EP's that rival any of an artist's LP's

Realize "rival" does not mean "beat"... more along the lines of simply exhibiting the same level of quality as any of any groups great LP's.

My picks:

My Bloody Valentine's Glider I think is an essential EP to own unto itself.

Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind

Can't think of anything else atm.

Nine Inch Nails' "Broken" is my favorite thing he's ever done.

I liked the Gutter Twins EP "Adorata" better than the album "Saturnalia" (though I liked that too).

Listmania: Best EPs ever

Pavement: Watery, Domestic

Husker Du - Metal Circus

Ice Cube Kill at Will

pretty much any autechre except basscadet, but envane, cichlisuite, and peel session 2 in particular.

Love - Da Capo

how is that an EP...?

Yeah really. You mean it should have been EP? I agree but...

all pre-FALAA SoM EPs >>> FALAA fyi imo omg

also the Mutiny! EP by the Birthday Party is either their best or 2nd best thing (Junkyard competes)

Green - Pathetique ... on a par with White Soul or their classic debut.

Sugar's Beaster
Pixies' Come On Pilgrim
Cab Voltaire's Drinking Gasoline is equal to the other Virgin/Some Bizarre stuff

Sugar's Beaster
Cab Voltaire's Drinking Gasoline is equal to the other Virgin/Some Bizarre stuff

Oh hells yes. "Beaster" is the best thing they did, in fact.

I'll add:
Tony Fletcher Walked On Water - The Chameleons
The Thorn - Siouxsie & The Banshees

Pete Rock & Cl Smooth - All Souled Out

http://tralfaz-archives.com/coverart/R/rem_chronicf.jpg

Beatnuts - Intoxicated Demons

Black Mountain - Druganaut
Boards of Canada - In a Beautiful Place
Billy Bragg - Life's a Riot With Spy vs. Spy
Efterklang - Springer
Liquid Liquid - Optimo (well... they never released an lp but...)
Fugazi - Fugazi
Ricardo Villalobos - Achso

lollllllll da capo is such an ep in my mind that I've willed myself to believe that that's what it actually was

basically, fuck revelation or whatever the side b jam is called

U2 - Under A Blood Red Sky

debut EPs (or at least debut 12" EPs in some cases) by Butthole Surfers, Minor Threat, Meat Puppets, Soundgarden, Mission of Burma, Red Cross (aka Redd Kross), Pussy Galore, the Judds, Jason and the Scorchers, ESG, Circle Jerks, White Zombie, Art of Noise, Fishbone, Scratch Acid, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Bush Tetras, Phuture, Romeo Void, Laughing Hyenas, Pissed Jeans, Northern State, the Pack, Ugly Kid Joe. (Some of those were released as short "albums", but I count anything under 25 minutes as an EP -- old Pazz & Jop rule.)

So, Angry Samoans too, obviously (for their first two records)

Seconded "Broken".

Candlemass's "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus"

BTW, what exactly denotes an EP? Does the label decide to bill it as such? I don't see how it could be length-driven, as Jar of Flies was deemed an "EP" in 1994, and yet the damn thing is longer than Slayer's "Reign in Blood", which is considered an LP!

Archers of Loaf vs. the Greatest of All Time
Polvo - Celebrate the New Dark Age
Grifters - Eureka

Old Pazz & Jop Poll Rule: EP = more than three songs, less than 20 minutes (between 20 and 25 is a judgement call.) Lots of labels pass off records way longer than that as EPs (an Underworld one ran 60 minutes once! Jean Grae too I think), but that's baloney.

Agree with Pavement, btw, but because of Perfect Sound Forever or Demolition Plot J-7 instead.

Meshuggah's "I" was pretty good.

Dillinger Escape Plan's Under the Running Board

Alice in Chains "Jar of Flies"

Actually rule was "three or more" songs not "more than three" (and a couple EPs I listed, the U2 and Fishbone ones I think, are probably slightly over 25 minutes, so I'm probably contradicting myself but what the heck.)

Anyway:
UB40 - Little Baggariddim
DNA - A Taste Of DNA
New Musik - Staight Lines

Flaming Lips - self-titled

(We did this before sometime, btw, but I can't find the thread.)

Did DFX2 ever release an album?

Nah, and they had two really good EPs. (I only still have Emotion; no idea why I got rid of the first one.)

xxp: I posted it upthread.

I guess a few names I mentioned (Teenage Jesus, Phuture, DNA) might not count if actually having LPs (other than anthologies) is required for this thread, come to think of it.

Magical Mystery Tour > Sgt. Pepper, sometimes...

Urge Overkill - Stull
Pas/Cal - Dear Sir (album really disappointing after that)
Luscious Jackson - In Search of Manny

The Clash: Black Market Clash
Of Montreal: Icons, Abstract Thee

Belle and Sebastian - Pretty much all of their EP's

The Archers Of Loaf Vs. The Greatest Of All Time, mainly for Lowest Part Is Free

Magic Dirt - Life Was Better

Guided By Voices : Fast Japanese Spin Cycle

Yeah sorry about the thread rehash, I never got a "similar threads" option.

