"the greatest four-record run in rock history"

yes, but you're bill magill, so...

i dunno, i kind of hate prescriptive music-evaluation rules of that sort. "progress" is or can be of value, but it's not an absolute good, and music isn't necessarily any worse for its apparent absence.

I agree, and I never used the word "progress". I'm just saying that to me the process of reinvention (not progress towards some imagined ideal) makes for a harder challenge and a more interesting run of albums to consider.

well, okay, sub "reinvention" for progress. i apologize for paraphrasing you badly, but my objection is still the same. i'm not sure it's any harder to find four truly great and radically divergent albums in a row than it is to find four great and similar ones. i suppose that die-hard fans of a particular favorite sound might be relatively easy to please, but there are plenty of undiscerning fans of "progress", "reinvention" and "originality" on the other side to balance the scales.

i'm not sure it's any harder to find four truly great and radically divergent albums in a row than it is to find four great and similar ones.

I do think it's harder, but on the other hand I don't think that just because something is harder to do, that makes the end result more valuable. No doubt there are many great bands who found one great style and largely stuck to it, and often I prefer listening to them.

yes, but you're bill magill, so...

― Fozzy Osbourne (contenderizer), Friday, March 23, 2012 3:57 PM (44 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

meaning?

you have been known to like you some black sabbath, bill

not THE best, but Steve Miller Band's first four albums (five, even) has to be one of the very best rock album runs of the 60s.

you have been known to like you some black sabbath, bill

― Fozzy Osbourne (contenderizer), Friday, March 23, 2012 4:45 PM (17 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag

hahahah, got it. yes, i'm biased, i admit it.

sabbath is one of the most loved bands in ilx history!

The Smiths
Meat Is Murder
The Queen Is Dead
Strangeways, Here We Come

Boom.

whimper

Thanks for mentioning Wussy. I've only sampled a few songs, but they seem promising, and I love "Wrist Rocket".

hmmm not sure about this Wussy, seem like a poor man's Ass Ponys

ha did you read the christgau writeup? that's basically literally true

They'll be covering this in the Sound Opinions show tomorrow: http://www.soundopinions.org/episodes

“The best grand slams in pop history.” It (show #518) should be available for streaming tomorrow morning, and download in iTunes.

I started writing about four album runs, but got more interested in six album runs, heh: http://fastnbulbous.com/who-had-the-best-six-album-run/

A Quietus review of a Pavement reissue 9 years ago with some hyperbolic statements about that band prompted me to do this: http://fastnbulbous.com/whos-the-best-band-of-the-90s/

I control+F'd Kanye on that post and nothing came up

Well, I tried it and it came up once.

Six album run - how bout Nursery Cryme/Foxtort/Selling England by the Pound/The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway/Trick of the Tail/Wind and Wuthering ?

The first six TMBG albums. I don't care, I love 'em.

First six Elvis Costello albums too. Well, you have to kick out Almost Blue.

Gentle Giant from Acquiring the Taste to Free Hand. Flawless, every one of them.

I dunno, Magma? Kinda hard to think of them in terms of albums but 1001 Degrees Centigrade to Attahk is a hell of a run.

Yes, you can go TYA/Fragile/Close to the Edge/Tales/Relayer/GFTO. Now that I like Tales I'd say this one works.

Grotesque/Hex Enduction Hour/Perverted By Language/The Wonderful and Frightening World Of.../This Nation's Saving Grace/Bend Sinister

nothing else comes remotely close IMO

(if you want to count Slates as an album then the span gets even stronger)

the problem with that is that Room To Live is in there between Hex and Perverted, otherwise I totally agree

dammit

RTL is kind of a mini album though

I still think it's fine.

Overkill/Bomber/Ace of Spades/Iron Fist/Another Perfect Day/Orgasmatron - after that a definite drop.

And I'm not sure if you can honestly put Slayer there - unless you're counting live albums, the drop after Seasons In The Abyss is too big.

Call the Doctor / Dig Me Out / The Hot Rock / All Hands On The Bad One / One Beat / The Woods / No Cities To Love

Sleater-Kinney's output is remarkable.

duty bound to complement this hilarious decade-old thread with On Land And In The Sea through Guns

The Residents, first 7 albums.

