Albums with all good songs

In My Humble Opinion
1

I think my favorite albums are those where every song is one you like. While there’s some albums worth it just for a few songs, there’s some that are just a really good bunch of songs. This might exclude some excellent albums, and include some that aren’t quite so, but just those that if a song were picked at random from the album, you’d like it.

Then there’s the one-offs, the almost perfect albums. I think I’ll start a thread on those, too,to keep it separate.

And I think compilations (those that are picked from hits or released songs, anyway) are sort of cheating, though I guess Soundtracks would be okay.

Here’s my list (I’ve confined it to ones I own, though there’s a few I’d like to add soon) :

Definite Classics :

Pearl Jam - Ten

Counting Crows - August and Everything After
The best songs weren’t the radio singles, IMHO.

U2- The Joshua Tree

Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill
I seem to be the only one I know who feels this way about it, though.

Eagles - Hotel California

They Might Be Giants - Flood
Actually the album that inspired this thread. It’s hard to get better than this.

REM - Automatic for the People

Most Beatles albums. The best is Rubber Soul, and almost everything after it fits on this list.
Those i really like :

Toad the Wet Sprocket - Fear

Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run
There’s others that are close, but this is the only one I own.

Midnight Oil - Blue Sky Mining
The first album I ever bought; I bought it for one song only but boy was I glad I got all the rest.

James - Laid
One of the best moods of any album ever.

Radiohead - the bends
Not that OK Computer’s bad, I just like this one better.

Tori Amos - Crucify EP
I don’t know which I find weirder - having an EP on CD, or hearing Tori do “Smells Like Teen Spirit”.

Indigo Girls - Swamp Ophelia
Although I sometimes get annoyed at the inane mathematics in “Power of Two”.

Dire Straits made consistently good albums. Making Movies is my favorite for this list.

Chris Isaak produces generally good, listenable stuff, too. The only one that I’d put here is San Francisco Days.

And the ones you might not ever have heard of :

Hothouse Flowers - songs from the rain
“the simple truth can cut through anything”

toy matinee - toy matinee
Some of my favorite pop-song lyrics ever. Kevin Gilbert is sorely missed.
panama jack

2

Almost every Pink Floyd album (except Atom Heart Mother, fucking hate that one)

REM - Automatic for the people
Billy Joel’s greatest hits (both discs)
Metallica - Black album
Ozzy Osbourne - Ozzmosis
Jimi Hendrix - Experience

A bunch of others that I can’t think of at 4:43 in the AM

3

Here’s the thread for those albums not quite good enough for this list :

One-off albums
And since I used one over there, I’d wouldn’t say B-side and rarety compilations would fall under ‘cheating’.

4

Rumours -Fleetwood Mac
Parallel lines - Blondie
Eat to the Beat - Blondie
Dave Brubeck - Time Out
Radiohead - The bends
Mavericks - Trampolina
Santana - Abraxas
Steely Dan - Royal Scam
Steely Dan - Aja
Elton John - Goodbye yellow brick road
Supertramp - Breakfast in America
Stevie Wonder - Talking Book
Stevie Wonder - Songs in the key of life
Allman Brothers - Brothers and sisters
Blur - Parklife
Buffy Saint-marie - Coincidence and likely stories

Hardly a duff track among them.

The criteria is pretty tough as I can think of lots of stuff where most of the tracks are good.

5

Back in Black - ACDC
8:30 - Weather Report

6

City of Angels soundtrack.
Sting’s Greatest Hits
Simon & Garfunkel Live in Central Park
'N Sync’s No Strings Attached
Oh, for pete’s sake, I was just kidding about the last one.

