# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/41 "2010-01-12T05:00:47Z")
I think [Falco 3](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falco_3) was Falco’s only hit album in the US, with three hit singles. Yes, I know he was big in Europe before and afterward. ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/42 "2010-01-12T05:19:41Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > **Tubular Bells** by Mike Oldfield. He did other albums, and has his fans, but never reached the same level. Curse you **RealityChuck**! Missed it by that much \> \<. My other suggestion is not nearly as good. **Arc Angels** by The Arc Angels. The wiki article says it only got to #17 on Billboard but I think “Sent By Angels” and “Sweet Nadine” got a lot of airplay. I personally love the album but they were one and out. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/43 "2010-01-12T05:24:02Z")
Bush - Sixteen Stone Their second album had one song that got a little bit of airplay, and the “Mouth” remix was included on a movie soundtrack and became mildly popular. But Sixteen Stone was extremely popular and they never came close to matching its success. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/44 "2010-01-12T05:52:23Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Don’t Look Back and Third Stage both did very well for Boston. The two that came after I guess did not. "Third Stage " contained a #1 single, “Amanda.” Boston’s output was sporadic, but they weren’t a mere flash in the pan. ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/45 "2010-01-12T06:06:10Z")
> [@justrob](#): > > Curse you **RealityChuck**! Missed it by that much \> \<. > > My other suggestion is not nearly as good. > > **Arc Angels** by The Arc Angels. > > The wiki article says it only got to #17 on Billboard but I think “Sent By Angels” and “Sweet Nadine” got a lot of airplay. I personally love the album but they were one and out. Good answer, but don’t write them off just yet. [Official website](http://www.arcangelsmusic.com/main.html#/home/) ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/46 "2010-01-12T06:46:15Z")
> [@justrob](#): > > **Arc Angels** by The Arc Angels. > > The wiki article says it only got to #17 on Billboard but I think “Sent By Angels” and “Sweet Nadine” got a lot of airplay. I personally love the album but they were one and out. Oooh, this is embarrassing. I meant to type #127 here but the number two sucks on this kb. **DfrntBreign** , I saw that they had a CD/DVD out in 2009 but just figured it must be some kind of re-release. I’ll check out their site tomorrow. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/47 "2010-01-12T10:41:50Z")
Quarterflash Patty Smyth ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/48 "2010-01-12T11:57:28Z")
The Verve (Urban Hymns): most people don’t realize it was their third album! ---
**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 12, 2010, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/49 "2010-01-12T12:08:08Z")
Tubeway Army Replicas (at least in the UK according to wiki didn’t chart well in the US on initial release) but may have caught up since then Then they became what they probably were all along : Gary Numan solo ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/50 "2010-01-12T12:22:47Z")
> [@An\_Arky](#): > > [The La’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_La's) . Great choice. Last year on a sports show on TV they went to an ad break with a montage of sports clips over _Feelin’_, a song I’d never heard in my life. By the time he was singing “I woke up with a feeling, And found me lying on the floor” I was scrambling for Google. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/51 "2010-01-12T12:39:35Z")
Haircut One Hundred’s **Pelican West**. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/52 "2010-01-12T13:00:05Z")
Lotsa such in the 90s alternative scene. The Presidents of the United States of America Better Than Ezra Big Bad Voodoo Daddy The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies The Breeders Candlebox Cornershop Elastica Harvey Danger Jewel Jesus Jones Lisa Loeb Local H The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Pete Droge Placebo ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/53 "2010-01-12T13:47:56Z")
I don’t think I’d include Placebo in that category, their first two albums had several hits, and several subsequent singles charted (in the UK at least). ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/54 "2010-01-12T18:49:45Z")
The first album that came to mind was **Quiet Riot’s** _Metal Health_. Their follow-up album, _Condition Critical_ was not met with nearly as much success. Anything released after that is off of most people’s radars completely. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/55 "2010-01-12T18:53:26Z")
Yeah, I’ve only heard two Placebo songs on any sort of radio, and they’re both from separate albums. ---
**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 12, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/56 "2010-01-12T18:57:27Z")
**Emitt Rhodes**. His first album is a near perfect collection of Paul-McCartney-like pop and hit the charts, but his second was not as good (due to the record company not understanding what he needed) and his career fell apart. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/57 "2010-01-13T00:27:25Z")
The 90s seemed to be filled with a lot of artists who hit with one big album only to fall victim to the curse of the lackluster follow-up. I don’t think [The Wallflowers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wallflowers#Studio_albums) (fronted by Bob’s son, Jakob Dylan) have been mentioned yet. Their second album, _Bringing Down the Horse_, was huge but their other titles before and after BDTH didn’t arouse anywere near the interest or sales that one did. ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/58 "2010-01-13T02:07:34Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Bush - Sixteen Stone > > Their second album had one song that got a little bit of airplay, and the “Mouth” remix was included on a movie soundtrack and became mildly popular. But Sixteen Stone was extremely popular and they never came close to matching its success. Not true. Razorblade Suitcase had “Swallowed” and “Greedy Fly,” both of which were pretty big hits back in 1996-1997 (or so). “The Chemicals Between Us” was somewhat big, too. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/59 "2010-01-13T03:07:09Z")
As I mentioned last week in the [Biggest riches to rags story - rock/pop edition](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=546341) thread, Milli Vanilli had a bunch of hits on their _Girl You Know It’s True_ album. Then the proverbial faeces hit the fan before they ever released a second album. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542/60 "2010-01-13T03:25:18Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > As I mentioned last week in the > [Biggest riches to rags story - rock/pop edition](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=546341) thread, Milli Vanilli had a bunch of hits on their _Girl You Know It’s True_ album. Then the proverbial faeces hit the fan before they ever released a second album. I think we have a thread winner. I couldn’t think of any other artist that had more than two songs from a single album that I had heard on the radio and then never heard from that artist again, but this fits the bill, there may have even been four or more songs that achieved airplay (five if you include the GYKIT remix.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-album-wonders/524542.md?page=4)