Everything Better Than Everything Else

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"nowhere in yr question did you say that ANY of the albums had to be good, just better than the last."

I think there's an implicit assumption that the quality has to measurable in order for the improvement to be measurable.

That said, if 5ive had released 5ive's 1st album; then something innocuous and average-ish like say, In Utero; then something great like Modern Life Is Rubbish; then something extraordinary like The Shape Of Jazz To Come; then released Trout Mask Replica; then split up - they would definitely have qualified.

But they didn't, did they?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:38 (twenty years ago) link

I love Laughing Stock and Spirit Of Eden bores me silly - I absolutely cannot work out why this should be.

But Stewart the quality is measurable (obv no quality is measurable but let's assume you mean 'noticeable to the individual listener'): average pop album - above average pop album - good pop album. You can't win (without being a moderator and changing your question)

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:39 (twenty years ago) link

Talk Talk almost make it, as do Buffalo Springfield and Van der Graaf Generator (unfortunate reformation tho 1st reformed album almost counts)

― The Spotlight Kid (kid), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:39 (twenty years ago) link

Joy Division - if you include Ideal For Living and exclude posthumous works.

― Jonathan Z., Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:39 (twenty years ago) link

average-ish like say, In Utero

In Utero is not average! It is great!!!!!!!

― Aja (aja), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:40 (twenty years ago) link

"The clash, if you ignore cut the crap."

Nope, even then The Clash is better than Give 'Em Enough Rope and and both The Clash and London Calling are better than Sandinista! or Combat Rock.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:40 (twenty years ago) link

Ghostface Killah?
The RZA?
I agree on Sugababes.
N*SYNC?
Slint.

Artists with small catalogs are totally the way to go, also those with an evolving style.

I'm sure some ppl. would argue for Outkast.

Velvet Underground! (if you don't count Squeeze)
Daft Punk
Basement Jaxx?
Bikini Kill
Ja Rule

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:41 (twenty years ago) link

Oh, yes, Jaxx seconded I think.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:41 (twenty years ago) link

Re the clast xpost to the maxxx.

I know, I thought I'd have a laff. Tho I like Sandinista best.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:42 (twenty years ago) link

Mystikal? (I suspect but I don't know all the No Limit albums)
Lil Romeo!

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:42 (twenty years ago) link

Ooo Ooo Ooo

Pulp.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:42 (twenty years ago) link

Orbital Green
Orbital Brown
Snivilisation
In Sides

Falls down with Snivil...

Outkast would definitely probably work.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:43 (twenty years ago) link

"The "first three" thing is a copout - we're basically looking for bands/artists that prematurely died/disbanded."

The less albums someone's done, the easier it's going to be certainly!

"Joy Division - if you include Ideal For Living and exclude posthumous works."

It's got to be official, band-sanctioned, proper albums, so on that basis I reckon JD on;y released 2 albums and if I had to choose I'd probably come down in favour of Unknown Pleasures anyway.

"In Utero is not average! It is great!!!!!!!"

Who's Queen?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:46 (twenty years ago) link

"Pulp."

Now you're just being silly.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:47 (twenty years ago) link

AMG seem to rate the Basement Jaxx albums in reverse order. Personally my favourite's Rooty.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:48 (twenty years ago) link

Who's Queen?

Me and you're King, and in chess, a Queen is more powerful than a King.

― Aja (aja), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:49 (twenty years ago) link

I thought Different class was OK, Hardcore was underrated and We love life was better. But then that's just me.

Rounded off with the hits one.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:50 (twenty years ago) link

Fountains of Wayne. Maybe.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:50 (twenty years ago) link

Fred Neil

― Jonathan Z., Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:51 (twenty years ago) link

Some might say the Velvet Underground.
You'd have to be a Loaded fan tho.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:53 (twenty years ago) link

VU is in the exact reverse order

― Jonathan Z., Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:55 (twenty years ago) link

If I was insane I'd say Primal Scream.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:56 (twenty years ago) link

Big Black, if you call the first two EPs an album for convenience.

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:56 (twenty years ago) link

"Some might say the Velvet Underground.
You'd have to be a Loaded fan tho."

There's also the trifling matter of Live At Max's Kansas City, Squeeze, Live MCMXCIII....

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:57 (twenty years ago) link

I can think of loads that only get let down by the very last album..

Happy Mondays

OK one then.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:57 (twenty years ago) link

Scream maybe? I say their last album was their best.

― Aja (aja), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:58 (twenty years ago) link

There's also the trifling matter of Live At Max's Kansas City, Squeeze, Live MCMXCIII....

Live albums and one remaining member albums don't count (ish)

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:58 (twenty years ago) link

Prefab sprout. Durutti Column. George Harrison. Marbles. D-Ream. Custard. Trousers.

it's been a long day...

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:00 (twenty years ago) link

Carl Craig? I haven't heard "Landcruising", but "The Secret Tapes..." < "More Songs..." < "Programmed".

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:03 (twenty years ago) link

Prefab Sprout.... hmmmm, are you putting Protest Songs before or after From Langley Park To Memphis (i.e. the order they were recorded in or the order they were released in)?

Actually, I've just realised: it's academic isn't it? The Gunman & Other Stories has got to be the worst album they've ever done.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:03 (twenty years ago) link

I was just freeforming there. sorry.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:07 (twenty years ago) link

I can't believe there isn't some MAJOR, CLASSIC band / musician (almost certainly with a failry small, 3-4 album, catalogue) who we haven't thought of yet but who; when someone does mention them; we're all going to say "oh yes, of course, how did we forget X?"....

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:10 (twenty years ago) link

Oh why couldn't Arthur Lee have just gone solo / changed the name of his band when all the other members of Love left after recording Forever Changes?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:12 (twenty years ago) link

God it's a tough one....

