# Artists who never released a disappointing album **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 28, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820 "2009-02-28T20:28:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/1 "2009-02-28T20:28:01Z")
Let’s see if we can name musical artists or groups who never released a disappointing or ‘bad’ album. For this purpose of this thread, let’s not include greatest hits, live, unofficial releases, or any albums released by the record company after the artist/group broke up or stopped performing. I’ll start with **The Police**. While I don’t like most of Sting’s solo work, there are no bad Police albums. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/2 "2009-02-28T20:35:49Z")
\*\*Nirvana’\*\*s three main albums are all good, and Insesticide is OK(but not a main album really). **Alice in Chains** also have no bad album. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanTigerTamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@SuntanTigerTamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanTigerTamer)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/3 "2009-02-28T20:46:52Z")
Neutral Milk Hotel The White Stripes WILCO ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/4 "2009-02-28T21:16:40Z")
Gosh, this is really hard. Both of _Alien Ant Farm_’s albums are exceptional. I’m going to go ahead and embarrass myself and say I’ve honestly never been disappointed by anything Madonna has ever released. I’ll add the caveat that I’ve never heard _Hard Candy_ and I haven’t listened to C_onfessions on a Dance Floor_ more than one time, so I’m not as familiar with her modern stuff. But everything she turned out up through _American Life_ I regard as nothing less than magical. There, I said it. Magical. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/5 "2009-02-28T21:34:52Z")
**Guster** has put out five studio albums and a live album and all of them have been great. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/6 "2009-02-28T21:38:37Z")
“Never” is the term that keeps me from listing anybody who meets the criterion, but if “seldom” can be substituted, I can list a few from back in my record-buying days that would get close. Dave Brubeck Miles Davis George Shearing Henry Mancini Stan Getz Chet Atkins Pat Metheny Pink Floyd Allman Brothers Band Frank Sinatra Ella Fitzgerald Kenny Rankin Gerald Wilson Oscar Peterson I’d put it this way: if you happened by a sale bin and had no clue about the artists/groups I’ve listed, but happened to enjoy or at least appreciate their genre, the chances are better than 80% that a random CD or album of theirs would be good. But every one of them had at least one dud. Usually their dud(s) would have been from their last one or two projects as they were on their way out of the picture. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/7 "2009-02-28T21:49:53Z")
I can’t think of a Beatles album that sucked. Of course some are better than others, but none truly suck. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/8 "2009-02-28T21:52:26Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > I can’t think of a Beatles album that sucked. Of course some are better than others, but none truly suck. Yeah, but disappointment is relative. I could be disappointed with an album by my favorite artist that would have been a pleasant surprise by another band. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/9 "2009-02-28T21:54:48Z")
My list: Tool The Pixies Deftones TV on the Radio The White Stripes ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/10 "2009-02-28T21:55:29Z")
[Sex Pistols](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:a9ftxqy5ldde). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/11 "2009-02-28T22:13:53Z")
Lyle Lovett Tom Lehrer The Beatles Flash and the Pan (only two albums) The original (Keith Relf) Renaissance. The original (Al Kooper) version of Blood, Sweat, and Tears The original (Duane Allman) version of The Allman Brothers Band Kak Spirit (the original group before Andes, Ferguson, and California left) Loving Spoonful Cream (their four albums before the group broke up). ---
**Author:** ![Rapier42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/90db22/32.png) [@Rapier42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rapier42)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/12 "2009-02-28T22:45:54Z")
Mark Knopfler (with Dire Straits and solo) [Floater](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floater_(band)) Agreed with those who said Beatles, Tool, and White Stripes. ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine_and_Smiles)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/13 "2009-02-28T23:09:06Z")
Agree with the **White Stripes**. Not sure about **Wilco** , though. After\* YHF\* and _A Ghost Is Born_, _Sky Blue Sky_ kinda disappointed me (guitar solo in Impossible Germany notwithstanding). I’ll also add **Spoon**. And less seriously, the **Postal Service**. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2009, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/14 "2009-02-28T23:17:36Z")
Stevie Ray Vaughan. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2009, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/15 "2009-03-01T00:37:24Z")
I’ve loved all of Pink’s albums. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/16 "2009-03-01T01:20:20Z")
I’m sure it’s cheating but Derek and the Dominos. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2009, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/17 "2009-03-01T01:35:02Z")
The Pixies, for certain. Led Zeppelin had a streak of six flawless records before their albums became a bit uneven. Big Star For me, the grand prize would have to be The Beatles. The only one I really don’t care for is Yellow Submarine, and you might not classify that as a proper album, anyway. Over the span of their careers, I don’t think anyone has released as much consistently great work. ---
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/18 "2009-03-01T02:03:17Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I’ll start with **The Police**. While I don’t like most of Sting’s solo work, there are no bad Police albums. There are no good Police albums. From the instant we got Roxanne at the influential college radio station where I was a the time I could not get the appeal of the band. I never heard a thing to change my mind since, and cripes, lots of that stuff is in the canon now, while, e.g. XTC is all but forgotten. Solo Sting stuff? No better. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2009, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/19 "2009-03-01T02:07:48Z")
Nick Lowe might qualify. And how about Jeff Beck? ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820/20 "2009-03-01T02:17:54Z")
Shane Macgowan. I loved every record he ever put out, whether it was with the Pogues or the Popes or the voices in his head. Even singing through his candy-cane teeth with a hoarse whisper, he has always managed to do it for me. I could never see him live, because it would truly hurt to see what he’s done to himself, but man, there’s no such thing as a bad Shane Macgowan album. Even the _terrible_ ones kick ass. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-who-never-released-a-disappointing-album/487820.md?page=2)