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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: Prog Snob on February 05, 2017, 12:33:43 AM
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I just started this exact discussion on the ProgArchives forum. I'm really curious to see the different opinions.
When I see those five albums I see five brilliant pieces of music that any group would be lucky to have as part of their career. It's not just that though. It's five straight albums of great music. Sure, you can even include Caress of Steel, but I think that comes behind the other five. To me, that five album run is one of the best in prog istory. Can anyone think of any other runs that match up with it? I'm sure there are a few.
I can't even say Pink Floyd. You do have Dark Side, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall, which is arguably the best four album run in all of music history. Flanking that you have Obscured by Clouds (good but not great) and The Final Cut, so you can't say five. Does Yes have five great albums in a row? The Beatles (if you want to call all of their stuff prog, which it isn't)?
Let's see what everyone has. I think this will be an interesting discussion.
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Those albums would get my vote as well when it comes to prog!
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Does Yes have five great albums in a row?
Yep,
The Yes Album / Fragile / Close To The Edge / Tales From Topographic Oceans (debatable) / Relayer
plus Going For The One if you wanna go for six.
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Genesis has a great album run as well:
Nursery Cryme / Foxtrot / Selling England By The Pound / The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (I guess you can add A Trick Of The Tail there too).
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That is a very strong run and personally I would make it 6 by including Caress, which to my mid is the most progressive of them all.
Here's a few more that come to my, although it's debatable wether some of these artists would be considered prog.
Moody Blues (Days of Future Passed -> Seventh Sojourn 7 albums)
David Bowie ( Space Oddity -> Aladdine San 5 albums)
Black Sabbath (debut -> Sabotage 6 albums)
Yes (The Yes Album -> GFTO 6 albums)
Jethro Tull (Stand Up -> A Passion Play 5 albums)
Genesis (Nursery Chryme -> ToTT 5 albums)
Elton John (Tumbleweed Connection -> Goodbye yellow Brick Road 5 albums)
Steely Dan (Can't Buy a Thrill -> Gaucho 7 albums)
and to my mind the most consistently brilliant run of albums in a row (ironic I can't remember ever having seen this group discussed in these forums before)
Eloy (Dawn, Ocean, Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes, Colours, Planets 5 consecutive 5 star albums to these ears!) :hat
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The first five Kansas albums spring that mind. Also the first five Queen albums, as well.
For Porcupine Tree, I'd say the Stupid Dream to FOABP run is pretty unbeatable.
-Marc.
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To me Rush's big 5 album streak is Permanent Waves to Power Windows, their songwriting took a giant leap in Permanent Waves. But i digress..
I would give a shout out to Toto and their first 4 albums, 5 if you want to count Isolation.
Faith no More has a legendary album streak with: The Real Thing, Angel Dust, KFaD... FfaL and Album of the Year.
I'm sure there are some others that i'm forgetting...
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The first five Kansas albums spring that mind. Also the first five Queen albums, as well.
-Marc.
Definitely.
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The Beatles has a six-album run that I like a lot. Rubber Soul -> Revolver -> Sgt. Pepper -> Magical Mystery Tour -> The Beatles -> Abbey Road.
Queen also has a seven-album run that I really like. Queen -> Queen II -> Sheer Heart Attack -> A Night at the Opera -> A Day at the Races -> News of the World -> Jazz. If I don't count the Flash Gordon album, I would even include The Game.
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I'm surprised nobody has said Maiden yet.
Number of the Beast > Piece of Mind > Powerslave > Somewhere in Time > Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
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Oh yeah... :lolpalm:
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Are we talking prog only? If so, I've got a streak of five great albums from these bands:
Yes: The Yes album > Fragile > Close to the edge > Tales from topographic oceans > Relayer
Pink Floyd: Dark side of the moon > Wish you were here > Animals > The Wall > The Final cut
Van der Graaf Generator: H to he, who am the only one > Pawn hearts > Godbluff > Still life > World record
Speaking of Rush, that is a solid streak, but I find A Farewell to kings not up to par with the others. I would go with Permanent waves to Power windows instead.
If we're counting non prog bands, these two are among the many that come to mind:
Iron Maiden: The Number of the beast > Piece of mind > Powerslave > Somewhere in time > Seventh son of a seventh son, as well as Brave new world > Dance of death > A Matter of life and death > The Final frontier > The Book of souls
Radiohead: The Bends > OK Computer > Kid A > Amnesiac > Hail to the thief
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If we're talking progressive music I definitely agree with the people saying Yes having a stronger 5 album run than Rush (as great as theirs is).
A few other personal favorites that comes to mind in the prog genre:
Cardiacs: The Seaside > A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window > On the Land & in the Sea > Heaven Born and Ever Bright > Sing to God
Opeth: Morningrise > My Arms Your Hearse > Still Life > Blackwater Park > Deliverance (some might switch Damnation with Morningrise or start later and include Ghost Reveries)
Porcupine Tree: Signify > Stupid Dream > Lightbulb Sun > In Absentia > Deadwing > Fear of a Blank Planet (that's 6!)
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I'm surprised no one has mentioned Dream Theater yet - Images and Words through Six Degrees (since we are counting consecutive studio albums and not factoring in EPs or compilations).
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I'm surprised no one has mentioned Dream Theater yet - Images and Words through Six Degrees (since we are counting consecutive studio albums and not factoring in EPs or compilations).
Maybe many are wary with including Falling Into Infinity in the list.
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I'm surprised no one has mentioned Dream Theater yet - Images and Words through Six Degrees (since we are counting consecutive studio albums and not factoring in EPs or compilations).
Maybe many are wary with including Falling Into Infinity in the list.
They shouldn't be. Despite having a few average/medicore songs. FII is mostly great. It's as good as most of the least best albums from most of the runs being listed thus far.
To me, the Rush one is hard to beat, but DT's is definitely in the running for 2nd place.
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I'm so biased about Rush so I think it's the greatest 5 album run. I do love The Who;s 5 album run of
Tommy
Who's Next
Quadrophenia
The Who By Numbers
Who Are You
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I'm surprised nobody has said Maiden yet.
Number of the Beast > Piece of Mind > Powerslave > Somewhere in Time > Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
You missed Killers, the best of the lot. I'd have to stop after Powerslave though.
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Falling Into Infinity is the only thing stopping DT's run of I&W to 6DOIT from counting here. Many amazing songs (Peruvian Skies, Lines in the Sand, Trial of Tears), but some downright duds (You Not Me, Just Let Me Breathe) too.
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Personally speaking, the best 5-album run in prog that comes to mind - not counting EP's - would have to be:
Between The Buried And Me: Alaska > Colors > The Great Misdirect > Parallax II > Coma Ecliptic
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I wouldn't include Dream Theater. Falling Into Infinity comes nowhere near Images and Words or Awake in terms of being amazing albums, albums that people remember them for. It's not just from my personal standpoint; it just has never been received well in comparison to the others.
I also think some people are picking what they think is great based on what they like. For example, see above. BTBAM, while a good band, do not match up to the likes of a Rush or Beatles or Iron Maiden. It's just not the same thing.
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It has to be Rush and Maiden. Dream Theater is close but FII is too flawed. It's a good album, but it doesn't even touch the other 4 DT albums of that run, let alone the near flawless classics that Maiden and Rush produced.
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Rush and Maiden are definitely in there. I mean, those 80s Maiden albums were stellar. Anything by Rush from Caress of Steel up to and including Moving Pictures are part of their best period. After that, I feel like that hit or miss the bullseye. Just an opinion though, based on their stuff from the 70s which was their best era.
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Metallica - KEA through TBA.
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Only two bands other than some previously mentioned come to mind.
Queensrÿche - Warning, Rage For Order, Operation: Mindcrime, Empire, Promised Land. Granted, Promised Land is a polarizer to a lot of fans, but I personally love it and would stack it up against anything else in their catalogue. Regardless, this five-album run is pretty incredible with a lot of stylistic difference from record to record.
Threshold - Hypothetical, Critical Mass (probably the weakest in this chain), Subsurface, Dead Reckoning, March of Progress. Probably bordering on my preferences with this one rather than overall public opinion (if there is one of this criminally underrated band...), but this string of releases punches all my buttons in the right way for sure.
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I'd stack Promised Land up too. I'd stack it up next to the other CDs in my collection that I never listen too. ;D
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Outside of prog, Kill 'Em All to The Black Album is a pretty solid run of five albums.
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That's a good one! I completely forgot about them.
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Here are some other Five-Album Runs i consider to be pretty good, if not great:
The Flower Kings: Back In The World Of Adventures -> Space Revolver - their first five albums are all really amazing in their own ways, lots of classic TFK songs in those albums!
Journey: Infinity -> Frontiers - their greatest hits all come from these five albums, and it's pretty amazing considering they were all released in 6 years! These are about the only 5 Journey albums I ever listen to anyway.
King Crimson: Larks' Tongue In Aspic -> Beat - the Wetton-era, for me, is one of the best 3-album runs in prog history, and I've never really gotten into Lizard or Islands, but the first two 80's KC albums are pretty stellar, so I'm listing these five here.
