What is the most musically diverse album ever recorded by one band/artist?

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Not sure myself. It may be The White Album, it may be "London Calling", it may be "Speakerboxx/The Love Below". What do you guys say?

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 20:43 (twenty years ago)

That John Zorn Naked City album's pretty diverse.

― dr. phil (josh langhoff), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 20:46 (twenty years ago)

how musically diverse can it be if it's still just music?

― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 20:46 (twenty years ago)

*69 Love Songs* has a lot of different styles...

― Not That Xhuxk, Wednesday, 6 April 2005 20:46 (twenty years ago)

Good point! John Cage's Indeterminacy!
(xpost)

― dr. phil (josh langhoff), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 20:47 (twenty years ago)

Did I use "xpost" right?

― dr. phil (josh langhoff), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 20:48 (twenty years ago)

Skatt Bros, debut album

― xhuxk, Wednesday, 6 April 2005 20:54 (twenty years ago)

i doubt it's the right answer, but if you are going to bring up London Calling - surely Sandinista is more diverse (not better, just more diverse).

― jonviachicago, Wednesday, 6 April 2005 20:55 (twenty years ago)

God Ween Satan is pretty diverse.

― o. nate (onate), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 20:57 (twenty years ago)

Probably some Beck album or another one of those bands that just really don't care.

― seahorse genius (seahorse genius), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 20:59 (twenty years ago)

"God Ween Satan is pretty diverse." - As are Chocolate & Cheese; Quebec

― Yngwie AlmsteenMay (sgertz), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 20:59 (twenty years ago)

Some psychedelic albums with a lot of stylistic diversity from track to track: Sgt. Pepper, Piper at the Gates of Dawn, The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 21:00 (twenty years ago)

a.r.kane - i

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 21:02 (twenty years ago)

I don't want to scare people, but I think the right answer is the
"Barbra Streisand . . . and other musical Instruments" LP from her TV special- it's an over the top ego trip tour of "musical styles of the world", featuring her playing with (*takes deep breath*) . . .

Turkish musicians, Armenian muscians, traditional Japanese instruments, Native Americans, an African band, traditional irish music, Indian music, flamenco, lots of lite classical pop strings, and in two nightmarish sequences, musique-concrete made out of appliance noises and some hilarious detuned synths, and ring modulators during the "electronic" section.

― Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 21:04 (twenty years ago)

Excellent! Is that in print??

― dr. phil (josh langhoff), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 21:07 (twenty years ago)

Rundgren's done some schizzies. Something/Anything, A Wizard a True Star.

― Nicolas Bourbaki, Wednesday, 6 April 2005 21:07 (twenty years ago)

xpost

I got mine at a thrift store for a dollar. People had been telling me about it, saying I had to hear it just because of the musique-concrete part and I was skeptical. Then I put it on and was floored. I mean, it goes way past just hubris and tackiness into something truly bonkers.

― Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 21:13 (twenty years ago)

As do the Amazon reviews; apparently you can still get the thing.

― dr. phil (josh langhoff), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 21:15 (twenty years ago)

That sounds amazing!

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 21:18 (twenty years ago)

SOME YANN TOMITA ALBUM?

Ween OTM though

― Alex in TCBY (ex machina), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 21:35 (twenty years ago)

Meco's Wizard Of Oz.

― scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 21:40 (twenty years ago)

69 Love Songs is a good answer. Also:

YLT - I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One
Moby - Everything is Wrong
Len - You Can't Stop the Bum Rush
The Clash - Sandinista!

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 21:43 (twenty years ago)

Revolver

― darin (darin), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 21:48 (twenty years ago)

or maybe: Physical Graffiti.

― xhuxk, Wednesday, 6 April 2005 21:50 (twenty years ago)

I can get behind "that John Zorn Naked City album" if you mean Grand Guignol.

Also, We're Only In It For the Money

― Curious George (1/6 Scale Model) (Rock Hardy), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 22:04 (twenty years ago)

For techno, Luke Slater's "Freek Funk".

69LS is tough to beat, though ...

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 22:07 (twenty years ago)

probably some green day album

― Vestigial Appendages, Esq. (King Kobra), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 22:09 (twenty years ago)

Any one of the first three Kevin Ayers albums.

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 22:21 (twenty years ago)

I still haven't found a copy but the Turtles present the Battle of the Bands sounds pretty diverse in concept. And Zappa always practiced a self-conscious and over-the-top level of diversity. I'll leave it to a bigger Zappa fan to pick out his most diverse album.

That Streisand album sounds amazin.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 22:23 (twenty years ago)

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 22:24 (twenty years ago)

I'm trying to work out if I'm just really biased but 69 Love Songs doesn't seem at all like a right answer to me, even compared to the white album. Most of it just sounds like indie-pop to me... I don't really think the 'jazz' and 'punk' songs, for example, are really examples of actually working in those genres.

