"the greatest four-record run in rock history"

you're missing out all the good stuff!"

I assume you're referring to Tom waits and Swordfishtombones / Raindogs / Franks Wild Years? Great albums, but unfortunately they're sandwiched between One From The Heart (pointless, disposable drivel) and either Big Time (superfluous and less than inspiring live album) or (if you're discounting live albums and only counting studio ones) Night On Earth (boring and tedious).

Without Confusion is Sex, I don't think this list stands up.

Killing Joke makes more sense if you count Ha! instead of Fire Dances.

But there are some others...

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

Yo La Tengo: Painful, Electro-Pura, Heart Beating As One, And Then Nothing...

White Stripes: De Stijl, White Blood Cells, Elephant, Get Behind Me...

Husker Du: Zen Arcade, New Day Rising, Flip Your Wig, Candy Apple Grey

Drive-By Truckers: Pizza Deliverance, Soutern Rock Opera, Decoration Day, Dirty South

Radiohead: OK Computer----Hail To The Thief (add The Bends for 5)

Time Fades Away, On The Beach, Tonight's The Night, Zuma

This is pretty tough to beat.

You've forgotten Hissing of Summer Lawns (between C&S and Hejira), but that's not a problem as it just makes a great five-record run.

I think "arguably" is a good word if used sparingly; e.g., when making an argument that's nonintuitive or even counterintuitive, yet which stands up to scrutiny:

Good: Annie Lennox, arguably one of the best r&b singers of the '80s
Bad: Stevie Wonder, arguably one of the best r&b singers of the '70s
Worse: Limahl, arguably one of the best r&b singers of the '80s

xpost - Paul, thanks; I knew I was forgetting one ...

Face To Face > Something Else By The Kinks > The Village Green Preservation Society > Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire) > Lola vs. The Powerman & The Money-Go-Round (that’s five)

Astral Weeks > Moondance > His Band & The Street Choir > Tupelo Honey > St. Dominic’s Preview (another five)

Jefferson Airplane: ...Takes off, Surrealistic Pillow, After Bathing at Baxter's, and Crown of Creation

This is obviously not the winner but it is a darn good run of four records.

De Stijl
White Blood Cells
Elephant
Get Behind Me Satan

...is pretty damn fine too.

Oh! --

Propeller - Vampire on Titus - Bee Thousand - Alien Lanes

Hail to the Thief is a mess, a failed compromise between OK and Kid. Amnesiac is NOT a good album

Or; if you don't count Come On Pilgrim as a proper album; Surfer Rosa > Doolitttle > Bossa Nova > Trompe Le Monde isn't that much less convincing.

*A Series Of Sneaks is really good, but somewhat lacking compared to what follows, in my opinion.

These are both pretty great. Hardly spoilers.

Why not play Marquee Moon and Adventure twice?

Crocodiles (1980)
Heaven Up Here (1981)
Porcupine (1983)
Ocean rain (1984)

Pardon my French, but Zuma is the greatest hard-rock (in Youngian terms, of course) album that NY ever made. Including Rust, TTN, blahblahblah.

and to substitute Harvest? ya gotta be kidding.

Sell Out / Tommy / Who's Next / Quadrophenia (with Live at Leeds in the midst)

eh? Funkadelic's classic run goes: Funkadelic, Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow, Maggot Brain, America Eats Its Young.

CCR run I referred to earlier is: Bayou Country, Green River, Willy and The Poorboys, and Cosmo's Factory.

(I find some of these nominations laughable - also, Stevie Wonder is not rock n roll, sorry).

The first four Pouges albums are also brilliant

ps. I am not a nerd (cough)

Fifth dimension to Sweetheart

Turn, turn, turn is a little weak. But Mr. Tambourine Man is their best album (although Sweetheart comes close)

Bringing it All Back Home/Highway 61 Revisited/Blonde on Blonde/John Wesley Harding

...which really has to be the winner.

Consensus? ILM?

And hey Matthew, Series of Sneaks is Spoon's best album! Soft Effects gives it a run for its money though.

In what sense? Was it really shorter than 25 minutes? (Not arguing, just asking.)

>, Stevie Wonder is not rock n roll<

Why? (Odd, hearing this from somebody who nominated Funkadelic.) (Whoever nominated Prince above and says he's not rock confuses me, too.)(Like, because he's not white?? Is there another reason?)

Land Speed Record and Metal Circus > Candy Ass Grey and Warhouse

High Voltage, If You Want Blood, and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (which one came last in Australia?) all > Back in Black

Orbital II/Snivilisation/In Sides/Middle of Nowhere

also (I'm probably the only one here who will rep for all four of these):

Lazer Guided Melodies/Pure Phase/Ladies and Gentlemen/Let It Come Down

"In what sense? Was it really shorter than 25 minutes? (Not arguing, just asking.)"

Originally only 6 songs (on 2 x 7"ers iirc) totalling less than 20 minutes. The other 5 tracks on the album version that's now about were originally the A- and B-sides of various other singles released around the same time.