FEATURE:
The One-Album Wonder
IN THIS PHOTO: Lauryn Hill/PHOTO CREDIT: Anthony Barboza/Getty Images
Artists Who Released Just the One Genius Record
__________
LATER on today...
IN THIS PHOTO: The Postal Service/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
I will be looking at a very special female icon and I want to concentrate on a few other topics. At the moment, I have been thinking of those artists who only managed to release one truly great album. Maybe the fact they only released one album at all was because of tragedy or a short career. Other acts have released a lot of albums and maybe they only struck gold that one time. There are a number of reasons why we sometimes get that brief flash of brilliance but, rather than wonder what happened and look for answers, we need to enjoy that album and cherish it. I have been thinking about the artists that put out that very special album that captures the mindset and, even if they did not reach those heights again, we were given this glorious, single offering. There might be others I have forgotten but, if I have, let me know. Here, then, are ten artists that brought the world a truly sensational album but were not able to…
IN THIS PHOTO: Jeff Buckley/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
MATCH those heights again.
ALL ALBUM COVERS: Getty Images
_______________
The La’s – The La’s
Release Date: 1st October, 1990
Labels: Polydor/Go/London
Producers: Steve Lillywhite/Bob Andrews
Standout Tracks: Son of a Gun/Timeless Melody/Way Out
Total Number of Studio Albums: One
Review:
“But where so many guitar pop bands seem inhibited by tradition, the La's were liberated by it, using basic elements to construct their own identity, one that's propulsive and tuneful, or sweetly seductive, as it is on the band's best-known song, "There She Goes." That song is indicative of the La's material in its melodic pull; the rest of the album has a bit more muscle, whether the group is bashing out a modern-day Merseybeat on "Liberty Ship" and bouncing two-step "Doledrum," or alluding to Morrissey's elliptical phrasing on "Timeless Melody." This force gives the La's some distinction, separating them from nostalgic revivalists even as their dedication to unadorned acoustic arrangements separates them from their contemporaries, but it's this wildly willful sensibility -- so respectful of the past it can't imagine not following its own path -- that turns The La's into its own unique entity, indebted to the past and pointing toward the future, yet not belonging to either” – AllMusic
Key Cut: There She Goes
Jeff Buckley – Grace
Release Date: 23rd August, 1994
Label: Columbia
Producers: Andy Wallace/Jeff Buckley
Standout Tracks: Grace/Last Goodbye/Lover, You Should’ve Come Over
Total Number of Studio Albums: One
Review:
“After burnishing his vocal delivery to a haunting glow by playing on Manhattan’s Lower East Side punk-folk scene, this son of folksinger Tim Buckley now outstrips dad with a dreamy and stunningly original set of songs. Buckley’s voice falls smack between Freddie Mercury and Art Garfunkel, sounding like an angel and devil wrapped in one. Too good to be true” – Entertainment Weekly
Key Cut: Hallelujah
Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Release Date: 25th August, 1998
Labels: Ruffhouse/Columbia
Producers: Lauryn Hill/Che Guevara/Vada Nobles
Standout Tracks: Lost Ones/Ex-Factor/Everything Is Everything
Total Number of Studio Albums: One
Review:
“Ms. Hill didn’t just gain inspiration from this philosophy; she quite literally inherited it. Half of Miseducation was recorded in Jamaica at Marley’s own Tuff Gong Studios. The baby she carried was conceived with Rohan Marley, son of Bob. From this regal lineage, Miseducation strikes out with the lionhearted courage of a crusader. But it can’t stay there. Metaphors of God soldiers and Lions of Judah are good as far as they go, but they don’t go far enough. The problem is that such a worldview is fundamentally male, which is to say more ubiquitous than correct. Lauryn Hill was tasked with something more difficult than that: to walk a series of intertwined tightropes specific to young black women. To be vulnerable, but fearless. To tell the truth, but look beautiful in doing so” – Pitchfork
Key Cut: Doo Wop (That Thing)
Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
Release Date: 27th October, 2006
Label: Island
Producers: Mark Ronson/Salaam Remi
Standout Tracks: Rehab/Love Is a Losing Game/Tears Dry on Their Own
Total Number of Studio Albums: Two
Review:
“Starting with the pungent single Rehab, everything is in its right place: the exuberant neo-Motown swing supplied by producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi; the rich, sinewy vocals, somewhere between Lauryn Hill, Beth Gibbons and Etta James; and the thoroughly modern songwriting, in which infidelity is betrayed by a telltale carpet burn (You Know I'm No Good) and a lover is less desirable than a good supply of weed (Addicted). On the latter song she triumphantly declares: "I'm my own man." Only a fool would argue” – The Guardian
Key Cut: Back to Black
The Postal Service – Give Up
Release Date: 19th February, 2003
Label: Sub Pop
Producers: The Postal Service
Standout Tracks: The District Sleeps Alone Tonight/Recycled Air/We Will Become Silhouettes
Total Number of Studio Albums: One
Review:
“Songs like "Nothing Better," a duet that plays like an update on Human League's "Don't You Want Me?," and the video-game brightness of "Brand New Colony" sound overtly like the '80s brought into the present, but the tinny, preset synth and drum sounds on the entire album recall that decade. Sometimes, as on "Recycled Air" and "We Will Become Silhouettes," the retro sounds become distracting, but for the most part they add to the album's playful charm. The spooky ballad "This Place Is a Prison" is perhaps the most modern-sounding track and the closest in sound and spirit to Gibbard and Tamborello's Dntel work. The crunchy, distorted beats and sparkling synths recall both This Is the Dream of Evan and Chan and Björk's recent work; indeed, this song, along with the "All Is Full of Love" cover Death Cab included on their Stability EP, could be seen as an ongoing tribute to her. Overall, Give Up is a fun diversion for Tamborello, Gibbard, and their fans. It doesn't scale the heights of either of their main projects, but it's far more consistent and enjoyable than might be expected” – AllMusic
Key Cut: Such Great Heights
Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols
Release Date: 28th October, 1977
Label: Virgin
Producers: Chris Thomas/Bill Prince
Standout Tracks: God Save the Queen/Bodies/Pretty Vacant
Total Number of Studio Albums: One
Review:
“Never Mind the Bollocks perfectly articulated the frustration, rage, and dissatisfaction of the British working class with the establishment, a spirit quick to translate itself to strictly rock & roll terms. The Pistols paved the way for countless other bands to make similarly rebellious statements, but arguably none were as daring or effective. It's easy to see how the band's roaring energy, overwhelmingly snotty attitude, and Rotten's furious ranting sparked a musical revolution, and those qualities haven't diminished one bit over time. Never Mind the Bollocks is simply one of the greatest, most inspiring rock records of all time” – AllMusic
Key Cut: Anarchy in the U.K.