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin -> Houses Of The Holy (and maybe Physical Graffiti too) - LZ's first five albums are staples of classic rock, and while there are a couple of "just okay" songs here or there, as a whole run of five albums, this is pretty great in my opinion.
Marillion: Script For A Jester's Tear -> Season's End - while I haven't personally listened to Fish-era Marillion on quite some time, I will say that I recall all four of those albums being really good, as was the first album with H. These five albums are the height of 80's Neo-Prog, and I think they should definitely be mentioned as one of the better five-album runs.
One Honorary "Almost Made It" Mention - Neal Morse: If it weren't for the lackluster Lifeline, any run of Neal's albums between Testimony and The Similitude Of A Dream could quality, but Lifeline finds itself smack dab in the middle of 9 albums. Perhaps with Neal's next album, the run of Testimony 2 -> __________ could claim a spot as one of the great five-album runs?
Now, if we're talking strictly ANY album Neal has been a part of, his 2000-2003 run of SMPT:e - V - Bridge Across Forever - Snow - Testimony would be great, but it cuts out It's Not Too Late. There's also the 2009-2014 run of The Whirlwind - Testimony 2 - Flying Colors - Momentum - Kaleidoscope - Second Nature is phenomenal - 2 Transatlantic albums, 2 Flying Colors albums, and 2 of his best solo albums.
-Marc.
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One Honorary "Almost Made It" Mention - Neal Morse: If it weren't for the lackluster Lifeline, any run of Neal's albums between Testimony and The Similitude Of A Dream could quality, but Lifeline finds itself smack dab in the middle of 9 albums. Perhaps with Neal's next album, the run of Testimony 2 -> __________ could claim a spot as one of the great five-album runs?
???
Testimony 2
Momentum
Songs for November
The Grand Experiment
TSOAD
That is five official releases in a row. Songs for November is probably just good, but it still belongs in his run since it was an official release.
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Now, if we're talking strictly ANY album Neal has been a part of, his 2000-2003 run of SMPT:e - V - Bridge Across Forever - Snow - Testimony would be great, but it cuts out It's Not Too Late. There's also the 2009-2014 run of The Whirlwind - Testimony 2 - Flying Colors - Momentum - Kaleidoscope - Second Nature is phenomenal - 2 Transatlantic albums, 2 Flying Colors albums, and 2 of his best solo albums.
-Marc.
V/Bridge Across Forever/Snow is perhaps the finest trilogy in prog rock. Considering Neal is the primary writer in both Spock's and Transatlantic, it is mindblowing that he was able to come up with 3 masterpieces in 3 consecutive years. Especially one being an ambitious double album. Plus Testimony came a year later.
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No offence M, but..
The Flower Kings: Back In The World Of Adventures -> Space Revolver -
Who?
King Crimson: Larks' Tongue In Aspic -> Beat - the Wetton-era, for me, is one of the best 3-album runs in prog history, and I've never really gotten into Lizard or Islands, but the first two 80's KC albums are pretty stellar, so I'm listing these five here.
???
Marillion: Script For A Jester's Tear -> Season's End -
Ok, let's include "any" 5 album run by "any" band.
while I haven't personally listened to Fish-era Marillion on quite some time,
Case in point.
Now, if we're talking strictly ANY album Neal has been a part of, his 2000-2003 run
Who??
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Sorry Marc, I'm being an ass. ;D
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I'm with you, TAC. I think some of M's list is more a list of favorites. There's no way LZ put out 5 albums worthy of the same recognition as Led Zeppelin IV. Also, leaving out King Crimson's ITCOTCK is just silly. M might like those later KC releases, but again, this isn't about favoritism. It's about picking quintessential releases from a band who did it more than three or four times in a row.
But then I disagree with your confusion about The Flower Kings. Just because they aren't mainstream doesn't mean they aren't great releases in the prog world. Rush's best albums are not their most popular as far as radio play.
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It is notable that Iron Maiden and Rush both had 5 album runs that are widely regarded as classics by general rock/metal audiences. That is no slight to smaller bands, but credit where credit is due. If you're a Metal fan, the first five (or seven, depending on who you talk to) Maiden albums are essential. If you're a prog rock fan 2112-Moving Pictures are essential. Can't think of many others with that distinction.
Van Halen comes close. I personally love Diver Down and think their run from the debut all the way up to OU812 is near flawless, but Diver Down seems to be a blemish to a lot of fans.
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Marc is a great guy and a valued poster here. I apologized for being an ass.
But that'd be like me listing 5 consecutive Alice Cooper or UFO albums. Who cares! :lol
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Why would anyone want to do that? ;)
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Marc is a great guy and a valued poster here. I apologized for being an ass.
But that'd be like me listing 5 consecutive Alice Cooper or UFO albums. Who cares! :lol
I mean, if YOU think they are great album runs, why not share them? Others might find that information useful, especially when trying to get into a new band or artist they've never heard before. To hear that a band has at LEAST five consecutive albums worth hearing means they're doing SOMETHING right, and if anyone can pick one of those five, like it, and then listen to the other four, you've done a good job of selling the band to a new fan. It's high praise to any band when a fan can recommend not just one or two, but five consecutive albums.
But you guys are right, I probably did go a bit overboard. Yeah, my lists aren't WIDELY RECOGNIZED by the general public, but this is a forum of Dream Theater fans - I think we know plenty of bands that will never be widely recognized for their work, so why not have fun and share what we all love?
???
Testimony 2
Momentum
Songs for November
The Grand Experiment
TSOAD
That is five official releases in a row. Songs for November is probably just good, but it still belongs in his run since it was an official release.
That's true, I suppose, but if you're counting Songs From November, you might as well count 2013's Get In The Boat and 2016's To God Be The Glory. Then again, any run of Neal albums will always have a worship or singer/songwriter album stuck in the middle because he writes and releases so much damn music!!!
V/Bridge Across Forever/Snow is perhaps the finest trilogy in prog rock. Considering Neal is the primary writer in both Spock's and Transatlantic, it is mindblowing that he was able to come up with 3 masterpieces in 3 consecutive years. Especially one being an ambitious double album. Plus Testimony came a year later.
Very true, his output in the early 2000's is breath-taking, between his last two albums with SB, the first two TA albums, and Testimony.
Sorry Marc, I'm being an ass. ;D
Also true.
I'm with you, TAC. I think some of M's list is more a list of favorites. There's no way LZ put out 5 albums worthy of the same recognition as Led Zeppelin IV. Also, leaving out King Crimson's ITCOTCK is just silly. M might like those later KC releases, but again, this isn't about favoritism. It's about picking quintessential releases from a band who did it more than three or four times in a row.
But then I disagree with your confusion about The Flower Kings. Just because they aren't mainstream doesn't mean they aren't great releases in the prog world. Rush's best albums are not their most popular as far as radio play.
Sure, LZ IV gets a LOT of recognition, and while I'm not old enough to have lived through the height of their popularity, I think that their first four albums are still pretty good, having quite a few singles and popular songs on them, but you're probably right, LZ IV overshadows anything that came before or after it.
Back to the topic at hand - yes, Rush's album run of 2112-MP has to be one of the quintessential rock/prog rock five-album runs, right up there with any run by Yes or Genesis. Even Rush probably feel that way, having played all of MP, 5/6ths of PEW, a little over half of HEMI, about half of AFTK, and a little over half of 2112 in the last 20 years of their tours (since the TFE tour). I think they know how popular those albums are with their fanbase and were not afraid to try and play as much of them as they (and Geddy's vocals) could handle.
-Marc.
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I'm with you, TAC. I think some of M's list is more a list of favorites. There's no way LZ put out 5 albums worthy of the same recognition as Led Zeppelin IV. Also, leaving out King Crimson's ITCOTCK is just silly. M might like those later KC releases, but again, this isn't about favoritism. It's about picking quintessential releases from a band who did it more than three or four times in a row.
But then I disagree with your confusion about The Flower Kings. Just because they aren't mainstream doesn't mean they aren't great releases in the prog world. Rush's best albums are not their most popular as far as radio play.
Sure, LZ IV gets a LOT of recognition, and while I'm not old enough to have lived through the height of their popularity, I think that their first four albums are still pretty good, having quite a few singles and popular songs on them, but you're probably right, LZ IV overshadows anything that came before or after it.
Back to the topic at hand - yes, Rush's album run of 2112-MP has to be one of the quintessential rock/prog rock five-album runs, right up there with any run by Yes or Genesis. Even Rush probably feel that way, having played all of MP, 5/6ths of PEW, a little over half of HEMI, about half of AFTK, and a little over half of 2112 in the last 20 years of their tours (since the TFE tour). I think they know how popular those albums are with their fanbase and were not afraid to try and play as much of them as they (and Geddy's vocals) could handle.
-Marc.
That's a valid point about LZ. I'm trying to remain as objective as possible about them because I think they're horribly overrated. I recognize LZ IV and a handful of other songs as having an important place in music history. Maybe my opinion is TOO overshadowed by my dislike of them.
I mean, as much as I hope the responses to be more objective, there's no way to avoid putting a personal opinion into one's response. It's an exercise in futility. I liked that you mentioned The Flower Kings by the way. They're just brilliant beyond all brilliance (a person opinion). Answer this honestly. Do you consider them to have four or five albums in a row that could be considered prog rock must-haves?
