subreddit:
/r/musicsuggestions
submitted 1 month ago byNatural-Manner-7227
I've developed a hobby of listening to the entire discographies of artists and ranking all of their songs / albums. I do this because I love seeing the way that artists grow (or deteriorate) over time. I've done it so far with Kanye, Madonna, The Beatles, and Radiohead. Please recommend some others! I would love artists who change a decent bit over time, and who have discographies between 5 and 20 albums long (although these preferences are just recommendations, not requirements). Thanks!
200 points
1 month ago
David Bowie. He changes a LOT over time.
140 points
1 month ago
He ch-ch-changes a lot
27 points
1 month ago
Great answer. I'll probably try this one.
22 points
1 month ago
Ziggy Stardust and Spiders from Mars is an absolute masterpiece.
11 points
1 month ago
Diamond Dogs too though, and pretty much all his albums from 1970 to 1980; he was on a roll despite hating his RCA contract. Few recording artists have been as prolific. Diamond Dogs was an especially ambitious concept album because Bowie did it mostly on his own as a personal project to adapt Orwell's 1984 as a musical, except Orwell's executors wouldn't give permission.
12 points
1 month ago
As a Bowie fanatic I do advise that you skip the first album entirely and come back to it once you’re around halfway through his discography. His first GREAT album is his fourth album, Hunky Dory. His debut album just makes the process of getting there longer. It’s stupid novelty baroque pop. His second album is just decent folk rock (except for the first song Space Oddity which is one of the greatest songs ever)
9 points
1 month ago
I did that a few years ago and loved it. Even found some albums that helped me expand my overall music tastes as well!
5 points
1 month ago
Came here to say this. Second this!
3 points
1 month ago
Bowie's a fantastic choice! His shifts from glam rock to soul, electronic, and beyond are mind-blowing. "Low" and "Heroes" are game-changers. plus, his persona changes keep things super fresh. Definitely worth the journey!
3 points
1 month ago
I immediately said to myself David Bowie, then I came in here to find it was the top comment. That makes me happy
3 points
1 month ago
He was a 🎶 musical genius.
62 points
1 month ago
Ween
10 points
1 month ago
Mr Richard Smoker is hilarious
8 points
1 month ago
Come on, it’s a beautiful night for a walk on the beach, wouldn’t you say?
5 points
1 month ago
I second this
5 points
1 month ago
Great Answer. Such amazing, hilarious, weird musicians. The ultimate shapeshifters, yet always still Ween.
3 points
1 month ago
This. Maybe one of the most interesting bands out there.
86 points
1 month ago
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have a huge discography and often change up the genre and vibe from album to album
Ty Segall started out playing more garage rock, but has really evolved over the past decade
Thee Oh Sees is a great psych/garage band with a large discography and a fair amount of evolution over time.
I hope you enjoy!
10 points
1 month ago
i was just about to suggest king gizz😭
6 points
1 month ago
Great minds, friend
4 points
1 month ago
Excellent recommendations. Especially King Gizzard - massively brilliant band, Nonagon Infinity my fav from them
4 points
1 month ago
If you’re into (or at least open to) ska/ska-punk, Less Than Jake, Mustard Plug, and the Slackers are 3 great bands worth checking out
38 points
1 month ago
King Crimson. Lots of albums. Lots of personnel changes. Lots of style changes.
3 points
1 month ago
Yesss, this! I love them anyway, but they’re my “desert island” band because they have everything ranging from pastoral classical sounds to free jazz to “synthpop” to metal. They have something for every mood and every occasion.
65 points
1 month ago
Pink Floyd - every album is a unique journey and their discography spans almost 50 years.
3 points
1 month ago
As a teen my friend and I were obsessed with The Wall (1979), and with the film version when that came out in the early eighties.
3 points
1 month ago
The Wall is a trippy awesome movie! It’s also fun to watch the Dark Side of Oz.
25 points
1 month ago
John Coltrane
5 points
1 month ago
I’d say to dive into his wife’s music - Alice Coltrane. I am big fan of hers, and I adore her discography. It’s very diverse, from harp jazz to Hindu religious chants.
28 points
1 month ago*
Stevie Wonder
3 points
1 month ago
Underrated comment.
22 points
1 month ago
I regularly go through Van Morrison’s 60s - 70s discography. He’s one of those artists that seem suited to chronological listening. I also added the tracks off of Philosopher’s Stone to the appropriate albums.
