I honestly have no clue about any Elvis Costello record after Spike but the RYM consensus seems to be that those later records are decent if not essential
― frogbs, Wednesday, 5 February 2020 16:22 (four years ago) link
(I’ve never felt that black flag were well represented on record — in the sense that their records tend to sound shitty to me — but maybe that’s just a “not a fan” thing.)
― dad genes (morrisp), Wednesday, February 5, 2020 9:04 AM (twenty minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
their records do sound shitty but they're still really good! even family man
― american bradass (BradNelson), Wednesday, 5 February 2020 16:26 (four years ago) link
this thread is just a random list of bands
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 5 February 2020 16:30 (four years ago) link
^new board description
― Piven After Midnight (The Yellow Kid), Wednesday, 5 February 2020 16:48 (four years ago) link
The Doors
― toilet-cleaning brain surgeon (pomenitul), Wednesday, 5 February 2020 16:50 (four years ago) link
haha they'd be on my short list of worst band w the best discography
― A-B-C. A-Always, B-Be, C-Chooglin (will), Wednesday, 5 February 2020 16:52 (four years ago) link
I know this one is a touchy subject in general, but Grateful Dead have a pretty terrible studio catalog when viewed as a whole.
― soaring skrrrtpeggios (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 5 February 2020 16:52 (four years ago) link
Genius/GZA
― toilet-cleaning brain surgeon (pomenitul), Wednesday, 5 February 2020 16:54 (four years ago) link
The Dead never made a bad album (and many of them are fantastic).
― dad genes (morrisp), Wednesday, 5 February 2020 16:55 (four years ago) link
Deep Purple
― toilet-cleaning brain surgeon (pomenitul), Wednesday, 5 February 2020 16:56 (four years ago) link
xpost
They had more average-to-weak albums than they had great ones, imo. And even of the great ones, only two (maaaaaybe three) reflected their actual talents.
― soaring skrrrtpeggios (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 5 February 2020 16:56 (four years ago) link
The Grateful Dead, the band for whom the phrase "no, trust me..." was invented.
― but also fuck you (unperson), Wednesday, 5 February 2020 17:15 (four years ago) link
Moby Grape, apparently
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Wednesday, 5 February 2020 17:19 (four years ago) link
lots of 90s electronica acts like DJ Shadow, Chemical Brothers etc
― doorstep jetski (dog latin), Thursday, 6 February 2020 00:07 (four years ago) link
oh wait, what about Squarepusher - a frustratingly hit and miss output with most albums containing 1 or 2 keepers surrounded by any old nonsense
to a lesser extent, Plaid, for whom Rest Proof Clockwork is the only album that I can listen to all the way through without skipping lots
― doorstep jetski (dog latin), Thursday, 6 February 2020 00:10 (four years ago) link
Beach Boys have a mostly amazing discography.
Morrissey after 1995 is really weak. Probably the worst shark jumping of any band I love.
I mentioned them on the last thread but Jacula/Antonius Rex have an unknown/debatable line-up and history. Possibly two completely different bands. Most of the albums under those names are not at all worthwhile.
Frank Black's discography is really frustratingly patchy for most of the time but I didn't dislike much of it.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 7 February 2020 19:22 (four years ago) link
That's the thing about the Beach Boys, they're like the Dead -- a fan is likely to find something to enjoy on any random album, and many of them are fantastic (admittedly, I haven't heard some of the dregs of the Beach Boys' catalog, but no way do they below on a "worst discography" list!).
― dad genes (morrisp), Friday, 7 February 2020 19:44 (four years ago) link
who said the Beach Boys I will fight you
― Οὖτις, Friday, 7 February 2020 19:46 (four years ago) link
I agree Squarepusher & Plaid both have that thing where the good tracks tend to be really good and the rest is basically all forgettable but I don't think they have too many outright duds in their catalogue
― frogbs, Friday, 7 February 2020 19:48 (four years ago) link
I still think Elvis is the answer to beat.
― o. nate, Friday, 7 February 2020 19:50 (four years ago) link
i really had to think to come up w EC. i think he's supremely talented and his first 3 records are unimpeachable but i personally have very little use for his output after that.
I initially parsed that as Eric Clapton, and completely agreed
― Vast Halo, Friday, 7 February 2020 20:13 (four years ago) link
Snoop Dogg
― Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, February 5, 2020 5:05 AM bookmarkflaglink
wtf. like, he only has one bonafide classic, and there are a few embarrassing efforts but...most of his shit is listenable, and he has several good-to-great albums.
― genital giant (Neanderthal), Friday, 1 May 2020 18:07 (four years ago) link
I am a fan too, but really, how many of his 17 studio albums would you honestly rate?
― Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Friday, 1 May 2020 18:17 (four years ago) link
And every lp seems to be 70-80 minutes long
― Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Friday, 1 May 2020 18:18 (four years ago) link
Classic - Doggystyle
Very good - Paid the Cost to Pay the Boss Blue Carpet Treatment Good - R&G Ego Trippin' Neva Left I Wanna Thank Me
Meh - Doggfather Malice 'n Wonderland Doggumentary No Limit Top Dogg
Bad - Tha Last Meal
haven't heard the rest
― genital giant (Neanderthal), Friday, 1 May 2020 18:22 (four years ago) link
― Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Friday, May 1, 2020 2:18 PM bookmarkflaglink
so it's a hip-hop album?