7

abbey road

bloodletting–by concrete blonde

the wall

long black veil–the chieftains

8

Toad the Wet Sprocket - Dulcinea AND Coil. Fear is 1 off (track 3)

Soundgarden - Superunknown

Barenaked Ladies - Gordon

Stone Temple Pilots - Core

Chris Cornell - Euphoria Morning

Oasis - What’s the Story (Morning Glory)

Jman
9

I’ll second The Joshua Tree from the OP, and add:

Graceland (Paul Simon)
Blood on the Tracks (Bob Dylan)
London Calling (The Clash)
Rei Momo (David Byrne)
Arkansa Traveler (Michelle Shocked)

10

feideo – And I think Atom Heart Mother is their best, edging out Meddle.

Spirit – 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
Bonzo Dog Band – Gorilla
Bonzo Dog Band – The Donut in Granny’s Greenhouse (aka Urban Spaceman)
Bonzo Dog Band – Tadpoles
The Who – Who’s Next
The Who – Who Are You
Beatles – Abbey Road
Rolling Stones – Let it Bleed
Queen – A Night at the Opera
Kinks – Lola vs. Powerman the the Money-go-round
Guy and Dolls soundtrack
Annie Get Your Gun (Ethel Merman revival)
Greatful Dead – Workingman’s Dead

11

Led Zep III (Yeah, I know it got terrible reviews and is considered one of their worst albums, but I really like it. “Since I’ve been Loving You” and “Out on the Tiles” are so underrated.)
Aladdin Sane–David Bowie (also Lodger)
The self-titled Ben Folds Five album
Blonde on Blonde–Bob Dylan
Moondance–Van Morrison
And add my vote to Joshua Tree, the Bends, and Automatic for the People.

12

A few:

Bonnie Raitt, Takin’ My Time - Bonnie Raitt
Songs From Big Pink, The Last Waltz - The Band
Late for the Sky, Saturate, For Everyman, The Pretender - Jackson Browne
Who’s Next - The Who
So - Peter Gabriel
Graceland - Paul Simon
Waiting for Columbus - Little Feat
Blood on the Tracks, Blonde on Blonde, Infidel - Bob Dylan
Land of the Bottom Line, Temporary Road - John Gorka
Will the Circle be Unbroken - Dirt Band and friends
Sgt. Pepper - The Beatles
Astral Weeks- Van Morrison

13

Graceland by Paul Simon
Every Beatles album
Ten Summner’s Tales-Sting
Police Greatest Hits
Brothers in Arms-Dire Straights
Band on the Run-Paul McCartney
Ram-Paul McCartney
Flaming Pie-Paul McCartney
The John Lennon Collection
Dizzy Up The Girl-Goo Goo Dolls
Cloud #9-George Harrison
Verticle Man-Ringo Starr

14

YAY! BNL!

American Pie Soundtrack
Third Eye Blind- Third Eye Blind

and I’m hoping I won’t get hell for this:

New Kids on the Block- Hangin’ Tough

15

These are all the ones I can remember.

They Might be Giants - Flood
Lincoln
Factory Showroom

Collective Soul - Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid

For Squirrels - Example

Tea Party - Splendor Solis

Dream Theater - Awake
Images and Words

Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime

16

I agree with a bunch listed here so I won’t repeat them, but one that isn’t listed

Styx - The Grand Illusion

17

Besides the ones already listed (Ten!), I must add In Loving Memory Of… by Big Wreck. I haven’t heard anything by them on the radio since their one rarely played single (The Oaf), but by crikey, that album is fabulous. It didn’t leave my CD player for like 6 months after I got it. Fumbling Towards Ecstasy and Solace by Sarah McLachlan, and Little Earthquakes by Tori Amos make that cut for me, too, as does pretty much anything by Toad the Wet Sprocket. And Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden. Oh, and Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets by Metallica.

18

Annie Lenox - Diva

K. D. Lang - Ingenue

Martini Ranch - Holy Cow

19

Public Enemy–It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Beatles–Rubber Soul; Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

20

Garbage - Garbage
Offspring - Smash
The Cure - Galore
Depeche Mode - Violator

And just to reiterate some albums that have been mentioned…

Metallica - Metallica
Pearl Jam - Ten
Stone Temple Pilots - Core