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Prog bands that pass the 5 album test

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ethanm2000 View Drop Down
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    Posted: August 17 2021 at 19:46
The 5 album test is a test for all time greatness for a musical artist. To pass the test, an artist must have 5 consecutive albums that are “great”. Great is obviously subjective, but that’s what makes this so interesting! What are some bands you think qualify, and what is their five album stretch? I’ll start with a couple easy ones:

1. Rush (2112, AFTK, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures)
2. Genesis (Foxtrot, SEBTP, TLLDOB, Trick of the Tail, W&W)

What else do you got?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote cstack3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 17 2021 at 20:20
Welcome to PA! 

Yes:

The Yes Album; Fragile; CTTE; TFTO; Relayer. 


Edited by cstack3 - August 17 2021 at 20:21
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nogbad_The_Bad Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 17 2021 at 20:26
Univers Zero - 1313 to Heatwave
Black Sabbath - s/t to Sabotage

Ian

Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com

https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Man With Hat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 17 2021 at 20:51
Agalloch (their entire studio output)
Van Der Graaf Generator (The Least... through Still Life)
Jethro Tull (Stand Up through Minstrel) 

Univers Zero (Heresie through Heatwave, cheating slightly to include the EP Crawling Wind)

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Magma, Art Zoyd and Soft Machine all have 5 or more great + albums, but not consecutively. There are probably others as well, but I just can't think of them atm. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sacro_Porgo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 17 2021 at 20:55
The 5 album test is more of a game than a real test. See if you can agree or disagree with the bands other people think have five great consecutive albums. It's not usually an easy challenge to pass in anyone's mind, but it's also not the sole identifier of a great band. Many of the bands on this site only have a couple great ones, and many only have one album period. But the game can be fun. Here's a fun question for it:

What of Pink Floyd? DSTOM - WYWH - Animals - The Wall is obviously fantastic, but to complete it you either have to choose Obscured By Clouds (no cheating and going for Meddle) or The Final Cut. Do they pass or not?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sacro_Porgo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 17 2021 at 21:03
oo, another fun way to look at this might be:

Rather than go by personal preference and your own opinions, what if we use the PA rating system to determine if an artist passes or not? An album would need to pass a certain rating benchmark to be considered great. I think 4.00 might be a bit too high. Maybe 3.50? Let's take a look at Floyd this way...

Obscured By Clouds ~ 3.37
Dark Side Of The Moon ~ 4.61
Wish You Were Here ~ 4.63
Animals ~ 4.52
The Wall ~ 4.10
The Final Cut ~ 3.19

It seems Floyd don't quite cut it! Not without cheating and putting in Meddle, which would handily round it out with a score of 4.30. Going by the 3.50 cutoff, their first five don't quite make it either. More sits at just 3.15, and even if you don't count that one, Ummagumma has only 3.48, just barely too low.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote Sacro_Porgo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 17 2021 at 21:08
Yes pass based on ratings, and they have not just 5, but 6 in a row, that do it.

The Yes Album ~ 4.31
Fragile ~ 4.46
Close To The Edge ~ 4.67
Tales From Topographic Oceans ~ 3.90
Relayer ~ 4.37
Going For The One ~ 4.05

In fact Yes nearly pass the test with a 4.00 cutoff, if not for those pesky negative reviews bringing Tales down a tenth of a star below. The question here is which would you drop for your five album run, The Yes Album or Going For The One? I would drop Going For The One personally.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sacro_Porgo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 17 2021 at 21:13
Genesis do Yes one better, with 7 (almost 9) that pass the 3.50 mark in a row, and in fact they all pass the 4.00 mark as well!

Tresspass ~ 4.15
Nursery Cryme ~ 4.42
Foxtrot ~ 4.61
Selling England By The Pound ~ 4.64
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway ~ 4.31
A Trick Of The Tail ~ 4.28
Wind And Wuthering ~ 4.11

And Then There Were Three loses Hackett and consequently over half a star, with only 3.43 to it's name. However Duke bounces back to the cutoff exactly, 3.50! Interesting. Everything afterwards is under 3 stars on here. Seems the prog board doesn't favor one of their favorite bands going pop, fancy that, lol.