Super Furry Animals' five album run from 1997-2003: Radiator, Guerrilla, Mwng, Rings Around The World and Phantom Power. Their golden period. Anything they did after that just couldn't compete, and didn't.

4 album run: Judas Priest.

Sad Wings of Destiny / Sin After Sin / Stained Class / Killing Machine

Gish / Siamese Dream / Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness / Adore

steve miller band

actually it was a five classic album run:

children of the future/brave new world/your saving grace/sailor/number 5

also

santana
abraxas
santana
caravanserai

bad timing / eureka / insignificance / the visitor
katy lied / the royal scam / aja / gaucho
sung tongs / feels / strawberry jam / merriweather post pavilion
station to station / low / heroes / lodger
another side of bob dylan / bringing it all back home / highway 61 revisited / blonde on blonde
iv / houses of the holy / physical graffiti / presence
hermaphrodite / alien in a garbage dump / strange days / waco taco combo /BONUS- limbo
returnal / replica / r plus seven / garden of delete
young prayer / person pitch / tomboy / panda bear meets the grim reaper
1999 / purple rain / around the world in a day / sign o the times
paranoid / master of reality / vol. 4 / sabbath bloody sabbath
bleach / nevermind / incesticide / in utero
rubber soul / revolver / sgt pepper / the white album
spiderman of the rings / bromst / america / gliss riffer
freckle wars / way / yesterday's work / who's who in paradise?

ooo I like the Dan Deacon one. they really are all great records.

1999 / purple rain / around the world in a day / sign o the times

Yer missin Parade

fuck... i cant cosign on purple rain / around the world in a day / parade / sign o the times

The first four Devoes

fuck... i cant cosign on purple rain / around the world in a day / parade / sign o the times
--flappy bird

Yup, frustrating

acrobatic tenement -> in/casino/out -> vaya -> relationship of command
tremulant -> de-loused in the comatorium -> frances the mute -> amputechture

Throwing Muses -> House Tornado -> Hunkpapa (fuck the detractors) -> The Real Ramona

Pfft the only correct answer is Pink Floyd.

Meddle - DSOTM - Wish You Were Here - Animals

Although, technically it's actually the greatest 15 record run in rock history. Choose were to start:

Piper at the Gates of Dawn - Saucerful of Secrets - More - Ummaguma - Atom Heart Mother - Obscured by Clouds - Meddle - DSOTM - Wish You Were Here - Animals - The Wall - The Final Cut - Momentary Lapse of Reason - Division Bell - newonewhat'sitsname

Pink Floyd rules.

Al Green Gets Next to You through Call Me

Asides from PF:

Can was already mentioned and I think they have one of my favorite record runs (6 in total): Monster Movie thru Soon Over Babaluma are all great records. Even their dull moments are interesting to me.

Stereolab is one of my favorite bands so I'm biased but the run of Peng - Dots and Loops (5 records if you don't count b-side compilations in between them) is also a favorite.

Not really rock but Bjork, anyone? Debut - Post - Homogenic - Vespertine is an awesome run.

Also not strictly rock but Jorge Ben also has some amazing album runs in the 60's and 70's.

I kind of wish Fleetwood Mac had released the frankly dull Mirage after Tango in the Night so they could qualify. The run of Fleetwood Mac - Rumours - Tusk is great.

Yes indeed (xp)

Meddle - DSOTM - Wish You Were Here - Animals

Pink Floyd rules but Obscured By Clouds falls kinda short and unfortunately was released between Meddle and DSOTM.

As a soundtrack! I think the run qualifies. Soundtracks are commissioned work and since they are supposed to fit a film they rarely fit the rest of their oeuvre.

checked thread and it appears that this run has not yet been given love :

ELO : Eldorado -> Face The Music -> A New World Record -> Out Of The Blue.

for me, this is a absolutely fantastic run of 4.
that said, i could start at FTM and go to Discovery.
or even, ANWR and end up at Time (lets ignore xanadu despite the love for picture discs!)
however, i would suggest that starting at Eldorado is the perfect year zero for the purpose of this thread.

The ark: We are the ark/In Lust We Trust/State of the ark/Prayer for the Weekend

That one's as good as it gets.