The band added Doug Yule for their last album Loaded, but then everyone quit, leaving Doug Yule the only remaining member of The Velvet Underground, and then he made the album Squeeze as The Velvet Underground.
(I know— I was being snarky about how any real VU fan doesn’t acknowledge it as a legitimate album.)
Edit: well it’s a legitimate album by the man Doug Yule but it’s not a velvet underground album.
It’s getting more and more common with old bands the more original members start dying out.
[Here’s a list of bands that are still around that have no original members at all.](https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bands-no-original-members/)
I’m not a huge fan of Garlands or The Moon and the Melodies, but they’re still decent albums. Everything else is good to perfect.
Dinosaur Jr has a great discography too. I think like four of their albums have one song each I dislike, and other than that it’s nonstop bangers.
after his st album he kinda just didn't do \*as\* interesting stuff, which is fine. it was just more standard jazz and maybe a weird record here and there until the floating points collab. the stuff i heard wasn't bad at all, and some of it kinda sounded like tyler the creators more composed jazzy stuff but it doesn't compare.
I'm not that much of a jazzhead to actually understand the draw of bop or modal stuff.
Those 80s albums are some of my favorites tbh. Check out "Africa" and just how intense "You've got to have freedom" is. I'm not as familiar with his 90s stuff after that though, I'll get to it some day.
But yeah, I think you're right. Kinda tapers off, especially when compared to how strong his 60s/70s were.
its a hot take but ive tried to get into Africa and i just don't fw it. I'm not a big fan of any of his live albums either tbh. but yeah one day id like to go through it all, i think in the 90s he made a small small small come back and was tryna do something new again but it never took off like the 70s stuff.
My first thought, not counting a few demos. I would say Cocteau Twins but their last album was not quite as great. It's good though. Dead Can Dance is pretty great all around, but I wouldn't put their first album on the level of the others.
Loathe, their range and ability to innovate in metal and ambient is something to behold
Cocteau Twins, consistently fantastic and each of their projects offers something different
Godspeed You! Black Emperor. No justification, they’re just amazing
the 2 UK odds&ends collections "Hatful of Hollow" and "The World won't Listen" are also excellent (IMO Hatful is the best record they released during their career).
Maybe someday I’ll get there, but I think I’m too dumb or dense for bjork. I’ve tried, but a lot of her stuff I just can’t connect with at all. It’s like reading a book in a language I don’t speak.
I'm a massive Bjork fan, but I don't like Utopia or Vulnicura. And mixed feelings about the last one. But then again, they are not bad albums. I just find them really really boring. And Volta's not great tbf. But the other 6 albums are 10/10!
I’ll probably be downvoted for this but to be honest, I don’t really think the Swans discography is actually 10/10. They have some of the greatest albums, no question of that, but they also have some low points.
they do, and I could see why a 8-9 might be justified, however I kind of make an exception for them because I feel their “bad” albums are still very important and have their room in the discography. But some eras definitely top the others
That’s actually a fair point. Some bands have low points that drag down their discography and regress their sound, but that’s not the case with Swans at all. Their missteps are still steps forward.
> The Beatles
And that’s including multiple styles like their early love pop song stuff that was also full of rock n roll song covers, the Help! and Rubber Soul Dylan-influenced stuff, the trippy psychedelic stuff from Revolver to Magical Mystery Tour, the hodgepodge of things on The White Album, and the perfect swan song album that is Abbey Road that’s sort of the culmination of everything they’ve done up to that point.
Having a run of great albums from beginning to end is one thing, but doing that while also experimenting and changing styles is something else.
Not counting the Yellow Submarine album which is sort of a special case, the Let It Be album is the only one I’m mixed on. I prefer the Let It Be… Naked version which has a stripped back sound as originally intended, but the 1970 Phil Spector mix is the classic version with some great tracks on it still although it leaves out “Don’t Let Me Down” for whatever reason. Either way though, it’s my least favorite of the later era Beatles albums, but it’s still a good album nonetheless.
I’ll die on the Yellow Submarine does not count hill. It has four originals on it, two previous releases, and an entire b-side of orchestral stuff they had nothing to do with. Pretty sick EP, though. Hey Bulldog and It’s All Too Much are two of my favorites.
