# Do any of your favorite bands have 100% good output? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 1, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524 "2015-04-01T18:07:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/21 "2015-04-01T22:14:37Z")
Some that come awfully close: - I love every **Husker Du** album after (the abysmal live debut) _Land Speed Record_. - If not for the deep-vault stuff (of varying quality) that’s been released by his estate since his death, **Jimi Hendrix** would be pretty solid. - **Creedence Clearwater Revival** had pretty amazing quality control until the very last album, and even that one’s a B+. - If I can call **The Clash** ’s final album _Cut The Crap_ “Joe Strummer, a disinterested Paul Simonon, and a couple of scabs,” I love basically everything else they did. ---
**Author:** ![nastynaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@nastynaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nastynaven)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/22 "2015-04-01T22:18:26Z")
no such thing as a band that does. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/23 "2015-04-01T22:19:50Z")
> [@panamajack](#): > > I was about to say Kevin Gilbert. I can’t say I love every song he wrote but there’s nothing I’d heard that I really disliked. Except when taking a look at his discography I saw the Kaviar sessions, listened to “Picnic” and found one to hate. It sounds like a bad Mojo Nixon song, and even if that’s intentional, I still can’t stand it. > > If we’re allowed to pick and choose, then I could say everything that is labeled solo work by him I’d say I like, along with Toy Matinee too (and what few Giraffe songs I’ve heard). Gilbert is a strong choice, though I find some of the Giraffe stuff to be a bit cheesy. He definitely got better later. To those of you who said Steely Dan, another good choice, but I’m not sure I totally agree. I find their “recent” (this century) albums to be kind of meh. All IMO, of course. 🙂 I’ve been looking closer at my music collection, and I’ve found a couple of contenders: **Brand X**. I’m not familiar enough with their material that I know every song note for note, but I don’t recall disliking anything by them. I’d have to go through their discography again, though, to be sure. **Transatlantic**. A supergroup brimming with talent, who have released four albums of top-notch material. The only reason I hesitate is that they’ve only done four albums, which is borderline on my idea of “established.” I also came across a band that I can’t believe I didn’t think of, as they are one of my favorites. I can give them a solid “YES, 100% of their music is good”: **Iona** , a Christian-progressive-celtic band (of all things!) from Ireland. Seven studio albums since 1990, plus some soundtrack work and b-sides, all of it excellent. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/24 "2015-04-01T22:32:33Z")
In the number of albums released to shit therein ratio, surely Bowie’s worth a mention? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/25 "2015-04-01T22:37:57Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > In the number of albums released to shit therein ratio, surely Bowie’s worth a mention? Post _Let’s Dance_ stuff is very, very patchy though. He’s def in the running for “five or more albums before quality dips” though ---
**Author:** ![2ManyTacos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/3da27b/32.png) [@2ManyTacos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2ManyTacos)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/26 "2015-04-01T22:45:40Z")
I have never heard a song from Eve 6 that I thought was bad. Although there are some songs of theirs that I don’t really _prefer,_ I’ve enjoyed _on some level_ literally every song I’ve heard them put out. I can’t say that about my second favorite band - Volbeat - which has definitely released a few stinkers. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/27 "2015-04-01T22:46:24Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > The only counterexample I can think of to this rule is REM. I think their ninth album _Monster_ is the one where the standard dropped considerably. I’m ruling that _Radio Song_ isn’t in itself a bad enough track to completely devalue _Out of Time_. I felt this way about them until I heard “Bang and Blame”. And then it became a hit single! :smack: Their 2001 album “Reveal” is awful too; a single good song (“Imitation of Life”) and a lot of filler. ☹ My brother put it this way: The songwriter retired in 1997. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2015, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/28 "2015-04-01T23:16:21Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > Some that come awfully close: > > - I love every **Husker Du** album after (the abysmal live debut) _Land Speed Record_. Listen to it again sometime. The _recording_ is terrible (in fact, none of their albums are really well-recorded, but that one is the worst), but the musicality is there, inside the thrash, under the murk. To the point of the thread: you like all the _albums_, but I expect you don’t like each and every of the songs, in isolation. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2015, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/29 "2015-04-02T00:18:47Z")
Only for a time. **Alice in Chains** have all hits on Dirt, Jar of flies, and their Tripod(self-titled) album. Not bad and a good perfect run. Still, not perfect if you take the whole career. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/30 "2015-04-02T00:23:46Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Post _Let’s Dance_ stuff is very, very patchy though. He’s def in the running for “five or more albums before quality dips” though _Tin Machine II_. _Tin Machine_ is the real deal, _Tin Machine II_ is a crime against humanity. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/31 "2015-04-02T00:30:47Z")
I can say with reasonable confidence that I like most of, and can at least tolerate all of, both the Alan Parsons Project and Assemblage 23. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/32 "2015-04-02T01:35:42Z")
I would say Steppenwolf 1968 tom 1972 and maybe, just maybe, the first reunion tour. After that not so much so. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/33 "2015-04-02T02:38:15Z")
Put me down for the “no such animal” camp. A band/artist with not a single clunker is not trying hard enough. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/34 "2015-04-02T02:45:00Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > … If I can call **The Clash** ’s final album _Cut The Crap_ “Joe Strummer, a disinterested Paul Simonon, and a couple of scabs,” I love basically everything else they did. I’ll second that. The “proper” Clash didn’t do any duff tunes IMHO. I’ll add The Ramones, The Jam and (why not eh?) The Pork Dukes. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/35 "2015-04-02T03:03:14Z")
For me, Dire Straits. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/36 "2015-04-02T03:38:57Z")
I like pretty much every song released by The Police, even “Mother”. Regarding Yes, I can’t think of a song I actively hate–at worst, they’re bland and mediocre–but I’ve yet to muster the courage to buy their latest. An odd case is The Buggles, who really only released two albums officially. But I consider _Drama_ and _Fly From Here_ by Yes to be hybrid Buggles albums, and the same goes for _Made in Basing Street_ by Producers. They also put out an album under the name Chromium in the late ‘70s. So that’s roughly 4.5 albums’ worth of material. And I enjoy all of it. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/37 "2015-04-02T03:40:20Z")
I like “Hot Dog”. Led Zeppelin was the first band I thought of. Some of their songs are not as good as others, but I don’t think there’s a single track that I’d skip over. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/38 "2015-04-02T05:52:55Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > IMO, Joy Division didn’t record a duff track in their career. Agreed. I can’t think of a bad song by: Dead Can Dance Bauhaus Cocteau Twins Shelleyan Orphan The Smiths But I’m happy to be corrected. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/39 "2015-04-02T07:11:39Z")
Of bands with extended discographies, the Beatles come closest. Even their “bad” songs are fun to revisit now and then - though I wouldn’t exactly put Mr. Moonlight on a playlist. I’d say Jimi Hendrix’s official studio albums (not all the posthumous or incomplete releases) are close to a perfect discography. Sure, there are some moments that are not peaks - but he released three classic albums, and left a wealth of material in the vaults. ---
**Author:** ![RobotDevilDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@RobotDevilDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobotDevilDog)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/40 "2015-04-02T07:31:06Z")
I know that supergroups who only release one or two albums shouldn’t really count, but I have to mention the Traveling Wilburys. Their entire output was 2 albums and a few b-sides and miscellany, but every song is gold. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524.md?page=3)