My run of five would be from Nursery Cryme through A Trick Of The Tail, but then I'd have another from Duke through We Can't Dance. Shocked


Edited by Sacro_Porgo - August 17 2021 at 21:15
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sacro_Porgo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 17 2021 at 21:22
And how about King Crimson? Eight in a row!!

In The Court Of The Crimson King ~ 4.63
In The Wake Of Poseidon ~ 3.84
Lizard ~ 4.13
Islands ~ 3.83
Larks' Tongues In Aspic ~ 4.42
Starless And Bible Black ~ 3.93
Red ~ 4.56
Discipline ~ 4.12

Some definite ups and downs and they wouldn't pass the 4.00 benchmark because of them, however those sub 4 entries are still pretty high scores. Beat is the first not to make it at 3.08, and with only a couple exceptions (ThraK and The Power To Believe), the Crim tends not to reach the mark after Discipline. My run of five here would be Lizard through Red. It pains me to leave out ITCOTCK, but not as much as it would pain me to leave out Red. Happily three of my other favorites are in any cut you want: Lizard, Islands, and Larks' Tongues In Aspic, though I somehow doubt anyone will be going from In The Wake Of Poseidon through Starless And Bible Black.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sacro_Porgo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 17 2021 at 21:27
Jethro Tull is an interesting case indeed. They do make the cutoff, but only the 3.50 cutoff, and only with just five in a row. The usual suspects from their mid 70s output hold them back from a possible 10 or 11 album run of greatness: War Child (3.34) and Too Old To Rock N Roll: Too Young To Die (3.09). Minstrel In The Gallery sadly gets stuck between them and doesn't get to join the fun, despite passing the 4.00 cutoff. But anyway here's the run:

Stand Up ~ 4.04
Benefit ~ 3.91
Aqualung ~ 4.36
Thick As A Brick ~ 4.63
A Passion Play ~ 4.04

Personally I'm a little surprised Stand Up ranks over Benefit. I always though the latter was the more well regarded of the two, though I'm happy to see some love for the jazzier, earlier incarnation.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sacro_Porgo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 17 2021 at 21:40
To round out the Big 6 (which I was doing semi unintentionally just looking through the top albums of the PA top 100 list), here's Emerson, Lake, And Palmer. Similar to Pink Floyd, there is one way you can cheat them in, and I'm actually partial to this. As far as their standard studio discography goes, they just miss the mark with that opening 4 albums run:

Emerson, Lake, And Palmer ~ 4.23
Tarkus ~ 4.06
Trilogy ~ 4.14
Brain Salad Surgery ~ 4.14
Works Vol. 1 ~ ....2.94 ouch

BUT! If you toss in Pictures At An Exhibition, sitting between the debut and Tarkus, you can turn that four album run into five. Pictures doesn't pass the 4.00 mark, but it manages to get close with a score of 3.88. Why am I more partial to this cheat than to cheating with Pink Floyd? Typically, live albums shouldn't really count for these discussions, not because they're recorded live, but because they don't feature any new material, or perhaps a single new song or new cover. However, Pictures is an exception to this tendency, as the whole album features ELP playing material which cannot be heard on any of their studio releases: a massive rendition of the orchestral piece by the same name, but totally reinterpreted ELP style (with lyrics and vocals!). To many ELP fans it functions as an album much the same way as any of their studio recordings, despite being live and despite being (technically) a massive cover. So I'm for including it. With Floyd on the other hand, one would have to play by a different set of rules which would negate soundtrack albums on account of their soundtrackiness. Presumably any rule which would negate soundtracks, despite being composed of new material and presented much the same as albums proper, would also negate live albums, even Pictures At An Exhibition. So I think it comes down to whether you'd like Floyd to have the 5 album run or ELP. I'll go with ELP, since they don't get enough love for what they did.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Progishness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 17 2021 at 23:17
^ Totally agree about Pictures - I've always thought of it as a 'proper' ELP album and it is indeed one of my all time favourites by anyone.  I wonder if they never finished a studio recording of it because they realised they couldn't surpass the energy, passion and overall excellence of the live version?


