# Famous, respected musicians who only had 1 good album **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 18, 2014, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-respected-musicians-who-only-had-1-good-album/701712 "2014-10-18T16:06:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-respected-musicians-who-only-had-1-good-album/701712/41 "2014-10-19T23:13:10Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Cheap Trick. > > Cheap Trick’s first album was incredible. If you go to their concert, you will discover that most of their songs are from their first album. Nah. I’d say their first three albums are all considered classics, and the biggest hits from those (“I Want You To Want Me” and “Surrender”) are from albums 2 and 3. As mentioned, _Dream Police_ (studio album #4) had a bigger hit than either of those with its title track. ETA: I was going to nominate Eric Clapton, but I don’t think he’s ever had a good album (solo, anyway). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-respected-musicians-who-only-had-1-good-album/701712/42 "2014-10-19T23:22:39Z")
Yeah, just to pile on: ever since **Crafter Man** posted, I’ve been wondering whether he was confusing Cheap Trick with some other band. ---
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-respected-musicians-who-only-had-1-good-album/701712/43 "2014-10-20T01:04:59Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Does AC/DC count? I would say definitely not. Every album up to and including For Those About To Rock had at least one well known song on it, and I would say many Bon Scott Albums are popular and well known. I haven’t really followed them since (not a big Brian Johnson fan), but they definitely do not meet the terms of the OP. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-respected-musicians-who-only-had-1-good-album/701712/44 "2014-10-20T01:06:37Z")
> [@Apocalypso](#): > > I would say definitely not. Every album up to and including For Those About To Rock had at least one well known song on it, and I would say many Bon Scott Albums are popular and well known. I haven’t really followed them since (not a big Brian Johnson fan), but they definitely do not meet the terms of the OP. You’ve been whooshed. **ultrafilter** was making the point that every AC/DC album is the same. I love the Young Brothers, esp with Bon, but have to agree… ---
**Author:** ![StrangeBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@StrangeBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrangeBird)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-respected-musicians-who-only-had-1-good-album/701712/45 "2014-10-20T07:24:52Z")
The Avalanches ([The Avalanches - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Avalanches)) Only released one full length album, have been working on number 2 since 2005. \*Since I Left You \*consistently gets included in lists of best Australian albums. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-respected-musicians-who-only-had-1-good-album/701712/46 "2014-10-20T09:07:14Z")
Mary Chapin Carpenter has had a couple of albums with a couple of great cuts, but only **Come On Come On** hit the mark with every song. Lyle Lovett, likewise, has had a couple of great songs on every album he made, but only **Lyle Lovett and His Large Band** hit every cylinder every time. Sheryl Crow’s **Tuesday Night Music Club** was truly great, her other albums came up a little short. Cyndi Lauper’s **She’s So Unusual** was flawless. Every subsequent album illustrated the principle of “diminishing Returns.” ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-respected-musicians-who-only-had-1-good-album/701712/47 "2014-10-20T13:16:52Z")
Don Maclean - American Pie Fairground Attraction - First of a million kisses Black Grape - Its great when you’re straight The Proclaimers - Sunshine on Leith These may well be a bit UK centric, but you will almost certainly know a number of their songs, and inevitably those will come from the albums listed. I almost put Michelle Shocked on there with ‘Short Sharp Shocked’ but the OP also mentioned about being respected musicians, I’m not too sure she fits that condition, given some of her unusual…comments. Janis Joplin - Pearl - sure she released other stuff but most folk will not be able to name it. ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-respected-musicians-who-only-had-1-good-album/701712/48 "2014-10-20T15:21:15Z")
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless ---