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I'm not a hardcore fan of this band so I'm not sure what the general consensus is on these albums, but I think Between the Buried and Me could potentially fit on this list very soon. Every album they've done since Colors has been a home run for me. That's four albums in a row so far. Coma Ecliptic could very well be the best of them all. If they can do it again with the next album, that'll be 5 albums in a row that are must-haves of progressive Metal IMO.
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I didn't see anyone mention Porcupine Tree. It's somewhat personal....But I think that in prog circles, everything between The Sky Moves Sideways all the way to Fear of a Blank Planet is a 7 album run that I would put up against any 7 album in all of prog rock history.
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I didn't see anyone mention Porcupine Tree. It's somewhat personal....But I think that in prog circles, everything between The Sky Moves Sideways all the way to Fear of a Blank Planet is a 7 album run that I would put up against any 7 album in all of prog rock history.
I mentioned PT in my first response in this thread, back on page 1. I brought up Stupid Dream to FOABP.
I'm with you, TAC. I think some of M's list is more a list of favorites. There's no way LZ put out 5 albums worthy of the same recognition as Led Zeppelin IV. Also, leaving out King Crimson's ITCOTCK is just silly. M might like those later KC releases, but again, this isn't about favoritism. It's about picking quintessential releases from a band who did it more than three or four times in a row.
But then I disagree with your confusion about The Flower Kings. Just because they aren't mainstream doesn't mean they aren't great releases in the prog world. Rush's best albums are not their most popular as far as radio play.
Sure, LZ IV gets a LOT of recognition, and while I'm not old enough to have lived through the height of their popularity, I think that their first four albums are still pretty good, having quite a few singles and popular songs on them, but you're probably right, LZ IV overshadows anything that came before or after it.
Back to the topic at hand - yes, Rush's album run of 2112-MP has to be one of the quintessential rock/prog rock five-album runs, right up there with any run by Yes or Genesis. Even Rush probably feel that way, having played all of MP, 5/6ths of PEW, a little over half of HEMI, about half of AFTK, and a little over half of 2112 in the last 20 years of their tours (since the TFE tour). I think they know how popular those albums are with their fanbase and were not afraid to try and play as much of them as they (and Geddy's vocals) could handle.
-Marc.
That's a valid point about LZ. I'm trying to remain as objective as possible about them because I think they're horribly overrated. I recognize LZ IV and a handful of other songs as having an important place in music history. Maybe my opinion is TOO overshadowed by my dislike of them.
I mean, as much as I hope the responses to be more objective, there's no way to avoid putting a personal opinion into one's response. It's an exercise in futility. I liked that you mentioned The Flower Kings by the way. They're just brilliant beyond all brilliance (a person opinion). Answer this honestly. Do you consider them to have four or five albums in a row that could be considered prog rock must-haves?
For TFK, as I said earlier, their first five albums are all modern prog classics, IMO. Some of the best symphonic prog of the 90s. The Rainmaker is a bit hit-or-miss, as is Adam & Eve, but everything else stands just as highly for me. Yes, I even enjoy The Sum of No Evil. Even just the 3 album run of SWA-FP-SR is unparalleled, even among anything else Roine has done.
-Marc.
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No Eloy fans here I'm guessing? Or perhaps most are unfamiliar with them and the run of albums I posted earlier. As far as prog goes, this stands up to any run of five albums in consistency. If they had been English rather than German, and on a major label rather than EMI's prog offshoot (Harvest), this band would have been huge. Anyone enjoying WYWH era Floyd or Moonmadness era Camel ought to go apeshit over these albums. Check these out if you're interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99jLQFgKR3o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzFJNU8YYL8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIeO4IAhpGM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCMdigCBHpU
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???
Testimony 2
Momentum
Songs for November
The Grand Experiment
TSOAD
That is five official releases in a row. Songs for November is probably just good, but it still belongs in his run since it was an official release.
That's true, I suppose, but if you're counting Songs From November, you might as well count 2013's Get In The Boat and 2016's To God Be The Glory. Then again, any run of Neal albums will always have a worship or singer/songwriter album stuck in the middle because he writes and releases so much damn music!!!
Nah, most of those worship albums he releases are unofficial ones that you can really only buy on his site at Radiant, while Songs from November was an official release that you could buy almost anywhere.
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No Eloy fans here I'm guessing? Or perhaps most are unfamiliar with them and the run of albums I posted earlier. As far as prog goes, this stands up to any run of five albums in consistency. If they had been English rather than German, and on a major label rather than EMI's prog offshoot (Harvest), this band would have been huge. Anyone enjoying WYWH era Floyd or Moonmadness era Camel ought to go apeshit over these albums. Check these out if you're interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99jLQFgKR3o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzFJNU8YYL8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIeO4IAhpGM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCMdigCBHpU
As I mentioned in the other thread, too, I love Eloy. They're one of my best finds last year while doing some digging for new music to listen to.
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I'm with you, TAC. I think some of M's list is more a list of favorites. There's no way LZ put out 5 albums worthy of the same recognition as Led Zeppelin IV. Also, leaving out King Crimson's ITCOTCK is just silly. M might like those later KC releases, but again, this isn't about favoritism. It's about picking quintessential releases from a band who did it more than three or four times in a row.
But then I disagree with your confusion about The Flower Kings. Just because they aren't mainstream doesn't mean they aren't great releases in the prog world. Rush's best albums are not their most popular as far as radio play.
But you yourself said:
I wouldn't include Dream Theater. Falling Into Infinity comes nowhere near Images and Words or Awake in terms of being amazing albums, albums that people remember them for. It's not just from my personal standpoint; it just has never been received well in comparison to the others.
I also think some people are picking what they think is great based on what they like. For example, see above. BTBAM, while a good band, do not match up to the likes of a Rush or Beatles or Iron Maiden. It's just not the same thing.
We have to decide on a standard. If it's "publicly received", then Led Zeppelin is top three and half of the rest of the stuff mentioned doesn't belong here at all. (BTBAM? Flower Kings?) Here in the States, you can literally hear any song - ANY song, not just the singles, except for perhaps "Hats Off To Roy Harper" - from any of the first SIX Zeppelin albums on classic radio. It's probably the most highly regarded six album run of any band ever, with "Help!" through Abbey Road a close second.
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This whole thread is incredibly ambiguous to be honest. He continuously states how it is about objectivity but then fuels almost all of his posts with personal interests. I think in any case, it is kind of weird to have a "discussion thread" revolve around a problem that is supposed to be solved by factual information.
On another note, apparently bundy mentioned this one but I saw it pass by on a different forum and thought it could be a great contender too (even though I'm not a fan): Black Sabbath: s/t --> Sabotage
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Metallica - KEA through TBA.
Then everything became shit afterwards. :rollin
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Reading through all the "lets be objective" posts in a thread that's ultimately about opinions is so absurd and I kinda thought the whole "music can be objectively good" discussion was shot down years ago for how stupid it is
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This whole thread is incredibly ambiguous to be honest. He continuously states how it is about objectivity but then fuels almost all of his posts with personal interests. I think in any case, it is kind of weird to have a "discussion thread" revolve around a problem that is supposed to be solved by factual information.
On another note, apparently bundy mentioned this one but I saw it pass by on a different forum and thought it could be a great contender too (even though I'm not a fan): Black Sabbath: s/t --> Sabotage
Yes, I have included some personal opinions here but if you paid close attention you will see that I made sure they didn't affect what I originally stated in the OP. I seem to also recall saying that my strong distaste of LZ is too much for me to judge them fairly here, so I'm quite adept at know when I cannot be completely objective. I implore you to show me where my opinion alone decided whether or not a band fit the intention of the OP. ;)
I'm with you, TAC. I think some of M's list is more a list of favorites. There's no way LZ put out 5 albums worthy of the same recognition as Led Zeppelin IV. Also, leaving out King Crimson's ITCOTCK is just silly. M might like those later KC releases, but again, this isn't about favoritism. It's about picking quintessential releases from a band who did it more than three or four times in a row.
But then I disagree with your confusion about The Flower Kings. Just because they aren't mainstream doesn't mean they aren't great releases in the prog world. Rush's best albums are not their most popular as far as radio play.
But you yourself said:
I wouldn't include Dream Theater. Falling Into Infinity comes nowhere near Images and Words or Awake in terms of being amazing albums, albums that people remember them for. It's not just from my personal standpoint; it just has never been received well in comparison to the others.
I also think some people are picking what they think is great based on what they like. For example, see above. BTBAM, while a good band, do not match up to the likes of a Rush or Beatles or Iron Maiden. It's just not the same thing.
We have to decide on a standard. If it's "publicly received", then Led Zeppelin is top three and half of the rest of the stuff mentioned doesn't belong here at all. (BTBAM? Flower Kings?) Here in the States, you can literally hear any song - ANY song, not just the singles, except for perhaps "Hats Off To Roy Harper" - from any of the first SIX Zeppelin albums on classic radio. It's probably the most highly regarded six album run of any band ever, with "Help!" through Abbey Road a close second.