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:14 (twenty years ago) link

Sod it, I'm going home.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:16 (twenty years ago) link

What about The Roots?

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:19 (twenty years ago) link

Fountains of Wayne. Maybe.

They get progressively worse.

― Colin Beckett (Colin Beckett), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:22 (twenty years ago) link

Beach Boys Up till "Summer Days..." if you don't count live albums and stuff. At least their first three albums were clear progressions. Summer Days wasn't exactly a step backward though.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:25 (twenty years ago) link

What if, whenever bands gave their albums 'numbers' for titles, the titles were then the ACTUAL record ratings

― dave q, Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:26 (twenty years ago) link

Scooter totally qualifies.

― Siegbran (eofor), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:28 (twenty years ago) link

queens of the stoneage. 1st 3 lp's each getting better. my opinion.
madness - 7 being better than absolutely which was better than one step beyond, and i prefer Rise and Fall .. so four in a row all getting better. Keep Moving then upset the applecart.
compulsion. not that anyone will care about that lot. but damn their stuff rocked my world for about a year they were everything with noise and guitars.

there are more i could dig out of my recesses. but i need to rest now.

― mark e (mark e), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:45 (twenty years ago) link

Blur: everything up to and including Great escape. I'm going to think more about this. A lot of people say the white stripes improve with each album, also with the chemical brothers first 3.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:54 (twenty years ago) link

hmm, things fall apart was better than phrenology, and illadelph too, in my opinion.
what about fugazi? their last three have been great.
missy elliot? then again, 'under construction' was underwhelming...

― paulhw (paulhw), Thursday, 27 November 2003 21:32 (twenty years ago) link

I think I've got one that very few people are going to argue with (and I can't believe no-one else has suggested this yet): how about.... My Bloody Valentine?!

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 27 November 2003 22:03 (twenty years ago) link

:-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 27 November 2003 22:07 (twenty years ago) link

at the drive-in
isis

― sean marvin (williamtell), Thursday, 27 November 2003 22:13 (twenty years ago) link

yo la tengo up to including "i can hear the heart...". after that it was a bit more water-treading

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 27 November 2003 22:21 (twenty years ago) link

the lucksmiths

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 27 November 2003 22:22 (twenty years ago) link

Japan
adolescent sex, obscure alternatives, quiet life, gentlemen take polaroids, tin drum
musically and compositionally, these guys made enormous strides in the space between album releases.

― bahtology, Thursday, 27 November 2003 23:18 (twenty years ago) link

mr bungle!!!!

― Pablo Cruise (chaki), Thursday, 27 November 2003 23:25 (twenty years ago) link

Skipping 24 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

I might say this of GYBE!. Possibly Radiohead, though the last three are fairly equal in my eyes.

― Sundar (sundar), Sunday, 8 May 2005 21:18 (nineteen years ago) link

Radiohead have done this twice. First with their first three albums. Then "Kid A" was an absolute disaster compared to "OK Computer", but later on they have again improved with each album.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 8 May 2005 22:51 (nineteen years ago) link

But Kid A is so much more melodic than Amnesiac?

― wiffle, Sunday, 8 May 2005 23:00 (nineteen years ago) link

But Kid A is so much more melodic than Amnesiac?

Snap!

― giboyeux (skowly), Sunday, 8 May 2005 23:06 (nineteen years ago) link

In fact, no. For instance, "Knives Out" is by far the most melodic moment on either.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 8 May 2005 23:27 (nineteen years ago) link

Amnesiac is probably a bit more complex melodically, e.g. "Life In a Glasshouse". I think the melodies on Kid A are more straightforward, even compared to OK Computer.

― Sundar (sundar), Sunday, 8 May 2005 23:36 (nineteen years ago) link

Maybe it has more to do with the relationship between the main melodies and the rhythm or harmonic motion of the accompaniment than with the melodies themselves? I don't know.

― Sundar (sundar), Sunday, 8 May 2005 23:37 (nineteen years ago) link

The songs on "Amnesiac" are less minimalist and less repetitive. I absolutely despise all kinds of minimalism.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 8 May 2005 23:46 (nineteen years ago) link

Super Furry Animals! *ducks*

― Simon H. (Simon H.), Monday, 9 May 2005 05:01 (nineteen years ago) link

also, Low!

― Simon H. (Simon H.), Monday, 9 May 2005 05:02 (nineteen years ago) link

SFA are for me extremely not OTM in this thread, in that each time I thought they were on their way down, they would always surprise with an excellent album following a less excellent one.

Not that they have ever made a bad album, but their best ones have been scattered across their career chronologically IMO.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 9 May 2005 09:43 (nineteen years ago) link

Super Fury Animals are cacophonous, atonal junkies who cannot sing or write a melody if Himmler were to hold a gun to their heads. It is the overly beneficial supply of drugs in unemployed Wales, no? You need to listen to artists who perform properly constructed and melodic songs, such as Katie Melua and Norah Jones.

― Comstock Carabinieri (nostudium), Monday, 9 May 2005 09:46 (nineteen years ago) link

nine years pass...

I think it's fair game to consider this in terms of incarnations - if so, the first three Wire albums could qualify although they're all great.
and with the potential quibbling over faves, maybe it's easier to look at whether an artist/band keeps evolving (in a good way), in which case Japan (above) fits the bill better than most. they certainly went out on a peak of interest/exposure.

a couple of incarnations that might work are:
Van Der Graaf Generator first incarnation up through Pawn Hearts.
Roxy Music second incarnation Manifesto -> Avalon, at least in the sense of refinement.

― Paul, Monday, 24 November 2014 22:47 (nine years ago) link

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