Bands And ArtistsThat Released SIX Great Albums In A Row is the newest article in a series of lists that presents bands and artists that released a group of amazing albums all in a row over a period of time. Out first few articles in the series looked at bands that released three, then four, and then five perfect albums in a row. We decided to change the adjective “perfect,” to “great,” this time so that we could include more artists and bands in this list to celebrate. It’s tough to call an album perfect because quite simply everyone defines the word “perfect,” differently. Yet, the word great is a little more lenient in definition and just seems to fit the tone of this list better. This one was a fun one to out together. Let us know who we didn’t list that you think deserves the mention of being an artist or a band that put out six great ones in a row.

Queen

Since Queen was the first rock band we ever saw in concert way back in 1976, we decided to start out this list with one of our all-time favorites. Their first six were just amazing rock and roll albums that defined them as Hall Of Fame rockers forever.

Queen -1973

Queen II -1974

Sheer Heart Attack – 1974

A Night At The Opera – 1975

A Day At The Races – 1976

News Of The World – 1977

Led Zeppelin

We continue our Classic Rock Bands That Released Six Great Albums In A Row with our favorite band of all time. We saw Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden in 1977 in what was one of the greatest rock concerts we have ever seen.

Led Zeppelin  – 1969

Led Zeppelin II – 1969

Led Zeppelin III  – 1970

Led Zeppelin IV – 1971

Houses Of The Holy – 1973

Physical Graffiti – 1975

The Beatles

If we get this series up to 12 in a row, you know The Beatles will be there. It’s hard to beat this six in a row. Amazingly, they released these six albums in a span of just three years.

A Hard Day’s Night -1964

Beatles for Sale – 1964

Help! – 1965

Rubber Soul – 1965

Revolver -1966

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – 1967

The Rolling Stones

Another band that will definitely be on these lists to the end.

Between the Buttons -1967

Their Satanic Majesties Request – 1967

Beggars Banquet – 1968

Let It Bleed – 1969

Sticky Fingers – 1971

Exile on Main St. – 1972

The Who

It’s nice that Pete and Roger are still rocking on stage. With John and Keith, they released an amazing catalog of great rock albums. Just wish they had released more music than they did.

Tommy – 1969

Live At Leeds – 1970

Who’s Next – 1971

Quadrophenia – 1973

The Who By Numbers – 1975

Who Are You – 1978

Pink Floyd

Obsucred by Clouds is the weak link in this six, but we just could not leave Pink Floyd off this list. The other tough choice was to either end with The Wall or start with Atom Heart Mother and leave off The Wall.

Meddle (1971)

Obscured by Clouds (1972)

The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

Wish You Were Here (1975)

Animals (1977)

The Wall (1979)

ZZ Top

A power rock and roll Texas blues boogie trio that will never be topped.

Tres Hombres – 1973

Fandango! – 1975

Tejas – 1976

Degüello – 1979

El Loco – 1981

Eliminator – 1983

Creedence Clearwater Revival

The sound of the 1960s that is about as genuine as it gets.

Creedence Clearwater Revival – 1968

Bayou Country – 1969

Green River – 1969

Willy and the Poor Boys – 1969

Cosmo’s Factory – 1970

Pendulum – 1970

Rush

Rush will forever remain one of rock’s most loved trios. We miss you, Mr. Peart.

Caress of Steel – 1975

2112 – 1976

A Farewell to Kings -1977

Hemispheres – 1978

Permanent Waves – 1980

Moving Pictures – 1981

Black Sabbath

Six albums that defined the sound of heavy metal.

Black Sabbath – 1970

Paranoid – 1970

Master of Reality – 1971

Vol. 4 – 1972

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath – 1973

Sabotage – 1975

Steely Dan

If you grew up in the 1970s and had good taste in brilliant musicianship and amazing songwriting, you loved this band

Countdown to Ecstasy – 1973

Pretzel Logic – 1974

Katy Lied -1975

The Royal Scam – 1976

Aja – 1977

Gaucho – 1980

Blue Oyster Cult

One of those bands that remain incredibly underrated in the story of classic rock.

Blue Öyster Cult – 1972

Tyranny and Mutation – 1973

Secret Treaties – 1974

Agents of Fortune – 1976

Spectres – 1977

Mirrors (1979)

Grand Funk Railroad

Remember how big these guys were in the 1970s?

Closer to Home – 1970

Survival – 1971

E Pluribus Funk – 1971

Phoenix – 1972

We’re an American Band – 1973

Shinin’ On – 1974

The Eagles

This is pretty much their entire original run.

Eagles – 1972

Desperado – 1973

On the Border -1974

One of These Nights – 1975

Hotel California -1976

The Long Run – 1979

Bruce Springsteen

Bruce had such an amazing run from 1973 to 1984. And he still continues to put out great music almost fifty years later.

The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle -1973

Born to Run -1975

Darkness on the Edge of Town -1978

The River -1980

Nebraska – 1982

Born In The U.S.A

David Bowie

Another artist which we could have started at many different places in his catalog and listed six great ones in a row.

Hunky Dory – 1971

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars – 1972

Aladdin Sane -1973

Pin Ups -1973

Diamond Dogs (1974)

Young Americans – 1975

Billy Joel

It’s tough leaving out his first two albums, but we love The Nylon Curtain and Innocent Man. 

