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[Nabubrush]

So, I was reading a review of Keith Richards' autobiography recently, and they touched on how the Stones had put out these crazy good albums in the 60s & 70s, and then sort of slid a bit since then, and it got me to thinking. What are the greatest three-album spans in rock? My nominations are as follows:

The Beatles, with Sgt. Pepper's, Magical Mystery Tour, and The WHite Album.
Prince, with Controversy, 1999, and Purple Rain.
R.E.M., with Murmur, Reckoning, and Fables of the Reconstruction.
The Rolling Stones, with Beggar's Banquet, Let It Bleed, and Sticky Fingers.
Stevie Wonder, with Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale, and Songs in the Key of Life.

I had a bunch of others, but I didn't think they stood up. I expect someone feels there's a worthy Dylan trifecta, but I don't know his albums well enough.

[KeithHernandez]

I like this.  I have to go to sleep and I am really high, but I will do this.

[Choop]

Nirvana: Nevermind, In Utero, Unplugged in New York

[AugustWest]

The Beatles, with Sgt. Pepper's, Magical Mystery Tour, and The WHite Album.

I'd have gone with Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's.

[jaydub]

I'd have gone with Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's.

Agreed.  I like the White Album a lot, but those 3 are ones I can listen to over and over.

[Nabubrush]

That's the thing about the Beatles, and I almost went with those. For them, it would be more like a six-pack. I thought about Metallica, but I would have done the first three.

I was going to add Kiss, with "Dressed to Kill", "Destroyer", and "Rock and Roll Over", but I was disheartened to leave "Love Gun" on the shelf.

[pmcd9]

Man, this is pretty interesting.  Thinking about my favorite bands and realizing that most of them never made three great albums in a row.  Some of them, Paul McCartney is a good example, have a bunch of great albums, but never strung three in a row together.  He almost made it with Band on the Run, Venus and Mars and Wings Over America, but I had to check the dates and At the Speed of Sound snuck in a few months before Over America.

I spent about an hour thinking about it and these are the ones that have definitely done it in my opinion.

Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Masters of Reality.

I, II, III, Untitled, Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffiti.

Summerteeth, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, A Ghost is Born

Bad Co, Straight Shooter, Run With The Pack

The Bends, Ok Computer, Kid A, Amnesiac

[KeithHernandez]

Yeah, this is a lot harder than I thought.  Not even Dylan really makes it for me.

Sabbath definitely makes it.  If the Black Lips next album is good they will make it.  Definitely some three of the Radiohead mentioned. 

Oh, the first four Talking Heads, take off either 77 or Remain in Light.  Still though, either of those are probably stronger than More Songs About Buildings and Food. 


Okay, I am kinda feeling this now.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- B.R.M.C, Take Them On, On Your Own and Howl.

Bruce Springsteen- Greetings From Asbury Park, The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, Born to Run.

Flaming Lips- In a Priest Driven Ambulance, Hit to Death in the Future Head, Transmissions from the Satelite Heart and Clouds Taste Metallic (all 4 are classic so none get cut).

The Replacements- Hootenanny, Let it Be, Tim.

The first three Smiths records.

The first three Velvet Underground records.

Blur might make it but I don't want to look it up.  Were 13, Modern Life is Rubbish and Parklife released in order?  (okay, I looked it up, apparently I don't have a very good grasp over Blur's career arc.  Those albums are tits though.)

Edit:  Modest penis- It's a Long Drive, Lonesome, Crowded West and Moon and Antarctica.

[Carlos del Vaca]

Summerteeth, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, A Ghost is Born

See, I don't like A Ghost is Born.  I think Tweedy/Bennett is one of those songwriting teams where the whole is more than the sum of the parts (see also Lennon/McCartney, Strummer/Jones, Staley/Cantrell), and when they kicked Jay out of the band it just wasn't the same.  Jeff tried to be all avant garde and weird, and he sucked at it.

