What artists have sustained creative genius over several years, achieving entries in two or more consecutive years? Surprises ahead...
David Bowie
All hail!!
Bowie has two runs in the list...
| Hunky Dory - 1971 | ||||
| Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - 1972 | ||||
| Aladdin Sane - 1973 and
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Given the two runs are separated by only two years, it is arguable that this burst of sustained brilliance is close to The Beatles - who achieve seven entries over seven years (see below).
BUT...consider the other albums Bowie released around this time. Notably, Diamond Dogs in 1974 links the two lists. That would be 8 albums in 7 years.
But these works are prefaced by Space Oddity (1969) and The Man Who Sold the World (1970).
That's 10 very strong albums over nine years. In my not so humble opinion, the greatest period of sustained brilliance by an artist in the modern era.
The Beatles
No prizes for naming The Beatles. Seven (!) consecutive entries.
| With The Beatles - 1963 |
| A Hard Day's Night - 1964 |
| Rubber Soul - 1965 |
| Revolver - 1966 |
| Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - 1967 |
| The Beatles (White Album) - 1968 |
| Abbey Road - 1969 |
Any one of these would have been a career defining peak for most bands. Will we see anything like it again? Hard to imagine.
The Byrds
If you've read the previous posts, this probably doesn't come as a surprise either. Five entries in four years. Nice.
| Mr Tambourine Man - 1965 |
| Fifth Dimension - 1966 |
| Younger Than Yesterday - 1967 |
| Sweetheart Of The Rodeo - 1968 |
| The Notorious Byrd Brothers - 1968 |
There was certainly something in the air! (Or the Kool Aid.) This is a band that I should really know a lot better than I do. A worthy target for vinyl acquisition.
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin - 1969 |
| Led Zeppelin II - 1969 |
| Led Zeppelin III - 1970 |
| Led Zeppelin IV - 1971 |
Led Zep extend the golden era. They also reenter in 1975 with Physical Graffiti. In between was Houses of the Holy (1973). Presence followed Physical Graffiti in 1976.
That's seven superb albums - but over a relatively leisurely 8 years.
That's seven superb albums - but over a relatively leisurely 8 years.
The Kinks
| Face to Face - 1966 |
| Something Else by The Kinks - 1967 |
| Village Green Preservation Society - 1968 |
| Arthur, or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire - 1969 |
More from the golden era. I think I thrashed Village Green to death long after it had first been released - but had still never really seen The Kinks as a serious album band. Dammit, another massive hole.
Talking Heads
I hadn't really thought of them - but yeah. Note Eno's fingerprints - again. He co-produced the last three albums in this batch - after working with Bowie on Low and Heroes in 1977.
| Talking Heads '77 - 1977 |
| More Songs About Buildings and Food - 1978 |
| Fear of Music - 1979 |
| Remain in Light - 1980 |
I hadn't really thought of them - but yeah. Note Eno's fingerprints - again. He co-produced the last three albums in this batch - after working with Bowie on Low and Heroes in 1977.
Ol' Bob
| Bringing It All Back Home - 1965 |
| Highway 61 Revisited - 1965 |
| Blonde On Blonde - 1966 |
Another burst from the golden era. He is also on the list with The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963). In 1964 he released The Times They Are a-Changin' and Another Side of Bob Dylan. After Blonde on Blonde came John Wesley Harding (1967) and Nashville Skyline (1969).
That's 8 strong albums over 7 years - although only 4 made the list.
He'd chip in Blood on the Tracks in 1974. Then over twenty years later another entry with Time Out of Mind (1997) and a live concert LP from 1966 released in 1998.
Elvis Costello
| My Aim Is True - 1977 |
| This Year_s Model - 1978 |
| Armed Forces - 1979 |
Elvis makes three more appearances on the list - in 1982, 1986 and 1994.
Sonic Youth
| EVOL - 1986 |
| Sister - 1987 |
| Daydream Nation - 1988 |
The Sonic Kiddies also appear on the list with Goo (1990) and Dirty (1992).
Steely Dan
| Can't Buy a Thrill - 1972 |
| Countdown to Ecstasy - 1973 |
| Pretzel Logic - 1974 |
They reenter in 1977 with Aja. In between was Katy Lied (1975) and The Royal Scam (1976) - a pretty strong body of work - six strong albums in as many years.
Joni Mitchell
| Court And Spark - 1974 |
| The Hissing of Summer Lawns - 1975 |
| Hejeira - 1976 |
Blue (1971) also appears on the list. Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (1977) is also a contender.
Stevie Wonder
| Talking Book - 1972 |
| Innervisions - 1973 |
| Fullfillingness' First Finale - 1974 |
He reenters in 1976 with Songs in the Key of Life. Four classics in five years.
Yes
| Fragile - 1971 |
| The Yes Album - 1971 |
| Close to The Edge - 1972 |
Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973) and Relayer (1974) are also strong contenders. So five solid albums in four years.
Queen
| Queen II - 1974 |
| Sheer Heart Attack - 1974 |
| A Night At The Opera - 1975 |
were also pretty solid albums. So that's five good albums over four years.
Jimi Hendrix
| Are You Experienced? - 1967 |
| Axis: Bold As Love - 1967 |
| Electric Ladyland - 1968 |
Roxy Music
|
Eno plays on the first album but not the other two. Apparently there was not enough room for two Brians in the band.
The Smiths
Morrissey is back as a solo artist - appearing on the list four times from 1987 to 2004.
| Meat is Murder - 1985 |
| The Queen is Dead - 1986 |
| Strangeways Here We Come - 1987 |
Morrissey is back as a solo artist - appearing on the list four times from 1987 to 2004.
The Pixies
| Surfer Rosa - 1988 |
| Doolittle - 1989 |
| Bossanova - 1990 |
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