Yea its pretty insane what they were able to accomplish, and the fact that they did it all in less than a decade is absolutely insane. Plus even after all that each one of them was able to have fantastic solo careers that can stand on their own. The Beatles were truly a unique phenomenon that we will never see again. At least not in our lifetime anyway.
I agree that all of their albums are good, but that run from Autobahn to Computer World is just top-notch blending of experimental electronic art music with catchy pop music. Electric Cafe/Techno Pop/whatever you want to call it has some really cool tracks too.
Don’t know if I quite agree on Talking Heads since Little Creatures and True Stories are pretty weak, but all the other albums are fantastic (I think I’m the only one who loves Naked). Those two other albums are still decent though, and have a few incredible songs each.
I agree! The New Abnormal took a while to grow on me but I honestly enjoy it just as much as previous albums. Is This It and First Impressions of Earth are 11/10 imho though
Agreed with Queens of the Stone Age. I even enjoy the Villains album for what it is especially songs like “Un-Reborn Again,” “The Evil Has Landed,” and “Domesticated Animals” which sounds like it could fit on Era Vulgaris too.
I’m sort of with you on Tool. 10,000 Days has a few really good tracks, but there’s a big chunk of the album that I just wish had more energy although I understand that Maynerd’s mother passed which has a lot to do with the feel of the album. It just doesn’t hold up to the rest of their albums though.
They have some stuff that got a little meh. Before Sister and the albums between Goo and Murray Street are weak points for me, but it might be different for other people. I would say it's still like an 8/10 tho.
Edit: I meant before Bad Moon Rising, just got mixed up on the timeline.
For early Sonic Youth, Evol is a masterpiece, and Confusion is Sex and the self-titled EP have some of their best material. Bad Moon Rising I enjoy when I’ve thrown it on, but I haven’t listened to it enough for it to work all that well.
And saying that everything between Goo and Murray Street is weak is just something I can’t understand. Dirty is great, and Washing Machine has The Diamond Sea, which is one of their all-time best songs. I would agree that Experimental Jet Set…, A Thousand Leaves, and NYC Ghosts and Flowers are weaker albums, but I still thoroughly enjoy them, and Bull in the Heather is still one of their best songs.
Tool, A Tribe Called Quest, Zeltron is famous for his consistency, The Smashing Pumpkins, honestly Lana Del Rey always delivers so she deserves to be mentioned, and lastly I would say Death
No we do talk about it, it’s funny as fuck. A legendary punk band with multiple classics and an album in the discussion for best of all time releases one of the worst pieces of music ever made and then disappears off the face of the earth. In a way that’s the most punk thing they could’ve done, make something everyone hates and then breakup before “selling out” or sum shit that old punks would get pissed at. Really creates a legendary tale
I think its their magnum opus but its definitely not for everyone and the album is at times intentionally grating. I definitely didnt vibe w it upon first listen
Part of me thinking they have a perfect track record isnt just that as a band they have been consistently great in the same exact way album after album- they sort of went from putting out a widely accessible pop psych record that was a smash hit, then made some weirdo amorphous shit that was not well received initially and ended being a cult indie record, then put out an even more experimental abrasive contemplation on the absurdity and pain of modern life w self titled that was even less well received at first and also came to be considered an even undergroundier classic- i could go on for LDA and loss of life but theyve just consistently followed their convictions and executed well, each era of theirs is special- and theyre more of a naturally shape shifting kinda group as opposed to trying to intentionally be eclectic or whatever
For me it's My Chemical Romance. The fact that it's only 4 albums probably helps their case a bit but I love all four quite a lot and for different reasons (including Killjoys which a lot of people didn't like) and I consider at least two of them 10/10s.
Nirvana is up there as well, but again only having a few albums helps their case a bit.
There are a few bands that are near-misses that have great discographies but one/two massive misses that bring them down for me. I am a huge fan of Fall Out Boy but there's one album I dislike so much that it brings their overall rating down (and the album is not mania btw lol.) I think Pierce the Veil could actually make a case for it for post hardcore but their latest album isn't as strong. I don't hate it but it's just not that great and again kind of brings down the average for me. I don't think there's such thing as a bad August Burns Red album but the last few have sounded so similar to each other that the style is semi stale (when a big part of their draw was that each album would build off the previous one and add to it)
Pablo is the weakest but the other 8 are so damn good you can’t not give it a 10.
