# One-album wonders **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 11, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542 "2010-01-11T19:24:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/1 "2010-01-11T19:24:43Z")
Who are some musical artists that are NOT one-hit wonders, but who are virtually 100% known for their work from one album or CD? I’ll open with a couple of obvious ones: Carole King - [_ **Tapestry** _](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapestry_(album)) 6 years on the charts! Carole has written a LOT of other hits, but if someone owns one Carole King CD, it’s 99%+ likely to be this one. Peter Frampton - [_ **Frampton Comes Alive** _](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frampton_Comes_Alive!) Hootie And The Blowfish’s [_ **Cracked Rear View** _](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracked_Rear_View) might qualify for this, but maybe not in light of Darius Rucker’s recent country success. ---
**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:** [January 11, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/2 "2010-01-11T19:33:10Z")
Sublime - Sublime They had a hit on 40oz to Freedom but really the self titled is all they got before Bradley died. I’m sure I’ll think up more later but that is the first one to come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/3 "2010-01-11T19:46:23Z")
[The La’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_La's) . ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/4 "2010-01-11T19:48:36Z")
did this thread a while back (sort of) I can give you a few although “hit” might be a stretch on most of them they are all great albums Remy Shand, this is one a poster in my thread tossed out, the guy is great. Very Marvin Gaye. Monkey Mafia, hard to define, Reggae Meets Electronica and makes happy babys to early to remember the rest but there are more. ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/5 "2010-01-11T19:49:44Z")
David and David - Boomtown One of the best albums of the eighties, and they both just walked away to work on other stuff. ---
**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:** [January 11, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/6 "2010-01-11T19:54:33Z")
Alanis Morrisette? I vaguely remember her releasing a couple of albums after the first one, but I admit I didn’t like her enough to pay that much attention. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/7 "2010-01-11T19:58:17Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > Alanis Morrisette? I vaguely remember her releasing a couple of albums after the first one, but I admit I didn’t like her enough to pay that much attention. I thought about her, but “Thank You”, from _ **Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie** _, got a fair amount of airplay. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/8 "2010-01-11T20:05:55Z")
The Stone Roses’ debut album _The Stone Roses_ definitely falls into this category. It was one of the biggest, best, and most groundbreaking albums of its era in the UK. Then they tinkered around for a few years, released a critically-panned follow-up, and broke up. Many argued that Portishead was going to follow the same career path\* before they came back with _Third_ last year. \*I disagreed with that critical assessment, though: I thought their second album was rather good. ---
**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:** [January 11, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/9 "2010-01-11T20:06:41Z")
Spin Doctors – **Pocket Full of Kryptonite**. A couple of big hits and FM success, but nothing of note after that. _Turn it Upside Down_ sold OK, but was generally considered a disappointment. It’s a Beautiful Day is remembered for their first album; later records were not as successful. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/10 "2010-01-11T20:09:52Z")
**The New Radicals**. One album in 1998, with the hit “You get what you give”. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/11 "2010-01-11T20:22:30Z")
I’m a little surprised to find that **Bad Company** had more than one album. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/12 "2010-01-11T20:33:48Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > **The New Radicals**. One album in 1998, with the hit “You get what you give”. Not what I am looking for. I’m interested in artists that had **multiple** well-known songs from one album. And I’ve never heard any other New Radicals song. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/13 "2010-01-11T20:39:15Z")
Do one-and-done projects like \*\*\*Blind Faith \*\*\*count? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/14 "2010-01-11T20:45:10Z")
While the following acts had other recordings, even very successful recordings, these albums represent a moment of triumph and popularity they never reached again: Iron Butterfly’s _ **In a Gadda da Vida** _ Meat Loaf’s _ **Bat Out of Hell** _ MC Hammer’s _ **Please Hammer Don’t Hurt 'Em** _ _ **Get the Knack** _ ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/15 "2010-01-11T20:55:28Z")
**Death From Above 1979** released one LP, _You’re a Woman I’m a Machine_, before breaking up. All of their well-known songs (“Romantic Rights”, “Blood On Our Hands”, “Pull Out”…) come from this album. It’s technically not their only album because they also released an EP beforehand. They may be a little more obscure, but **VAST** ’s major hit (“Pretty When You Cry”) as well as the other songs people might know by them (“Touched”, “Dirty Hole”) all come from their (well, his; it’s one dude) first album _Visual Audio Sensory Theater_. Everything after that was a bit mediocre in comparison. The Finnish band **The Rasmus** enjoyed a bit of fame over here in the US after releasing their album _Dead Letters_ with the hit single “In The Shadows”, and some other songs from that album also had their fans, but I have never heard anything from their (substantial) back catalog played here in the states. I think **(The) Gossip** (who have been around for ages) would have qualified for _Standing in the Way of Control_, but they recently released _Music for Men_ and have had some airplay for that. Similarly, everyone skipped over **The Yeah Yeah Yeahs** ’s second album, but I think they’re back on board for _It’s Blitz!_ ---
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/16 "2010-01-11T21:08:01Z")
Agents OF Fortune - Blue Oyster Cult - with THAT single Boston - Debut album - with THAT single - ---
**Author:** ![SpartanDC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@SpartanDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpartanDC)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/17 "2010-01-11T21:10:42Z")
**Jeff Buckley** , though not by choice or lack of talent, sadly. _Grace_ is still considered one of the best albums of the 90s. I’m sure it got a boost in reputation by Buckley’s untimely (and totally accidental) death, but even removed from that context, I think it would hold up pretty well. I like his second album, but any song off **Andrew W.K.'s** that made it into the mainstream was off his first album, _I Get Wet_. ---
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/18 "2010-01-11T21:13:28Z")
Sex Pistols - Never mind the Bollocks. Virtually a greatest hits album by the time it was released. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/19 "2010-01-11T21:27:02Z")
> [@Rrose\_Selavy](#): > > Agents OF Fortune - Blue Oyster Cult - with THAT single > Boston - Debut album - with THAT single > > - Boston is a pretty good example. BOC isn’t so good, because “Burning For You” was off a later album (and went to #1 on the rock charts, much higher than “Don’t Fear The Reaper”!) ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/20 "2010-01-11T21:28:03Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Do one-and-done projects like \*\*\*Blind Faith \*\*\*count? Sure, why not? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542.md?page=2)