Which band has the best discography?

Blacker Sabbath

No Accommodation for Birmingham.

this thread is an embarrassment and you all should feel ashamed of yourselves

another version of ilx would've been horrified by thread's very premise, let alone the trite offerings within it

that version sucked balls

Another vote for Sade. Would go with Steely Dan if they never release the two modern albums after "Gaucho." I like them both for the most part but never play them.

Only one mention of Creedence/CCR thus far but their 7 records are all great to amazing, and when coupled with the fact they released 7 records in just under 4 years is even more a testament to their greatness.

their low points (some of the first record and most of Mardi Gras) are p low tho

I thought maybe Duke Ellington Plays Mary Poppins would qualify as one bad album in his discography, but damn if this isn't a pretty swinging "Chim Chim Cheree"

I think Underworld's catalogue is an embarrassment of riches, so long as you cut out those bad electrofunk records from the 80s

so long as you cut out

disqualified as per OP

I mean I think you can make an exception there since it was basically a different band whose direction was steered entirely by the label - I'm not really sure why they want back to the "Underworld" name (though thank god they didn't stick with "Lemon Interupt")

similarly if you wanted to name the Moody Blues I think it's okay to say that Go Now doesn't count

If you take in every single thing a band has recorded from start to finish – albums, B-sides, loosies

yea my argument is "it's clearly not the same band" but I can definitely extoll the virtues of Underneath the Radar which I still say had some fun singles on it

IMO this band has a perfect discography, if you exclude the records that are not so good.

I thought maybe Duke Ellington Plays Mary Poppins would qualify as one bad album in his discography, but damn if this isn't a pretty swinging "Chim Chim Cheree"

― Brad C., Thursday, January 30, 2020 4:34 PM (six minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Yeah, even his weakest records, relatively speakin, in the Reprise years -- Ellington '65 and Ellington '66 -- have rich arrangements and great solos. It was physically impossible for them to phone it in.

I don't believe there's a single front-to-back bad Ellington album; there may be weak moments in some (The Second Sacred Concert has choir sections -- sung and spoken -- that are not easy to get through), but the weak moments never dominate.

Underneath the Radar is a good single, the rest of the album I would not care to hear again, also the next album.

how you guys feel about the Sinatra/Ellington album (which I have never listened to)

The only obvious to me contender that does not appear to have been mentioned is Saint Etienne, for reasons similar to Stereolab - lots of b-side and outtake comps that hold up, every era has its boosters and even the weakest effort (for me, Good Humor) is pretty great.

I feel like artists/groups that released less than say 5 albums don’t really count here.

xp I haven't heard that album, but the track list looks disappointing; there's only one Ellington original. Except for "Mood Indigo" (not on Francis A. & Edward K.) Sinatra doesn't seem to have recorded any of Duke's standards.

Fuck it, I'm campaigning for Depeche Mode and and Orbital

Both awesome groups that have released some pretty inessential material.

I think the following are all good suggestions:

Fela Kuti
Kraftwerk
Cocteau Twins
Sade
Stereolab
Autechre

deftones btw

saint etienne fits perfectly great suggestion

Man if you cut out their entire discography, Lividity's catalog is immaculate

I suggested three earlier, but the more I think about this, the more reggae (and jazz) artists spring to mind. If you made good reggae in the 70s and managed to not put anything about post-1985 (and there are good exceptions even to that) your discography is likely to be very strong. Someone mentioned record labels earlier, and if there's a bad Studio One release, I've never heard it

I have never heard a bad King Tubby record (as has already been noted)

the problem with a lot of prime-era reggae artists is it's fucking *hard* to hear absolutely everything people did, and credits are generally a mess. But I'd be surprised if Linval Thompson or Yabby You or Prince Jammy put out shitty records (Scientist has some later-period collabs I'm not wild about, and Lee Perry fell off hard in the 80s)

Funkadelic would've counted if George hadn't got the rights to the name back a few years ago to release a triple album under the name

parliament had a couple of stinkers at the end of their run before anyone mentions them

Trombipulation is a wild album

yeah i’ve definitely never heard a shitty yabby you song

Labradford

New Radicals

Said already but Galaxie 500 is a great shout.

But for me, the discography I would save above all others in my collection is American Music Club's.

how you guys feel about the Sinatra/Ellington album (which I have never listened to)

― Οὖτις, Thursday, January 30, 2020 4:57 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

Only heard it once, and I thought it was fine, but a 1967 Ellington record should be much better than "fine," especially with Sinatra. Apparently, Frank had a cold that day, and for whatever reason (likely Duke's insane touring schedule) the date couldn't be rescheduled.

Kraftwerk is probably the best single answer, other than Electric Cafe what is skippable? The first three albums add to the mythos as well. Cocteau Twins surely the most consistent.

There must be some country artists with insanely long and consistent discographies? Willie Nelson maybe, although I don't believe that anyone has listened to all of it.

There must be some country artists with insanely long and consistent discographies?

haha actually I think the opposite is true - their discographies are insanely long because they're littered with garbage. This goes for most (if not all - I'm hard-pressed to think of an exception, even Merle had a string of crappy records) of the big names that might spring to mind: Willie, George Jones, Dolly Parton, Buck Owens, Waylon Jennings etc.

if I had to namecheck one country artist for consistency it would be the Louvin Bros.

Saint Etienne is an excellent suggestion IMHO

I haven't heard the Ellington/Sinatra, but I do find much to enjoy in Ellington's sixties dips into pop and kitsch, much more than, say, Armstrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oCnFvz8YKc

But for me, the discography I would save above all others in my collection is American Music Club's.

alas, San Francisco is a real step down. Otherwise I agree wholeheartedly. Still waiting on that reissue campaign...

Go-Betweens
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn)

I guess I can see this working in a 'their flaws only make them more charming' sort of way, but a debut LP that seems to be classed as 'strictly historical interest' by almost everyone who wasn't hip to it at the time seems a little problematic. Plus the insistence on giving an official release to barrowloads of never-progressed-beyond-demo-stage juvenilia seems almost like Forster actively ensuring that their record is anything but flawless.

Just thought of one more: Sisters of Mercy. I like all three albums, and even the early EPs (which a lot of people like a lot more than I do) are solid. I can't think of a single song I actively dislike.

Go-Betweens

Hm, now that you mention Australian post-punk bands... this is a very boutique suggestion but I think every Laughing Clowns release is pretty amazing (albeit they're such an acquired taste that it's kind of in for a penny in for a pound)

Autechre, forever.. all of it

~ sparks ~

just so ned will present a case

What about Soundgarden? I’m not a huge fan of the early stuff, but I don’t think it’s considered “bad”.

NIN? Godflesh?

Did A Tribe Called Quest ruin their legacy with the one after Midnight Marauders?

no way, i love all the tribe albums except the one they dropped a few years ago

XXXP: Yes, Laughing Clowns were pretty consistently good! Can only help that they disbanded after barely five years.

Drive By Truckers? First two albums are pretty weak.

Cocteau Twins? One of my top 5 bands but I think the 90s is a big letdown.

Brilliant one album band not mentioned yet: TOWERING INFERNO!

I'm hoping Trance To The Sun might qualify, but I haven't heard their newest album or the compilation appearances.