# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/41 "2015-04-02T08:04:00Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > In the number of albums released to shit therein ratio, surely Bowie’s worth a mention? His cover of [Alabama Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ibH-BkZg0o) was pretty awful. ---
**Author:** ![eulalia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eulalia/32/457_2.png) [@eulalia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eulalia)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/42 "2015-04-02T09:58:52Z")
I like everything I’ve heard from Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. I also have to second the Alan Parsons Project as being consistently good. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/43 "2015-04-02T11:35:03Z")
> [@nastynaven](#): > > no such thing as a band that does. Inclined to agree. There many bands where I won’t skip tracks on my old-fashioned CD’s, but that doesn’t mean I love every song. There are perfect albums, etc., but everybody’s output varies. I’m not sure I want to like a band that only produces sweet-spot-to-me music. Not exactly sure why, just doesn’t strike me as important. Sorry, not trying to shit on the thread, more trying to think through the concept of “band with no bad tracks”… ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/44 "2015-04-02T12:38:02Z")
Sufjan Stevens does not have a single track I skip when I’m on a Sufjan kick, and my Sufjan kicks tend to last for a week or so. Not every track is as good as ‘[Lord God Bird](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-GDRP8eAtg)’, which is my favorite, but no clunkers. Same for Ryan Bingham, but I don’t have all of his discography. I’m missing a few early albums, so there may be some duds there. And, I’ll throw in another vote for Zep. I like ‘Hot Dog’. I see it as a little bit of them playing with their audience, and with their image, but I still think it’s a good track. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/45 "2015-04-02T12:38:50Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > 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. Hah, I’ll have to YouTube it; I’ve not owned it in any format for probably 20 years. 😛 > [@mascaroni](#): > > 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. I love the Ramones, but IMHO none of their albums from _Halfway To Sanity_ through the end of their career was consistently good. Two or three great songs per album and a lot of filler. Hell, Joey’s posthumous solo album was the best record with the word “Ramone” on the cover to come out in 15 years. 🆒 ---
**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:** [April 2, 2015, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/46 "2015-04-02T12:42:47Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > The Smiths “Golden Lights,” I’d say–although that is a cover. “Meat is Murder” would qualify for me, as well. “Barbarism Begins at Home.” Some you just gotta tune out the words, like “Some Girls are Bigger than Others.” I like the tune, but the lyrics just … it’s best I just don’t listen to them. 90-95% of their work is solid, but they have songs I skip over (besides these ones.) ---
**Author:** ![WilyQuixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@WilyQuixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WilyQuixote)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/47 "2015-04-02T12:47:19Z")
> [@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_. You worry about “radio song” yet ignore “shiny happy people”? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/48 "2015-04-02T12:49:16Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Not to say they’re my favorite band, but IMO _Steely Dan_ was remarkably consistently good. They would be my example if this was about a perfect streak of albums, not individual songs. Because there are maybe a handful songs of theirs which are not perfect like the rest, but at least they are all recorded and _sound_ exceptionally well. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2015, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/49 "2015-04-02T13:02:02Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > And, I’ll throw in another vote for Zep. I like ‘Hot Dog’. I see it as a little bit of them playing with their audience, and with their image, but I still think it’s a good track. If they just stuck with their first six albums, I’d probably agree (although I can see arguments for some clunkers here and there). But once they got to Presence, it all kind of fell apart for me. But that was an amazing run of six albums there, one of the greatest in rock history, in my opinion. ---
