I was listening to a mix CD today, and Springsteen’s “Kitty’s Back” popped up. The Wild, the Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle is the only album by him I’ve ever owned (though I own two copies, one on vinyl and one on CD).
Most artists, I either like them, and own several albums, or don’t like them, and don’t own any. There are a few who “really” only had one album (Derek and the Dominoes come to mind), so there’s only one album to own. There might be one or two for whom a Greatest Hits album suffices. But Springsteen is the only one I can think of who’s had a long career, multiple albums, who I basically like – but see no need to buy any other albums.
Do you have any artists you don’t dislike, but whose work you only own one example of?
Madonna, True Blue. Has a bit of everything - catchy dance beats/bubblegum romanti-pop (the title track, Open Your Heart, Love Makes the World Go Round), soulful, sad, slow (Live To Tell), off-beat subjects (Papa Don’t Preach, La Isla Bonita, the latter with some faux-Latin flavor) - and it’s free of the distasteful “controversy-generating super-slut” image she made a point of projecting a little later.
I’ve always been of the opinion that everyone needs to own one AC/DC album. Doesn’t matter which one (I’m partial to Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, but any of the others are just as good). But everyone needs one.
I agree with both Making Movies and True Blue being the only essential releases by those respective artists.
Material Issue’s only great album is Internaitonal Pop Overthrow (even though it doesn’t have “Kim the Waitress”).
This may border on blasphemous, but John Lennon’s only essential solo album is Plastic Ono Band. George Harrison’s is, of course, All Things Must Pass. I’m not sure what Paul McCartney’s is.
A case could also be made that the only essential non-compilatory Beach Boys album is Pet Sounds.
Everyone needs a copy of the first Violent Femmes album.
I have a bunch of these. Often I’ve bought other albums by the same artist, been disappointed by it and sold it. With others I’ve just never got around to hearing any of their other work.
Working purely from memory:
Ultravox! Ultravox! Van Der Graaf Generator The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome Genesis Selling England by the Pound Rod Stewart Every Picture Tells a Story Mondo Rock Chemistry The Human League Travelogue Traffic Low Spark of the High Heeled Boys Amon Duul II Made in Germany
**Allman Brothers **Eat a Peach Propaganda A Secret Wish Paul McCartney Band on the Run Joe Cocker Mad Dogs and Englishmen
On review some of these aren’t “major artists”, but oh well.
I’ll go with the Springsteen theme too. I mostly don’t like him… at all, but I do have Tunnel of Love. I basically like 3 songs of his, really like. Two of them are on this album, Tunnel of Love and One Step Up.
, or a :mad: .