*be the boss
I have the same problem with many other hip-hop albums, yes. Only most other artists I like will wait a few years between releases.
― Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Friday, 1 May 2020 18:28 (four years ago) link
buddy bolden
― Kate (rushomancy), Friday, 1 May 2020 18:31 (four years ago) link
liszt and farinelli also pretty poorly represented as performers on record
― Kate (rushomancy), Friday, 1 May 2020 18:32 (four years ago) link
that is spot on, worst discographies of all
― Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Friday, 1 May 2020 18:33 (four years ago) link
Worst discography actually having recorded something - Brahms, who made thishttps://youtu.be/BZXL3I7GPCY
― Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Friday, 1 May 2020 18:37 (four years ago) link
Kind of surprised The Yardbirds had not been mentioned.
― earlnash, Saturday, 2 May 2020 16:15 (four years ago) link
Linda Ronstadt
― Johnny Fever, Saturday, 2 May 2020 16:22 (four years ago) link
i was thinking about the brahms recording (and also the famed operatic tenor jean de reszke, whose singing voice survives only on the infamously poor-quality mapleson cylinders)... but camaraderie, i think i got you beat on that one... do piano rolls count? here is a june 1916 piano roll made by joplin for the aeolian company of him playing his famous composition "the maple leaf rag":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIDAA7zjrSs
While Joplin never made an audio recording, his playing is preserved on seven piano rolls for use in mechanical player pianos. All seven were made in 1916. Berlin theorizes that by the time Joplin made these recordings he may have been experiencing discoordination of the fingers, tremors and an inability to speak clearly, symptoms of syphilis, the disease that took his life in 1917.[19] The recording of "Maple Leaf Rag", on the Aeolian Uni-Record label from June 1916 was described by biographer Blesh as "shocking ... disorganized and completely distressing to hear".[20] Berlin notes that the "Maple Leaf Rag" roll was "painfully bad" and likely to be the truest record of Joplin's playing at the time
― Kate (rushomancy), Saturday, 2 May 2020 18:39 (four years ago) link
sad lol
― brimstead, Saturday, 2 May 2020 18:40 (four years ago) link
I was thinking about Joplin too! ftr, the other rolls are not as bad as maple leaf rag, one or two are actually not bad, and there is some debate about the reason it's so bad (syphilis is the most commonly cited explanation, but there are others, including poor recording technology)
― Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Saturday, 2 May 2020 19:42 (four years ago) link
do rappers who release a ton of good mixtapes and shitty studio albums count, or are we counting mixtapes in the discog?
― genital giant (Neanderthal), Saturday, 2 May 2020 19:47 (four years ago) link
I reckon mixtapes count now
― Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Saturday, 2 May 2020 19:48 (four years ago) link
wonder if anyone actually knows whether buckethead has a good or bad discography
― Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Saturday, 2 May 2020 19:49 (four years ago) link
it's good if more than 57.3% of his 47,000 releases are good
― genital giant (Neanderthal), Saturday, 2 May 2020 19:50 (four years ago) link
Also thanks Kate for reminding me of the Mapleson cylinders, think it was about a year I was trying to get hold of them, and not one usable bit on the whole thing. Julius Block was making much better recordings, and even earlier.
― Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Saturday, 2 May 2020 20:06 (four years ago) link
Tricky? He really seems to have struggled to hit the mark since PMT. It's been yonks since I've listened to any of it, though.
― Duane Barry, Saturday, 2 May 2020 20:59 (four years ago) link
Guided By Voices. At least thirty full lengths, with three worth listening to start to finish (and only two of those are actually great).
― Revolutionary Girl Utrenja (Tom Violence), Saturday, 2 May 2020 21:03 (four years ago) link
elvis is probably the definitive answer here
― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Saturday, 2 May 2020 21:11 (four years ago) link
What is the best non-compilation Elvis LP?
― Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Saturday, 2 May 2020 21:35 (four years ago) link
From Elvis in Memphis
― Josefa, Saturday, 2 May 2020 21:45 (four years ago) link
Elvis is a weird one because his first four albums were basically singles compilations, then it was all movie soundtracks from 1956 to 1968 except for Elvis Is Back! in 1960. But when he actually became an "album artist" starting with From Elvis In Memphis, his albums from 1969 to his death are all solid to great. But even most of those soundtracks have one or two good songs on them, and you could probably say the same thing about the Fall. (I haven't listened to all 4000 of their albums, so I can't say for sure.)
― but also fuck you (unperson), Saturday, 2 May 2020 21:57 (four years ago) link
Most Fall LPs up to the early 90s are good to perfect, also they had plenty of brilliant singles and EPs at the same time. Even after that there are a few truly great albums, it's just difficult to agree on which ones they are.
― Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Saturday, 2 May 2020 22:03 (four years ago) link
^OTM
― I eat fast foods (morrisp), Saturday, 2 May 2020 22:43 (four years ago) link