**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:** [October 20, 2014, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-respected-musicians-who-only-had-1-good-album/701712/49 "2014-10-20T15:52:25Z")
> [@Trom](#): > > My Bloody Valentine - Loveless Isn’t Anything is a tremendous album too, imo. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-respected-musicians-who-only-had-1-good-album/701712/50 "2014-10-20T16:05:00Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Isn’t Anything is a tremendous album too, imo. I would say their latest release, _mbv_, too. Of their four studio albums, the only one that wasn’t really that good (they were still finding their voice), was the first one, _This Is Your Bloody Valentine_. In my experience, _Isn’t Anything_ is considered by many My Bloody Valentine fans as better than _Loveless_. (I disagree.) But their newest album surprised the hell out of me. I was expecting a _Second Coming_ Stone Roses-level disappointment, but Shields et al., hit it out of the ballpark, making one of the best albums of last year. It took me a few listens to really appreciate it (as with any MBV release), but it’s a great album. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-respected-musicians-who-only-had-1-good-album/701712/51 "2014-10-20T16:49:48Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Lyle Lovett, likewise, has had a couple of great songs on every album he made, but only **Lyle Lovett and His Large Band** hit every cylinder every time. > " I strongly disagree with this: Many good albums but Pontiac is top-to-bottom great. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-respected-musicians-who-only-had-1-good-album/701712/52 "2014-10-20T19:43:54Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > Black Grape - Its great when you’re straight I have to call bulshit on this; Shaun Ryder had quite a good career and the work he did with Happy Mondays easily outshadows (for most people) anything else he did (or may ever do in the future). It’s not like Black Grape was ever anything other than a vehicle for Mr. Ryder, after all. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-respected-musicians-who-only-had-1-good-album/701712/53 "2014-10-20T19:50:28Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Sheryl Crow’s **Tuesday Night Music Club** was truly great, her other albums came up a little short. Obviously, YMMV - but her next two, Sheryl Crow and The Globe Sessions, were also excellent, sold very well, produced hits and pretty much cemented her reputation as more than a one-hit/album wonder… ---
**Author:** ![Tread](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Tread](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tread)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-respected-musicians-who-only-had-1-good-album/701712/54 "2014-10-21T08:24:24Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > . > > Cyndi Lauper’s **She’s So Unusual** was flawless. Every subsequent album illustrated the principle of “diminishing Returns.” Not as successful as She’s So Unusual, but good successful albums did follow. True Colors was a certified double platinum and hit number four on Billboard The album produced the singles “True Colors” (No. 1 Billboard ), “Change of Heart” (No. 3), “What’s Going On” (No. 12), and “Boy Blue” (No. 71). Memphis Blues was voted the 7th best album of 2010 by the New York Post. It went on to become Billboard’s biggest selling blues album of 2010.The album remained at No. 1 on the Billboard Blues chart for thirteen weeks, totaling 40 weeks in the chart ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-respected-musicians-who-only-had-1-good-album/701712/55 "2014-10-21T09:17:25Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > Joplin - Pearl - sure she released other stuff but most folk will not be able to name it. _Cheap Thrills_ is by far her best album, according to most casual fans, and the rest of the public is very familiar with the hit from it, “Piece o’ My Heart.” Perhaps you were led astray by the fact that it is nominally by something called “Big Brother and the Holding Company.” Make no mistake, it is a Janis Joplin album, as much (or more) as Derek and the Dominos’ \*Layla \*is an Eric Clapton album. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-respected-musicians-who-only-had-1-good-album/701712/56 "2014-10-21T15:37:27Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I would say their latest release, _mbv_, too. Of their four studio albums, the only one that wasn’t really that good (they were still finding their voice), was the first one, _This Is Your Bloody Valentine_. In my experience, _Isn’t Anything_ is considered by many My Bloody Valentine fans as better than _Loveless_. (I disagree.) But their newest album surprised the hell out of me. I was expecting a _Second Coming_ Stone Roses-level disappointment, but Shields et al., hit it out of the ballpark, making one of the best albums of last year. It took me a few listens to really appreciate it (as with any MBV release), but it’s a great album. I never really got the love for ‘Isn’t Anything’. I’ve tried really hard but I just cannot get it to click - and I grew up listening to shoegazing (I recently had the joys of experiencing [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAMBGjaIBj8) about three metres behind that video. As someone that adored Ride but only ever got to see them live once, at the 1992 Reading Festival, seeing Andy play my favourite Ride song just … indescribable). ‘Loveless’ was a far superior album and ‘mbv’ felt, to me, like a bunch of outtakes they’d found and cleaned up. I know they didn’t but it _sounded_ that way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-respected-musicians-who-only-had-1-good-album/701712.md?page=2)