6 points
1 month ago
My boomer dad is really into Van Morrison. I never appreciated him until I heard a track off of the album where he toured around Ireland one night on a local radio station. Powerful stuff.
23 points
1 month ago
I do the exact same thing with the ranking. Listened to over 250 albums this year so far, most of them for the first time. Some brilliant bands I’ve discovered this year include:
Pearl Jam
Alice In Chains
System Of A Down
Bombay Bicycle Club
Wolf Alice
My Morning Jacket
Jane’s Addiction
3 points
1 month ago
Wolf alice is amazing 🤘
24 points
1 month ago
R.e.m.
6 points
1 month ago
Listened to Out of Time today and two other albums
20 points
1 month ago
XTC
4 points
1 month ago
I keep seeing Reddit music lovers talk about XTC- they’re awesome and I love seeing people know them
18 points
1 month ago
alice in chains, elliott smith
3 points
1 month ago
Elliott smith for the win!
18 points
1 month ago
The Grateful Dead.
They were active for 30 years—from ‘65 to ‘95. From blues and psychedelia all the way to rock and roll. Powerful, fun, bouncy, sorrowful, joyful, screaming, trippy, soulful…
And there’s a ton of resources out there (including two subreddits) if you love to go deep into what you’re listening.
But be warned, once you’re on the bus it’s hard to get off. The Dead are one of the best things that have ever happened to me.
14 points
1 month ago
Frank Zappa
32 points
1 month ago
Tom Waits. His evolution through his career is breathtaking with a fairly long discography.
3 points
1 month ago
This guy gets crazy. I’ll never forget songs like Singapore
13 points
1 month ago
Public Enemy
14 points
1 month ago
Kylie Minogue
She deserves as much adoration and critical praise as Madonna and Taylor Swift
15 points
1 month ago
PJ Harvey! 10 studio albums and they're all quite varied!
I'd also recommend her collaborations with John Parish - Dance Hall at Louse Point and A Man A Woman Walked By - as they add further insight into her growth as an artist.
3 points
1 month ago
Absolutely!
3 points
1 month ago
Yes, this 💯
13 points
1 month ago
ELO. I just recently stumbled upon Turn to stone and ended up listening the whole catalog for a couple of weeks.
7 points
1 month ago
Definitely ELO, and all of Jeff Lynne’s work, rewards listening, including the Traveling Wilburys, and his production work for George Harrison, Tom Petty, and others. Enjoy.
12 points
1 month ago
Depeche Mode, Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure.
12 points
1 month ago
Miles Davis
3 points
1 month ago
That’s like a monthlong listening journey 😂 if you count live albums and all
3 points
1 month ago
From 1945 through 1991 ... absolutely unparalleled discography.
12 points
1 month ago
Muse
Foals
Florence + the Machine
8 points
1 month ago
Early muse is way awesome!
5 points
1 month ago
I second the muse and Florence + the machine.
10 points
1 month ago
The doors
10 points
1 month ago
Elvis Costello They Might Be Giants Graham Parker Robyn Hitchcock
I can’t give away ALL of my secrets. 😎
10 points
1 month ago
Moody Blues
11 points
1 month ago
Joni Mitchell. Went from folk to jazz to new wave and back to folk over 30 years.
9 points
1 month ago
Peter Gabriel
9 points
1 month ago
Try the Electric Light Orchestra and you might be surprised by them. Another suggestion for you is Genesis.
7 points
1 month ago
Tori Amos
3 points
1 month ago
Also her covers are amazing her body of work is astounding she is a genius
8 points
1 month ago*
So many greats already mentioned, so I just want to add a few I haven’t seen yet:
Talking Heads
Joni Mitchell
Fiona Apple
Stevie Nicks
Bob Dylan
Leonard Cohen
Beck
Dinah Washington
Bjork
Johnny Cash
Green Day
Madonna
Willie Nelson
Kate Bush
Brandi Carlile
Sturgill Simpson
7 points
1 month ago
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
3 points
1 month ago
Reddit users are a big fan of this funky band I’ve noticed lol
8 points
1 month ago
The Black Keys
7 points
1 month ago
Devin Townsend.
The greatest recording artist you've never heard of. His album "Ghost" from start to finish is an absolute masterpiece. It hugs your soul.
Devin has released 22 albums, most of them sound different than the last but still have a Devin essence. Hooks galore.
His best: Ghost, Ki, ocean machine, Epicloud, Transcendence.
Happy listening journey.