Where is the confusion? I didn't mention public reception as a basis for what fits the bill.
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Reading through all the "lets be objective" posts in a thread that's ultimately about opinions is so absurd and I kinda thought the whole "music can be objectively good" discussion was shot down years ago for how stupid it is
Hey, just because you can't separate the two doesn't mean the rest of the world is just as inept. It's very easy to be able to think something is good for what it is without having to be crazy about it yourself. I'll give you a nice easy example. I can't stand Led Zeppelin. His voice irritates me and hearing some of their live tracks is scary. However, I can see how to some people that isn't a basis for comparison. Not everybody analyzes music the same and I can understand that. People see music differently. How many people turn their nose at Dream Theater BUT can still admit the guys in the band are great musicians? It's very simple.
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I would like to give Marc a public morning after apology. I was pretty fired up after the Super Bowl. A few too many Trooper 666's. ;D
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Queensrÿche - Warning, Rage For Order, Operation: Mindcrime, Empire, Promised Land. Granted, Promised Land is a polarizer to a lot of fans, but I personally love it and would stack it up against anything else in their catalogue. Regardless, this five-album run is pretty incredible with a lot of stylistic difference from record to record.
I fully agree. Ignore TAC. He gets confused. :lol
QR's five-album run is up there with the best of them. Rush's run is spectacular. Original QR is my favorite band, so I rank their run highest personally, but being objective, Rush's five-album string is arguably hard to top.
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If I look at consecutive 4-star or better album runs, Rush is the Winner by a large margin (and may never be topped), but there's a few that also go 5 or more.
Rush: Caress of Steel through Presto (11)
Pink Floyd: Atom Heart Mother through Animals (6)
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin I through Physical Graffiti (6)
Renaissance: Ashes are Burning through A Song for All Seasons (5)
Genesis: Trespass through The Lamb (5)
Pain of Salvation: Entropia through Be (5)
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I agree about Rush, hard to top that. Same with the last 5 post 2000 Maiden albums.
The first four BOSTON albums are great!
Boston, Don't Look Back, Third Stage, Walk On..,
Walk On doesn't even have Brad Delp on Vocals, it's Fran Cosmo and he did a great job! The album is indeed that good.
After that, the next album Corporate America is Aweful utter crap, lol, doesn't even sound like Boston.. Their latest album "Life Love Hope" is a decent recovery after CA..
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I'm at a loss here. Either it's subjective or not. If Caress of Steel fits (a record even the BAND doesn't really care for), then I put in both Kiss and AC/DC, because I could literally be given any of their albums at random and enjoy them (well, maybe Crazy Nights and Carnival of Souls are excluded from that). Genesis from Nursery Cryme through Invisible Touch, too, Maiden from Killers through Seventh Son, Sabbath from the debut through Born Again, etc. That I love it, does anyone really think that Technical Ecstasy is a "classic album"? Or "Never Say Die"?
And while many of you don't know, "Grace Under Pressure" negates that Rush run for me, too. What a let down that was from Signals (one of my favorite Rush albums) and thank god they returned to form with Power Windows!
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^
(but I got to play bass on stage many times for a friend's band back in the day for 'Distant Early Warning'...and I love 'Red Sector A', but yup, it's weak)
Going with Stadler here: geez, the first 13 Queen LPs were all great ;)
Seriously:
Led Zeppelin: I through 'Physical Graffiti'
Queen: II through 'News Of The World'
Journey: 'Infinity' through 'Frontiers' are 'mostly' strong, 'Infinity' and 'Escape' are superb.
Can't count The Beatles 'Magical Mystery Tour' as an album, since it wasn't....but 'Help', 'Rubber Soul, 'Revolver', 'Sgt. Pepper', 'The Beatles', 'Abbey Road'......was a pretty good run. ;)
If one said 'five of six', then Pink Floyd, Queensryche, KISS, Styx, Yes are certainly there. But they all had one huge fail/unremarkable release in the mix.
Sorry.
uh, same with Dream Theater. But, geez, don't we enjoy what we have?
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I wouldn't say Grace Under Pressure is weak. I understand you don't like it but I don't think there is anything about it that makes it bad and worse than Signals or Power Windows. In fact, I love Grace more than those two.
How about Camel? Camel-Mirage-Snow Goose-Moonmadness, those are perfect albums.
Also, I think Riverside can't do wrong. I know I'm a fanboy but maybe some of you agree :P
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I wouldn't say Grace Under Pressure is weak. I understand you don't like it but I don't think there is anything about it that makes it bad and worse than Signals or Power Windows. In fact, I love Grace more than those two.
How about Camel? Camel-Mirage-Snow Goose-Moonmadness, those are perfect albums.
Also, I think Riverside can't do wrong. I know I'm a fanboy but maybe some of you agree :P
I totally am comfortable with this being my opinion only, as I've had the conversation too many times to count (and even went through a phase where I'd revisit every couple months, just to see...) but it is, in my estimation, and compared to the rest of the catalogue, WEAK. Arguably the weakest. And there IS a reason:
It is singularly my least favorite Neil drum sounds ever, period. I listen to Rush largely for Peart, as he is one of about three drummers (the others are Collins and Portnoy) that I can actually sit and watch/listen to independent of the music they're playing along with. I can listen to that man play for HOURS. Love the segments in the doc on Snakes and Arrows where it's just him playing. Etc. Etc. And for whatever reason, the sound of his drums on that album - and, as it is my opinion only, his playing as a result - are subpar when compared to the rest of the catalogue.
I'm also not a huge fan of Andy Summers' work on that album - oops, I'm sorry, I meant Alex Lifeson. There are few moments that approach "epic" for me, like the intro to Signals. The ending to Losing It. The chorus' to both Marathon and Manhattan Project. I just think that the very few high points were done better elsewhere in the catalogue. I don't "hate" every song - Distant Early Warning is very good live, as is The Enemy Within.
It is, however, one of my favorite album covers of all time, by any band. I'll give it that.
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That 5 album strech of Rush is amazing (2112 to MP). Genesis had a good 6 great albums up to Wind and wuthering ( included). Beside Rush, Genesis is the only prog band ai have followed totally but I agree with the choices of Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Kansas, bands which I do have many of their best stuff but not the whole 5 straight great albums.
The non prog, the first 5 Led Zep (I think it was followed by The songs remains the same, so a constant top notch album), the last 5 of the Beatles for sure.
By memory I only fan get that. Would have to look at my collection to recall better.
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Count me in as someone who loves Grace Under Pressure, reggae riffs and all. Probably my favorite post-Moving Pictures Rush album.
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Grace Under Pressure is my favorite of the synth era and probably my #6. Was in the top 5 until CA came out.
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I just started this exact discussion on the ProgArchives forum. I'm really curious to see the different opinions.
When I see those five albums I see five brilliant pieces of music that any group would be lucky to have as part of their career. It's not just that though. It's five straight albums of great music. Sure, you can even include Caress of Steel, but I think that comes behind the other five. To me, that five album run is one of the best in prog istory. Can anyone think of any other runs that match up with it? I'm sure there are a few.
I can't even say Pink Floyd. You do have Dark Side, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall, which is arguably the best four album run in all of music history. Flanking that you have Obscured by Clouds (good but not great) and The Final Cut, so you can't say five. Does Yes have five great albums in a row? The Beatles (if you want to call all of their stuff prog, which it isn't)?
Let's see what everyone has. I think this will be an interesting discussion.
As I read through all of the posts, I came back to the OP and IMO, there was no better run than those 5 Rush releases. I think my age might have an impact as I remember when these were all released and the time period/atmosphere of life for me in that era. I believe that has a major impact on how I perceive music as some of the older releases i.e. Beatles, I was too young, and the newer ones i.e. PT, I was on to other things. I also think that the "RUSH" that they were at that time was, to me, far superior to any other time period in the RUSH catalog. Yes, there are spots here and there, but those 5 in a row crushed it! That could be an age thing too....JMO.
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Rush is one of those bands I wish could stay young and healthy and live forever! The music world won't be the same without them.. Same goes for DT!
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Reading through all the "lets be objective" posts in a thread that's ultimately about opinions is so absurd and I kinda thought the whole "music can be objectively good" discussion was shot down years ago for how stupid it is
Hey, just because you can't separate the two doesn't mean the rest of the world is just as inept. It's very easy to be able to think something is good for what it is without having to be crazy about it yourself. I'll give you a nice easy example. I can't stand Led Zeppelin. His voice irritates me and hearing some of their live tracks is scary. However, I can see how to some people that isn't a basis for comparison. Not everybody analyzes music the same and I can understand that. People see music differently. How many people turn their nose at Dream Theater BUT can still admit the guys in the band are great musicians? It's very simple.
Thank you! I thought I was the only one left. I always use movies as an analogy, I can recognize the superiority of Casablanca and Citizen Kane but still prefer to watch Aliens or Iron Man. Objective/subjective is a thing.
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But you guys are right, I probably did go a bit overboard. Yeah, my lists aren't WIDELY RECOGNIZED by the general public, but this is a forum of Dream Theater fans - I think we know plenty of bands that will never be widely recognized for their work, so why not have fun and share what we all love?