MO, YMMV.  Are Sky Blue Sky and the newest, self-titled album any good?  I haven't picked them up.

[Nabubrush]

I haven't listened to Bad Co in probably 20 years because of the whole classic rock radio thing (same reason I don't listen to CCR).

I did kind of make it 3 on purpose. I took some time with the Stones over that, so Paul, you cheated. It makes Pink Floyd kinda tough, because if you include DSotM, you take Wish You Were Here and Animals and leave The Wall (which is the way I would do it).

[AugustWest]

It makes Pink Floyd kinda tough, because if you include DSotM, you take Wish You Were Here and Animals and leave The Wall (which is the way I would do it).

With Floyd I'd like to be able to say Meddle, DSOTM and Wish You Were Here, but that skips Obscured by Clouds (which is OK, but not up to the level of those other three.)

For Dylan I'd go with Bringing it All Back Home, Hiway 61 and Blonde on Blonde.

How about the Kinks:    The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire), Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One

Or the Who:  Tommy, Who's Next, Quadrophenia   

[miles]

For Dylan I'd go with Bringing it All Back Home, Hiway 61 and Blonde on Blonde.

Greatest threepeat ever?

And I second a whole bunch of the other ones listed above, especially The Smiths and Talking Heads.

I'm not sick of CCR yet: Green River, Willy and the Poor Boys, Cosmo's Factory

Tom Waits: Swordgiraffetrombones, Rain Dogs, Franks Wild Years

Sonic Youth: EVOL, Sister, Daydream Nation

Built to Spill: Ultimate Alternative Wavers, There's Nothing Wrong with Love, Perfect from Now On

OutKast: ATliens, Aquemini, Stankonia

Nick Cave: Your Funeral... My Trial, Tender Prey, The Good Son  (For Nick Cave, you could really start with any album up through Let Love In and the next two are great, those are just the strongest to me.)

Marvin Gaye: What's Going On, Let's Get It On, I Want You (I just double checked it, and apparently Trouble Man comes after What's Going On, but it's not fair to include soundtracks, is it?)

Neil Young is tough because I don't love all of Harvest, and is Zuma really a great album? I don't know if I've listened to the whole thing. Unless live albums count? I don't see why not as long as it's considered canonical: Time Fades Away, On the Beach, Tonight's the Night

Charles Mingus: Tijuana Moods, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (He has so many albums, I checked Wikipedia for chronology, and there's also Blues & Roots, Mingus Ah Um and Mingus Dynasty, and probably a few other threepeats, those are just the six I know best.)

Edit: Forgot the first one that came to mind: Funkadelic, Free Your Mind... And Your Ass Will Follow, Maggot Brain

[Nabubrush]

Rush: Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, Signals.
Aerosmith: Get Your Wings, Toys in the Attc, Rocks.
AC/DC: High Voltage, Dirty Deeds, Let There Be Rock.

I'd say the first three Pearl Jam albums, but I don't think Vitalogy is that great.
I like the Pixies, Jane's Addiction, RatM, Soundgarden, et al but they don't really have the body of work.

[Nabubrush]

I think I would push Built to Spill out one album, but I've got a really soft spot for Keep it Like a Secret (and I wouldn't make a big stink about it).

However, on that note I'm going to go listen to UAW right now. Greatest album cover ever.

[miles]

AC/DC: High Voltage, Dirty Deeds, Let There Be Rock.

I'd start with Dirty Deeds and end with Powerage.

I like the Pixies

Does Come On Pilgrim count? If so, it works, if not, I don't like Bossanova all that much.

I think I would push Built to Spill out one album, but I've got a really soft spot for Keep it Like a Secret (and I wouldn't make a big stink about it).

However, on that note I'm going to go listen to UAW right now. Greatest album cover ever.

You could totally go either way, but lately I'm just feeling UAW so much. In fact, I think There's Nothing Wrong with Love is the weakest in that run, but still great. And you're right, that cover says everything you need to know about Doug Martsch before you listen to them.