**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, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/50 "2015-04-02T13:09:55Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > “Golden Lights,” I’d say You take that back! No song with Kirsty MacColl singing backup could possibly be bad. _Fairytale Of New York_ and _Sexuality_ are my cites. > [@](#): > > “Meat is Murder” would qualify for me, as well. Naaah. Love it (and I love my steaks) > [@](#): > > “Barbarism Begins at Home.” Some you just gotta tune out the words, like “Some Girls are Bigger than Others.” I like the tune, but the lyrics just … it’s best I just don’t listen to them. 90-95% of their work is solid, but they have songs I skip over (besides these ones.) I take songs as a _gestalt_ (or I wouldn’t be a fan of Cocteaus and Dead Can Dance), and Marr’s music just overwhelms any naffness in the lyrics. And the lyrics to some songs may be naff, but the voice is still there on all of them. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/51 "2015-04-02T13:10:25Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > I like “Hot Dog”. Me too. I can’t understand the dislike. Sure, it’s not like any of their other songs, but it’s still a fun little jam. To answer the OP: I can’t think of a band that I universally love. Beatles come close, but no cigar. The Fratellis come close too. Perhaps closer than the Beatles, since they haven’t been around as long. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2015, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/52 "2015-04-02T13:28:28Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Love it (and I love my steaks)I take songs as a _gestalt_ (or I wouldn’t be a fan of Cocteaus and Dead Can Dance), and Marr’s music just overwhelms any naffness in the lyrics. And the lyrics to some songs may be naff, but the voice is still there on all of them. Yeah, but it’s easy to tune out the Cocteau Twins lyrically. 🙂 (I tend to tune out lyrics, but it’s hard to do with the Smiths, as the lyrics are part of the charm. It’s what first drew me to them. But there’s a few songs that I just need to tune out, but I find it difficult to, as the voice is clear, front-and-center.) You may very well be the first Smiths fan I’ve met that actually likes “Golden Lights,” so, if that’s the metric, then, yeah, the Smiths have 100% good output. I’m still trying to rack my brain trying to find a band that I enjoy on that level. The suggestion of Joy Division comes closest so far, I think. ---
**Author:** ![alted315](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/cc9497/32.png) [@alted315](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alted315)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/53 "2015-04-02T14:28:27Z")
I would have to say the doors, some people talk about soft parade but it’s actually my favorite album of theirs. also put me down as a fan of hot dog and Mr moonlight , if not just for John singing his heart out in the intro=“Book Antiqua”][/FONT] ---
**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, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/54 "2015-04-02T15:06:06Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > You may very well be the first Smiths fan I’ve met that actually likes “Golden Lights,” It helps that it has MacColl, but also it’s thematically connected to “You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby” and “Paint a Vulgar Picture” and I like the mini-movie they make in my head. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/55 "2015-04-02T15:22:42Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > Same for Ryan Bingham, but I don’t have all of his discography. I’m missing a few early albums, so there may be some duds there. I’ve listened to most of his stuff, and I can’t think of a bad song. My contribution would be the Drive-By Truckers. I’ve listened to all their stuff, and it’s all good. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/56 "2015-04-02T15:34:57Z")
Mr. Bungle: if you “get” it, you “get” it all; I know of no one who only likes “a little” Mr. Bungle. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/57 "2015-04-02T15:38:53Z")
Metallica all the way up until the black Album. That’s a fairly decent run. Now, if the question were: Albums with a 100% output, I would have a list as long as your arm. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/58 "2015-04-02T15:53:56Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Metallica all the way up until the black Album. That’s a fairly decent run. I agree. I’d probably even put it through the divisive black album. That’d be another interesting question: what bands had a run of three or more perfect or near-perfect albums? I’d probably nominate the Pixies for their first four. Van Morrison has a hell of a run from _Astral Weeks_ to _St. Dominic’s Preview_. Led Zep is already mentioned, and, like with Metallica, their run starts from their first album. Oh, I just thought of one. Only three albums, but how about Nick Drake? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/59 "2015-04-02T16:00:06Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > Some that come awfully close: > > - I love every **Husker Du** album after (the abysmal live debut) _Land Speed Record_. > > […] > > - 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. Agreed on both counts, _Land Speed Record_ and _Cut The Crap_ are a mess, but everything else is gold, as albums go. But not every individual song: _Baby Song_ anyone? I agree with those who said that nobody has an absolute flawless canon of songs, but as I said before, for me Steely Dan comes closest. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524/60 "2015-04-02T16:03:51Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Oh, I just thought of one. Only three albums, but how about Nick Drake? That’s a good one I hadn’t thought about. Small output, but really flawless. Better than the Experience’s original three for example, there are some clunkers on _Axis_ and _Electric Ladyland_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-of-your-favorite-bands-have-100-good-output/716524.md?page=4)