Derek and the Dominos – Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
Release Date: 6th November, 1970
Labels: Polydor/Atco
Producers: Tom Dowd/Derek and the Dominos
Standout Tracks: Bell Bottom Blues/Key to the Highway/Tell the Truth
Total Number of Studio Albums: One
Review:
“"Layla" is a very unique piece of music because of its rather contrasting movements. It begins as an eruptive, guitar-driven song, but as it progresses it transcends into a delicate piano ballad. Eric Clapton's performance in this song is among one of his best. The guitar solos are fiery and aggressive, expressing all of the intensity and frustration that seems to posses our emotions when we're in love. The latter half of the song is just as mesmerizing, providing a sensitive yet affectionate sound induced by the coalescence of Duane Allman's soothing slide guitar and Bobby Whitlock's sentimental piano arrangements. Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs is often recognized as one of the definitive releases in classic rock, and it is certainly one of Eric Clapton's finest efforts. The bluesy sound that coats the music of the album will be sure to prove itself as a captivating listen to the very end” – SputnikMusic
Key Cut: Layla
Minor Threat – Out of Step
Release Date: April 1983
Label: Dischord
Producers: Don Zientara/Minor Threat
Standout Tracks: Think Again/No Reason/Out of Step
Total Number of Studio Albums: One
Review:
“Lyle Preslar and Brian Baker both have at the guitar this time through and do the instrument proud, creating memorable, snarling riffs that rip out of the speakers without apology. Jeff Nelson's drumming is equally powerful, but Ian MacKaye's outraged performance provides the real killer touch. Even if it requires the lyric sheet to catch what's being said in particular, there's less in the way of declarative statements of purpose and more expressions of looming worries, his conversational asides adding a touch of melancholy even at the most high-volume moments. Besides a re-recording of "Out of Step" from the In My Eyes EP, other high points include "Look Back and Laugh," an uneasy but ever-more-tightly wound confrontation with the reality of growing apart being entangled with growing up, and the powerful "Think Again." There's a secret highlight, though -- "Cashing In," appearing unlisted at the end and showing that MacKaye and company had a definite sense of humor, pokes fun at their own glowering image even while rocking out with aplomb (and including, of all things, a concluding burst of strings)” – AllMusic
Key Cut: Betray
Buena Vista Social Club – Buena Vista Social Club
Release Date: 16th September, 1997
Labels: World Circuit/Nonesuch
Producer: Ry Cooder
Standout Tracks: Pueblo Nuevo/Candela/Buena Vista Social Club
Total Number of Studio Albums: One
Review:
“The impromptu band Buena Vista Social Club was assembled by legendary guitarist Ry Cooder during a trip to Havana. Cooder gathered some of Cuba’s most exquisite players, including 89-year-old guitarist Compay Segundo and pianist Ruben Gonzalez, and recorded in a wide range of styles, both modern and traditional, in Buena Vista Social Club. The rhythms vary, but the sound is gentle yet flamboyant throughout. It brims with warmth” – Entertainment Weekly
Key Cut: Chan Chan
The Modern Lovers – The Modern Lovers
Release Date: August 1976
Label: Beserkley
Producers: Robert Appere/John Cale/Allan Mason
Standout Tracks: Pablo Picasso/Hospital/Modern World
Total Number of Studio Albums: Two
Review:
“What reads as contradiction is simply one effect of Richman's irresistible inclusiveness. It's what sets him apart from the Velvets, the Ramones, the Stooges and the like-- acts attracted to themes that matched their ragged sounds. Richman's music is tough, but he is not. He loves the old world, he loves the modern world. He loves rock'n'roll, he loves girls, he loves America, and most importantly, he loves you. Leave the anomie of "1969", the sleaze of "Waiting for the Man", or the mean streets of "53rd & 3rd" to the tough guys. Richman wants to rock you just like all the others, but he also wants to give you a big hug when he's done” – Pitchfork
Key Cut: Roadrunner