I initially checked the great artists I could think of - Dylan, Beatles, Stones, Fairport, and others - but needed a more thorough list. The most comprehensive one that I could find was Rolling Stone's 100 greatest artists list. Here's what I have...
Which bands have had three-straight perfect albums?
- Creedence Clearwater Revival (82) - 4.5, 5, 5, 5 (That's their consecutive albums - 4.5/5 stars followed by three consecutive five-star albums...and then 82 is their ranking on Rolling Stone's list)
- Black Sabbath (85) - I am stunned...4.5, 5, 5, 5, 4.5, 4.5
- Elvis Costello (80) - 5, 5, 5, 5, 4, 5
- Beastie Boys (77) - 5, 5, 5
- Radiohead (73) - 5, 5, 5
- Al Green (66) - 5, 5, 5, 4.5
- Allman Brothers Band (53) - 5, 5, 5
- Run DMC (48) - 5, 5, 5
- Public Enemy (44) - 5, 5, 5
- Nirvana (30) - 5, 5, 5
- Bruce Springsteen (23) - 5, 5, 5, 4.5, 5, 5, 5, 4.5 (That's an amazing run to start his career - six perfect albums out of eight, the other two nearly perfect.)
- Velvet Underground (20) - 5, 5, 5, 5
- Led Zeppelin (14) - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 (six in a row)
- Jimi Hendrix (6) - 5, 5, 5
- Bob Dylan (2) - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 (six in a row)
- Beatles (1) - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 (six in a row)
- Frank Sinatra - 5, 5, 5, 5, 4.5, 5...easily one of then greatest but not Rock...also oddly album-oriented for his time...
- Miles Davis - 5, 5, 5, 4.5, 5, 5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 4.5, 4.5...three in a row, then five in a row...greatest jazz artist ever, from what I understand...all of the five-star albums came in 1956-1960...hell of a period for anybody...others in 1954...1967...1968...1970...1970...1972...maybe more perfect (according to AllMusic) albums than any other artist, 18 total...I can't imagine anyone else coming close...not Rock, so understandable that Rolling Stone didn't include him...(five in a row)
The rest of the top one-hundred is after the jump. Take a look at it and see if you can think of any other artists that I should check.
- Talking Heads (100) - 5, 5, 4.5, 5, 4.5
- Curtis Mayfield (98) - 5, 4.5, 4.5, 5
- R.E.M. (97) - 5, 5, 4, 4.5, 4.5
- Lynyrd Skynyrd (95) - 5, 5, 3
- Nine Inch Nails (94) - 5, 4, 4
- Guns 'n' Roses (92) - 5, 3.5, 4.5/3.5
- Tom Petty (91) - 3.5, 5, 4.5
- Santana (90) - 4,5, 5, 4.5, 4.5, 4.5
- The Yardbirds (89) - 3, 5, 4.5
- Jay-Z (88) - 5, 4.5, 3.5
- Gram Parsons (87) - 5, 5, 4
- 2Pac (86) - 3, 5, 5
- James Taylor (84) - 4.5, 5, 4
- Eminem (83) - 5, 5, 4
- The Stooges (78) - 5, 5, 4.5
- The Eagles (75) - 4, 5, 3
- AC/DC (72) - 4.5, 5, 4.5...or 3.5, 5, 5
- Frank Zappa (71) - 5, 4.5, 4...or 4.5, 4.5, 4.5, 4.5...I had no idea how prolific a recording artist Zappa was...wow...
- The Police (70) - 5, 3.5, 4.5
- Temptations (68) - 4.5, 4.5, 4.5
- Cream (67) - 4, 4.5 , 4...overrated...(clap...clap...clap clap clap clap)...
