Bands with huge catalogs but much of it is complete dreck

I have a feeling you have just let yourself into a world of hurt.

http://www.journeymusic.com/index2.html

Someone come forth to defend the discography of Journey! I command thee!

crazy talk!

Pash to thread to correct me pronto.

More crazy talk! Stop the insanity!

but anyway, on second (or third) thought:

1978 Ready for the House Corwood Industries
1981 Later On Corwood Industries
1981 Six and Six Corwood Industries
1982 Chair Beside a Window Corwood Industries
1982 Living in a Moon So Blue Corwood Industries
1982 Staring at the Cellophane Corwood Industries
1983 The Rocks Crumble Corwood Industries
1983 Your Turn to Fall Corwood Industries
1984 Interstellar Discussion Corwood
1985 Foreign Keys Corwood
1985 Nine-Thirty Corwood
1986 Follow Your Footsteps Corwood Industries
1986 Telegraph Melts Corwood
1987 Blue Corpse Corwood
1987 Modern Dances Corwood
1988 On the Way Corwood
1988 You Walk Alone Corwood
1989 The Living End Corwood
1990 Somebody in the Snow Corwood
1991 One Foot in the North Corwood
1992 Lost Cause Corwood Industries
1993 Twelfth Apostle Corwood Industries
1994 Glad to Get Away Corwood Industries
1994 Graven Image Corwood Industries
1996 White Box Requiem Corwood Industries
1997 I Woke Up Corwood Industries
1998 New Town Corwood Industries
1999 The Beginning Corwood Industries
2000 Put My Dream on This Planet Corwood Industries
2001 This Narrow Road Corwood Industries
2002 The Humility of Pain Corwood
2003 The Place Corwood
2003 The Gone Wait Corwood
2004 A Kingdom He Likes Corwood
2004 I Threw You Away Corwood
2004 The Door Behind Corwood
2004 Worthless Recluse Corwood
2004 Shadow of Leaves Corwood
2004 The End of It All
2005 When I Took That Train Corwood Industries
2005 Raining Down Diamonds Corwood Industries
2005 Glasgow Sunday [live] Corwood
2005 Khartoum Corwood
2006 Khartoum Variations Corwood Industries
2006 Newcastle Sunday Corwood Industries
2006 What Else Does the Time Mean Corwood Industries

1973 February THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII
1974 May JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH
1975 April THE MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF KING ARTHUR AND THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE
1977 November RICK WAKEMAN'S CRIMINAL RECORD
1982 December ROCK AND ROLL PROPHET
1983 COST OF LIVING
1985 March SILENT NIGHTS
1987 March CRIMES OF PASSION
1988 February A SUITE OF GODS
1989 November SEA AIRS
1990 November NIGHT AIRS
1991 THE CLASSICAL CONNECTION
1993 February WAKEMAN WITH WAKEMAN
1993 November NO EXPENSE SPARED
1993 December RICK WAKEMAN'S GREATEST HITS
1994 April 27 WAKEMAN WITH WAKEMAN: THE OFFICIAL BOOTLEG
1995 July CIRQUE SURREAL
1996 February 27 KING BISCUIT FLOWER HOUR PRESENTS RICK WAKEMAN IN CONCERT
1997 SIMPLY ACOUSTIC
2000 July 11 STELLA BIANCA

Most are very much crap, 'tis true. Also have one called TAPESTRIES, which I don't see listed there.

Dozens (literally) of album and maybe, what, three decent songs?

Also, Bowie, although I understand that this is just me, who thinks he's written maybe 5 good songs in his entire career. We don't have to start arguing about that one though.

http://www.vinylvulture.co.uk/pages/images/records/last-1.jpg

x-post!

Nonsense!

But therein lies the challenge! To differentiate between "truly essential" and the merely "not terrible". How many Rick Wakeman albums are essential, as opposed to passable? (Maybe all of 'em, don't ask me, I've never heard any.)

I agree that Zappa's an excellent choice.