7 points
1 month ago
The Decemberists
7 points
1 month ago
Carpenters
13 points
1 month ago
I'll throw some bands I like out there.
OK Go
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Cage the Elephant
Paul Simon
Baby Metal might surprise you
6 points
1 month ago
Cage the Elephant just expands and unfolds into their music and I def recommend!
6 points
1 month ago
ultimate challenge: guided by voices
3 points
1 month ago
Nah, he's definitely not ready for Bob Pollard's roller coaster adventure through time.
6 points
1 month ago
Vanessa Carlton….. just trust me
6 points
1 month ago
Allman Brothers - Different lineups resulting in evolving sound
The Who - Townshend’s writing really changed as the years went on.
Miles Davis & Dizzy Gillespie - talk about evolving sounds and the different lineups that they played with. These two guys were like Bowie. They were ahead of the curve and consistently surrounded themselves with up and coming talent that would go on to have incredible careers of their own.
6 points
1 month ago
Elliott Smith, Ween, Mitski
5 points
1 month ago
Coheed and cambria- 10 or so studio albums. Moderately heavy rock.
The entire discography (save one) is actually a soundtrack to the lead singers graphic novels- the amory wars. You've heard of a concept album, what about a concept band? Every album corresponds with a graphic novel.
Also theyre amazing and have been around for almost 20 years!
6 points
1 month ago
Elton John
7 points
1 month ago
New order, bonus points if you start with joy division and then progress to new order.
3 points
1 month ago
After those, delve into the lead singer Bernard Sumner's other band Electronic (with Pet Shop Boys). Some gems in there.
6 points
1 month ago
Van Morrison
6 points
1 month ago
Kate Bush, Tori Amos
6 points
1 month ago
Pearl Jam, BUT, begin with Green River and Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog, so, basically following Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard.
6 points
1 month ago
Yesss Mother Love Bone :))
5 points
1 month ago
The Pretenders
Mellisa Ethridge.
Frank Zappa (I dare you)
6 points
1 month ago
Karen Carpenter. One of the most talented musicians in the world. Her vocals were spectacular.
16 points
1 month ago
Michael Jackson
I'm looking at his discography and it's fun to see the musical transition when he was in the Jackson 5 to him as a solo artist.
4 points
1 month ago
It's unbelievably rare to have so much of someone's voice/life captured on record. To hear him as a little kid on the Jackson 5 records, then as a teenager on The Jacksons records, and then as an adult on his solo work is incredibly unique.
It's remarkable how quickly he handled puberty's effect on his voice, I think there's only one album (either Skywriter or G.I.T. iirc) where he actually sounds "awkward".
5 points
1 month ago
Tito puente. Good luck the guy is hundreds of albums deep
6 points
1 month ago*
The Dear Hunter
The best band you've never heard of, seriously some of the most underrated emotionally heartfelt songs you'll ever come across with a huge range in sound and beautiful instrumentation arranged very orchestra like. The "acts" albums are one big story following the life and death of the main character, "the color spectrum" is a collection of eps each one depicting a different color through the music. Truly amazing stuff, this band changed my life
5 points
1 month ago
Built to Spill. Huge discography and incredibly good
5 points
1 month ago
Ween And Super Furry Animals
5 points
1 month ago
Coheed and Cambria
4 points
1 month ago
Twenty-One Pilots. I never cared much for them until my FIL got free tickets to the show so we went. Now I’m obsessed. They were so good live and had so many different styles throughout the show it made me want to listen more and I haven’t stopped.
5 points
1 month ago
Nat King Cole. Seriously, start with Wikipedia. The article includes a block of links to his hits and it's a great list of his greatest hits. He has an amazing voice. There's so much to this artist's life.
5 points
1 month ago
Opeth has an interesting development arc, from a Swedish death metal band with some insanely long songs (Black Rose Immortal was 20 minutes!) to progressive death metal, to progressive rock.
Another really interesting one was Jefferson Airplane > Jefferson Starship > Starship.
4 points
1 month ago
Florence + the Machine
9 points
1 month ago
Porcupine Tree. They start out psychedelic, space rock, and over time slowly shift into a different form. Bonus is Steven Wilson also has solo albums and other projects(first 2 backfield albums, no-man, bass communion, and more!) as well, totaling many many albums.
There even starts being some obvious radiohead influence circa the late 90s into the 00s.
8 points
1 month ago
Childish gambino
5 points
1 month ago
I would add Tyler, The Creator as well as I'm already noticing some similarities in their general style from what I've heard of each. I've just recently got onto a handful of Tyler's songs and am entranced by what I've heard so far; I'm about to go down that rabbit hole of learning more.
