lastdecember said:

^
YES!!

... and SADE's entire catalog.

Well...My first thought was Joni's run from 'Court and Spark' to 'Mingus'. Pure bliss. Though P's run from 'Dirty Mind' through 'Batman' is pretty AMAZING.

some good candidates listed, I'll just the ones I most enjoy even if they've already been mentioned

The Beatles: Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour, The White Album, Abbey Road

The Rolling Stones:Beggar's Banquet, Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile On Main st.

Roxy Music: Roxy Music, For Your Pleasure, Stranded, Country Life, Siren

The Who: The Who Sell Out, Tommy, Live At leeds, live at the isle of wight, Who's Next, Quadrophenia

Jimi Hendrix: Are You Experienced?, Axis: Bold As Love, Electric Ladyland

Curtis Mayfield: Curtis, Roots, Curtis/Live, Superfly

Genesis: Foxtrot, Selling England By The Pound, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

The Flaming Lips: In A priest Driven Ambulance, Hit To Death In the Future head, Transmissions From the Satellite Heart, Clouds taste Metallic, Zaireeka, The Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

Otis Redding: just about all the albums he made while still alive (and Immortal Otis Redding which was posthumous was great too)

John Coltrane: most of his Impulse albums

The Kinks: Something Else By The kinks, The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society, Arthur or the decline and fall of the british empire, Lola vs. Powerman and the Moneygoround

Sam Rivers: most of his blue note albums

Sly & The family stone: Whole New Thing, Dance To the Music, Life, Stand!, There's A Riot Going On, Fresh

Bootsy's Rubber Band: Stretchin out in bootsy's rubber band, Ahh.. The Name is Bootsy baby, Bootsy? Player of The year

Parliament: Chocolate City, Mothership Connection, Clones of Dr. Funkenstein, Funkentelechy Vs. The Placeboy Syndrome, motor booty affair

Funkadelic: Free Your Mind And Your Ass Will Follow, Maggot Brain, America Eats Its Young, Standing on the verge of getting it on, Let's Take it to the stage

The Allman Brothers Band: The Allman Brothers Band, Idlewild South, Live At The Fillmore East, Eat A Peach

Pink Floyd: Dark side of the moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals

Procol Harum:Procol Harum, shine on brightly, A Salty Dog, Broken barricades, Grand Hotel, Exotic birds and fruit

Metallica: Kill Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, ..And Justice For All

Os Mutantes: Mutantes, Divina Comedia, Jardim Electrico, E Seus Cometas

Bob Dylan: Bringing It all Back home, Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde On Blonde

And of course:

Stevie Wonder: Signed Sealed & Delivered, Where I'm Coming From, Music of My Mind, Talking Book, innervisions, fulfillingness first finale, Songs in the key of life

Prince: Dirty Mind, Controversy, 1999, Purple Rain, Around the World in a day, Parade, Sign O' The Times, Lovesexy

I've realized putting it together that many of my favorite artists or at least ones I really like never put together more than one or two consistently great albums together...although many of these artists also had their comparatively mediocre moments, and some of these guys made great albums outside of their consecutive "streaks"

You've all got the Beatles run wrong. It should be:

A Hard Day's Night - Beatles For Sale - Help! - Rubber Soul - Revolver - Sgt. Peppers

after Sgt. Peppers their albums got sloppy with lots of fillers. Hard Days through to Pepper was consistently good. Every track.

Also, if you count Magical Mystery Tour then that would be the end of the run because that was the last album/soundtrack where every song was consistently good with no filler and no signs of the band's conflicting interests.
[Edited 1/31/08 0:39am]

LittleAmy said:

It was a tough decision. I love Marvin and I like Trouble Man enough, but I don't think it's anywhere near as WGO or the albums I listed. I was excluding live albums altogether, but I was thinking about adding Diana and Marvin.

