# That \*outstanding\* album of an artist/band **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [November 6, 2026, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562 "2026-11-06T16:52:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/21 "2026-11-06T17:24:40Z")
Peter Frampton, _Frampton Comes Alive!_ Double live album, and his signature work (and generally hailed as one of the best live rock albums of all time). The live versions of his previous songs are nearly all superior to the studio versions. ---
**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:** [November 6, 2026, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/22 "2026-11-06T17:25:37Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Double live album, and his signature work. The live versions of his previous songs are nearly all superior to the studio versions. Similar case: Cheap Trick - Live At Budokan ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/23 "2026-11-06T17:33:22Z")
Eels: electroshock blues Garbage: Version 2.0 ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/24 "2026-11-06T17:41:48Z")
Laura Nyro - Eli and the 13th Confession Wilson Pickett - The Wicked Pickett Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die Rolling Stones - Between the Buttons The Fall - Wonderful and Frightening World Danny Barker - Save The Bones Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde Velvet Underground - and Nico Stevie Wonder - Talking Book Otis Redding - Live at Whisky a Go Go Jeff Beck - Blow By Blow U Roy - Original DJ Dr John - Gris Gris Thea Gilmore - Songs from the Gutter ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/25 "2026-11-06T17:47:01Z")
Carole King - Tapestry ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/26 "2026-11-06T17:50:22Z")
Radiohead - Ok Computer Blood Sweat & Tears - Child Is Father to the Man Counting Crows - August & Everything After Dave Matthews Band - Crash ---
**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:** [November 6, 2026, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/27 "2026-11-06T18:05:29Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Radiohead - Ok Computer It’s a great album, but I like “The Bends” just as much. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/28 "2026-11-06T18:08:47Z")
Wild how totally divergent tastes can be. Several posters have mentioned albums that I don’t think of the _outstanding_ album because others are much better. I’ll just single out Blood, Sweat & Tears. I know that Al Kooper fanatics have disparaged David Clayton Thomas for 50 years. But the _Blood, Sweat & Tears_ album with him as lead has better song choices - Kooper does not remotely compare to the songwriters they picked, better production, better arrangements, and even better vocals. It also had three #2 singles, so it’s very much a “greatest hits” album. I think it’s one of the outstanding albums of the entire 60s. Nothing they did after comes close. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/29 "2026-11-06T18:09:24Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > It’s a great album, but I like “The Bends” just as much. This is one of my top albums of all time. But I never got in to ANY more Radiohead, other than their radio hits. The composition of songs on _OK Computer_ blows me away. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/30 "2026-11-06T18:16:06Z")
Kansas: _Leftoverture_ Although by market measure, _Point of Know Return_ would have been bigger. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/31 "2026-11-06T18:17:21Z")
Patti Smith: Horses Violent Femmes: Violent Femmes The B52s: The B52s Talking Heads: Little Creatures Yes: Fragile Suzanne Vega: Nine Objects of Desire ---
**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:** [November 6, 2026, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/32 "2026-11-06T18:17:54Z")
The Beatles - _Revolver_ Marvin Gaye - _What’s Going On_ The Rolling Stones - _Sticky Fingers_ Bob Dylan - _Highway 61 Revisited_ Bruce Springsteen - _Darkness on the Edge of Town_ ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/33 "2026-11-06T18:20:58Z")
just mentioning that we have: - at least 3 Dylan albums that stand out above the rest - and 2 Stones albums … I herewith declare both do not have ONE album that stands out 😉 ps: jokes apart - lots of good calls! - Keith Jarrett - The Köln Concert - Dave Brubek - Time Out - Pink Floyd - DSOTM - Leonard Cohen - Songs of LC … (not a single bad song on this album) - ---
**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:** [November 6, 2026, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/34 "2026-11-06T18:27:18Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > The Rolling Stones - _Sticky Fingers_ Actually I concur with you, as I still consider “Sticky Fingers” the best album of all time. But it only stands out a little notch above “Exile On Mainstreet”, “Beggars Banquet” and “Let It Bleed”. so it’s not that outstanding in the Stones catalog. That’s why I also avoided to mention my favorite albums of the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, R.E.M, Van Morrison and others, because those big guns all have four or five exceptional albums. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/35 "2026-11-06T18:27:40Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > The Who: Who’s Next, Live At Leeds Disagree. The Who’s greatest album is Quadrophenia. ---
**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:** [November 6, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/36 "2026-11-06T18:28:28Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > just mentioning that we have: > > - at least 3 Dylan albums that stand out above the rest > - and 2 Stones albums … > > I herewith declare both do not have ONE album that stands out And four Springsteen albums… 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/37 "2026-11-06T18:29:20Z")
well, then - Springsteen is out, too!!! ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/38 "2026-11-06T18:29:41Z")
I may have missed it, but you should have Elton John - _Goodbye Yellow Brick Road_ on the list. ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/39 "2026-11-06T18:30:46Z")
You might as well eliminate The Beatles as well, because _Rubber Soul_ is superior to _Revolver._ ---
**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:** [November 6, 2026, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562/40 "2026-11-06T18:32:46Z")
But you will find people who would argue that the best Beatles album is either “Sergeant Pepper’s” or “Abbey Road”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-outstanding-album-of-an-artist-band/1034562.md?page=3)