Edited by Progishness - August 17 2021 at 23:18
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sacro_Porgo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 18 2021 at 00:09
Originally posted by Progishness Progishness wrote:

^ Totally agree about Pictures - I've always thought of it as a 'proper' ELP album and it is indeed one of my all time favourites by anyone.  I wonder if they never finished a studio recording of it because they realised they couldn't surpass the energy, passion and overall excellence of the live version?

I think that's gotta be it. Also the record company may have been pestering them about single material after the success of Lucky Man, so they may have decided a 20 minute suite and a bunch of shorter songs was a bit wiser than a 40 minute suite and a cover of the Nutcracker as far as what they would put more effort into recording.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mirakaze Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 18 2021 at 01:39
Gentle Giant is an obvious contender: their first eight albums are practically all gold (six consecutive ones are rated higher than four stars on this website). Area's first five albums are all pretty spectacular as well in my opinion.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Saperlipopette! Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 18 2021 at 01:48
Maybe I'm too generous, but there's simply far too many to mention. Hundreds really.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sacro_Porgo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 18 2021 at 01:52
Originally posted by Mirakaze Mirakaze wrote:

Gentle Giant is an obvious contender: their first eight albums are practically all gold (six consecutive ones are rated higher than four stars on this website). Area's first five albums are all pretty spectacular as well in my opinion.

Indeed, both of them pass by the 3.5 metric, not to mention I've heard nothing but great things about or from either of them.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Man With Hat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 18 2021 at 02:30
Originally posted by Mirakaze Mirakaze wrote:

Gentle Giant is an obvious contender: their first eight albums are practically all gold (six consecutive ones are rated higher than four stars on this website). Area's first five albums are all pretty spectacular as well in my opinion.

GG gets ruined for me with In A Glass House (which has always been my least favorite of the classic giants), but Area is certainly one I should have thought of. Good call. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote I prophesy disaster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 18 2021 at 03:22
Van der Graaf Generator made five consecutive albums above 4.0, and nine consecutive albums above 3.5:
 
The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other - 4.07
H To He, Who Am The Only One - 4.32
Pawn Hearts - 4.42
Godbluff - 4.47
Still Life - 4.29
 
World Record - 3.83
The Quiet Zone / The Pleasure Dome - 3.64
Present - 3.61
Trisector - 3.51
 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Frenetic Zetetic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 18 2021 at 03:24
Originally posted by Man With Hat Man With Hat wrote:

Originally posted by Mirakaze Mirakaze wrote:

Gentle Giant is an obvious contender: their first eight albums are practically all gold (six consecutive ones are rated higher than four stars on this website). Area's first five albums are all pretty spectacular as well in my opinion.

GG gets ruined for me with In A Glass House (which has always been my least favorite of the classic giants), but Area is certainly one I should have thought of. Good call. 

Damn that's an unpopular GG opinion; that's my favorite GG entry!

I also agree that GG makes this list. I love everything up to and including Interview.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Deadwing Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 18 2021 at 03:33
Porcupine Tree:
FotBP, Deadwing, In Absentia, Lightbulb Sun, Stupid Dream. TBH, I enjoy all their albums except the first and I think The Sky Moves Sideways is good but not great.

Supertramp:
Crime on The Century, Crisis What Crisis, Even In the Quietest moments, Breakfast in America, Famous Last Words (and I could add Brother Where you bound too)

Leprous:
Bilateral, Coal, The Congregation, Malina, Pitfalls (hopefully their new one joins the list)
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