- The Kinks (65) - 5, 5, 4.5
- Joni Mitchell (62) - 5, 4.5, 5
- Metallica (61) - 5, 4.5, 5
- The Sex Pistols (60) - 5, 3.5 ,4
- Aerosmith (59) - 4.5, 5, 5
- Parliment / Funkadelic (58) - 4.5, 4.5, 5
- Grateful Dead (57) - 4.5, 5, 5
- Dr. Dre (56) - 5, 2.5, 4
- Eric Clapton (55) - 4.5 , 3.5, 4.5 (solo)
- Queen (52) - 4, 4.5, 5
- Pink Floyd (51) - 5, 5, 4
- The Band (50) - 5, 5, 4.5
- Elton John (49) - 4.5, 5, 4
- Patti Smith (47) - 5, 3.5, 4.5
- Janis Joplin (46) - 5, 3, 5
- The Byrds (45) - 5, 4.5, 5
- Sly & the Family Stone (43) - 4.5, 5, 5
- Van Morrison (42) - 5, 5, 4.5, 4.5, 4.5
- The Doors (41) - 5, 3.5, 3.5
- Simon & Garfunkle (40) - 5, 5, 4.5
- David Bowie (39) - 4.5, 5, 5, 4.5...4.5, 5, 5
- John Lennon (38) - 3, 5, 5
- Madonna (37) - 5, 4.5, 4.5
- Michael Jackson (36) - 5, 5, .4.5
- Neil Young (35) - 5, 5, 4.5...5, 5, 4.5
- Johnny Cash (31) - 4.5, 4, 5
- The Who (29) - 5, 4.5, 5 4.5, 5, 5, 4.5
- The Clash (28) - 5, 4.5, 5
- Prince (27) - 5, 3.5, 5, 5
- The Ramones (26) - 5, 4.5, 5, 4.5
- Jerry Lee Lewis (24) - 4.5, 5, 4.5
- U2 (22) - 5, 3, 5
- Otis Redding (21) - 4, 5, 5...3, 5, 5
- Bo Diddley (20) - 4.5, 4.5, 4
- Marvin Gaye (19) - 5, 4, 5
- Muddy Waters (18) - 5, 4.5, 4.5
- Stevie Wonder (15) -5, 5, 4.5, 5
- The Beach Boys (12) - 5, 4, 4, 5
- Bob Marley (11) - 5, 5, 4.5
- Ray Charles (10) - 4.5, 5, 5
- Aretha Franklin (9) - 4.5, 4.5, 4.5, 4.5
- James Brown (7) - 3, 5, 4.5
- Chuck Berry (5) - 4.5, 4.5, 5
- Rolling Stones (4) - 5, 5, 4.5, 5, 5
- Elvis Presley (3)- 5, 5, 3
- Pearl Jam - 5, 4, 4.5
- Fairport Convention - 4.5, 4.5, 5, 5, 4.5
- Jackson 5 - 4.5, 4, 4.5
- The Smiths - 5, 3.5, 5
- Carl Perkins (99)
- The Supremes (96)
- Booker T & the MGs (93)
- The Drifters (81)
- The Four Tops (79)
- The Shirelles (76)
- Hank Williams (74)
- Jackie Wilson (69)
- Howlin' Wolf (54)
- Roy Orbison (37)
- The Everly Brothers (34)
- Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (33)
- Fats Domino (25)
- Sam Cooke (17)
- Buddy Holly (13)
- Little Richard (8)
- Phil Spector (64) - producer...don't really know why he's listed...
- Tina Turner (63) - Her greatest work was with Ike, but there still aren't any five-star albums either way
At Smamy's request...
