A Dozen Great Five-Year Musical Stretches
(I was thinking about the two tweets above and trying to come up with some good alternate candidates. From 1977 to 1982, The Clash released five albums: The Clash (1977), Give ‘Em Enough Rope (1978), London Calling (1979), Sandinista! (1980), and Combat Rock (1982). The mathematically inclined will notice that 1977 to 1982 is a six-year five-year stretch, so I gave myself the same date flexibility. I disregarded solo acts, as Lincoln has, along with any bands that released three albums or fewer during their “imperial era”—by which I mean that white-hot creative streak when it seemed they could do no wrong. A lot of the possibilities that occurred to me either interrupted their discographies with a mediocre or at least less successful album (The Beatles with Yellow Submarine; R.E.M. with Dead Letter Office), released their best albums a little too gradually to qualify (The Cure; The Blue Nile), or simply didn’t record enough, period (Big Star; Galaxie 500). I know I’m unlikely to convince anyone that the bands I’ve listed are all better than The Clash—though some of them are, I think—but they were at least doing what they do very well, without missteps, for five or six consecutive years. Also, I recognize that there’s a pronounced eighties bias to this list; in part, that’s because the eighties are my bias, but also, many of the artists I like best from the surrounding decades recorded solo, and many of the bands I like best have sparse or inconsistent discographies.)
Cocteau Twins, 1983-1988: Head Over Heels / Treasure / The Pink Opaque / Victorialand / Blue Bell Knoll
Dexys Midnight Runners, 1980-1985: Searching for the Young Soul Rebels / The Projected Passion Revue / Too-Rye-Ay / Don’t Stand Me Down
The Divine Comedy, 1993-1998: Liberation / Promenade / Casanova / A Short Album About Love / Fin de Siècle
Hiperson, 2015-2020: No Need for Another History / She Came Back From the Square / Four Seasons EP / Bildungsroman
James, 1988-1993: Strip-mine / One Man Clapping / Gold Mother / Seven / Laid
Japan, 1979-1984: Quiet Life / Gentlemen Take Polaroids / Tin Drum / Oil on Canvas
Martin Dupont, 1984-1989: Just Because… / Inédits 1981-1983 / Sleep Is a Luxury / Hot Paradox
New Model Army, 1984-1989: Vengeance / No Rest for the Wicked / The Ghost of Cain / Radio Sessions ‘83-’84 / Thunder and Consolation
Roxy Music, 1972-1977: Roxy Music / For Your Pleasure / Stranded / Country Life / Siren
Siouxsie and the Banshees, 1979-1984: Join Hands / Kaleidoscope / Juju / A Kiss in the Dreamhouse / Nocturne / Hyæna
The Smiths, 1984-1989: The Smiths / Hatful of Hollow / Meat Is Murder / The Queen Is Dead / The World Won’t Listen / Louder Than Bombs / Strangeways, Here We Come / Rank
The Verlaines, 1985-1990: Hallelujah All the Way Home / Bird Dog / Juvenilia / Some Disenchanted Evening
— December 2, 2024