Q: What's the greatest one-album band of all time?
I saw the Raconteurs last night, and was entirely unimpressed. Whichever gypsy foretold Jack White and Brendan Benson that they would have a great chemistry and fourteen children together needs a cataract operation. On the contrary, I shall be surprised if they will record another album. Which would have the twin effect of not bothering us with more mediocre songs, and of putting this band in a rather exclusive category, namely that of bands who only recorded a single album.
So, if you get all these illustrious single-shooters into a club, who would be the president? The most relevant, most influential, most entertaining? My girlfriend and I racked our brains about this, and we both instantly came up with Blind Faith and very little else. But what about the Sex Pistols? They were together for about two years on full rock'n roll throttle, recorded a single album, and have since been marketed to death with every fart captured on tape released, re-released and re-packaged umpteenth times. But they're still a single-album band.
So there you are. The Sex Pistols it is, and to celebrate this answer, here's a little related anecdote:
In 1994 we (Instant Karma, that is) were recording our second album in Advision studios in Brighton, which at the time was owned and run by the guys from Yes. So Jon Anderson and Trevor Horn were around while we were mucking about, and they were friendly, and shared their guitars, and showed us their vault with its rather impressive collection of unpaid-for master-tapes (Bowie to Pet Shop Boys, reels the record companies were too cheap to ever fork out for, so they were kept. And, yes, that actually happens). Anyway, one night over a cup of tea they told us how they were brought in to record the 'Never mind the Bollocks' album. Apparently, the Pistols were pretty crap in the studio, and Malcolm McLaren wanted a much better sound, so they brought in the pros, Stevie Howe and the prog-rock elite to essentially. and quietly re-record what was to become the seminal milestone of punk rock. So in case anyone ever wondered precisely why Pretty Vacant etc. sound so tight ... yes! it's Yes.
So from the Great Rock'n Roll Swindle (1978, if the title's ever been a mystery, now you know the Monkees of their time), here's the wonderful French version of Anarchy in the UK ...
A: Jerzimy - Anarchie pour le UK [Buy]
So, if you get all these illustrious single-shooters into a club, who would be the president? The most relevant, most influential, most entertaining? My girlfriend and I racked our brains about this, and we both instantly came up with Blind Faith and very little else. But what about the Sex Pistols? They were together for about two years on full rock'n roll throttle, recorded a single album, and have since been marketed to death with every fart captured on tape released, re-released and re-packaged umpteenth times. But they're still a single-album band.
So there you are. The Sex Pistols it is, and to celebrate this answer, here's a little related anecdote:
In 1994 we (Instant Karma, that is) were recording our second album in Advision studios in Brighton, which at the time was owned and run by the guys from Yes. So Jon Anderson and Trevor Horn were around while we were mucking about, and they were friendly, and shared their guitars, and showed us their vault with its rather impressive collection of unpaid-for master-tapes (Bowie to Pet Shop Boys, reels the record companies were too cheap to ever fork out for, so they were kept. And, yes, that actually happens). Anyway, one night over a cup of tea they told us how they were brought in to record the 'Never mind the Bollocks' album. Apparently, the Pistols were pretty crap in the studio, and Malcolm McLaren wanted a much better sound, so they brought in the pros, Stevie Howe and the prog-rock elite to essentially. and quietly re-record what was to become the seminal milestone of punk rock. So in case anyone ever wondered precisely why Pretty Vacant etc. sound so tight ... yes! it's Yes.
So from the Great Rock'n Roll Swindle (1978, if the title's ever been a mystery, now you know the Monkees of their time), here's the wonderful French version of Anarchy in the UK ...
A: Jerzimy - Anarchie pour le UK [Buy]
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