- BB King - 5, 4.5, 3...probably more of a pre-album artist to score well in this method
- Dave Matthews Band - 4.5, 3.5, 4 (twice)...never a perfect album according to AllMusic, and too many live album releases to hit the consistent highlights
- ZZ Top - 4.5, 3, 4.5...never a perfect album from AllMusic
- Kiss - 4.5, 4, 4.5, 4.5, 4.5, 4, 4.5, 4...never a perfect album, but a heck of a lot more near-perfection than I would have ever imagined...I think of them as their later-career joke artists that were more contemporary for me
- Miles Davis - 5, 5, 5, 4.5, 5, 5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 4.5, 4.5...three in a row, then five in a row...greatest jazz artist ever, from what I understand...all of the five-star albums came in 1956-1960...hell of a period for anybody...others in 1954...1967...1968...1970...1970...1972...maybe more perfect (according to AllMusic) albums than any other artist, 18 total...I can't imagine anyone else coming close...not Rock, so understandable that Rolling Stone didn't include him
- Fleetwood Mac - 5, 5, 5...Fleetwood Mac, Rumors, Tusk...there may not be a popular group that I dislike more...hate them - partially because of their images of excess, drugs, infidelity, California...partially because of their music...surprising that Rolling Stone didn't list them...an oversight?
- Billy Joel - 4.5, 4.5, 4, 4.5...never perfect, always interesting...married the prettiest model of the 70's-80's
- John Coltrane - eleven perfect albums, just spread out more than Miles's...closest to a three-album run was...4.5, 4.5, 5, 4.5, 5, 5, 4.5...not rock
- Frank Sinatra - 5, 5, 5, 5, 4.5, 5...easily one of then greatest but not Rock...also oddly album-oriented for his time...
- Etta James - 4.5, 5, 4...I had no idea she was still alive...really?
6 comments:
I don't think any of these were listed. Thoughts on inclusion? Some are more singles instead of albums.
1) BB King
2) Dave Matthews
3) ZZ Top
4) Kiss
5) Miles Davis
6) Fleetwood Mac
7) Billy Joel
8) John Coltrane
9) Frank Sinatra
10) Etta James
Added each of yours to the list - at the bottom, admittedly...two made the cut...
Thanks for looking those up and adding. Interesting stuff.
1) Regarding Fleetwood Mac: I have always found them interesting. I know they are considered one of the all time greats, and at one point in my life I tried to listen to "Fleetwood Mac" several times in order to learn to appreciate them. Couldn't do it. Never understood why people like them. Everyone has their preferences. Personally, I don't think it was an oversight by Rolling Stone; however, I am sure others out there disagree.
2) I have such a hard time trying to figure out what constitutes "Rock". How can the Beach Boys, Eminem, and Metallica all be considered "Rock" yet Miles Davis and John Coltrane get pigeon holed as jazz artists. In my mind, Jazz had a pretty large influence on rock (enough maybe to be considered early rock). Many might argue that rap is more closely related to jazz than rock due to the beat. Is there a music geneologist anywhere? Interesting.
3) Etta James died last year sadly.
4) Interesting to think of bands that did not even come close to making it. The one that struck me originally was not seeing Green Day on the list. Then I realized that "Dookie" and "American Idiot" were exceptional in my opinion but their other albums were good but not great. Sure enough, allmusic agrees.
Cant think of any others that might make the cut.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
Add Steely Dan! First 4 albums go 4.5, 5, 5, 5! Countdown to Ecstacy, Pretzel Logic, Katy Lied!
Now this has just become a challenge.
PS: Formal Protest
Mellencamp doesn't have a single 5 star album. Not even "Uh-huh". I now have to question the authenticity of the rating system. I have to say I think not having Mellencamp in the Top 100 is an oversight.
Last Few Winners I could find tonight. I don't take credit for this. All credit goes to "Lardopirate" who has a list of allmusic's 5 star albums. Probably more. The search will continue
http://rateyourmusic.com/lists/list_view?list_id=236890&show=50&start=150
Can: Tago Mago, Ege Bamyasi, Fuure Days (5, 5, 5)
Husker Du: Zen Arcade, New Day Rising, Flip Your Wig, Candy Apple Grey, Warehouse:Songs and Stories (5, 5, 5, 3.5, 5)
The Stooges (Iggy and the Stooges): The Stooges, Fun House, Raw Power, Metallic KO (4.5, 5, 5, 5)
X: Los Angeles, Wild Gift, Under the Big Black Sun, More Fun in the New World (5,5,5,4.5)
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