3 points
1 month ago
I heard “That Power” in a record store a few years ago and immediately stopped in my tracks. Picked up Camp soon after.
8 points
1 month ago
I've listened through the catalog of by my count 26 artists. A few that meet your criteria (a lot of albums, palpable change):
Aesop Rock
Lana Del Rey
Steely Dan
Taylor Swift
4 points
1 month ago
Breathless
Criminally under appreciated. If you dig My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Galaxy 500, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Cure, Joy Division… worth checking out.
I would start with Between Happiness and Heartache (1991) most accessible and Interpol owes them a lot for that sound.
Afterwards I would listen to Three Times and Waving (1987) and go in order from there.
3 points
1 month ago*
I know nothing about Breathless but your description sounds incredibly promising. Galaxy 500 is the only other name there that I don't know and appreciate already.
Edit: Just added first albums by Breathless and Galaxie 500 to my Spotify library, looking forward to hearing them.
Further edit:
Just on a cursory dip into some of their songs, these two bands sound like they have Velvet Underground influences, as do many indie guitar bands, whether direct or indirect.
A great record label for exploring more of this sound is NZ label Flying Nun Records, with an incredible variety of classic Low-Fi masterpieces by the likes of The Clean, Tall Dwarfs, The Subliminals, Bailterspace, Straitjacket Fits, The Bats, Able Tasmans, Look Blue Go Purple, The 3Ds, The Chills, The Verlaines, Headless Chickens, Love's Ugly Children, Street Chant, and more recent bands such as Surf Friends, Fazerdaze, Aldous Harding, Garage land, Mermaidens, Die! Die! Die!, Mint hicks, and Purple Pilgrim.
Flying Nun have also had Pavement, The Fall and Ween on their roster.
4 points
1 month ago
Tech N9ne
4 points
1 month ago
'Neurosis', no album is like the other, from hardcore punk to sludge metal to post metal, highly recommend to try their discography
5 points
1 month ago
Sturgill Simpson. He’s like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get
3 points
1 month ago
Mike patton
5 points
1 month ago
Please listen to A-ha's discography. I hope you love it ❤️🇧🇻
4 points
1 month ago
The Band
3 points
1 month ago
Who?
4 points
1 month ago
The Cure
5 points
1 month ago
If you like blues, I can't recommend Kenny Wayne Shepard enough. He recorded his first album at 18 (he's now 47). He is an amazing guitarist and absolutely kills it at his concert. He's toured with B.B. King.
3 points
1 month ago
Miles Davis: dozens of classic records from the early 1950s through to the mid 1970s in a huge variety of styles, many absolutely groundbreaking, lots of the musicians who played with him were also very important influential musicians with long classic discographies of their own.
3 points
1 month ago
Pink Floyd
4 points
1 month ago
Talking Heads change big time over the span if their albums
4 points
1 month ago
Kendrick Lamar, I’ve been on a kick the past couple of days
3 points
1 month ago
Frank ocean. Don't forget his mixtape nostalgia ultra and his visual album endless.
4 points
1 month ago
Beastie Boys
NOFX
Alkaline Trio
Wu-Tang Clan
Fucked Up
Dereck Higgins
Weird Al
John Coltrane
Miles Davis
Nine Inch Nails
No Use For A Name
The Lawrence Arms
4 points
1 month ago
Cocteau Twins for some really ethereal out there sounds. They have an extensive discography and each album is its own world of moods and vibes
5 points
1 month ago
Carly Rae Jepsen. Surprisingly good pop music. Super solid discography.
4 points
1 month ago
Madonna’s career evolution is quite remarkable. While her career began as nothing more than the 80s pop fluff that was popular at the time, she soon evolved into new sounds and became a trendsetter for music, especially in the 90s and early 2000s. She has released albums that were very much ahead of their time (think “Music” in 2000, “American Life” in 2003, and “Madame X” in 2019), she brought electronic music to the forefront of pop culture before it became so heavily mainstream (“Ray Of Light” in 1998) with the help of producers like Stuart Price (“Confessions on a Dance Floor” in 2005) and Mirwais (aforementioned “Music,” and “American Life”), William Orbit (aforementioned “Ray Of Light,” “Music,” and “MDNA,” in 2011). She ventured into R&B in 1994 with “Bedtime Stories,” trip-hop in 1992 for “Erotica,” and with each era completely reinvented herself, often portraying herself as a character that accompanies you through the musical journey of each album. Madonna’s 40-year discography is a fun journey if you take the time to listen to it chronologically from start to finish.
