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Well, here we go again as we present our third article in our a series of perfect albums in a row. We started out with this series at three perfect albums in a row and now we’re at five perfect albums in a row. This one is a lot tougher than the first two. It’s also a bit shorter as they were fewer bands that ever released five perfect albums in a row. Now many people argue there is no such thing as a perfect album. We would argue they are wrong. Of course, it depends on how you define the word perfect. We defined the word perfect in rock ‘n’ roll as a great album in which most fans love every single song on the record. And of course, there could be one or two that aren’t as perfect as the rest of the songs, but are close enough.
We hope you have fun with this one
Five Perfect Albums In A Row
Rush
Rush was one of the bands that benefited immediately from the extra album added as leaving Moving Pictures off our four in a row list really hurt.
2112 – 1976
A Farewell to Kings -1977
Hemispheres – 1978
Permanent Waves – 1980
Moving Pictures – 1981
Metallica
Not everyone loves Metallica’s 1991 album, but we think its great. Their first five albums are simply stunning metal masterpieces
Kill ‘Em All (1983)
Ride the Lightning – 1984
Master of Puppets – 1986
…And Justice for All – 1988
Metallica – 1991
The Police
The Police are the only band on this list in which their five perfect albums in a row also happen to be the only five studio albums the band ever released. That’s called a perfect studio album discography.
Outlandos d’Amour (1978)
Reggatta de Blanc (1979)
Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)
Ghost in the Machine (1981)
Synchronicity (1983)
The Rolling Stones
There are a couple of different places in the Stones catalog where one could count off five perfect albums in a row. However, we think this is the strongest five album stretch in the band’s history.
# 1 – Beggars Banquet – 1968
# 2 – Let It Bleed – 1969
# 3 – Sticky Fingers – 1971
# 4 – Exile on Main St. – 1972
# 5 – Goats Head Soup – 1973
The Beatles
Yes, we know Magical Mystery Tour was released between Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and The White Album. However, in the UK, Magical Mystery Tour was basically a double ep with only six songs. In the US, it was just a compilation of those UK songs and some instrumentals. So we have disqualified Magical Mystery Tour as a complete studio album, therefore, opening the door to The White Album becoming the Beatles Fifth Perfect album in a row.
# 1 – Help! – 1965
# 2 – Rubber Soul – 1965
# 3 – Revolver -1966
# 4 – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – 1967
# 5 – The Beatles (The White Album) – 1968
Aerosmith
Their first five albums are legendary. Pure rock and roll proving them to be one of the greatest rock bands ever that debuted in the 1970s.
Aerosmith – 1973
Get Your Wings – 1974
Toys in the Attic – 1975
Rocks – 1976
Draw The Line – 1977
Elton John
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
Billy Joel
Billy Joel’s most underrated album in our opinion is his fifth perfect one in a row. The Nylon Curtain stands as his Sgt Pepper. The four albums that came before it are also spectacular. And the two before that will probably keep Billy Joel on this perfect series of lists for a while.
Turnstiles -1976
The Stranger -1977
52nd Street -1978
Glass Houses – 1980
The Nylon Curtain – 1982
Led Zeppelin
We hate leaving out Physical Graffiti, but their first five albums are more than perfect, they serve as the soundtrack to so many of our lives…..
Led Zeppelin – 1969
Led Zeppelin II – 1969
Led Zeppelin III – 1970
Led Zeppelin IV – 1971
Houses Of The Holy – 1973
Bruce Springsteen
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
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is another band that we could probably rate their entire catalog as perfect…well almost.
Pretzel Logic – 1974
Katy Lied -1975
The Royal Scam – 1976
Aja – 1977
Gaucho – 1980
Queen
# 1 – Queen II -1974
# 2 – Sheer Heart Attack – 1974
# 3 – A Night At The Opera – 1975
# 4 – A Day At The Races – 1976
# 5 – News Of The World – 1977
The Who
Some people feel the Who By Numbers wasn’t a great album, I think looking back in time it really was.
Tommy – 1969
Live At Leeds – 1970
Who’s Next – 1971
Quadrophenia – 1973
The Who By Numbers – 1975
The Allman Brothers Band
Albums that defined a style of music that no one came close to matching.
The Allman Brothers Band (1969)
Idlewild South (1970)
At Fillmore East (1971, live)
Eat a Peach (1972, part live)
Brothers and Sisters (1973)
David Bowie
So many great albums we could have started at many different places in hs catalog.