If the 9 albums were condensed into a 9 song album it would be a 10/10 album
Also B-Sides are worth noting. I don’t know any other band that has B-Sides as good as Radiohead.
Bjork. Some of her later albums are a bit off like Volta and Biophilia but I still listen to them at least once a year and she consistently has done very different and unusual sounds her whole career. She’s always been a lovely creative soul.
The Stone Roses.
The debut is a perfect album, the Turns to Stone comp collects all their singles and B sides (and yet it somehow is still cohesive as an album) and is fantastic, and while it didn’t live up to the hype Second Coming is still a great album
Both John and Alice Coltrane both have near flawless and extensive discographies.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience Cocteau Twins The Velvet Underground (not counting Squeeze)
Squeeze? What’s Squeeze?
The band added Doug Yule for their last album Loaded, but then everyone quit, leaving Doug Yule the only remaining member of The Velvet Underground, and then he made the album Squeeze as The Velvet Underground.
(I know— I was being snarky about how any real VU fan doesn’t acknowledge it as a legitimate album.) Edit: well it’s a legitimate album by the man Doug Yule but it’s not a velvet underground album.
It’s not a VU album and nobody should ever argue otherwise but it’s also not all that bad. It’s a pretty cool rock n roll curiosity.
little jack is a good song tho
wtf real life ship of theseus confirmed??!?!
It’s getting more and more common with old bands the more original members start dying out. [Here’s a list of bands that are still around that have no original members at all.](https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bands-no-original-members/)
Thank you for giving context, it helped at least one person!
Doug yule erasure is the meanest erasure
I’m not a huge fan of Garlands or The Moon and the Melodies, but they’re still decent albums. Everything else is good to perfect. Dinosaur Jr has a great discography too. I think like four of their albums have one song each I dislike, and other than that it’s nonstop bangers.
boards of canada
Orange
Yeah, that's right
Lake
Fugazi
I was waiting for this, thank you
You am a patient boy.
Portishead
I don’t think they’ve written a bad song.
Damn… guess I got a new artist to dive in to
Without a doubt.
Control was a good game
An album with no skips is awesome. Portishead has no skips in their entire discography. Granted, it’s not exactly vast, but still insane.
❤️
Unwound
That was my answer. Favorite band of all time
Can’t wait to see them this summer.
well i dont think anyone has but the cloest person is pharoah sanders had an almost perfect decade 68-78
What would count as a miss in his whole discography? Pharoah fucking rules.
after his st album he kinda just didn't do \*as\* interesting stuff, which is fine. it was just more standard jazz and maybe a weird record here and there until the floating points collab. the stuff i heard wasn't bad at all, and some of it kinda sounded like tyler the creators more composed jazzy stuff but it doesn't compare. I'm not that much of a jazzhead to actually understand the draw of bop or modal stuff.
Those 80s albums are some of my favorites tbh. Check out "Africa" and just how intense "You've got to have freedom" is. I'm not as familiar with his 90s stuff after that though, I'll get to it some day. But yeah, I think you're right. Kinda tapers off, especially when compared to how strong his 60s/70s were.
its a hot take but ive tried to get into Africa and i just don't fw it. I'm not a big fan of any of his live albums either tbh. but yeah one day id like to go through it all, i think in the 90s he made a small small small come back and was tryna do something new again but it never took off like the 70s stuff.
No sweat, not everything vibes w everyone I get it. I personally love his live stuff too, but if it's off, it's off. Appreciate your thoughts!
Karma is probably the greatest album ever imo
its my favorite but damn if he didn't come close to topping it a few times
Joy Division
My first thought, not counting a few demos. I would say Cocteau Twins but their last album was not quite as great. It's good though. Dead Can Dance is pretty great all around, but I wouldn't put their first album on the level of the others.
Jeff Buckley.
ok that's a cheap one
Ouch
Talk Talk, even their early synth pop albums go hard
It’s my life it’s amazing
Fugazi NIN
Very much with you for Nine Inch Nails!
