Desert island catalogues


I've been playing over the past few days some old favorite U2 albums -- "Achtung Baby" and "The Joshua Tree" -- and then moved on to some not so old and not so favorite U2 discs -- "Pop" and "Zooropa." -- and found myself quite enjoying the lesser-known and lesser-liked discs. (OK, so I'm a U2 fan.) And this got me to thinking: Who are the rock 'n' roll artists whose whole catalogues I'd want to hear over and over and over again. The quick answers were easy: The Beatles. Led Zeppelin. U2. But then when I began to think of Dylan and Joni -- two artists I love almost unreservedly -- I started to think of songs and records of theirs that I wouldn't want to hear ever again. Cutting out these discs or ending at this date ... But that's not the game I was playing in my own head. So, I started looking around in my own collection and found two (sort of) surprises: I'd bring any Suzanne Vega disc to any desert island and be happy hearing any of 'em any time. And did I mention Van Morrison? God, he's been smoking since I was a little kid. There are bands and artists with great records -- the Rolling Stones, XTC, The Clash -- but whose entire body of work is lacking. Any bands or individual artists whose whole catalogues you never tire of hearing? Any band whose worst work is still pretty darn good, better even than most of the rest?
hodu
Bob Mould comes to mind with his various bands and solo work. If i'm not mistaken he was behind the Cheryl Crow sound, thats what I heard on the radio long long ago anyway.
Although he's an acquired taste,Tom Waits comes to mind.
His mediocre recordings always have a nugget or two you play the record to hear.
There are some fantastic bands from Down Under that I can recommend. Crowded House immediately comes to mind, including Woodface. One of my favorite artists, Paul Kelly, has been reviewed as their Bob Dylan and has a remarkable body of work, especially around his band The Coloured Girls and Messengers. He just played solo acoustic in LA last night and the club was packed with Aussies. Sonically, Midnight Oil made a string of four albums that hold up well, including Eart & Sun & Moon.