― the fucker that will burn you (sundar), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 22:30 (twenty years ago)

No, you aren't really biased. Most of it does just sound like indie-pop (specifically indie-pop made by Stephen Merrit.) I'd say something like the DJ /rupture album would be a more obv example of diversity (the reggae sounds like reggae, the soul sounds like soul, the weird cover of "Mole In The Ground" sounds like twang-y ol' time-y music, the latin dance number. . . etc.)

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 22:34 (twenty years ago)

Sandinista

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 22:35 (twenty years ago)

Clearly.....

http://home.att.ne.jp/blue/zubai/chipmunkpage/world2.gif

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 23:47 (twenty years ago)

Mr. Bungle to thread

― jj, Thursday, 7 April 2005 00:07 (twenty years ago)

Funny, I was going to suggest that too.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 7 April 2005 00:18 (twenty years ago)

yeah, those songs on 69 love songs are pretty much parodies, which shouldn't really count, should it?

― jonathan - stl (jonathan - stl), Thursday, 7 April 2005 00:20 (twenty years ago)

"I still haven't found a copy but the Turtles present the Battle of the Bands sounds pretty diverse in concept."

Find a copy! It's great.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 7 April 2005 00:24 (twenty years ago)

this album is also very diverse in a non-novelty way:

The Turtles Thread (Cuz I Couldn't Find One) A.K.A. I Finally Heard Turtle Soup.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 7 April 2005 00:26 (twenty years ago)

HOLY COW! I want to hear that.

Frances the Mute is all over the place from Santana to punk to salsa to west coast jazz to electronic doodling....but it all has that kinda sheen of guitar center metal though....

I LOVE this album but didn't get this at all:

YLT - I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One

Covers every genre from louder indie rock to quieter indie rock?

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 7 April 2005 00:41 (twenty years ago)

There's loud indie rock on that?

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 7 April 2005 00:50 (twenty years ago)

Covers every genre from louder indie rock to quieter indie rock?

Ambient, alt-country, indie-pop, jam, dreampop, funk, etc.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Thursday, 7 April 2005 00:52 (twenty years ago)

There's loud indie rock on that?

er....let's say "slightly louder indie rock"

Ambient, alt-country, indie-pop, jam, dreampop, funk, etc.

yet...it all sounds like Yo La Tengo*....um...FUNK?

*which, I reiterate, is a GREAT THING in my book

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 7 April 2005 00:53 (twenty years ago)

alt-country, indie-pop, dreampop/ every genre from louder indie rock to quieter indie rock=tom-ay-to/tom-ah-to?

― the fucker that will burn you (sundar), Thursday, 7 April 2005 00:57 (twenty years ago)

fishbone - the reality of my surroundings
http://www.efn.org/~cschatz/fishbone/Pictures/reality.jpg

― charleston charge (chaki), Thursday, 7 April 2005 01:00 (twenty years ago)

yet...it all sounds like Yo La Tengo*....um...FUNK?

*which, I reiterate, is a GREAT THING in my book

"Moby Octopad"?

Anyway, perhaps most diverse album of all-time is overstating things a bit, yes.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Thursday, 7 April 2005 01:01 (twenty years ago)

Japan's SIGH - black metal, morricone, booker T, morodor.

― Brian Turner (btwfmu), Thursday, 7 April 2005 01:03 (twenty years ago)

The White Album is a good contender. "I Will" and "Why Don't We Do It In The Road." "Dear Prudence" and "Helter Skelter." "Cry Baby Cry," "Revolution 9" and "Good Night" back to back.

― mike a, Thursday, 7 April 2005 01:52 (twenty years ago)

That first Bobby Conn album is pretty diverse. At least a 1/2 dozen distinct styles.

― Mark (MarkR), Thursday, 7 April 2005 01:58 (twenty years ago)

this album is also very diverse in a non-novelty way:

The Turtles Thread (Cuz I Couldn't Find One) A.K.A. I Finally Heard Turtle Soup.

Yeah, Turtle Soup is an awesome album but I don't know about diverse.

I don't think that Naked City, Mr. Bungle, Ween, etc. really count because hello... Frank Zappa! After the Mothers of Invention merged Doo Wop, Musique Concrete, cheeseball soundtrack music, lite-jazz, free jazz, psychedelia, spoken-word comedy album crap, field recordings, etc. those other acts are only diverse in the sense of being Zappa + indie rock or Zappa + metal or something.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 7 April 2005 03:13 (twenty years ago)

I would argue that "Houses Of The Holy" is indeed more musically diverse than "Physical Grafitti". Even contained a reggae song.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 7 April 2005 09:01 (twenty years ago)

Chocolate and Cheese

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 7 April 2005 10:09 (twenty years ago)

the colourbox album

― Jaunty Alan (Alan), Thursday, 7 April 2005 10:14 (twenty years ago)

Fantasma, Cartooom! and The Beta Band.

― Deerninja B4rim4, Plus-Tech Whizz Kid (Barima), Thursday, 7 April 2005 12:04 (twenty years ago)

If 'communities' count as an artist, then the ILX vol 2 CD...