Howlin' Wind, 1976
Heat Treatment, 1976
Pink Parker EP, 1977
Stick To Me, 1977
Squeezing Out Sparks, 1979
The Up Escalator, 1980
Another Grey Area, 1982
The Real Macaw, 1983
Graham Parker & The Shot
Steady Nerves, 1985
Mona Lisa's Sister, 1988
Human Soul, 1989
Struck by Lightning, 1991
Burning Questions, 1992
Graham Parker's Christmas Cracker EP, 1994
12 Haunted Episodes, 1995
Acid Bubblegum, 1996
Loose Monkeys (outtakes), 1999
That's When You Know (1976 demos + Live at Marble Arch), 2001
Deepcut To Nowhere, 2001
Your Country, 2004
Songs of No Consequence, 2005

My view of the world has been shaken.

Also, Status Quo.

1985 The first album (Ariola) (#1 Germany)(#6 South Africa)(#8 Netherlands)
1985 Let's talk about love (Hansa Records) (#2 Germany)(#17 Netherlands)
1986 Ready for romance (Hansa Records) (#1 Germany)(#19 France)(#76 UK)
1986 In the middle of nowhere (Hansa Records) (#1 Germany)
1987 Romantic Warriors (Hansa Records) (#3 Germany)
1987 In the garden of Venus (Hansa Records) (#35 Germany)(#1 Turkey)
1998 Back for good (Ariola) (#]] (BMG) (#1 Germany)(#1 South Africa)(#3 Netherland)(#9 Italy)(#1 Europe)(#2 World sales)
1999 Alone (BMG International) (#1 Germany)(#1 Argentina)(#5 Sweden)(#9 South Korea)(#11 France)(#13 Spain)(#17 South Africa) + (#6 Europe)(#8 World sales)
2000 Year of the dragon (BMG International) (#3 Germany) +(#4 Switzerland)(#5 Austria)(#10 Europe)
2001 America (BMG International) (#2 Germany) (#10 Switzerland)(#7 Austria)(#9 Europe)
2002 Victory (BMG) (#1 Germany) + (#14 Switzerland)(#7 Austria)(#20 Argentina)(#9 Europe)
2003 Universe (BMG) (#2 Germany) +(#25 Switzerland)(#10 Austria)(#11 Europe)
2003 The Final Album (compilation, BMG) (#3 Germany)(#1 South Africa)(#14 Europe)

A "Greatest Hits" album by someone who at his best was an expert at excellent concept albums is pointless. Everything Alice Cooper released from 1971 through 1975 is essential.

sebadoh was/is generally 50/50 or 33.333/33.333/33.333. Just because he got all the attention doesn't mean he was the primary doer.

for this thread, I nominate Ozric Tentacles...

!!! OH NO YOU DIDNT !!!

Out of the ones I've heard, I'd say two: Six Wives of Henry VIII and Criminal Record. Though "worthy" might be a better adjective...I don't feel comfortable calling them "essential", which to me implies a five-star or similarly outstanding work, but more than "passable", which to me implies just barely crossing a minimum threshold of acceptability.

I can think of numerous noise groups who have swiftly growing "CD-Rgraphies" that really need to stop making music.

1969 Chicago Transit Authority
1970 Chicago II
1971 Chicago III
1971 At Carnegie Hall, Vol. 1-4 (Chicago IV) [live]
1972 Chicago V
1972 Live in Japan
1973 Chicago VI
1974 Chicago VII
1975 Chicago VIII
1976 Chicago X
1977 Chicago XI
1978 Hot Streets
1978 Chicago Transit Authority: Live in Concert [Magnum]
1979 Chicago 13
1980 Chicago XIV
1982 Chicago 16
1984 Chicago 17
1986 Chicago 18
1988 Chicago 19
1991 Chicago Twenty 1
1995 Night and Day: Big-Band
1998 Chicago's First Christmas
1998 Chicago 25: The Christmas Album
1999 Chicago XXVI -- The Live Album
2003 Christmas: What's It Gonna Be Santa?
2006 Chicago XXX

OTM. The less demand there is for their work, the more likely it is they'll put out some new CD-R of themselves farting in the shower every two weeks. It's almost like an act of defiance to put out so much material in the face of such widespread indifference.

One could argue they never started....?

Another case of where the B-sides are generally more interesting than the "official" albums.

