# Single Album Bands **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 8, 2006, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822 "2006-08-08T05:43:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/1 "2006-08-08T05:43:58Z")
There are a number of artists or groups that make one album and then promptly vanish from the face of the Earth. In some cases, this is good, in some cases bad. In particular, I would have liked to have seen more stuff from _Shea Seeger_ or _Junkster_. Any more examples of this, in either sense? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/2 "2006-08-08T06:06:50Z")
Do you mean artists that have one good album among a sea of mediocrity? Or just that made one album, period, then went away? If the former, I’ll nominate **Molly Hatchet**. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/3 "2006-08-08T07:12:15Z")
> [@Sam Stone](#): > > Do you mean artists that have one good album among a sea of mediocrity? Led Zepplin? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/4 "2006-08-08T07:30:24Z")
I mean one album and then nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Foldup\_Rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Foldup\_Rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foldup_Rabbit)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/5 "2006-08-08T07:30:44Z")
**The Exploding Hearts** were a very promising punk band from a few years back. They released one album (_Guitar Romantic_) independently that I just thought was awesome. They were in negotiations to sign a deal and then promptly crashed their van. Everyone but the drummer died. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/6 "2006-08-08T07:34:04Z")
I can beat a single album. The band “Laugh and Peace” made one song, released as a single that is probably the best rap song I’ve ever heard. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Universe_Lashes_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/7 "2006-08-08T08:17:52Z")
The Sex Pistols only made one proper album. The Modern Lovers only made one album before they lineup changed and they became Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers. I can think of many more examples of bands who _should_ have only made one album. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/8 "2006-08-08T11:36:18Z")
Rockpile, as far as I know, made one album, Seconds of Pleasure. The band included Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds, and the lineup recorded albums released as solo projects for those two, but only released the one album under the name Rockpile. I wish they had stayed together long enough to produce more material as a band. ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/9 "2006-08-08T12:26:50Z")
**The La’s** had one wonderful self-titled album (which included the classic _There She Goes_) before they imploded. Such a shame. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/10 "2006-08-08T12:36:31Z")
Blind Faith ---
**Author:** ![buns3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/11 "2006-08-08T12:46:00Z")
**The United States Of America** ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/12 "2006-08-08T12:52:04Z")
> [@Foldup Rabbit](#): > > **The Exploding Hearts** were a very promising punk band from a few years back. They released one album (_Guitar Romantic_) independently that I just thought was awesome. Ooh, that’s a _great_ album. I’d say: Derek and the Dominos’ _Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs_. ---
**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:** [August 8, 2006, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/13 "2006-08-08T13:03:41Z")
[Kak](http://tinyurl.com/s2t3v). Nice little psychedelic group that recorded one fine album, then vanished. **Blood Sweat and Tears.** At least, the original group fronted by Al Kooper: they fell apart after one superb album, but a few of the group managed to replace them with the David Clayton-Thomas version that we all know. \*\*Derek and the Dominoes. \*\* (There were two live albums after “Layla,” but one was never officially released). **Keith Moon**. One of rock’s greatest drummers, he put out a solo album “Two Sides of the Moon” (the front cover showed his face; the back cover showed his . . . moon). **Attila.** 😉 One of the worst albums in the history of rock, and it seems to be out of print despite the fact that this was the first effort by someone who became a major star: Billy Joel. Joel doesn’t even talk about this one, and even his biggest fans pretend it doesn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/14 "2006-08-08T13:09:52Z")
**4 Non Blondes** released _Bigger, Better, Faster, More_ which was an awesome album. Unfortunately, it was their only album. Lead singer Linda Perry is still fairly active in the music world but no more 4NB. ---
**Author:** ![Jean\_Poutine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a5b964/32.png) [@Jean\_Poutine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jean_Poutine)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/15 "2006-08-08T13:14:28Z")
Thunderclap Newman ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/16 "2006-08-08T13:18:26Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > Rockpile, as far as I know, made one album, Seconds of Pleasure. The band included Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds, and the lineup recorded albums released as solo projects for those two, but only released the one album under the name Rockpile. I wish they had stayed together long enough to produce more material as a band. Man, you have great taste, **Crotalus** - I love Rockpile! Teacher, Teacher, along with Crawling from the Wreckage and so many others on that CD - great stuff. One could argue for **The Stone Roses** - their eponymous album was revolutionary in the early 90’s - very influential in Britain, since it was poppy, guitar-oriented and the band was from Manchester - influencing folks like Oasis and all the other Brit-poppers. Brilliant stuff, but then they got tied up in contract disputes and their next album was held up for years. By the time it came out, they had faded a lot - nothing near their original profile. Really too bad - one of those start-to-end great albums… ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/17 "2006-08-08T14:11:06Z")
> [@melondeca](#): > > **4 Non Blondes** released _Bigger, Better, Faster, More_ which was an awesome album. Unfortunately, it was their only album. Lead singer Linda Perry is still fairly active in the music world but no more 4NB. I must be completely misremembering **4 Non Blondles**. I could have sworn they disbanded because a key member had died. 😕 No mention of anything like that on Wikipedia (nor any mention of such a rumor) so I must be way off. As for the topic, I can think of several bands/singers who never lived up to their one big album, but I can’t conjure up anyone who gave up after one album. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/18 "2006-08-08T15:26:29Z")
The Right to be Italian by **Holly and the Italians** one great album and :: poof :: no more. There’s a publicity shot of the Soft Boys with Robyn Hitchcock wearing a _Tell that Girl to Shut Up_ T-shirt, I recon that’s a sound endorsement. There is a Holly Beth Vincent solo album _called_ “Holly and the Italians” which is also terrific but absolutely not the same band. ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/19 "2006-08-08T15:45:40Z")
[Deconstruction](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deconstruction_(band)), with Chris Avery and Dave Navarro, is my favorite for sure. I wish Pandora had it. ---
**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:** [August 8, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822/20 "2006-08-08T15:47:18Z")
[Chagall Guevara](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagall_Guevara): One great album (and a couple of other tracks) and that was all. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-album-bands/367822.md?page=2)