Great albums in which every song is basically the same

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I had a discussion as to whether or not diversity is really necessary for an album to be great. My argument was that diversity doesn't really matter as long as what you're doing is good, noticing that most great albums do indeed have a good mix of faster and slower tunes (or at least "uppers" and "downers").

Then it dawned on me that the great albums in which every song is similar really are quite easy to get into, and that I would probably be interested in checking out those I haven't heard yet. The one similar thing I noticed about all of these is that there is really no clear cut "best song" on them.

Here are some of the best I can name:
Andrew W.K. - I Get Wet: Posterchild of this type of album. Every song is written like a single, and they're almost all great. One of my favorites.
Sparks - Kimono My House: Essentially the mix of glam/prog/circus/hard rock is the same on every track. Not much diversity outside of "Equator" I guess, but the album is basically flawless.
Happy Mondays - Bummed: Same drugged out scratchy funk groove on nearly every track. Only the first (Country Song) and the last (Lazy Itis) are any change in tempo. Sometimes it's hard to tell the songs apart, but that groove is damn addictive and this remains one of my favorites from the Manchester scene.
Devo - Freedom of Choice: One synthpop classic with big catchy hooks after another. For that, it's amazing.

Any others?

frogbs, Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:20 (thirteen years ago) link

the first strokes album

Mr. Snrub, Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:24 (thirteen years ago) link

i mean, noone will agree with me, but i thik hisato higuchi's henza is great, and it's all basically the same song.

Daniel, Esq., Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:24 (thirteen years ago) link

i feel the same way about set-fire-to-flames' sign reign rebuilder.

basically this covers albums who rely on vibe and atmosphere, rather than hooks.

Daniel, Esq., Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:26 (thirteen years ago) link

Gary Numan - Pleasure Principle.

A brownish area with points (chap), Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:27 (thirteen years ago) link

every drone act since the theater of eternal music to thread

carles marx (contenderizer), Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:36 (thirteen years ago) link

Black Sabbath - Paranoid.

Sometimes when I'm humming Iron Man it just slowly turns into War Pigs and such... All the riffs in the songs are different but more or less interchangeable, and they don't really change it up at all -- unlike on other albums like Sabbath Bloody Sabbath where there's Fluff, or Changes on Vol. 4.

no pop, no style -- all simply (Viceroy), Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:41 (thirteen years ago) link

That first Technotronic album, surely. I would add The Shamen's Progeny if I didn't consider it cheating.

goldenarsehat.jpg (Schlafsack), Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:42 (thirteen years ago) link

It's my favorite album, but Loveless has a slew of them all in the same style - which of course is the appeal, but still: I Only Said and When You Sleep are remarkably similar songs, and it doesn't help that they're back to back.

For the more discriminate, the songs are v. v. different (Sometimes vs. Only Shallow! Blown A Wish vs. What You Want! come on!); but I've heard lots of comments from lesser human beings that the album was one all big fuzz to them.

heh (kelpolaris), Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:42 (thirteen years ago) link

Ramones - Ramones, obv

darwin deej (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:45 (thirteen years ago) link

Gucci Mane - The State Vs Radric Davis

darwin deej (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:46 (thirteen years ago) link

No-one's said "Ramones" yet?

xpost TIMING!

Mark G, Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:46 (thirteen years ago) link

um Paranoid has Planet Caravan, which is nothing like the rest of the album

assorted curses (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:46 (thirteen years ago) link

every Cramps record

assorted curses (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:46 (thirteen years ago) link

Every SST recording ever

Black Flag specifically

heh (kelpolaris), Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:47 (thirteen years ago) link

fine, you're righ shakey. christ i give up.

no pop, no style -- all simply (Viceroy), Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:47 (thirteen years ago) link

*right

no pop, no style -- all simply (Viceroy), Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:47 (thirteen years ago) link

*kills self*

no pop, no style -- all simply (Viceroy), Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:48 (thirteen years ago) link

Any Social Distortion album.

thirdalternative, Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:48 (thirteen years ago) link

RIP Viceroy

assorted curses (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:49 (thirteen years ago) link

Oops, I didn't notice the "Great" part. Social Distortion, Mommy's Little Monster.

thirdalternative, Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:49 (thirteen years ago) link

^yeah, my own fallacy as well. Well in that case:

Husker Du - Zen Arcade

there's like 3 stand-out hits and then the rests seems to be throaty screaming and random, inconsistent heavy riffs.

heh (kelpolaris), Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:53 (thirteen years ago) link

Dare I mention Psychocandy?

