We would all like to believe that the best is yet to come for our favourite bands — that they still haven’t made their greatest record. But sadly, if they’ve been around for a decade or so, they’ve probably already peaked.
Marvin Gaye’s 1971 masterpiece What’s Going On has the distinction of being Rolling Stone magazine’s pick for the greatest album of all time. It gets this distinction based on their formula, which tabulates industry and media Top 50 lists, popular reviews and fan voting. Gaye made What’s Going On 10 years after his debut album in 1961. If you accept the notion that it is the greatest album of all time, then you must also accept the notion that it is Gaye’s best record — his 11th studio album of 17.
So here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m going to go through the top albums on Rolling Stone’s list, and then figure out at what stage of their career the band or artist made that record. For fun, I’m also going to try to determine what their worst record is — and when they made that one. Perhaps this will paint a picture of the most fertile and creative stage of their career, as well as when they shit the bed. I’m only including studio albums, not live records or compilations, and I’m only including rock, pop and R&B/soul/funk artists, or bands with at least 10 albums.
We’ll start with those who made their most-loved albums early in their careers:
Lou Reed
Best Album: Transformer (1972)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Second
Worst Album: The Bells (1979)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Ninth
My Favourite: Street Hassle (1978)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Eighth
Bruce Springsteen
Best Album: Born To Run (1975)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Third
Worst Album: Human Touch (1992)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Ninth
My Favourite: Nebraska (1982)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Sixth
Joni Mitchell
Best Album: Blue (1971)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Fourth
Worst Album: Dog Eat Dog (1985)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 17th
My Favourite: Blue.
Neil Young
Best Album: Harvest (1972)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Fourth
Worst Album: Landing On Water (1986)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 16th
My Favourite: After The Gold Rush (1970)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Third
The Who
Best Album: Who’s Next (1971)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Fifth
Worst Album: It’s Hard (1982)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 10th
My Favourite: The Who Sell Out (1967)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Third
Sly & The Family Stone
Best Album: There’s A Riot Goin’ On (1971)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Fifth
Worst Album: Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back (1976)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Eighth
My Favourite: Fresh (1973)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Sixth
David Bowie
Best Album: The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders From Mars (1972)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Fifth
Worst Album: Never Let Me Down (1987)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 17th
My Favourite: Hunky Dory (1971)
Where it falls in his discography: Fourth
Prince
Best Album: Purple Rain (1984)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Sixth
Worst Album: Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic (1999)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 23rd
My Favourite: Sign o’ The Times (1987)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Ninth
Elton John
Best Album: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Seventh
Worst Album: Leather Jackets (1986)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 20th
My Favourite: Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Ninth
AC/DC
Best Album: Back In Black (1980)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Seventh
Worst Album: Fly On The Wall (1985)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 10th
My Favourite: Let There Be Rock (1977)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Fourth
R.E.M.
Best Album: Automatic For The People (1992)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Fourth
Worst Album: Around The Sun (2004)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 13th
My Favourite: Life’s Rich Pageant (1986)
Where it falls in their discography: Fourth
Pink Floyd
Best Album: Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Eighth
Worst Album: The Endless River (2014)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 15th
My Favourite: Animals (1977)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 10th
Aretha Franklin
Best Album: I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You (1967)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 10th
Worst Album: What You See Is What You Sweat (1991)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 33rd
My Favourite: Young Gifted & Black (1972)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 18th
The Rolling Stones
Best Album: Exile On Main Street (1972)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 10th
Worst Album: Dirty Work (1986)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 18th
My Favourite: Sticky Fingers (1971)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Ninth
Marvin Gaye
Best Album: What’s Going On (1971)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 11th
Worst Album: Hello Broadway (1964)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Fourth
My Favourite: Here, My Dear (1978)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 14th
The Beatles
Best Album: Abbey Road (1969)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 11th
Worst Album: Yellow Submarine (1969)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 10th
My Favourite: The Beatles (White Album) (1968)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Ninth
The Beach Boys
Best Album: Pet Sounds (1966)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 11th
Worst Album: Summer In Paradise (1992)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 27th
My Favourite: Surf’s Up (1971)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 16th
Fleetwood Mac
Best Album: Rumours (1977)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 11th
Worst Album: Time (1995)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 16th
My Favourite: Then Play On (1969)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Third
Bob Dylan
Best Album: Blood On The Tracks (1975)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 15th
Worst Album: Knocked Out Loaded (1986)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 24th
My Favourite: Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Sixth
Stevie Wonder
Best Album: Songs In The Key Of Life (1976)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 18th
Worst Album: With A Song In My Heart (1963)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: Third
My Favourite: Innervisions (1973)
Where It Falls In Their Discography: 14th
Only one of the most-beloved albums of these 20 artists is also my favourite of theirs. Weird. But at least none of their “worst” albums are my top pick.
Looking at when they were made, it seems these artists did their best work around 10 albums into their career. Of the 20 artists, 18 of their “greatest” albums were made within their first 11 releases. When you add in my own personal favourites, it gets even more pronounced — 16 of the 20 albums were between the third and 10th in their catalog.
The most common album to be chosen as best was album No. 4. None of the artists’ debut albums were singled out as their best or worst.
Both Wonder and Gaye made their worst records early in their careers — within the first four albums. Everybody else waited until at least their eighth album to make their biggest stinker. Most of the worst-album selections were releases in the double-digits of their creators’ careers. Of the 20 albums listed, 15 were album No. 10 or later.
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Area Resident is an Ottawa-based journalist, recording artist, music collector and re-seller. Hear (and buy) his music on Bandcamp, email him HERE, follow him on Instagram and check him out on Discogs.