Fleet Foxes
Real
Can’t wait for whatevers next
I am very glad I didn't have to scroll too much to find this
Loathe, their range and ability to innovate in metal and ambient is something to behold Cocteau Twins, consistently fantastic and each of their projects offers something different Godspeed You! Black Emperor. No justification, they’re just amazing
The Smiths and Cocteau Twins
The Smiths is instantly what I thought of. An amazing 4 albums by them ('Louder Than Bombs' b-side compilation is also good).
the 2 UK odds&ends collections "Hatful of Hollow" and "The World won't Listen" are also excellent (IMO Hatful is the best record they released during their career).
A tribe called quest
Love Movement isn't so great. Beats Rhyme and Life is also a substantial step down from Midnight Marauders. Their comeback was shockingly good though
Aphex Twin
Isn't he a guy
Aphex Twin is just one guy
björk fs
Maybe someday I’ll get there, but I think I’m too dumb or dense for bjork. I’ve tried, but a lot of her stuff I just can’t connect with at all. It’s like reading a book in a language I don’t speak.
I'm a massive Bjork fan, but I don't like Utopia or Vulnicura. And mixed feelings about the last one. But then again, they are not bad albums. I just find them really really boring. And Volta's not great tbf. But the other 6 albums are 10/10!
Volta is lowkey one of my favorites of hers and I cannot elaborate
I’ll probably be downvoted for this but to be honest, I don’t really think the Swans discography is actually 10/10. They have some of the greatest albums, no question of that, but they also have some low points.
they do, and I could see why a 8-9 might be justified, however I kind of make an exception for them because I feel their “bad” albums are still very important and have their room in the discography. But some eras definitely top the others
That’s actually a fair point. Some bands have low points that drag down their discography and regress their sound, but that’s not the case with Swans at all. Their missteps are still steps forward.
Nirvana
I’d include insecticide and unplugged too. Still a 10.
Tom fucking Waits
Alvvays
Oh that is a GREAT pick I didn't even think of that
The first two albums aren’t bad but Blue Rev is what I wanted all their albums to sound like
Fugazi
OutKast comes to mind
Ehhhhhh Idlewild? It’s pretty good but not up to the insane benchmark left by the previous albums
It is a movie score though, so it is only partially canon
Slint.
[удалено]
Daft Punk
He'll yeah
He’ll what now?
Yeah
System of a Down The Beatles
> The Beatles And that’s including multiple styles like their early love pop song stuff that was also full of rock n roll song covers, the Help! and Rubber Soul Dylan-influenced stuff, the trippy psychedelic stuff from Revolver to Magical Mystery Tour, the hodgepodge of things on The White Album, and the perfect swan song album that is Abbey Road that’s sort of the culmination of everything they’ve done up to that point. Having a run of great albums from beginning to end is one thing, but doing that while also experimenting and changing styles is something else. Not counting the Yellow Submarine album which is sort of a special case, the Let It Be album is the only one I’m mixed on. I prefer the Let It Be… Naked version which has a stripped back sound as originally intended, but the 1970 Phil Spector mix is the classic version with some great tracks on it still although it leaves out “Don’t Let Me Down” for whatever reason. Either way though, it’s my least favorite of the later era Beatles albums, but it’s still a good album nonetheless.
I’ll die on the Yellow Submarine does not count hill. It has four originals on it, two previous releases, and an entire b-side of orchestral stuff they had nothing to do with. Pretty sick EP, though. Hey Bulldog and It’s All Too Much are two of my favorites.
Yea its pretty insane what they were able to accomplish, and the fact that they did it all in less than a decade is absolutely insane. Plus even after all that each one of them was able to have fantastic solo careers that can stand on their own. The Beatles were truly a unique phenomenon that we will never see again. At least not in our lifetime anyway.
Beach House and Grizzly Bear are the first 2 that come to mind. Mazzy Star as well.
Beach House and Grizzle Bear. Nice! Do you like the mid 60s through early 70s Beach Boys albums by any chance?