Erasure's "ABBA-Esque" and "Crackers International" are both up with their best work.

Also Oasis' "Don't Look Back In Anger" EP.

Also Oasis' "Don't Look Back In Anger" EP.

― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro)

Specially true because they are unbearable in bigger quantities.

No, the album that preceded it was great :)

you, crazy liar you

Scrawl, Bloodsucker

Butthole Surfers - Live PCPPEP

Magical Mystery Tour > Sgt. Pepper, sometimes...

The current version of MMT is almost as good as Sgt. Pepper.

The problem being, the current version of MMT is an album, also including three singles in addition to the actual EP. And those singles are the strongest tracks on that album.

If I was gonna put on one Mogwai thing it would be the Stanley Kubrick EP

The Laughing Clowns EPs were all as strong or stronger than their full-length LPs

ISTR Primal Scream’s Dixie Narco EP was pretty great, although it has been a long time since I played it…

Actually, Cate LeBon's Cyrk II is my favorite thing she's done.

> also the Mutiny! EP by the Birthday Party is either their best or 2nd best thing (Junkyard competes)

Seconded, that. Also Butthole's Cream Corn EP, the first Pissed Jeans EP, Laughing Hyenas and for quite a few other bands working that scumrock sound, EPs seem to be an ideal dosage.

first three Slowdive eps

Mogwai but instead the 4 Satin EP
Pulp - The Sisters EP

When I was 21, to paraphrase Frank Sinatra, I would have said that the Angry Samoans' Inside My Brain was more or less as good as Back from Samoa.

Mekons "Fun 90"
and I'll cosign with Luna "Slide" and the Fall "Slates"

Polvo - Celebrate the New Dark Age

This, and This Eclipse, are what I put on most often when it's time for Polvo

idk what really counts as an EP these days but assuming it just means mini-album or long single the last decade or so has been an embarrassment of riches in some genres with great stuff by Bree Runway, Ravyn Lenae, Tems, Ice Spice, Shygirl, Tkay Maidza, Nia Archives, Lady Donli, Kelela, UMI, Nikita Kering', Amber Mark, Delilah Holliday, Koffee, Dawn Richard, Amerie as mentioned, loads more I know I'm forgetting

the digital EP format (which I'll arbitrarily define as 3-9 songs in 10-25 minutes) is perfect for today's attention spans and many of the above I come back to way more often than I do the same artists' LPs

sometimes I'd argue for the EP as a superior concept to the album or single (but it should also count as both/either when necessary)

Dillinger Escape Plan - Irony Is a Dead Scene EP

Came here to say Animal Collective 'Fall Be Kind', but it's in the OG post. 'Prospect Hummer' is also such a fantastic and acute distillation of what they do best, it's probably what I'd play to anyone who was curious about them.

The Boo Radleys' 'Wake Up Boo' doble CD single with Janus, Blues For George Michael, Friendship Song and ...And Tomorrow The World is as good as they got

sometimes I'd argue for the EP as a superior concept to the album or single

The EP as a entity on its own is rarely a complete breakfast. I can certainly imagine an act only having five or six worthy songs to record, but as a listener I've almost never felt "those were five good songs, but I'm glad there aren't another five good ones to make up an album". As a veteran of the vinyl years, I wasn't fond of flipping a record after 10 minutes or so.
I do like the idea of the "concept EP", where an artist takes a detour that might not be worth 40 minutes of attention, like Destroyer's Five Spanish Songs or Cocteau Twins' acoustic Twinlights.

I do think the best ones work as concise "concepts" with a particular, focused approach. I love when a band/artist follows up a great album or series of albums with a terrific EP... kind of like a "dessert," or overflow of great ideas. Royal Trux's 3 Song EP is like this.

love's easy tears is my idea of the perfect EP and I wouldn't want to dilute it with 8 extra songs

I was also thinking of Testcard by Young Marble Giants, where the brevity and modesty of the release is part of the point.

the boygenius EP from last year is a nice dessert - one that isn't too sweet or rich or heavy or weird but does exactly what you want it to do

other EPs can be more like a starter or a light lunch or like tapas/mezze plates that you can mix and match

I need to eat something soon

Sorry, my breakfast metaphor started this

Cabaret Voltaire - Extended Play. It’s called EP even.

Slates for sure. May be the best Fall release.

she's so unusual is a great album but if you pretend the first 6 songs are an EP it's literally *the best EP of all time*

a whole bunch of albums should be EPs esp some of those solid late career efforts that get 7.4 in pitchfork and then disappear forever

although that presupposes EPs being taken as seriously as albums as events and artistic statements which they're not yet. if labels continue to fuck around and artists continue to release some of their most interesting work on EPs (or mixtapes which I'm pretending are the same for the sake of my point) we might get there soon enough

Missing Persons’ self-titled 1982 EP consists of Words/Destination Unknown/I Like Boys/Mental Hopscotch and that’s still the core of their legacy, with the exception of “Walking in LA.”