-Marc.
I wouldn't worry about this as long as I'm around. Just enjoy the musical gifts.
I know it's not five but I'd put Vapor Trails, snakes and Arrows and Clockwork Angels up against ANY other three Rush albums out there.
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Reading through all the "lets be objective" posts in a thread that's ultimately about opinions is so absurd and I kinda thought the whole "music can be objectively good" discussion was shot down years ago for how stupid it is
Hey, just because you can't separate the two doesn't mean the rest of the world is just as inept. It's very easy to be able to think something is good for what it is without having to be crazy about it yourself. I'll give you a nice easy example. I can't stand Led Zeppelin. His voice irritates me and hearing some of their live tracks is scary. However, I can see how to some people that isn't a basis for comparison. Not everybody analyzes music the same and I can understand that. People see music differently. How many people turn their nose at Dream Theater BUT can still admit the guys in the band are great musicians? It's very simple.
Thank you! I thought I was the only one left. I always use movies as an analogy, I can recognize the superiority of Casablanca and Citizen Kane but still prefer to watch Aliens or Iron Man. Objective/subjective is a thing.
I prefer the former, BUT can see why people love the latter. ;)
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How about REM.
(Fables of the Reconstruction) - Life's Rich Pageant - Document - Green - Out Of Time - Automatic For The People.
That's either 5 or 6 if you include Fables.
Depeche Mode.
Black Celebration - Music For The Masses - Violator - Songs of Faith and Devotion - Ultra.
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I'm not a big REM fan, but they've been popular for a long time so it's possible. DM have made some really good albums, especially Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotion.
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Aerosmith: Aerosmith -> Draw The Line
Akinetón Retard: Akinetón Retard -> Cadencia Urmana
Alice Cooper: Killer -> Muscle Of Love or Love It To Death -> Welcome To My Nightmare
Anathema: Judgement -> Weather Systems
Art Zoyd: Art Zoyd 3 -> Phase IV
Ayreon: Into The Electric Castle -> 01011001
Beardfish: Sleeping In Traffic Part One -> The Void
Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath -> Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Camel: Camel -> Rain Dances
Creedence Clearwater Revival: Creedence Clearwater Revival -> Cosmo's Factory
Deep Purple: The Book Of Taliesyn -> Machine Head
Devin Townsend: Terria -> Addicted
Dream Theater: Images And Words -> Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Emerson, Lake & Palmer -> Brain Salad Surgery
Estradasphere: Buck Fever -> Palace Of Mirrors
Focus: In And Out Of Focus -> Mother Focus
Frank Zappa: Freak Out! -> Hot Rats or Hot Rats -> Weasels Ripped My Flesh or The Grand Wazoo -> One Size Fits All
Genesis: Trespass -> The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Gentle Giant: Gentle Giant -> In A Glass House or Octopus -> Interview
Grand Funk Railroad: Grand Funk -> E Pluribus Funk
Guapo: Five Suns -> Obscure Knowledge
Haken: Enter The 5th Dimension -> Affinity
Hiromi Uehara: Another Mind -> Beyond Standard or Place To Be -> Spark
Iced Earth: Burnt Offerings -> Horror Show
Iron Maiden: Iron Maiden -> Powerslave
Isis: Celestial -> Wavering Radiant
Jethro Tull: This Was -> Thick As A Brick
Joni Mitchell: Song To A Seagull -> For The Roses
Kayo Dot: Choirs Of The Eye -> Gamma Knife
King Crimson: In The Court Of The Crimson King -> Larks' Tongues In Aspic
King's X: Out Of The Silent Planet -> Dogman
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin I -> Houses Of The Holy or Led Zeppelin III -> Presence
Leprous: Aeolia -> The Congregation
Magma: Kobaïa -> Üdü Ẁüdü
Metallica: Kill 'Em All -> Metallica
Miriodor: Recontres -> Parade + Live At NEARfest
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: From Her To Eternity -> Boatman's Call
Opeth: Still Life -> Ghost Reveries
Pain Of Salvation: Entropia -> BE
Pekka Pohjola: Pihkasilmä Kaarnakorva -> Kätkävaaran Lohikäärme
Pink Floyd: Meddle -> Animals
Porcupine Tree: The Sky Moves Sideways -> In Absentia
Present: Triskaïdékaphobie -> Barbaro (Ma Non Troppo)
Rammstein: Herzeleid -> Rosenrot
Renaissance: Prologue -> Novella
Riverside: Second Life Syndrome -> Shrine Of New Generation Slaves
Rush: Fly By Night -> Permanent Waves
Santana: Abraxas -> Borboletta
Strapping Young Lad: Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing -> The New Black
Swans: Soundtracks For The Blind -> The Glowing Man
Symphony X: The Divine Wings Of Tragedy -> Paradise Lost
The Beatles: Rubber Soul -> The Beatles
The Doors: The Doors -> Morrison Hotel
The Residents: Meet The Residents -> Duck Stab & Buster & Glen
The Who: Tommy -> Who Are You
Univers Zero: Univers Zero -> Uzed
Van Der Graaf Generator: The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other -> Still Life
Yes: Fragile -> Going For The One
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Classic prog really started to burn out after 1974, so it's hard to pick 5 or more consistent albums out of that period and genre. If we're going for albums which are all so good that they're almost interchangeable, I'd pick Kansas (first 5 albums) and Gentle Giant (first 7).
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Rush's album run from 2112 to Moving Pictures is superb and among the best runs in rock music.
Some guys in this thread mentioned Yes' run from The Yes Album to Relayer, but I disagree because Tales From Topographic Oceans is generally not considered a top-tier record.
Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath have 6 great classic albums in a row (their first 6 records), Iron Maiden has 7 (all their 80's albums), Opeth's run from Morningrise to Damnation is very strong. Thin Lizzy's run from Fighting to Black Rose too.
I would add Bruce Springsteen from The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle to Nebraska (5 albums) and Neil Young from Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere to Zuma (6 albums).
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Rush's album run from 2112 to Moving Pictures is superb and among the best runs in rock music.
Some guys in this thread mentioned Yes' run from The Yes Album to Relayer, but I disagree because Tales From Topographic Oceans is generally not considered a top-tier record.
Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath have 6 great classic albums in a row (their first 6 records), Iron Maiden has 7 (all their 80's albums), Opeth's run from Morningrise to Damnation is very strong. Thin Lizzy's run from Fighting to Black Rose too.
I would add Bruce Springsteen from The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle to Nebraska (5 albums) and Neil Young from Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere to Zuma (6 albums).
Pink Floyd.
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Count me as one who prefers the run from Permanent Waves through Power Windows.
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Count me as one who prefers the run from Permanent Waves through Power Windows.
Same here.
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Count me as one who prefers the run from Permanent Waves through Power Windows.
Same here.
Same. That run absolutely smokes 2112 to MP imo
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Power Windows is my #1 album of all time soooooooo.....
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Power Windows is my #1 album of all time soooooooo.....
MY MAN! :2metal:
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Power Windows is my #1 album of all time soooooooo.....
MY MAN! :2metal:
Power Windows is my go-to Rush album. I think Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures are better, but I can listen to Power Windows at any time.
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Power Windows is my #1 album of all time soooooooo.....
MY MAN! :2metal:
Power Windows is my go-to Rush album. I think Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures are better, but I can listen to Power Windows at any time.
The Power Windows legion grows!!
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Power Windows is my #1 album of all time soooooooo.....
MY MAN! :2metal:
Power Windows is my go-to Rush album. I think Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures are better, but I can listen to Power Windows at any time.
The Power Windows legion grows!!
Power Windows is also my favorite Rush album. Though at times I feel very similarly strongly about Signals, Grace Under Pressure, and Presto.
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Wow. TAC isn't going to like this series of posts when he wakes up from his nap. :lol
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When he turns on his Thingamajig.
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Of course it was WildRanger who resurrected this three year old thread. :biggrin:
Count me as one who prefers the run from Permanent Waves through Power Windows.
Yeesh. Not even close.
I agree that Signals is part of Rush's run, but GUP and PoW aren't fit to hold the pee bucket for 2112, AFTK and Hemispheres. GUP and PoW can barely muster one album's worth of listenable material between them.
Some guys in this thread mentioned Yes' run from The Yes Album to Relayer, but I disagree because Tales From Topographic Oceans is generally not considered a top-tier record.
And I disagree because I think TFTO is a GREAT album, and I would extend Yes's run from TYA to GFTO.
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Of course it was WildRanger who resurrected this three year old thread. :biggrin:
Count me as one who prefers the run from Permanent Waves through Power Windows.
Yeesh. Not even close.
I agree that Signals is part of Rush's run, but GUP and PoW aren't fit to hold the pee bucket for 2112, AFTK and Hemispheres. GUP and PoW can barely muster one album's worth of listenable material between them.
Some guys in this thread mentioned Yes' run from The Yes Album to Relayer, but I disagree because Tales From Topographic Oceans is generally not considered a top-tier record.
And I disagree because I think TFTO is a GREAT album, and I would extend Yes's run from TYA to GFTO.
I am glad that I am not old enough to be subject to the tyranny of thought that “everything was better in the 70s.”