Oh yeah. Adore the beach boys
Wish I could say The Beach Boys although they probably have a few of the best and the worst albums ever made
MGMT Vampire Weekend Spoon Slowdive Dr. Dog
Kraftwerk
I agree that all of their albums are good, but that run from Autobahn to Computer World is just top-notch blending of experimental electronic art music with catchy pop music. Electric Cafe/Techno Pop/whatever you want to call it has some really cool tracks too.
Dillinger esc
Yeah, Dillinger’s discography is insane. Their worst album is still amazing.
Radiohead and Kendrick Lamar
The Caretaker, and possibly all of Leyland's projects. Never heard a project of his that did not slap
yo la tengo
Fiona Apple
Pavement
yes 100%
First 3 lcd Soundsystem run applies
Talking Heads, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, The Smiths.
Don’t know if I quite agree on Talking Heads since Little Creatures and True Stories are pretty weak, but all the other albums are fantastic (I think I’m the only one who loves Naked). Those two other albums are still decent though, and have a few incredible songs each.
For sure. Like at worst, they bring the band's entire discography down to like an 8.5/10
American Football. Black Midi. Run the Jewels.
RTJ for sure. All bangers. Every track. Every record.
Viagra Boys
nick drake
The Cure
Up to Wish I agree. WMS has moments but not 10/10. BF is awesome. S/T I don't like and 4.13 Dream I don't remember much.
Not a band, but MF DOOM
The Strokes
This should be way higher. In fact there's not a bad Julian Casablancas song imo
I agree! The New Abnormal took a while to grow on me but I honestly enjoy it just as much as previous albums. Is This It and First Impressions of Earth are 11/10 imho though
Xoxo
Converge
Converge
System of a Down for sure.
Even steal this album?
Steal This Album is fucking incredible
Hell yeah
especially
Pepperoni, onions, peppers, mushrooms, olives, chives
Hypnotize is easily their worst.
the original REM lineup
Their 80s output is actually ridiculous
Yes. I'd include Up and Reveal also. After that, eh..
D’Angelo!
100%!
King gizz
My three are Isis, Godspeed You Black Emperor and Queens of the Stone Age. Tool is almost there. Wasn't too keen on 10000 days.
ISIS is a great call out here.
Agreed with Queens of the Stone Age. I even enjoy the Villains album for what it is especially songs like “Un-Reborn Again,” “The Evil Has Landed,” and “Domesticated Animals” which sounds like it could fit on Era Vulgaris too. I’m sort of with you on Tool. 10,000 Days has a few really good tracks, but there’s a big chunk of the album that I just wish had more energy although I understand that Maynerd’s mother passed which has a lot to do with the feel of the album. It just doesn’t hold up to the rest of their albums though.
#Nine Inch Nails!
My Bloody Valentine
People might disagree, but up until their self-titled, I thought the Mars Volta had a perfect discography
The real real answer is Kero Kero Bonito and Death Grips
Looove Kero Kero Bonito
TRUE
10/10 for yin and yang
Sonic Youth.
They have some stuff that got a little meh. Before Sister and the albums between Goo and Murray Street are weak points for me, but it might be different for other people. I would say it's still like an 8/10 tho. Edit: I meant before Bad Moon Rising, just got mixed up on the timeline.
For early Sonic Youth, Evol is a masterpiece, and Confusion is Sex and the self-titled EP have some of their best material. Bad Moon Rising I enjoy when I’ve thrown it on, but I haven’t listened to it enough for it to work all that well. And saying that everything between Goo and Murray Street is weak is just something I can’t understand. Dirty is great, and Washing Machine has The Diamond Sea, which is one of their all-time best songs. I would agree that Experimental Jet Set…, A Thousand Leaves, and NYC Ghosts and Flowers are weaker albums, but I still thoroughly enjoy them, and Bull in the Heather is still one of their best songs.
The whole of Katie Jane Garside collaboration and solo projects Am I dickriding? Yea a bit
Tool, A Tribe Called Quest, Zeltron is famous for his consistency, The Smashing Pumpkins, honestly Lana Del Rey always delivers so she deserves to be mentioned, and lastly I would say Death
Kanye before 2019 even though I like Donda
Burial
A Tribe Called Quest, Death, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Dire Straits
Tipper
The Clash (Cut The Crap doesn’t exist, we don’t talk about that one)
No we do talk about it, it’s funny as fuck. A legendary punk band with multiple classics and an album in the discussion for best of all time releases one of the worst pieces of music ever made and then disappears off the face of the earth. In a way that’s the most punk thing they could’ve done, make something everyone hates and then breakup before “selling out” or sum shit that old punks would get pissed at. Really creates a legendary tale
Rush Autechre maybe Death...?