I like short albums more than EPs. My favourite YYYs release is that first thing they put out. Can’t remember what it’s called. The MASTER necklace thing with “Art Star” on it.

New Order - 81-82 EP is the single best release in their catalog.

Underworld - Pearls Girls EP includes great tracks and is largely forgotten.

A few that come to mind are Deerhunter 'Fluorescent Grey', Grouper 'Paradise Valley', and ATDI 'Vaya'.

Nick Hakim's first two EPs are still my favourite things of his. Same with Sudan Archives.

Here are ten:

1. New Order – 1981/1982
2. Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster
3. Suede – Stay Together
4. Pavement – Pacific Trim
5. The Specials – Ghost Town
6. The B-52’s – Party Mix
7. Pere Ubu – Datapanik in the Year Zero
8. Erykah Badu – But You Cain’t Use My Phone
9. Miguel – Art Dealer Chic series
10. Nick Lowe – Bowi

Polvo - Celebrate the New Dark Age
This, and This Eclipse, are what I put on most often when it's time for Polvo

― remember how much your mother loves you (flamboyant goon tie included), Tuesday, 9 January 2024 00:26 (twenty-one hours ago) link

This Eclipse is so, so, so perfect, I always wanted the band I was in to make an ep just so we could call it That Eclipse

Nice, I love that and you should do that

As GM initiated above and fgti/0wen elaborated upon, the two Polvo EPs are all-time IMO, and a classic quasi-LP when/if combined.

Another that comes to mind in terms of effectively crystallizing what is unique about a given band is Thinking Fellers Union Local 282's Admonishing The Bishops. I also love Mother of All Saints, but to these ears MoAS has a similar relationship to ATB as Polvo's Exploded Drawing to either of those EPs--sometimes you want the distilled tastiness of the well-rendered snack-size format.

(Two more that spring to mind: fgti's own Spectrum, 14th Century; and Antony and the Johnsons' Another World.)

(Oh, and the mention of Prospect Hummer above reminds me of how much I have enjoyed Black Dice's Miles Of Smiles.)

Flying Lotus LA eps

I wouldn’t have counted the new order so because it’s really a repackaging of singles. It is amazing though.

When Motörhead put out their first best-of, No Remorse, they put one brand-new song at the end of each side of the two LPs, and if they'd released those four tracks ("Killed By Death," "Snaggletooth," "Steal Your Face" and "Locomotive") it would have been one of the best things ever.

Instead, they released "Killed By Death" as a single, with two entirely different songs, both called "Under The Knife," on the B-side.

My Top 10 or so Shoegaze EPs, no repeats (after Top 5, order approx):

1. The Boo Radleys - Boo Up!
2. My Bloody Valentine - You Made Me Realize
3. Chapterhouse - Memorize
4. Verve - E.P
5. Moose - Jack
6. Ride - Today Forever
7. Swervedriver - Son of Mustang Ford
8. Revolver - 45 EP
9. Blind Mr. Jones – Eyes Wide
10. Slowdive - Holding Our Breath
11. Lush - Mad Love
12. Pale Saints - Half-Life EP
13. The Telescopes - Flying

If I repeated bands it would all be the Boo Radleys, MBV , Verve, Swervedriver and Ride.

*Note, going off Alfred's list and not necessary the original question.

Galaxie 500 Blue Thunder ep (or single?) feat world class covers of Victory Garden and Ceremony.

But also has that horrible sax on the titular song.

Blue Orchids: Agents of Change
Scritti Politti: 4 A Sides (or any of the first 3 singles, for that matter)
The Prats: 1990's Pop
Mekons: The English Dancing Master
Mofungo: Elementary Particles
The Embarrassment: Death Travels West
The Lines: Cool Snap

13 years and no one has mentioned "Poguetry in Motion"

embarassed I didn't mention Cool Snap.

4 A sides for sure.

I've always thought the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Is Is EP rivaled any of their albums.

the shoegaze era really did this well. like all of Bee's list have 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 alternatives which are just as great.

(i guess a lot of that was that the 12" single and cd single formats meant that every single was an ep)

Moondog on the Streets of New York

It’s not that I dislike Duffy-era Felt, it’s just that I adore Deebank-era so much much more

But Ballad Of The Band EP is prob my favourite release from Phase 2 Felt

Similarly, James mk 1 is one of my favourite bands. For a long time I would’ve told you “Village Fire EP” (which collects five songs from two 7”s) was one of my top 5 ever records. Add “Chain Mail” and “Hup-Springs” and you’ve got a classic

Ballad Of The Band is good but think Rain Of Crystal Spires is even better

Tl; dr. Did The Replacements Stink get mentioned?

Mission of Burma- Signals, Calls and Marches
Minutemen- Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat
Mudhoney- Superfuzz Bigmuff