Thursday night, over a couple of beers, Marcos says to me, "I love every single song on Gomez's first three albums."
That's a bold statement, I replied. I couldn't think of any three studio albums by one artists where I loved every song on the album. My first thought was Van Morrison. But looking over my library he only makes the cut if I consider live albums. Then I wagered that Ozomatli had at least three albums where I loved every song. Again, turns out only if I consider live albums. If Marcos had said four I wouldn't be writing this.
Luckily I'm a fanatic about the statistics in my music library (play count, skip count, rating). And, apparently beer doesn't give me clairvoyance. Considering only studio albums, it turns out there are artists--four--who have three albums where I love every song on the album. The results surprised me. I'd hoped for some Talking Heads or something chic. Alas.
Looking at the list now, how could I forget the masters? Looks like I'm a die hard 'classic' rock fan still.
I should've realized Rusted Root would make the list though they disappointed me when I last saw them at the Fillmore. The fact that they sampled Neil Young's guitar when they covered his song left a bad taste in my mouth despite the rest of the well-performed set. Yet obviously I love their stuff.
The biggest surprise: Slightly Stoopid. Digging back through their earlier releases has really been a joy.
The List
Bruce Springsteen
Born in the USA
Born to Run
We Shall Overcome
Led Zeppelin
I
III
IV
Rusted Root
Cruel Sun
Welcome to My Village
When I Woke
Slightly Stoopid
Closer to the Sun
Everything You Need
Slightly Not Stoned Enough To Eat Breakfast Yet Stoopid