This blog was suggested by a reader and it’s a great topic.
We all have our favourite records, usually more than one in an artist's discography. There are several bands that I think never released a bad album. Steely Dan, Little Feat, Zeppelin (until Coda), Purple, Yes, Genesis to name just a few.
But what about those bands and artists who only released one great album? I mean, one excellent record is a real achievement, but if you’ve followed it up with ten rubbish releases, it gets forgotten.
So, who just released one truly great album? It’s difficult and actually quite rare. Clearly subjective, the person that suggested this said he only liked Brain Salad Surgery by ELP and had no time for any other release. I love everything up to Works Vol 1, so it shows how subjective it is. I’ve picked three, but there must be others; artists you only play one album by, despite having everything else.
The first I’d like to put forward is an artist who released dozens of albums, many of which have one or two great tracks, but only one is a complete album you can listen to from start to finish. Frank Zappa: Hot Rats. I love his guitar playing and classical arrangements - basically anything that doesn’t have lyrics - and I’ve often skipped all the ‘songs’ to hear the instrumentals. I really can’t be bothered to listen to endless numbers about what my mother would have called ‘toilet matters’ and life below the waist more generally. It’s all so schoolboy. I’m far from prudish or shocked by it, but it does all seem a bit pointless. Do I care if your ‘tweezers are gleaming in the moonlight night’ or want to hear about a ‘Jones Crusher’ or indeed ‘Bwana Dik’ and a ‘Mud Shark’? Maybe these had a relevance or context when released but it hasn’t aged very well. Unlike Trouble Every Day by the Mothers of Invention, which has. But Hot Rats still sounds like a magnificent workout and an essential record for all guitar aficionados.
Next up is a prog band that promised much with their debut, Asia. A great blend of prog sensibilities and pop melodies. And it sold over four million, I even liked Heat Of The Moment despite a reference to “disco hot spots” which does set your teeth on edge. But it's highly original and produced by Mike Stone to sound epic. Alpha and the rest are patchy to say the least and easily ignored in favour of the debut’s magnificence,
My last pick is perhaps more controversial. You see, I do love Status Quo, I really do - everything from Piledriver to Blue For You. But they’re all a bit inconsistent. Without doubt there are some brilliant songs on all of them, but it’s only on Quo Live where they all come together for a flawless record. It’s an epochal live album from start to finish that sounds as magnificent now as it did on release. A record for the ages, and even their best studio records fall in its shadow.
Who else? Who has one great album that stands head and shoulders above the rest?