Studio albums

* Mk I
o Shades of Deep Purple, September 1968 #24 US
o The Book of Taliesyn, December 1968 #54 US
o Deep Purple, November 1969 #162 US
* Mk II
o Deep Purple in Rock, June 1970 #4 UK, #143 US
o Fireball, September 1971 #1 UK, #32 US
o Machine Head, March 1972 #1 UK, #7 US
o Who Do We Think We Are, February 1973 #4 UK, #15 US
* Mk III
o Burn, February 1974 #3 UK, #9 US
o Stormbringer, December 1974 #6 UK, #20 US
* Mk IV
o Come Taste the Band, October 1975 #19 UK, #43 US
* Mk II, reunited
o Perfect Strangers, November 1984 #5 UK, #17 US
o The House of Blue Light, January 1987 #10 UK, #34 US
* Mk V
o Slaves & Masters, October 1990 # 45 UK, #87 US
* Mk II, again reunited
o The Battle Rages On, July 1993 #21 UK, #192 US
* Mk VII
o Purpendicular, February 1996
o Abandon, May 1998
* Mk VIII
o Bananas, August 2003
o Rapture of the Deep, October 2005

[edit]

Live albums

* Mk I
o Live in Inglewood, 1968 (released 2004)
* Mk II
o Concerto for Group and Orchestra, 1969
o Kneel & Pray, 1969 (released 2004)
o Gemini Suite Live, 1970 (released 1998)
o Scandinavian Nights, 1970 (released 1988)
o Space Vol 1 & 2 , 1970 (released 2004)
o Made in Japan 1972, #16 UK, #6 US
o Deep Purple In Concert, 1970-1972 (released 1980) #30 UK
o Denmark 1972, 1972 (released 2004)
* Mk III
o Made in Europe, 1975, #12 UK, #148 US
o Live in London, 1974 (released 1982), #23 UK
o Just Might Take Your Life , 1974 (released 1996 | 2004)
o Perks And Tit, 1974 (released 2004)
o Mk III: The Final Concerts, 1975 (released 1996)
* Mk IV
o Last Concert in Japan, 1976
o King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: Deep Purple in Concert(=On the Wings of a Russian Foxbat) = , 1975 (released 1995)
o This Time Around: Live in Tokyo, 1975 (released 2001)
* Mk II, reunited
o Nobody's Perfect, 1987 (released 1988) #38 UK, #105 US
o In The Absence of Pink: Knebworth 85, 1985 (released 1991)
o Come Hell or High Water, 1993, (released 1994)
o Live In Europe 1993, 1993 (4-CD box set - due for release March 2006)
* Mk VII
o Live at the Olympia '96, 1996 (released 1997)
o Total Abandon: Live in Australia, 1999
o In Concert with the London Symphony Orchestra, 1999
o Live At The Rotterdam Ahoy, 2000
o The Soundboard Series, 2001

[edit]

Compilation Albums

* Purple Passages, September 1972; # 57 US
* 24 Carat Purple, July 1975; #14 UK
* The Mark II Purple Singles, April 1979; #24 UK
* When We Rock, We Rock, and When We Roll, We Roll, 1978
* Deepest Purple: The Very Best of Deep Purple, July 1980; #1 UK, #148 US
* The Anthology, June 1985; # 50 UK
* 30: Very Best of Deep Purple, October 1998; #39 UK
* Listen, Learn, Read On, October 29, 2002 (6 disc box set)
* Winning Combinations: Deep Purple and Rainbow, 2003
* Deep Purple: The Platinum Collection, 2005

The only dreck is the "We Can't Dance" album, and Phil's solo albums from the 90s onwards. Everything Peter Gabriel has released is genius.

Who was first-rate British R&B during this period, then? I don't know how great the early Stones albums were, but they were a great singles band then and had lots of great tracks.

Nobody. R&B already existed in America, and the best Brit bands did their own archetypically English musical thing, called Merseybeat, rather than aping already existing American genres.

As for The Fall, Are You Are Missing Winner is the only truly bad album in their entire catalog and the last 2 have been awesome.

In 1964, definitely.

(plus first two albums)

vs.