Pauper Management Improved (Sanpaku), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:02 (thirteen years ago) link

Pink Flag - NOT QUITE, BUT VERY CLOSE.

"They did it with computers!" (R Baez), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:04 (thirteen years ago) link

x post ^ lol. I don't have the album on my current comp, but the iconic drum-start on Just Like Honey I'm pretty sure is repeated once or twice thru-out the album/.

heh (kelpolaris), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:04 (thirteen years ago) link

The first two albums by The Thermals. I never heard past those two.

svend, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:09 (thirteen years ago) link

bruce springsteen - nebraska

fact checking cuz, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:12 (thirteen years ago) link

Husker Du - Zen Arcade

really? what i love about zen arcade is the variation and the sprawl. some guitar pop, some noise, a piano instrumental, an acoustic folk-pop tune and, what the hell, a call-and-response rock song.

fact checking cuz, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:15 (thirteen years ago) link

The album is just immense. When Husker was probably the most melodic of any SST-origin band (imo), I have an extremely hard time telling songs apart even after having given that album 10-11 run-thrus. I guess it's unfair to say *every* song, but also considering that Zen is the only album of theirs I personally consider great. The rest are just kinda meh.

heh (kelpolaris), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:19 (thirteen years ago) link

new day rising would like to have a word with you.

fact checking cuz, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:20 (thirteen years ago) link

oh i love that album as well, but the hooks seem so much more forced. I hate the way the title track seems so improvised... nneeeewww Day RIIIISing. neeewww Day RIIIsing. Like they really didn't want to resort to buzz so they tried their best to come up with something catchy, but ultimately came off with the impression of a 14-year old basement band given a sheet of lyrics and forced to come up with something catchy. It's still a good album, just doesn't strike me as inspired as Zen.

heh (kelpolaris), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:23 (thirteen years ago) link

Burial-Untrue

monster_xero, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:27 (thirteen years ago) link

Flockaveli

thistle supporter (mcoll), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:27 (thirteen years ago) link

Weezer's Green album

Unarguably brilliant it is too

Morcheeba, simply happening. (PaulTMA), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:31 (thirteen years ago) link

arguably

carles marx (contenderizer), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:34 (thirteen years ago) link

DJ Shadow - Endtroducing...

Gus Van Sotosyn (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:34 (thirteen years ago) link

Gas - Konigsforst and Pop CDs

so great

sleeve, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:35 (thirteen years ago) link

Franz Ferdinand's self titled debut.

You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:36 (thirteen years ago) link

broadcast - tender buttons

1. glitch, intro
2. sleepy chick singing with passionate boredom
3. end after the 4th verse.

heh (kelpolaris), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:36 (thirteen years ago) link

Burial-Untrue

totally otm

Daniel, Esq., Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:36 (thirteen years ago) link

Astral Weeks might fit the bill. The one song that deviates much ("The Way Young Lovers Do") is often cited as a mood-killing clunker.

Pink Moon, definitely.

And Blood on the Tracks, except for "Lily, Rosemary etc" is pretty samey - also very great.

we can only flee in abject horror from yesterday's mistakes (staggerlee), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:37 (thirteen years ago) link

Astral Weeks might fit the bill

As might every Van Morrison album that might be classified as great.

You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:39 (thirteen years ago) link

Also "17 Seconds" and "Faith" by The Cure.

You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:39 (thirteen years ago) link

The one song that deviates much ("The Way Young Lovers Do") is often cited as a mood-killing clunker.

probably my favorite song on that album :P

gravity explodes (CaptainLorax), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:41 (thirteen years ago) link

"Zucker" by the Fastbacks, with the exception of the BeeGees cover.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\||||||( *__* )||||||/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ (res), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:42 (thirteen years ago) link

broadcast - tender buttons

also: The Noise Made By People

But Ha ha Sound not so much.

"They did it with computers!" (R Baez), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:43 (thirteen years ago) link

The one song that deviates much ("The Way Young Lovers Do") is often cited as a mood-killing clunker.

probably my favorite song on that album :P

Yeah, I love it too. I can see why someone in search of a mood might diss it, tho.

we can only flee in abject horror from yesterday's mistakes (staggerlee), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:49 (thirteen years ago) link

All the Dead C albums I've heard. And those "jazz" albums.