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 7 April 2005 12:37 (twenty years ago)

I add my voice to the votes for Mr. Bungle and that Streisand album.

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 7 April 2005 12:39 (twenty years ago)

White Album, Mr. Bungle, "Sandinista" (much more than "London Calling") all good choices. Most diverse Zappa = possibly Uncle Meat. But my ultimate choice has probably gotta be this:

http://www.pillbugs.com/pillbugscd.jpg
http://www.pillbugs.com/pillbugscd.jpg

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Thursday, 7 April 2005 14:06 (twenty years ago)

White Album, Sandinista, Uncle Meat are all pretty diverse (esp. Sandinista), but they were all super-long. 69 Love Songs, too, except that every single one of them shouts "Stephin Merritt! Stephin Merritt!"

Normal (for their times) releases:

Classic division:

Rolling Stones, Some Girls. There is a lot of distance between, say, Miss You, Faraway Eyes, and Shattered.

Recent:

Robi Draco Rosa, Mad Love. Has anyone heard this? The guy has NO IDEA who he wants to be. Probably the least consistent album I have ever heard.

Which reminds me that there is a lot more tolerance for diversity on a record south of the border.

Shortest most diverse album:

Cafe Tacuba, Avalancha de Exitos. A long EP of 8 (short) covers, each one in a completely different style. Thrash-punk to prog-rap, surf guitar to folk to over-the-top Latin pop. The lead singer's (whiny) voice sounds the same all the time, but he only sings lead on 3/4s of the songs.

Also:

El Gran Silencio, Chuntaros Radio Poder. The concept was a radio cycling among all the different radio stations (and DJs) on the air in Monterey. So every song fits a different (Latin) format -- salsa, cumbia, vallenato, techno, rock, ska-punk, pop ballads, mariachi, corrido, norteno, etc. Mostly good. Pretty impressive.

― Vornado (Vornado), Thursday, 7 April 2005 14:40 (twenty years ago)

Bjork - Post ?

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 7 April 2005 14:44 (twenty years ago)

that streisand album was written up in that recent mojo list of "out there" albums wasn't it ?

does indeed sound somewhat freaky ..

― mark e (mark e), Thursday, 7 April 2005 14:50 (twenty years ago)

>Meco's Wizard Of Oz.

HAHAHAHA!!! I freakin' love that record! Mine's on yellow (brick road) vinyl.

I'll second the nomination for Rundgren's 'A Wizard..."

― Daniel Peterson (polkaholic), Thursday, 7 April 2005 14:58 (twenty years ago)

CHARLESTON CHARGE OTM...see also: Give a Monkey a Brain...

Mr. Bungle's California has bits of doowop, Malaysian monkey chant, death metal polka, klezmer, cricket orgies, p0rn funk, what might as well be neo-soul, Hawaiian slack-key guitar...it's pretty diverse. The thing that always kills me about it though is how, with such a huge base of stylistic touch-points, it somehow manages to sound really unified in concept and theme.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 7 April 2005 15:09 (twenty years ago)

Also:

Harry Nilsson Nilson Shmilson

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 7 April 2005 15:10 (twenty years ago)

I don't want to scare people, but I think the right answer is the
"Barbra Streisand . . . and other musical Instruments"

want! want! want! want!

― phil jones (interstar), Thursday, 7 April 2005 19:31 (twenty years ago)

Is there a Weird Al album that includes both a rap and a polka medley? Because all his albums are pretty diverse, but that combo'd push it over the top. His genre exercises always sound pretty close, AND he's good at changing his voice!

― dr. phil (josh langhoff), Thursday, 7 April 2005 19:39 (twenty years ago)

I'll second Post.

― Jessie the Monster (scarymonsterrr), Thursday, 7 April 2005 20:18 (twenty years ago)

White Album, Sandinista, Uncle Meat are all pretty diverse (esp. Sandinista), but they were all super-long

Yeah, I was kinda semi-aware of that. I automatically default to double albums: Double the songs = double the diversity (or triple in "Sandinista!"s case.)

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Friday, 8 April 2005 02:48 (twenty years ago)

[...oh, and sorry if that "kinda semi-aware" sounded snarky - that wasn't my intent. I just meant they were half-conscious choices.]

― Myonga Von Benevolent (Myonga Von Bontee), Friday, 8 April 2005 02:59 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

"I still haven't found a copy but the Turtles present the Battle of the Bands sounds pretty diverse in concept."
Find a copy! It's great.

-- scott seward (skotro...) (webmail), April 7th, 2005 1:24 AM. (link)

I have found a copy. It is great. But I wouldn't call it "Musically diverse" to a GREAT extent. (It is, a bit).

There should be a separate thread regarding this album, but back to the plot...

Is there any album by one artist that has musical diversity to a greater extent that does not have a 'various artists' concept/conceit?

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 09:05 (twenty years ago)

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