I'm The One / You've Got What I Like
Columbia DB7189 (January 1964)

Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying / Show Me That You Care
Columbia DB7268 (April 1964)

It's Gonna Be Alright / It's Just Because
Columbia DB7353 (September 1964)

Ferry Cross The Mersey / You You You
Columbia DB7437 (December 1964)

And, really, the first good Rolling Stones album was "Aftermath". That was in 1966.

So you liked Calling All Stations?

There are just so many bands that have a strong start and that's enough for them to get a record deal for tons of albums, that just end up churning them out . . .

* 1959 Cliff
* 1959 Cliff Sings
* 1960 Me and My Shadows
* 1961 Listen to Cliff
* 1961 21 Today
* 1961 The Young Ones [soundtrack]
* 1962 32 Minutes & 17 Seconds
* 1963 Summer Holiday [soundtrack]
* 1963 Cliff's Hit Album
* 1963 When In Spain
* 1963 Wonderful Life [soundtrack]
* 1964 Aladdin & His Wonderful Lamp [pantomime]
* 1965 Cliff Richard
* 1965 More Hits By Cliff
* 1965 When In Rome
* 1965 Love Is Forever
* 1966 Kinda Latin
* 1966 Finders Keepers [soundtrack]
* 1967 Cinderella [pantomime]
* 1967 Don't Stop Me Now
* 1967 Good News
* 1968 Cliff In Japan
* 1968 Two a Penny [soundtrack]
* 1968 Established 1958
* 1969 The Best Of Cliff
* 1969 Sincerely Cliff
* 1969 Live At The Talk of The Town
* 1970 Tracks & Grooves
* 1972 The Best Of Cliff Volume 2
* 1973 Take Me High [soundtrack]
* 1974 Help It Along
* 1974 The 31st of February Street
* 1976 I'm Nearly Famous
* 1977 Every Face Tells a Story
* 1977 40 Golden Greats
* 1978 Small Corners
* 1978 Green Light
* 1979 Thank You Very Much
* 1979 Rock n' Roll Juvenile
* 1980 I'm No Hero
* 1981 Love Songs
* 1981 Wired For Sound
* 1982 Now You See Me... Now You Don't
* 1983 Dressed For The Occasion
* 1983 Silver
* 1984 The Rock Connection
* 1987 Always Guaranteed
* 1988 Private Collection: 1979-1988
* 1989 Stronger
* 1990 From A Distance: The Event
* 1991 Together With Cliff Richard
* 1993 The Album
* 1994 The Hit List
* 1998 Real As I Wanna Be
* 2000 The Whole Story: His Greatest Hits
* 2001 Wanted
* 2003 Cliff At Christmas
* 2004 Something's Goin' On

I think the problem most folks have with The Fall is that once you've heard one album, you've heard them all. At least 90% of their back catalogue is entirely worthless.

the Residents?

Provocation: 4/10
Shrewd Observation: 2/10
UTTER FUCKING STUPIDITY: 11/10

Mmm, good call in the "completely failed to deliver on early genius" category, but there are worse people upthread. I'd take Wormwood over Chicago XX anyday.

First album was great, second one was OK, the rest are all rubbish.

I weep for you poor souls deceived my MES, I really do.

I weep for you poor souls deceived BY MES, I really do.

-- eedd (e...), April 28th, 2006."

I agree whole heartedly with Genesis, All, DMB, and Phish. Furthermore I pretty much nominate any band comes even remotely close to calling itself a “Jam” band. However, While the Beatles’ super early stuff it not totally enthralling, Rubber soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, and Abbey Road are all tremendous albums to name a few. And The White Album is quite possibly one of the most creative/original/best all around albums of all time.

And as for Radiohead, each of their albums is host to numerous tracks whose style/instrumentation are intensely innovative and whose moving vocals/enigmatic lyrics never cease to capture both important social issues and a wide range of genuine emotions. To be sure they do not always fair well against Nickleback and 50 Cent in the top 40 race, but every one of their albums is a jewel.

radiohead=nearly as over-rated. perhaps someday i'll be able to listen w/o hearing every critic/fan drooling all over their music in ways i can't fathom.

then again, i'm a VU lover, and i'm sure someone would say THEIR output was 'dreck'...

Tupac
Lee "Scratch" Perry
Has Ryan Adams been mentioned?
Al Jourgenson

You haven't understood anything of my points, I can see.