Madonna:

Ray of Light - Music - American Life

Van Halen - DLR years
Prince - 1999,PR,ATWIAD,Parade,SOTT,Lovesexy,Batman
MJ - Thriller,Bad,Dangerous
Kiss - Creatures of the night,Lick it up,Animalize
or Alive,Destroyer,R'R Over*,Love Gun,Alive II
Jamiroquai - Emergency on PE,Space Cowboy*,Travelling without moving,
Synkronized,Funk Odyssey
Simply Red - Picture Book,Men & Women*,A New Flame,Stars

* these albums are the weakier ones,but I include them
because the previous and follow up albums are great!
[Edited 1/31/08 3:52am]

Antichrist Superstar - Mechanical Animals - Holy Wood

the temptations (produced by norman whitfield) - cloud nine, puzzle people, psychedelic shack, all directions, masterpiece and (i'm assuming, as i've never heard it) zoom...

the the - infected, mind bomb, dusk, hanky panky

the cure - kiss me..., disintegration, wish

ween - chocolate and cheese, 12 golden country greats, the mollusk, white pepper

the black key - the big come up, thickfreakness, rubber factory, magic potion (their entire catalog, so far)

Aerosmith: Get your wings + Toys in the attic + Rocks / & Permanent Vacation + Pump + Get a grip

Springsteen: Born to run + Darkness on the edge of town + The river + Nebraska + Born in the USA + Tunnel of love

Bob Dylan: the 60's

Roxy Music: Roxy Music + For your Pleausre + Stranded + Country Life + Siren

Velvet Underground: VU & Nico, White light/White Heat, Velvet Underground + Loaded

Public Enemy:Yo! Bum Rush the Show + It takes a nation of millions + Fear of a Black Planet + Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black


Depeche Mode: Some great reward + Black Celebration + Music for the masses + Violator + Songs of faith and devotion

Santana: Santana + Abraxas + III + Caravanserai + Welcome

Pìxies: Come on Pilgrim + Surfer Rosa + Doolittle + Bossanova + Trompe le Monde

theAudience said:

Even 1984-91?

Sorry Miles, even your constant stare from my wall is not going to convince me on the overall quality of your last era.

JoeTyler said:

DarlingDiana said:

What's wrong with you? It's a matter of opinion but I have to say you have to be in the minority. Theres no filler on Abbey Road, on the BEatles you may have a point but no on Abbey Road and not on the Magical Mystery tour, to me Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band have more Filler on it.

kdj997 said:

Eh, what?!

You're kidding me, right?!

Maxwell's Silver Hammer?! Octopus' Garden?!

NOT filler?!


nooooo way!

rocknrolldave said:

i wouldn't call those two filler. They're both fully rounded songs, if twee.Sun King and Mean Mr Mustard are though. Slight as gnat's toupee.

dirty mind to lovesexy - untouchable

kdj997 said:

Well personally, while I like the early, ie pre-Rubber Soul, Beatles albums, I think for the most part they were just making a slightly cuter, more polished,slighter "whiter" and perhaps a tid bit more eclectic version of the kind of music their early rock n roll heroes like Chuck Berry, buddy holly, Little Richard etc. were making. So, for me, they didn't really became an unequivocally "great" band until Rubber Soul.

As for the filler debate, I think filler's a bit of an overused word as what constitutes filler is highly subjective, and I'd argue there isn't a single album on the face of the earth where every last song is equally great and by that reckoning every album has "filler". I think there's few if any unequivocally "bad" songs on the post-Rubber Soul albums though I'll admit there are some comparatively weaker or mediocre ones. If you ask me Sgt. Pepper has the most "filler" (proportionately) of any of the latter Beatles albums but even those songs don't detract very much from the enjoyability of the album and they still work in the context of the album. The White album and Abbey Road's less beat-you-over-the-head-with-how-earth-shatteringly-great-they-are songs to me are almost more like segues to lead into the highlights and for that reason I still think they're pretty seamless. Sgt. Pepper has a long stretch of songs in the middle that aren't nearly as good as the opening and closing salvos. Likewise Magical Mystery Tour I think is much tighter song for song than Pepper.

But I'll conceded that perhaps the earlier albums were more consistent, but they also didn't have songs anywhere near as good as them mature albums' highlights or the level of experimentation and variety that the mature records had.