"the greatest four-record run in rock history"

Well, that's not an EP (unless, like I said, all those odds and sods added up to less than 25 minutes). But I can see how it wouldn't count (like how Costello's *Taking Liberties,* say, wouldn't count.)

And lots of white bands on this thread don't have guitars as noisy as Funkadelic either, Shakey. I mean, I like CCR better than Stevie myself, but "Superstition" and "Living for the City" sure rock as hard as anything CCR (or the Beatles or Byrds etc) did to my ears.

hehe

Why is that people are disqualifying Stevie Wonder when the impetus for this thread was the Talking Heads? Mentalists.

Stewart, Strictly Personal is awesome and far superior to Mirror Man. Hell, I like it better than Safe As Milk!

And anyway Prince wins everything. Mentalists.

I'm sure there's an REM partisan waiting to make his bid. What about Kraftwerk? They kinda count as rock. Or Motorhead (who definitely do)?

I agree with pretty much everything you say (except wrt Radiohead - personally I think Amnesiac is the best album they've ever done!) however there's a big difference between consistent high quality and consistently high quality, which is what you seem to be demanding.

Bossa Nova and Trompe Le Monde may not be as good as Surfer Rosa and Doolittle; and Something Else and Lola may not be as good as Village Green or Face To Face; but they're still extremely good albums.

If consistently high quality is the criteria, then I'd have to start by taking issue with the suggestion that would then be inherent in the premise of the thread that More Songs About Buildings And Food is as good as '77, Fear Of Music Or Remain In Light - 'cos it just ain't!

"I'm sure there's an REM partisan waiting to make his bid. What about Kraftwerk? They kinda count as rock. Or Motorhead (who definitely do)?"

I already done dat.

I second Sabbath, Velvets, and...

Brian Eno: Here Come the Warm Jets, Taking Tiger Mountain, Another Green Day, Before and After Science (arguably Discreet Music is somewhere in the middle there screwing things up)

Misfits: Static Age, 12 Hits From Hell, Walk Among Us, Earth A.D.
(arguably one of the most underappreciated runs in punk rock history)

RZA (arguably the architect of these releases, which came out over the course of two years): Wu Tang's Enter the 36 Chambers, Method Man's Tical, ODB's Return To The 36 Chambers, Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., GZA's Liquid Swords (arguably, 5 records)

Wire: Pink Flag, Chairs Missing, 154 (arguably, only 3)

Minutemen: The Punch Line, What Makes A Man Start Fires, Howl and Buzz Under The Influence of Heat, Double Nickel on the Dimes (arguably)

Stooges: The Stooges, Fun House, Raw Power, Metallic KO (argh)

Yeah, this is fun...

yeah, you should HEAR the albums...

*rimshot*

Has Dylan ever done 4 really great records in a row?

You could make a case for three, with "Subterranean Homesick Blues"-"Blonde On Blonde" and "Planet Waves"-"Desire", but four? Not really.

As far as the last ten years, may I submit:
Queens of the Stone Age > R > Songs for the Deaf > Lullabies to Paralyze

The most recent one is far from their best, but I think it's a very admirable run.

The other archetype is when you throw a sprawling, inconsistent double album in the mix eg

Fleetwood Mac > Rumors > Tusk > Mirage

If Tusk had been a single LP we'd be going for it like CCR (who had some filler in there, people).

I am shocked, shocked at all the negativity towards Hail To The Thief, that's my favorite album of theirs by far.

The Stones still win, but if we count stuff that was heard on bootleg first, then you have to give it up for Dylan: Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61, Blonde on Blonde, The Basement Tapes

What about Gram Parsons? Sweetheart of the Rodeo/Gilded Palace/GP/Grevious Angel is a pretty impressive run.

murmur (masterpiece)
reckoning (a bit rushed)
fables (brilliant, the best of the lot)
life's rich... (very good)
document (very good)
green (very good)

so it would have to be fables -> green

the rest is not worth mentioning (!)

Dark Side Of The Moon
Wish You Were Here
Animals
The Wall

...or did I miss something?

I'll second (fifth?) REM, along with Dinosaur Jr - Dinosaur - Green Mind

Would other people choose My Aim Is True instead of Trust?

Maybe because it didn't? Read, like, the first post (and my answer a few posts down)

How about The Rod Stewart Album, Gasoline Alley, Every Picture Tells A Story and Never A Dull Moment?

For the past ten (eleven, actually...) years, I'd submit the Blue Album, Pinkerton, the Green Album and Maladroit.