;) :P
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Of course it was WildRanger who resurrected this three year old thread. :biggrin:
Count me as one who prefers the run from Permanent Waves through Power Windows.
Yeesh. Not even close.
I agree that Signals is part of Rush's run, but GUP and PoW aren't fit to hold the pee bucket for 2112, AFTK and Hemispheres. GUP and PoW can barely muster one album's worth of listenable material between them.
Some guys in this thread mentioned Yes' run from The Yes Album to Relayer, but I disagree because Tales From Topographic Oceans is generally not considered a top-tier record.
And I disagree because I think TFTO is a GREAT album, and I would extend Yes's run from TYA to GFTO.
I am glad that I am not old enough to be subject to the tyranny of thought that “everything was better in the 70s.”
;) :P
Same. I'm 43, but holy hell, if I hear one more boomer type say, "back when REAL music was made!" I'm going to smash their 59 Les Paul replica over their heads.
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I'm surprised no one has mentioned Dream Theater yet - Images and Words through Six Degrees (since we are counting consecutive studio albums and not factoring in EPs or compilations).
I would go with Scenes, Six Degrees, TOT, Octavarium, and SC.. All fantastic albums imo. :metal
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I'm 52, close to 53 sooooooooooooo........
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And I disagree because I think TFTO is a GREAT album.
I find it a mixed bag. And there is no consensus that TFTO is a great Yes album (as CTTE or Fragile or The Yes Album).
For example, it's rated 3.90 on ProgArchives, so it's not a high average score there.
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Of course it was WildRanger who resurrected this three year old thread. :biggrin:
Count me as one who prefers the run from Permanent Waves through Power Windows.
Yeesh. Not even close.
I agree that Signals is part of Rush's run, but GUP and PoW aren't fit to hold the pee bucket for 2112, AFTK and Hemispheres. GUP and PoW can barely muster one album's worth of listenable material between them.
Some guys in this thread mentioned Yes' run from The Yes Album to Relayer, but I disagree because Tales From Topographic Oceans is generally not considered a top-tier record.
And I disagree because I think TFTO is a GREAT album, and I would extend Yes's run from TYA to GFTO.
I am glad that I am not old enough to be subject to the tyranny of thought that “everything was better in the 70s.”
;) :P
Same. I'm 43, but holy hell, if I hear one more boomer type say, "back when REAL music was made!" I'm going to smash their 59 Les Paul replica over their heads.
I kid mostly. I’m sure most people have a period in their life where they were strongly influenced by what was going on at the time and that informs your likes and preferences for the rest of your life. For me that was probably more the 90s, although I was also exposed to music from the 70s and 80s growing up. I’m glad that I was able to come to a band like Rush retrospectively because I think that makes it easier to appreciate the different phases of the band. Heck, I’m kind of biased against 2000s and beyond Dream Theater, partly because the 90s releases were formative for me. Just didn’t like them when they started to change after about SFAM/SDOIT. But if you came to those releases first, I can see why it would be easier to like them.
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Give us a break; back when REAL music was made we didn't have to deal with people that didn't realize it. ;) :) :) :) :) :)
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I am glad that I am not old enough to be subject to the tyranny of thought that “everything was better in the 70s.”
When it comes to rock bands who had a big discography through two decades - 70's and 80's, in the vast majority of cases their 70's output easily crushes the 80's output. For example, let's look at ZZ Top: "Tres Hombres" kicks the living crap out of "Eliminator".
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70's is my favorite era for music. Doesn't mean i can't love 80's output. Also Wildranger, I think all output from ZZ Top sucks.
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70's is my favorite era for music. Doesn't mean i can't love 80's output. Also Wildranger, I think all output from ZZ Top sucks.
I want to buy you a beer for this. Hell yeah :lol
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Of course it was WildRanger who resurrected this three year old thread. :biggrin:
Count me as one who prefers the run from Permanent Waves through Power Windows.
Yeesh. Not even close.
I agree that Signals is part of Rush's run, but GUP and PoW aren't fit to hold the pee bucket for 2112, AFTK and Hemispheres. GUP and PoW can barely muster one album's worth of listenable material between them.
Some guys in this thread mentioned Yes' run from The Yes Album to Relayer, but I disagree because Tales From Topographic Oceans is generally not considered a top-tier record.
And I disagree because I think TFTO is a GREAT album, and I would extend Yes's run from TYA to GFTO.
I am glad that I am not old enough to be subject to the tyranny of thought that “everything was better in the 70s.”
;) :P
Dafuq?!
There was very little about the 70s that was "better" than the 80s, but the music of Rush and Yes by and large fall into that category. I was a kid in the 70s and a teen and young adult in the 80s, but when you look back from a historical perspective, there was a shit-ton of shit happening in the 70s that I'm glad I was too young to deal with.
And I disagree because I think TFTO is a GREAT album.
I find it a mixed bag. And there is no consensus that TFTO is a great Yes album (as CTTE or Fragile or The Yes Album).
For example, it's rated 3.90 on ProgArchives, so it's not a high average score there.
Yes, I'm aware that TFTO is not universally as highly regarded as the albums on either side of it, but that's why opinions are subjective.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Dream Theater yet - Images and Words through Six Degrees (since we are counting consecutive studio albums and not factoring in EPs or compilations).
I would go with Scenes, Six Degrees, TOT, Octavarium, and SC.. All fantastic albums imo. :metal
The existence of FII and SC make it impossible to come up with a 5-album run for DT that works for me. Those are two of their bottom four albums, but the four in between (which, by the way, contain far more music than just about any of the five-album runs that have been mentioned) are virtually unparalleled.
70's is my favorite era for music. Doesn't mean i can't love 80's output. Also Wildranger, I think all output from ZZ Top sucks.
That's because it's an objective fact.
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And that's my opinion. :lol
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Oh and pg, we still our candybars. :lol
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70's is my favorite era for music. Doesn't mean i can't love 80's output. Also Wildranger, I think all output from ZZ Top sucks.
I want to buy you a beer for this. Hell yeah :lol
Huh. That surprises me from both of you (and pg). I would have thought that they would be at least middle of the road. They seem to have a modicum of integrity, and Billy Gibbons is a monster player. Personally, you have to be careful with ZZ Top's catalogue (they went through a phase when they reconfigured their earlier output to sound more like "Eliminator", which is to be avoided, but they went back to the original mixes which still sound good today).
They were less than impressive live though; I saw them as a headliner and they literally played for 60 minutes. Lame (even if the 60 minutes were solid).
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I don't mind a few songs but they've never been "my cup of tea."
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There was very little about the 70s that was "better" than the 80s, but the music of Rush and Yes by and large fall into that category. I was a kid in the 70s and a teen and young adult in the 80s, but when you look back from a historical perspective, there was a shit-ton of shit happening in the 70s that I'm glad I was too young to deal with.
We're the same age; I know for me there's a whiff of "you had to be there" to some of the concerts of the 70's. I'm sure a lot of it is apochryphal, but I'd have loved to experience a true 70's show from Zeppelin or the Dead. I saw the Dead in the 80's (well, more correctly, I worked the show as a security guard/usher) and it was one of the more crazy shows I was ever at. I can only imagine that was a watered down version of the 70's heyday.
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Just going back to the original topic of the 5 album run from Rush beginning with 2112 and ending with Moving Pictures - those are the only Rush albums that interest me. What they became after these albums is just not my cup of tea. Although I freely admit I did enjoy the bulk of their radio hits throughout their careers.
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I don't mind a few songs but they've never been "my cup of tea."
You do know that Eliminator was not their first album, right?
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70's is my favorite era for music. Doesn't mean i can't love 80's output. Also Wildranger, I think all output from ZZ Top sucks.
That's because it's an objective fact.
Nope, it's not. "Tres Hombres" is objectively good. ;D
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:lol
I don't mind a few songs but they've never been "my cup of tea."
You do know that Eliminator was not their first album, right?
Are you really asking me this? :lol
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70's is my favorite era for music. Doesn't mean i can't love 80's output. Also Wildranger, I think all output from ZZ Top sucks.
I want to buy you a beer for this. Hell yeah :lol
Huh. That surprises me from both of you (and pg). I would have thought that they would be at least middle of the road. They seem to have a modicum of integrity, and Billy Gibbons is a monster player. Personally, you have to be careful with ZZ Top's catalogue (they went through a phase when they reconfigured their earlier output to sound more like "Eliminator", which is to be avoided, but they went back to the original mixes which still sound good today).
They were less than impressive live though; I saw them as a headliner and they literally played for 60 minutes. Lame (even if the 60 minutes were solid).
I can't say I'm all that familiar with ZZ Top's pre-Eliminator stuff. I know there's Tush, which seems to be a pretty garden variety boogie-woogie song. There's a another song where I have to assume Gibbons got drunk and mumbled a lot and they recorded it and decided to use it as the "vocal" for the song.
I think Sharp Dressed Man is an ok song, but it's almost the exact same song as Gimme All Your Loving. Your reference to integrity is interesting because comparing the sound of their early stuff to the Eliminator stuff leads me to conclude that they sold out big time to the gods of MTV.