Tarzan Bot (seandalai), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 00:58 (thirteen years ago) link

double nickels on the dime

charlie h, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 01:09 (thirteen years ago) link

^ otm. at 43 songs, it's the only minutemen release i've ever been never more content with to never delve any deeper into their discog.

heh (kelpolaris), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 01:12 (thirteen years ago) link

PIL - Second Edition

kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 01:25 (thirteen years ago) link

it's the only minutemen release i've ever been never more content with to never delve any deeper into their discog.

wat

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\||||||( *__* )||||||/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ (res), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 01:44 (thirteen years ago) link

"The Clash"

You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 01:45 (thirteen years ago) link

(The UK version, not the US one)

You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 01:46 (thirteen years ago) link

mobb deep, the infamous

original bgm, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 01:52 (thirteen years ago) link

meshuggah, every single album

original bgm, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 01:53 (thirteen years ago) link

darkthrone, transilvanian hunger

original bgm, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 01:54 (thirteen years ago) link

Lucinda Williams: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road

thirdalternative, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 02:40 (thirteen years ago) link

Double Nickels has like funk songs and free-jazz songs and Van Halen covers, you are crazy

endlamoosing (Whiney G. Weingarten), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 02:46 (thirteen years ago) link

Avalon -- Roxy Music

Enrique, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 03:25 (thirteen years ago) link

Laibach - Sympathy For The Devil

dlp9001, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 03:57 (thirteen years ago) link

The Monks - Black Monk Time

asthmatic american, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 03:58 (thirteen years ago) link

Repulsion -- Horrified

those balls look like a butt (San Te), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 04:01 (thirteen years ago) link

The Field - From Here We Go Sublime

tears of a self-clowning oven (The Reverend), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 04:01 (thirteen years ago) link

Meshuggah - Obzen

those balls look like a butt (San Te), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 04:01 (thirteen years ago) link

Amon Amarth - Versus the World
Napalm Death - From Enslavement to Obliteration
Motörhead - Ace of Spades (there's like at least two, maybe three songs on there that have the exact same guitar solo)

that's not funny. (unperson), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 04:02 (thirteen years ago) link

Every song on this album is in B flat major. Just letting you know now.

http://www.chartstats.com/images/artwork/30199.jpg

Stockhausen's Ekranoplan Quartet (Elvis Telecom), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 04:10 (thirteen years ago) link

S.O.D. -- Speak English or Die (somewhat muted when it was revealed years later that there was very little irony in Milano's lyrics)

those balls look like a butt (San Te), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 04:11 (thirteen years ago) link

Oh, there's a whole Monade album that's in one key, I swear. Maddening.

xp

goldenarsehat.jpg (Schlafsack), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 04:13 (thirteen years ago) link

The Cocteau Twins - Victorialand? Blue Bell Knoll? the first 8 songs on Treasure are basically the same, but then it gets weird and Medieval with "Otterley" and "Donimo", so no dice.

i probably busted a nut when i was tossing her cookie salad (unregistered), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 04:17 (thirteen years ago) link

Camille's album Le Fil has a constant, unvaryingly pitched tone running through all the tracks, but I'm not sure if the songs themselves all in the same key.

i probably busted a nut when i was tossing her cookie salad (unregistered), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 04:19 (thirteen years ago) link

The Fireman - Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest

lock thread

goldenarsehat.jpg (Schlafsack), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 04:25 (thirteen years ago) link

Oh wait 'great albums', sorry.

goldenarsehat.jpg (Schlafsack), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 04:25 (thirteen years ago) link

Burning Spear - Marcus Garvey

Bob Six, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 08:08 (thirteen years ago) link

Oops a quick scan showed that my memory is deceiving me - the songs are lyrically similar but the music varies.

Bob Six, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 08:10 (thirteen years ago) link

Lots of blues albums

the point at which the whole world gets to try on the glasses (Eazy), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 08:23 (thirteen years ago) link

Gary Numan - Pleasure Principle.

I thought of this, and it almost qualifies, but there is "Complex" which is totally beautiful and not really pop at all. Otherwise it's pretty close so I guess it fits. Ditto for Wall of Voodoo's Call of the West album minus "Lost Weekend".