Turnstiles -1976

The Stranger -1977

52nd Street -1978

Glass Houses  – 1980

The Nylon Curtain – 1982

An Innocent Man – 1983

Elton John

There are many places we could start in this man’s catalog in the 1970s, but these are our favorite six in a row. What’s even more amazing is it only took him four years to release these six treasured albums.

Madman Across The Water – 1971

Honky Château (1972)

Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player -1973

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – 1973

Caribou -1974

Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy -1975

Van Halen

Even though we love Sammy, we had to start with the band’s first album and so we never make it to the Sammy period because they released six great ones in a row with Dave.

Van Halen (1978)

Van Halen II (1979)

Women and Children First (1980)

Fair Warning (1981)

Diver Down (1982)

1984 (1984)

Frank Zappa

We could do twenty or thirty or forty in a row for Frank Zappa or maybe even more. Nonetheless, these picks were from one of his most successful runs all around.

Over-Nite Sensation  -1973

Apostrophe (‘) -1974

Roxy & Elsewhere  – 1974

One Size Fits All – 1975

Bongo Fury -1975

Zoot Allures – 1976

The Doors

These six great albums in a row also make up their entire original studio album output.

The Doors -1967

Strange Days -1967

Waiting for the Sun -1968

The Soft Parade -1969

Morrison Hotel – 1970

L.A. Woman

AC/DC

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976)

Let There Be Rock (1977)

Powerage (1978)

Highway to Hell (1979)

Back in Black (1980)

For Those About to Rock We Salute You (1981)

The Doobie Brothers

These are all from the pre-Michale McDonald era with the exception of Takin’ It To The Streets

The Doobie Brothers (1971)

Toulouse Street (1972)

The Captain and Me (1973)

What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits (1974)

Stampede (1975)

Takin’ It to the Streets (1976)

Thin Lizzy

Fighting (1975)

Jailbreak (1976)

Johnny the Fox (1976)

Bad Reputation (1977)

Black Rose: A Rock Legend (1979)

Chinatown (1980)

U2

Boy – 1980

October -1981

War -1983

The Unforgettable Fire -1984

The Joshua Tree -1987

Rattle And Hum – 1988

Foghat

Energized – 1974

Rock and Roll Outlaws -1974

Fool For The City -1975

Night Shift -1976

Foghat Live -1977

Stone Blue – 1979

Lynyrd Skynyrd

(Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) – 1973

Second Helping -1974

Nuthin’ Fancy – 1975

Gimme Back My Bullets -1976

One More from the Road – 1976

Street Survivors -1977

Emerson Lake & Palmer

Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1970)

Tarkus (1971)

Pictures at an Exhibition (1971, live)

Trilogy (1972)

Brain Salad Surgery (1973)

Works Vol.1 (1977)

Jethro Tull

Stand Up (1969)

Benefit (1970)

Aqualung (1971)

Thick as a Brick (1972)

A Passion Play (1973)

War Child (1974)

Genesis

Trespass (1970)

Nursery Cryme (1971)

Foxtrot (1972)

Selling England by the Pound (1973)

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974)

A Trick of the Tail (1976)

YES

Time and a Word (1970)

The Yes Album (1971)

Fragile (1971)

Close to the Edge (1972)

Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973)

Relayer (1974)

Motorhead

Motörhead (1977)

Overkill (1979)

Bomber (1979)

On Parole (1979)

Ace of Spades (1980)

Iron Fist (1982)

Deep Purple

Deep Purple in Rock (1970)

Fireball (1971)

Machine Head (1972)

Made In Japan

Who Do We Think We Are (1973)

Burn (1974)

The Ramones

Ramones (1976)

Leave Home (1977)

Rocket to Russia (1977)

Road to Ruin (1978)

End of the Century (1980)

Pleasant Dreams (1981)

Bad Company

Bad Company (1974)

Straight Shooter (1975)

Run with the Pack (1976)

Burnin’ Sky (1977)

Desolation Angels (1979)

Rough Diamonds (1982)

Bob Dylan

The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963)

The Times They Are a-Changin’ (1964)

Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964)

Bringing It All Back Home (1965)

Highway 61 Revisited (1965)

Blonde on Blonde (1966)

Joni Mitchell

Blue -1971

For the Roses -1972

Court and Spark – 1974

The Hissing of Summer Lawns – 1975

Hejira – 1976

Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter – 1977

The Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead (1967)

Anthem of the Sun (1968)

Aoxomoxoa (1969)

Live/Dead (1969)

Workingman’s Dead (1970)

American Beauty (1970)

Electric Light Orchestra

On the Third Day (1973)

Eldorado (1974)

Face the Music (1975)

A New World Record (1976)

Out of the Blue (1977)

Discovery (1979)

Journey

Infinity (1978)

Evolution (1979)

Departure (1980)

Escape (1981)

Frontiers (1983)

Raised on Radio (1986)

Chicago

Chicago Transit Authority (1969)

Chicago (1970)

Chicago III (1971)

Chicago At Carnegie Hall (1971)

Chicago V (1972)

Chicago VI (1973)

Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel 1  (1977)

Peter Gabriel 2 (1978)

Peter Gabriel 3 (1980)

Peter Gabriel 4 (1982)

So (1986)

Us (1992)

Prince

Controversy (1981)

1999  (1982)

Purple Rain  (1984)

Around the World in a Day (1985)

Parade (1986)

Sign o’ the Times  (1987)

Alice Cooper

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