Ultimately, ZZ Top is a blues-rock band, and I don't like the blues and am not a fan of overtly bluesy rock. Definitely not my cup of meat (tea isn't my cup of tea either).
There was very little about the 70s that was "better" than the 80s, but the music of Rush and Yes by and large fall into that category. I was a kid in the 70s and a teen and young adult in the 80s, but when you look back from a historical perspective, there was a shit-ton of shit happening in the 70s that I'm glad I was too young to deal with.
We're the same age; I know for me there's a whiff of "you had to be there" to some of the concerts of the 70's. I'm sure a lot of it is apochryphal, but I'd have loved to experience a true 70's show from Zeppelin or the Dead. I saw the Dead in the 80's (well, more correctly, I worked the show as a security guard/usher) and it was one of the more crazy shows I was ever at. I can only imagine that was a watered down version of the 70's heyday.
I have no interest in the Dead, but I definitely agree with you about 70s concerts. Zeppelin and Sabbath in their early 70s heyday. Yes on the CTTE tour or in the round on GFTO. Rush on the Drive Until You Die tour. The Who with Keith Moon. Those will definitely be time machine destinations for me. My comment about there being very little about the 70s that was better than the 80s was intended to be very all-encompassing.
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70's is my favorite era for music. Doesn't mean i can't love 80's output. Also Wildranger, I think all output from ZZ Top sucks.
In other words, ZZ Top is the only band you didn't see in the 80's. :lol :lol
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ZZ Top never appealed to me much, but I've had fun covering "Cheap Sunglasses" and "Tush" which is always a crowd pleaser
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I go through a ZZ Top phase once every three or four years. Usually last a day or two and it is fun, and then I move on and get back to them three-four years later again. :lol
The songs in my 80's playlist (Gimme All Your Lovin', Legs) and Cheap Sunglasses (killer song I listen to often) notwithstanding.
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70's is my favorite era for music. Doesn't mean i can't love 80's output. Also Wildranger, I think all output from ZZ Top sucks.
In other words, ZZ Top is the only band you didn't see in the 80's. :lol :lol
BINGO!! :lol
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Count me as one who prefers the run from Permanent Waves through Power Windows.
Same here.
Same. That run absolutely smokes 2112 to MP imo
Count me in.
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70's is my favorite era for music. Doesn't mean i can't love 80's output. Also Wildranger, I think all output from ZZ Top sucks.
I want to buy you a beer for this. Hell yeah :lol
Huh. That surprises me from both of you (and pg). I would have thought that they would be at least middle of the road. They seem to have a modicum of integrity, and Billy Gibbons is a monster player. Personally, you have to be careful with ZZ Top's catalogue (they went through a phase when they reconfigured their earlier output to sound more like "Eliminator", which is to be avoided, but they went back to the original mixes which still sound good today).
They were less than impressive live though; I saw them as a headliner and they literally played for 60 minutes. Lame (even if the 60 minutes were solid).
I don't doubt they're monster players, and even in their hits they show chops, but I just can't bring myself to listen to them and don't like their hits much either. I've heard three albums - Degüello, La Futura, and one of their other early ones I can't remember the name of off the top of my head - and they're just so meh.
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70's is my favorite era for music. Doesn't mean i can't love 80's output. Also Wildranger, I think all output from ZZ Top sucks.
I want to buy you a beer for this. Hell yeah :lol
Huh. That surprises me from both of you (and pg). I would have thought that they would be at least middle of the road. They seem to have a modicum of integrity, and Billy Gibbons is a monster player. Personally, you have to be careful with ZZ Top's catalogue (they went through a phase when they reconfigured their earlier output to sound more like "Eliminator", which is to be avoided, but they went back to the original mixes which still sound good today).
They were less than impressive live though; I saw them as a headliner and they literally played for 60 minutes. Lame (even if the 60 minutes were solid).
I don't doubt they're monster players, and even in their hits they show chops
I can't hear anything resembling "chops" in any ZZ Top song I've heard (which, granted, is probably not more than a dozen, about half of which are from Eliminator). I have two vague recollections from when ZZ Top exploded in the MTV days. The first was that Dusty Hill was a terrible bass player, and the other was something about them having livestock on the stage during their 70s concerts. I took a look at the band's Wiki page and saw nothing about livestock, so maybe that was just a weird story or something I've mixed up in my head.
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PG, check out the rock doc on ZZ Top. Even though I wasn't a fan i enjoyed it throughly.
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70's is my favorite era for music. Doesn't mean i can't love 80's output. Also Wildranger, I think all output from ZZ Top sucks.
I want to buy you a beer for this. Hell yeah :lol
Huh. That surprises me from both of you (and pg). I would have thought that they would be at least middle of the road. They seem to have a modicum of integrity, and Billy Gibbons is a monster player. Personally, you have to be careful with ZZ Top's catalogue (they went through a phase when they reconfigured their earlier output to sound more like "Eliminator", which is to be avoided, but they went back to the original mixes which still sound good today).
They were less than impressive live though; I saw them as a headliner and they literally played for 60 minutes. Lame (even if the 60 minutes were solid).
I don't doubt they're monster players, and even in their hits they show chops
I can't hear anything resembling "chops" in any ZZ Top song I've heard (which, granted, is probably not more than a dozen, about half of which are from Eliminator). I have two vague recollections from when ZZ Top exploded in the MTV days. The first was that Dusty Hill was a terrible bass player, and the other was something about them having livestock on the stage during their 70s concerts. I took a look at the band's Wiki page and saw nothing about livestock, so maybe that was just a weird story or something I've mixed up in my head.
Well, it depends. Find the Live at Daryl's House with Billy Gibbons; he SMOKES it in that setting. But you're right; "Legs" is not exactly prog in it's instrumental stylings. :)
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70's is my favorite era for music. Doesn't mean i can't love 80's output. Also Wildranger, I think all output from ZZ Top sucks.
I want to buy you a beer for this. Hell yeah :lol
Huh. That surprises me from both of you (and pg). I would have thought that they would be at least middle of the road. They seem to have a modicum of integrity, and Billy Gibbons is a monster player. Personally, you have to be careful with ZZ Top's catalogue (they went through a phase when they reconfigured their earlier output to sound more like "Eliminator", which is to be avoided, but they went back to the original mixes which still sound good today).
They were less than impressive live though; I saw them as a headliner and they literally played for 60 minutes. Lame (even if the 60 minutes were solid).
I don't doubt they're monster players, and even in their hits they show chops
I can't hear anything resembling "chops" in any ZZ Top song I've heard (which, granted, is probably not more than a dozen, about half of which are from Eliminator). I have two vague recollections from when ZZ Top exploded in the MTV days. The first was that Dusty Hill was a terrible bass player, and the other was something about them having livestock on the stage during their 70s concerts. I took a look at the band's Wiki page and saw nothing about livestock, so maybe that was just a weird story or something I've mixed up in my head.
No, it happened. The '76-'77 World Wide Texas Tour. There are few photos, but this link has video (https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/best_tour_ever_remembering_zz_tops_worldwide_texas_tour-83259), and at one point the camera pans to a rattlesnake coiled on the stage.
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I am not a huge Rush guy, but what I enjoy of theirs, I rank as high as anything I have in my library. Subjectively, this 5 album stretch could be unparalleled in my musical collection.
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I am not a huge Rush guy, but what I enjoy of theirs, I rank as high as anything I have in my library. Subjectively, this 5 album stretch could be unparalleled in my musical collection.
In hindsight, this is kind of me. I rarely ever rank them as "my favorite band" or even in the top three or four, but some of their albums? Hemispheres is a top five album ALL TIME for me, and AFTK and MP are probably top 10, top 15. That's pretty damn good for a guy that has something like 2,000 CDs.
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Aerosmith had a pretty good run of albums beginning with their debut through their 5th
Aerosmith - S/T - 1973
Get Your Wings - 1974
Toys In The Attic - 1975
Rocks - 1976
Draw The Line - 1977
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Aerosmith had a pretty good run of albums beginning with their debut through their 5th
Aerosmith - S/T - 1973
Get Your Wings - 1974
Toys In The Attic - 1975
Rocks - 1976
Draw The Line - 1977
Not questioning you, but no Night In The Ruts? I agree with that run - solid, especially GYW through Rocks - but I'm a big fan of NITR. One or two duff tracks - Remember is only ok and I can do without Reefer Headed Woman - but I LOVE the rest of Side A and I like it as a whole at least as much as Draw The Line.
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I think personally DTL is a weak album with their best song. Kings & Queens.
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I am not a huge Rush guy, but what I enjoy of theirs, I rank as high as anything I have in my library. Subjectively, this 5 album stretch could be unparalleled in my musical collection.
In hindsight, this is kind of me. I rarely ever rank them as "my favorite band" or even in the top three or four, but some of their albums? Hemispheres is a top five album ALL TIME for me, and AFTK and MP are probably top 10, top 15. That's pretty damn good for a guy that has something like 2,000 CDs.
I don't think I have a Rush album in my top 10 albums of all-time. I'm fairly sure I don't.
