Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Lists

If I list Elvis Costello's first four records in order of preference, it would be the exact same as if I listed them chronologically. Not to say I dislike any of them, and I know the critically fashionable thing to do would be to name any of them except the debut as the best, but what can I say, I love the sound of an American backing band playing pub rock. I acquired all the records at the same time, and the first listen of all them was within the same week, so it's not that I heard the first record first ...

A quick brain storm reveals Weezer to be another one for me, though everything after "Pinkerton" has been shite (with the exception of a few tracks), and I'd like to stick with groups where all the albums on the list are solid.

Cake would be one, though my album preferences for the group have slowly changed over the years (the debut was the third record I heard by the band), and though I rarely listen to the band anymore even though I still like it, the preference/chronological list is now identical all the way through 2004's "Pressure Chief."

Can you think of any others where the preference/chronology pairing applies?

2 comments:

Dan Reynolds said...

1.) Ben Folds (both with Five and solo)
2.) The Strokes

What no love for Maladroit? It's no Pinkerton, but you've got to admit that album is head and shoulders above all his other post-Matt Sharp albums.

Warped Coasters said...

I almost put Ben Folds on the list, but I like Whatever and Ever Amen just slightly more than the debut.

Maladroit is definitely their best post-Pinkerton album, but the only way to get over how crappy they've become is to write it all off together in my mind, apparently.