Ten Bands with Extraordinary Five-Album Runs
(I was wondering which of the bands or performers I appreciate would pass the five-albums test: five consecutive releases, all of them of the very highest caliber—all A’s, no B’s. Three- or even four-album hot streaks are common, but five-album hot streaks are a high bar to clear. Many of my favorite artists fail to achieve it, due either to interruptions in quality or slender discographies, but I was able to come up with a list of ten that I’d be willing to defend. Some of these are the usual suspects, while some most definitely are not. I’m counting only official studio releases, with no EPs, live albums, or compilations, and I’ve arranged the list alphabetically by artist.)
The Beatles: Help! - Rubber Soul - Revolver - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band - Magical Mystery Tour
Billy Bragg: Life’s a Riot With Spy Vs. Spy - Brewing Up with Billy Bragg - Talking With the Taxman About Poetry - Workers Playtime - Don’t Try This at Home
Depeche Mode: Some Great Reward - Black Celebration - Music for the Masses - Violator - Songs of Faith and Devotion
Matthew Herbert: Bodily Functions [as Herbert] - Goodbye Swingtime [as The Matthew Herbert Big Band] - Plat du Jour - Scale [as Herbert] - Score
Ryoki Ikeda: Matrix - Dataplex - Test Pattern - Dataphonics - Supercodex
Van Morrison: Astral Weeks - Moondance - His Band and the Street Choir - Tupelo Honey - Saint Dominic’s Preview
New Model Army: Vengeance - No Rest for the Wicked - The Ghost of Cain - Thunder and Consolation - Impurity
Richard Shindell: Sparrows Point - Blue Divide - Reunion Hill - Somewhere Near Paterson - Vuelta
Susanna Wallumrød: List of Lights and Buoys [as Susanna and the Magical Orchestra] - Melody Mountain [as Susanna and the Magical Orchestra] - Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos - Flower of Evil - 3 [as Susanna and the Magical Orchestra]
Stevie Wonder: Music of My Mind - Talking Book - Innervisions - Fulfillingness’ First Finale - Songs in the Key of Life
— July 31, 2021