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I'm sure Moving Pictures (my favorite Rush album) would wind up somewhere in my top 50 albums. I can comfortably call Rush one of my favorite bands of all time, and I genuinely don't think I can call any of their albums outright "bad", which is something I can rarely say about any artist with a discography as extensive as theirs.
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I'm sure Moving Pictures (my favorite Rush album) would wind up somewhere in my top 50 albums. I can comfortably call Rush one of my favorite bands of all time, and I genuinely don't think I can call any of their albums outright "bad", which is something I can rarely say about any artist with a discography as extensive as theirs.
Rush is my favorite band of all-time. There are only about a dozen songs in the entire catalog that I'm that not into and their first single has two of them.
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Here's a question - can anyone pick a favorite five album run that DOESN'T include Moving Pictures?
I'm sure most folks might pick Signals-Presto, which is pretty decent, but I'm wondering if anyone would pick, say, Counterparts-Clockwork Angels, or even Caress Of Steel-Permanent Waves?
-Marc.
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Here's a question - can anyone pick a favorite five album run that DOESN'T include Moving Pictures?
I'm sure most folks might pick Signals-Presto, which is pretty decent, but I'm wondering if anyone would pick, say, Counterparts-Clockwork Angels, or even Caress Of Steel-Permanent Waves?
-Marc.
I can't, but I get the sense that at least a couple folks here might take GUP through RTB or PoW through Counterparts.
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Here's a question - can anyone pick a favorite five album run that DOESN'T include Moving Pictures?
I'm sure most folks might pick Signals-Presto, which is pretty decent, but I'm wondering if anyone would pick, say, Counterparts-Clockwork Angels, or even Caress Of Steel-Permanent Waves?
-Marc.
I would go Fly By Night through Hemispheres. I actually like most of Caress (I don't like I Think I'm Going Bald, even though it's inspired by a Kiss song, but I really like The Fountain of Lamneth). I like FBN more than I like PeW, I think. I'll have to think about that a bit.
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I don't like I Think I'm Going Bald,
That's a shock! Figured it'd be Top 5! :lol
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Here's a question - can anyone pick a favorite five album run that DOESN'T include Moving Pictures?
I'm sure most folks might pick Signals-Presto, which is pretty decent, but I'm wondering if anyone would pick, say, Counterparts-Clockwork Angels, or even Caress Of Steel-Permanent Waves?
-Marc.
I would take Caress Of Steel-Permanent Waves easily. COS is good, next 4 albums are great. Signals-Presto? Nah, because Hold Your Fire and Presto are weak albums. Counterparts-Clockwork Angels? Nah. Because three albums between Counterparts and CA are meh.
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Signal-Presto for me
I considered Caress Of Steel-Permanent Waves, but Hemispheres keeps me from choosing it.
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If we're excluding MP, then I'd go with CoS-PeW. Caress is solid but the band was still unrealized at that point IMO. Everything from 2112 onward is just straight fire.
I may have gone with Signals-Presto if not for HYF, which I'm not too keen on aside from a couple tracks.
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I don’t know if I like Presto that much better than Permanent Waves or if I like Moving Pictures that much more than Hold Your Fire. That makes it a tough call whether to go with Permanent Waves-Power Windows or Signals-Presto.
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Here's a question - can anyone pick a favorite five album run that DOESN'T include Moving Pictures?
I'm sure most folks might pick Signals-Presto, which is pretty decent, but I'm wondering if anyone would pick, say, Counterparts-Clockwork Angels, or even Caress Of Steel-Permanent Waves?
-Marc.
If I have to pick a 5-album run that doesn't have Moving Pictures, I will take Power Windows through Counterparts. It has two of my five favorite Rush records (the ones that bookend it), a major sentimental favorite in Roll the Bones, and two more good ones in HYF and Presto. Signals through Presto is tempting, but I probably slightly prefer the CP/RtB combo to Signals/GuP.
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If I were to take a favorite 5 album run that didn’t include MP, it would probably be CoS-PeW. But man, I REALLY love most of CP-CA. CP hasn’t aged well, and there’s some duds on VT, but I still play TFE, SAA, and CA all the time. LOVE those albums.
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Here's a question - can anyone pick a favorite five album run that DOESN'T include Moving Pictures?
I'm sure most folks might pick Signals-Presto, which is pretty decent, but I'm wondering if anyone would pick, say, Counterparts-Clockwork Angels, or even Caress Of Steel-Permanent Waves?
-Marc.
I could probably pick all three. But I'll go with Counterparts-Clockwork Angels for today. I went on a big Rush binge after Neil passed away and found myself going back to those albums often. It's a great run to end their career.
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I could probably pick all three. But I'll go with Counterparts-Clockwork Angels for today. I went on a big Rush binge after Neil passed away and found myself going back to those albums often. It's a great run to end their career.
Yeah. Even though none of the three are among my favorites, Test for Echo, Vapor Trails and Snakes and Arrows are all still good albums. Plenty to like on each. I am not going to go all fanboy and loudly proclaim, "ZOMG, Rush's worst albums are better than most bands' best," or anything silly like that, but I will submit that you won't find many rock bands or artists who made that many albums and were still making ones that solid/good once they got to 16, 17 and 18.
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Aerosmith had a pretty good run of albums beginning with their debut through their 5th
Aerosmith - S/T - 1973
Get Your Wings - 1974
Toys In The Attic - 1975
Rocks - 1976
Draw The Line - 1977
Not questioning you, but no Night In The Ruts? I agree with that run - solid, especially GYW through Rocks - but I'm a big fan of NITR. One or two duff tracks - Remember is only ok and I can do without Reefer Headed Woman - but I LOVE the rest of Side A and I like it as a whole at least as much as Draw The Line.
Well, for me if we're talking about 5-album runs, I prefer the debut by a slight margin to Night In The Ruts, so that's why I went with the debut >> draw the line, but there is no doubt that Night In The Ruts is a great album, despite a couple of toss-out tracks.
Seems we have similar musical tastes. :smiley:
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A while ago, I put all of the Rush studio albums in a mega playlist and sorted them in chronological order. First time I did this at work, I started at the debut and made it to GUP by the end of my day. Today, I started at Permanent Waves and I'm finishing up T4E right now. It helped me get through Black Friday, for sure. :metal
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Aerosmith had a pretty good run of albums beginning with their debut through their 5th
Aerosmith - S/T - 1973
Get Your Wings - 1974
Toys In The Attic - 1975
Rocks - 1976
Draw The Line - 1977
Not questioning you, but no Night In The Ruts? I agree with that run - solid, especially GYW through Rocks - but I'm a big fan of NITR. One or two duff tracks - Remember is only ok and I can do without Reefer Headed Woman - but I LOVE the rest of Side A and I like it as a whole at least as much as Draw The Line.
Well, for me if we're talking about 5-album runs, I prefer the debut by a slight margin to Night In The Ruts, so that's why I went with the debut >> draw the line, but there is no doubt that Night In The Ruts is a great album, despite a couple of toss-out tracks.
Seems we have similar musical tastes. :smiley:
Night In The Ruts is EASILY my favorite Aerosmith album. In fact my favorite three album run by Aerosmith is NITR/RIAHP/DWM.
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I kind of see Rush's run from the debut through Presto to be unmatched. Every record is filled with strong material, and for the most part, does not include much if anything I dislike.
From a Rating standpoint, every record is between 4 and 5-stars.
There's really only 2 other bands I find that have had that kind of an extensive run of consistency for me.
-Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin I through In through the Out Door, aka their whole catalog minus Coda
-Renaissance: Prologue through A Song for All Seasons
why it's incredibly difficult for me to rank those catalogs.
Like Rush, I see Zeppelin and Renaissance having incredibly consistent and even catalogs. The difference between their worst record and their best record is not all that much.
Why if you take 2112 through Moving Pictures doesn't mean much to me because you could take Caress of Steel through Hemispheres or A Farewell to Kings through Signals, or Permanent Waves through Grace Under Pressure, and they are all so close, it's really just splitting hairs for me.
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Here's a question - can anyone pick a favorite five album run that DOESN'T include Moving Pictures?
I'm sure most folks might pick Signals-Presto, which is pretty decent, but I'm wondering if anyone would pick, say, Counterparts-Clockwork Angels, or even Caress Of Steel-Permanent Waves?
-Marc.
Not counting Feedback I'd do Test For Echo through Clockwork Angels and I'd want to include the live albums too.
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Aerosmith had a pretty good run of albums beginning with their debut through their 5th
Aerosmith - S/T - 1973
Get Your Wings - 1974
Toys In The Attic - 1975
Rocks - 1976
Draw The Line - 1977
Not questioning you, but no Night In The Ruts? I agree with that run - solid, especially GYW through Rocks - but I'm a big fan of NITR. One or two duff tracks - Remember is only ok and I can do without Reefer Headed Woman - but I LOVE the rest of Side A and I like it as a whole at least as much as Draw The Line.
Well, for me if we're talking about 5-album runs, I prefer the debut by a slight margin to Night In The Ruts, so that's why I went with the debut >> draw the line, but there is no doubt that Night In The Ruts is a great album, despite a couple of toss-out tracks.
Seems we have similar musical tastes. :smiley:
Yes, we do. :tup