Four Album Run

[batmagadanleadoff]

Remember that thread we had about the greatest four album runs in pop music history? Here's an apropos article:

The Greatest Creative Run in the History of Popular Music

It’s Stevie Wonder’s “classic period.”

Excerpt:

Most Americans follow up their 21st birthdays with a hangover; Stevie Wonder opted for arguably the greatest sustained run of creativity in the history of popular music. Wonder’s “classic period”—the polite phrase for when Stevie spent five years ferociously dunking on the entire history of popular music with the releases of Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness’ First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life—is usually placed between 1972 and 1976, but it really begins a year earlier, with that birthday. In May 1971, Wonder turned 21 and gained access to 10 years’ worth of royalties that had been accruing in a trust set up for him by Motown Records when he’d signed his first contract, at age 11. He also allowed his Motown contract to expire, meaning that one of pop music’s hottest stars, on his 21st birthday, was now both financially secure and a free agent. If Motown wanted to keep him, it would require a deal unlike any the label had previously granted.

Read it all at https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the- ... wtab-en-us

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

No doubt that's a NY Islanders kinda dynasty.

I have been thinking about Stevie since watching that doc, and feel like my next listening project is to give his post championship output a try. It seems to me like he got lazy and adult contemporary but I am willing to challenge my earlier assumptions.

[Fman99]

Remember that thread we had about the greatest four album runs in pop music history? Here's an apropos article:

The Greatest Creative Run in the History of Popular Music

It’s Stevie Wonder’s “classic period.”

Excerpt:

Most Americans follow up their 21st birthdays with a hangover; Stevie Wonder opted for arguably the greatest sustained run of creativity in the history of popular music. Wonder’s “classic period”—the polite phrase for when Stevie spent five years ferociously dunking on the entire history of popular music with the releases of Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness’ First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life—is usually placed between 1972 and 1976, but it really begins a year earlier, with that birthday. In May 1971, Wonder turned 21 and gained access to 10 years’ worth of royalties that had been accruing in a trust set up for him by Motown Records when he’d signed his first contract, at age 11. He also allowed his Motown contract to expire, meaning that one of pop music’s hottest stars, on his 21st birthday, was now both financially secure and a free agent. If Motown wanted to keep him, it would require a deal unlike any the label had previously granted.

Read it all at https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the- ... wtab-en-us

I'll have to ponder what other four album runs I would put in this category but Stevie's 1972-1976 output is stellar. I listen to those albums all the time.

From a classic rock perspective the Pink Floyd hey day of Dark Side of the Moon -> Wish You Were Here -> Animals -> The Wall is pretty great. I'd be OK if you wanted to start with Meddle, alternately, and go Meddle -> DSOTM -> WYWH -> Animals as your peak four.

The first four albums by the Band are really their peak period, though Stage Fright and Cahoots, as great as they are, do not compare to Music from Big Pink and The Band aka "the Brown Album."

[Fman99]

Take your pick of the best four of the six CCR albums, all platinum and all released between July 1968 and December 1970.

[metirish]

In the metal category


Metallica:

Kill Em All
Ride the Lightning
Master of Puppets
And Justice For All

[cal sharpie]

Beggars Banquet
Let It Bleed
Stickyfingers
Exile On Main Street

I’d put that quartet up against any other.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Wild + Innocent
Born to Run
Darkness
River

Or start with btr and end up in Nebraska

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

The Rush run is pretty amazing. You can even start at 2112 and Farewell to Kings for a run of six.

Hemispheres
Permanent Waves
Moving Pictures
Signals

[kcmets]

The Dark-Side-to-Wall run was pretty much it for me. I'd like to find
that old thread later. I think it devolved into a bit of a why The Wall
sucks thread but I could be mixing it up with elsewhere.

"And on a good day..."

RAMONES
LEAVE HOME
ROCKET TO RUSSIA
ROAD TO RUIN

[Edgy MD]

Beggars Banquet
Let It Bleed
Stickyfingers
Exile On Main Street

I’d put that quartet up against any other.

Can any comers survive The Mick Taylor Death Punch?