It's my favorite album, but Loveless has a slew of them all in the same style - which of course is the appeal, but still: I Only Said and When You Sleep are remarkably similar songs, and it doesn't help that they're back to back.

Only thing that prevented me from listing it is the final track, which stands out to me because it has that Manchester hip hop beat and funk groove, but I just realized that pretty much everything else really is the same, so close enough.

double nickels on the dime

Don't really agree with this one. I mean, for like two thirds of the album yes, but there is a lot of very cool stuff scattered throughout, mainly instrumental stuff like "Cohesion" and "Love Dance" (I think), the cover of "Dr. Wu" (might not have been originally on the album), the more poetic stuff, etc. Actually the appeal of this album to me kind of lies in all this stuff.

The Field - From Here We Go Sublime

This one's pretty OTM; wish I had thought of it. The tracks only really stand out if you recognize where the samples are from.

It also just occured to me that Boredoms have a few albums like this - I feel like any random 5 minute snippet of Pop Tatari will pretty much represent the album as a whole. I guess Vision Creation Newsun can qualify too, though the beatless final track messes that up a bit.

frogbs, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 12:31 (thirteen years ago) link

Also, The Cars s/t should probably qualify. There's very little variety there though the album is unquestionably great. The only song that isn't just straightforward power pop is "I'm In Touch With Your World", and even that one isn't really a radical departure. If you heard one song on the radio you could definitely tell if you're going to like the album (and conversely, if you heard the album first, it would be tough to pick out which songs became hits and which didnt)

Electric Six - Fire: I don't really consider it to be "great" but it's definitely very good and pretty much stays balls out until the very end. It was always amazing to me how much of a change-up "Synthesizer" seems to be even though it really is just E6 minus guitars plus a synth line.

frogbs, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 12:36 (thirteen years ago) link

Also, The Cars s/t should probably qualify. There's very little variety there though the album is unquestionably great.

I'd argue the last couple of tracks are ponting more forward towards the synth oriented 80s than the rest of the album. My favourite tracks btw. :)

Hadn't it been for "Speechless", then "The Fame Monster" probably might fit in here.

You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 13:12 (thirteen years ago) link

1/3 of all jazz/funk/reggae records

The Field's first album

The first Vivian Girls record. And the Pains of Being Pure at Heart too. And that Panda Bear record while we are at it. and

"jobs" (a hoy hoy), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 13:32 (thirteen years ago) link

Weezer's Green album

Unarguably brilliant it is too

― Morcheeba, simply happening. (PaulTMA), Tuesday, January 4, 2011 7:31 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

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won't be on this church plan ting (kkvgz), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 13:44 (thirteen years ago) link

Camper Van Beethoven - Telephone Free Landslide Victory

It's more like two types of song, but pretty close.

won't be on this church plan ting (kkvgz), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 13:46 (thirteen years ago) link

that new Arcade Fire album, more good than great though.

Ludo, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 13:49 (thirteen years ago) link

I'd argue there are a couple of synth oriented tracks towards the end that don't sound much like the rest of the album.

You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 13:51 (thirteen years ago) link

Destroyer - Kaputt

Vaguely Threatening CAPTCHAs, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 18:57 (thirteen years ago) link

The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms

that's not my post, Thursday, 6 January 2011 05:57 (thirteen years ago) link

Husker Du - Zen Arcade

there's like 3 stand-out hits and then the rests seems to be throaty screaming and random, inconsistent heavy riffs.

― heh (kelpolaris), Tuesday, 4 January 2011 23:53 (2 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

double nickels on the dime

― charlie h, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 01:09 (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

not really familiar w/ charlie h poster so assuming that he was making a comedy suggestion

Scilk Mahouthy (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 6 January 2011 08:27 (thirteen years ago) link

has to be

carles marx (contenderizer), Thursday, 6 January 2011 08:38 (thirteen years ago) link

The Exploding Hearts-Guitar Romantic
Art Brut-Bang Bang Rock n Roll

Kitchen Person, Thursday, 6 January 2011 18:42 (thirteen years ago) link

1/3 of all death/thrash metal

the Sonic Youths of suck (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 6 January 2011 23:39 (thirteen years ago) link


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