So, I thought it would be interesting for folks to list the bands they think have basically never made a stinker, and I don't mean at the album level, but even a single bad song. In other words, every track they ever laid down was worth listening to, and you rarely skip past them. I know, that's a high bar, right? Well, here's a few to get the discussion started, IMHO:

My Morning Jacket (starting with "At Dawn")
The Decemberists
The New Pornographers

I haven't listened to every single song by The Beatles, but I'm guessing they must have a few stinkers, right?

I don't think it's possible. Even my all time favorite artists have released songs I don't like. The only way you'll find someone who fits into this category is if they've only released one good album and stopped making music.

Well, new artists or artists who died or quit pre-maturly will have a pretty big advantage. Usually, great older artists like Bob Dylan, REM, Neil Young etc. eventually start releasing stinkers.

Here's a few new artists doing good so far that have more than a couple of albums to their catalog... Yo La Tengo, The White Stripes, Spoon.

Older artists... Velvet Underground, Jimi Hendrix (maybe, can't say I've heard everything)

I definitely think there are quite a few classic rock bands that can be listed. For example, Black Sabbath (until Ozzy left), pretty much every song I can think of rocks, and I have all the albums and have listened hundreds of times. Pink Floyd is another (before Roger Waters left).

Edit: Oh, and I forgot to mention The Shins, which is the band that got me thinking about this topic.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ezatldude,

quote:

Originally posted by ezkcdude:
I definitely think there are quite a few classic rock bands that can be listed. For example, Black Sabbath (until Ozzy left), pretty much every song I can think of rocks, and I have all the albums and have listened hundreds of times. Pink Floyd is another (before Roger Waters left).

You just listed two bands that have released an enormous amount of absolute crap, but put qualifiers on it. They don't count.

quote:

Originally posted by Hophead:


You just listed two bands that have released an enormous amount of absolute crap, but put qualifiers on it. They don't count.

True, but every metal head knows Black Sabbath ceased to be the day RJD took the reins. And Floyd was not really Floyd after Waters left. Bands that I like but have released a ton of stinkers, well, two come immediately to mind: Pearl Jam and The Flaming Lips.

I don't think there is a band that qualifies for this, except maybe a few that only had one or two albums. I honestly can't even think of a band off the top of my head that has two albums where there's not at least one song that kinda sucks.

The Wrens

The nature of art means that NO band will ever fail to fail occassionally, but I pretty much agree with ezkcdude that Sabbath were rock solid until Ozzy left (after that they weren't Sabbath any longer, much as I love the Dio period), excepting that this argument falls down when we look at Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die.

But one cld argue that by the time Ectasy came around, Ozzy was so befuddled by drugs that it was a different man on vocals..ha ha qualifier city!!!!

Nothing springs to mind. Every band/artist mentioned here (that I've heard) has made at least something I disliked, even awesome artists like Pink Floyd and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Those with B-Sides and Rarities discs are also going to have a tough time of this.

After suggesting Mastodon's Leviathan merits consideration for album of the decade in another thread, I realized Mastodon, itself, fits very well in this thread. That's one thing I like about metal, if you find a band you like, you can pretty much know what you're going to get with every song.

In terms of songs - nobody's perfect (that I can think of). In terms of albums: Hendrix and Nirvana (because they died young). The La's and My Bloody Valentine? - (they lose points for not trying). The Pixies, Velvet Underground, and Pavement are examples of bands that made a less good/average album and then quit. I respect them for that. After that they can make as many crap solo albums as they want.

quote:

Originally posted by ezkcdude:
In other words, every track they ever laid down was worth listening to, and you rarely skip past them.

I can say that about the Beatles. Probably the only vocal artists with as much output as they released that I can say that about. They had a few tracks I wasn't crazy about (and I'm talking main albums, no collections of demos and other whatnot) but rotten eggs or bad songs? no, I wouldn't say that. As for surf instrumental bands, I could list dozens as I'm pretty easily satisfied with surf instrols.

I'm pretty pleased with everything I've heard from the White Stripes, Black Keys and Iron & Wine, so far.

Fugazi, methinks.

LCD Soundsystem so far.
The Delgados
Nirvana
Crowded House

quote:

Originally posted by crazed:
I'm pretty pleased with everything I've heard from the White Stripes

This is an interesting choice crazed in that I do agree with you. When I saw the thread's question I thought that it was nearly impossible for a band/artist to have a near-perfect catalog but I see your point with The White Stripes. I think all of their albums are really good. I didn't care at all for the work Jack White did with The Raconteurs but as for The White Stripes go, everything sounds good. From the jumbled mess of an album their self-titled debut is, to their commercially-successful triumph that Elephant is, to the very solid and underrated Get Behind Me Satan, it is all very good.

I agree with the White Stripes. Even the B-sides are great.

Death From Above 1979 comes to mind, but they only had an album and an EP or two, so that's kind of cheating.

There are two I can say, that I've really listened to (damn near) all their stuff, every song, and no stinkers.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience (heard the three real albums, can't say I heard rarer unreleased/what have you stuff)

Nick Drake. Not exactly a band, but every song he fully fleshed out in his life, and really even the ones that were half-baked and unreleased before his death, were of very high quality, I say. There are others I think I may feel this about but I haven't really listened to them extensively enough yet.

Teenage Fanclub and Wilco. Two bands I can genuinely say that I could listen to all their albums without feeling the requirement to skip tracks.

Franz Ferdinand?