Diamond Dogs (1974)
Young Americans – 1975
Station to Station – 1976
Low – 1977
“Heroes” – 1977
and the rest……
The Doors
The Doors -1967
Strange Days -1967
Waiting for the Sun -1968
The Soft Parade -1969
Morrison Hotel – 1970
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Texas Flood (1983)
Couldn’t Stand the Weather (1984)
Soul to Soul (1985)
Live Alive (1986)
In Step (1989)
ZZ Top
Tejas (1976)
Degüello (1979)
El Loco (1981)
Eliminator (1983)
Afterburner (1985)
Blue Oyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult (1972)
Tyranny and Mutation (1973)
Secret Treaties (1974)
Agents of Fortune (1976)
Spectres (1977)
Foghat
Energized – 1974
Rock and Roll Outlaws -1974
Fool For The City -1975
Night Shift -1976
Foghat Live -1977
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Bayou Country (1969)
Green River (1969)
Willy and the Poor Boys (1969)
Cosmo’s Factory (1970)
Pendulum (1970)
Yes
The Yes Album – 1971
Fragile – 1971
Close to the Edge – 1972
Tales from Topographic Oceans – 1973
Relayer – 1974
Joni Mitchell
Blue – 1971
For the Roses – 1972
Court and Spark – 1974
The Hissing of Summer Lawns -1975
Hejira – 1976
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath (1970)
Paranoid (1970)
Master of Reality (1971)
Vol. 4 (1972)
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)
Frank Zappa
Over-Nite Sensation -1973
Apostrophe (‘) -1974
Roxy & Elsewhere -1974
One Size Fits All – 1975
Bongo Fury -1975
AC/DC
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976)
Powerage (1978)
Highway to Hell (1979)
Back in Black (1980)
For Those About to Rock We Salute You (1981)
Grand Funk Railroad
Closer to Home (1970)
Survival (1971)
E Pluribus Funk (1971)
Phoenix (1972)
We’re an American Band (1973)
U2
Boy – 1980
October -1981
War -1983
The Unforgettable Fire -1984
The Joshua Tree -1987
Classic Rock Bands That Released Five Perfect Albums In A Row article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022
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I disagree on the Doors. The Soft Machine was a soft album. They got the be Mojo back big time with Morrison Hotel.
Make it six in a row add abbey road to the Beatles
Rush sucks. And their name should never be spoken.
You must have have like 2112 at least though
I wouldn’t waste your time responding to a guy like that, he sounds like he’s 12 years old.
Your an idiot. For someone to say Rush sucks, has no musical aptitude whats’ so ever. What little musical intelligence you do have can be used for the appreciation of bands created by the music industry and all the boy bands within their realm. What I’m saying is (I’m pointing it out to you because you probably not smart enough to figure it out yourself) that; those are mighty big words for little boy). Good luck in your quest and fan fair for BTS and bands like them, as they’ll fade away hopefully as quickly as your opinion.
My concept took off, huh? It does seem to establish some creative patterns, and as the third article suggests, that even five straight albums can be special. By the way, the fourth Doors albums is titled “The Soft Parade”. I appreciate this concept being explored. Thanks, Brian.
If you’re going to call some of these “perfect”, then Prince did nine in a row.
I wouldn’t say perfect for nearly all of these artists for 5 albums. I would say Van Halen should be on this list
Shift back two albums for ZZ top
The police didn’t have 5 good songs! Never mind 5 perfect albums in a row!
You’re being EXTREMELY liberal with the use of perfect, here! Especially as it applies to a lot of the bands you’ve include; and to many you’ve excluded! Beatles, Stones, Zep, CCR, Allmans – yep! Aerosmith, Springsteen, Rush – come on!
What about Styx?
What about Grand Funk Railroad
Never heard of Pink Floyd??
Atom Heart Mother, Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall. No? Never heard of them?
Before you attack an author with your smug, and immature comment maybe you should actually read the article or at least comprehend the title, or better learn a little more about the Pink Floyd catalog and recognize that Atom Heart Mother does not come before Dark Side of the Moon, Obscured By Clouds does. It’s called five in a row, so either actually learn how to read an article instead of just looking at the pictures or learn a little more about Pink Floyd before you so eagerly attack and insult a writer.
Enjoyed reading this. You will always get opinions, but I agree with most of these. Would add Elvis Costello; My Aim Is True, This Year’s Model, Armed Forces, Get Happy, Trust.