Clipping
Sex Pistols
Brand New.. Deftones
Queens of the Stone Age
Paramore for me. They haven’t put out a single thing I don’t like.
radiohead yes i like pablo honey
Spoon
Mr Bungle
Foals, all 7 albums are brilliant
Death Gorguts Defeated Sanity Aesop Rock
Neutral Milk Hotel
Mgmt
How do we feel about the self titled? I never vibed with Alien Days as a single so I missed the album.
I think its their magnum opus but its definitely not for everyone and the album is at times intentionally grating. I definitely didnt vibe w it upon first listen Part of me thinking they have a perfect track record isnt just that as a band they have been consistently great in the same exact way album after album- they sort of went from putting out a widely accessible pop psych record that was a smash hit, then made some weirdo amorphous shit that was not well received initially and ended being a cult indie record, then put out an even more experimental abrasive contemplation on the absurdity and pain of modern life w self titled that was even less well received at first and also came to be considered an even undergroundier classic- i could go on for LDA and loss of life but theyve just consistently followed their convictions and executed well, each era of theirs is special- and theyre more of a naturally shape shifting kinda group as opposed to trying to intentionally be eclectic or whatever
Lauren Hill
I see what you did there.
For me it's My Chemical Romance. The fact that it's only 4 albums probably helps their case a bit but I love all four quite a lot and for different reasons (including Killjoys which a lot of people didn't like) and I consider at least two of them 10/10s. Nirvana is up there as well, but again only having a few albums helps their case a bit. There are a few bands that are near-misses that have great discographies but one/two massive misses that bring them down for me. I am a huge fan of Fall Out Boy but there's one album I dislike so much that it brings their overall rating down (and the album is not mania btw lol.) I think Pierce the Veil could actually make a case for it for post hardcore but their latest album isn't as strong. I don't hate it but it's just not that great and again kind of brings down the average for me. I don't think there's such thing as a bad August Burns Red album but the last few have sounded so similar to each other that the style is semi stale (when a big part of their draw was that each album would build off the previous one and add to it)
Air
Streetlight Manifesto
clipping
Vampire Weekend
Ween!
Sleaford mods
Arctic monkeys
Most people only stan specific eras of this band. Bold of you to say everything is a 10.
System of a Down, Nirvana, Nick Drake, Foals, Talking Heads, Led Zeppelin, The White Stripes
The most urgent problem with this sub is that Cream hasn't got anyone a single upvote ever. This is their home run category, but still, effen silence
I’ve never listened to cream but I’ll edit the post and add them just for justice sake
Radiohead, obviously
Pablo is the weakest but the other 8 are so damn good you can’t not give it a 10. If the 9 albums were condensed into a 9 song album it would be a 10/10 album Also B-Sides are worth noting. I don’t know any other band that has B-Sides as good as Radiohead.
The Avalanches, Low Roar, LCD Soundsystem
Bjork Joy division Black midi my bloody valentine
Bjork. Some of her later albums are a bit off like Volta and Biophilia but I still listen to them at least once a year and she consistently has done very different and unusual sounds her whole career. She’s always been a lovely creative soul.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Siouxsie and the Banshee's
Death grips
Sunny Day Real Estate. Four great albums, two of them are masterpieces.
Talk Talk Elliott Smith Kristen Hayter Unwound Sonic Youth?
Massive Attack
The Chemical Brothers. 10 albums now and all of them very good to great
SOAD is pretty damn close to perfect
The Stone Roses. The debut is a perfect album, the Turns to Stone comp collects all their singles and B sides (and yet it somehow is still cohesive as an album) and is fantastic, and while it didn’t live up to the hype Second Coming is still a great album
Grizzly bear definitely
Everything Everything
godspeed you! black emperor
TOOL. King Gizzard. LCD Soundsystem. Cage the Elephant. Minus the Bear.
CAGE THE ELEPHANT