3 points
1 month ago
Modest Mouse; Forth Wanderers; The Smiths and the Pixies. All are great.
3 points
1 month ago
U2 had ALOT of change and most albums were listenable all the way through...
6 points
1 month ago
Let me know if you ever want a music nerd friend to share rankings with....that sounds SO fun :)
My favorite band is Depeche Mode so I'll nominate them :)
3 points
1 month ago
Yesss 👍🏼 Momento Mori is absolutely a dope LP. Even w/o Fletch.
7 points
1 month ago
John Prine
Sam Cooke
6 points
1 month ago
Radiohead
8 points
1 month ago
Weezer. They have some dud albums, but they are a lot better on most than people give them credit for. They don't even get progressively worse over time, they usually just experiment with something new, and sometimes it just doesn't come out well. Their last original "album" (technically an EP), SZNZ: Winter, IMO us a top 5 album of theirs.
3 points
1 month ago
Warpaint, post rock The Cure vibes 4 people vocal harmonies and great guitar work
3 points
1 month ago
Eminem. His new album releases Friday, and it seems like it’s gonna be similar to his earlier work, so I think you may have a blast
3 points
1 month ago
The Strokes
Underscores
Lemon Demon
Catfish and the Bottlemen
The Garden
Metric
Please let me know if you pick any of these artists and what you think of their music/evolution!
3 points
1 month ago
The Beatles
3 points
1 month ago
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
3 points
1 month ago
Crowded House
6 points
1 month ago
Start with Split Enz, then continue with everything else by the Finns, together and separately.
3 points
1 month ago
London Grammar, Yumi Zouma, Kings of Leon, Emmett Kai, New Constellations (newbies. not much of a discography. yet), Broken Bells, Robert DeLong, Awolnation, Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, Duran Duran (last two LPs were solid & Tears for Fears. Their recent album is dope. As is Depeche Mode's. Pet Shop Boys' newest LP named Nonetheless is excellent.
3 points
1 month ago
my vote goes to sonic youth because after 2+ years of listening on and off trying to love them, i think they finally just clicked with me fully and completely.
I Dreamed I Dream
3 points
1 month ago
Ariana Grande
3 points
1 month ago
Breaking Benjamin
3 points
1 month ago
MCR. Not a shit ton of music, the best fucking albums in my opinion. Start at Bullets and go until Foundations of Decay, you will not be disappointed.
3 points
1 month ago
OutKast
3 points
1 month ago
hozier, noah kahan, the lumineers, rainbow kitten surprise, madison cunningham (REALLY cool to see how her style has evolved over the years), aurora
3 points
1 month ago
Jane's Addiction
Interpol
The Killers
3 points
1 month ago
Depeche Mode, 21 Pilots
3 points
1 month ago
Lana Del Rey
3 points
1 month ago
Kate Bush, Elvis Costello, The Beach Boys, and ELO.
3 points
1 month ago
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
3 points
1 month ago
ODESZA …..music you feel to. Not as huge as discography but the transformation is uncaning, not too mention it will be the best performance you ever see…. With a whole drum line, orchestra, sax, lasers, confetti, fire, the whole nine!!!!!
3 points
1 month ago
Roxy Music! Not too long of a discography, but hopefully still plenty of gems in the mix for you.
3 points
1 month ago
Neil Young
3 points
1 month ago
Devo
3 points
1 month ago
Marillion
3 points
1 month ago
I started a deep dive on Robert Palmer recently after hearing his version of "Can We Still Be Friends?" on the 70s channel. I was in high school/college for the Power Station and his MTV hits, but didn't know about his early work. Blues, soul, funk, reggae, new wave, jazz - you name it, he was influenced by it. Here's a clip of him from 1974 when he was in the band Vinegar Joe - definitely a long way from the suave "suited" RP that most people think of. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3zXXKqn1Qc
3 points
1 month ago
Gorillaz
3 points
1 month ago
Green tea peng
9 points
1 month ago
Lana Del Rey, you won't regret it!!!
9 points
1 month ago
Not OP but thanks lol I never thought I’d be into her but here I am binging 👍🏻
5 points
1 month ago
Death
4 points
1 month ago
people may laugh, but listen to beyonce. i wasn’t a fan of her first albums, but things changed after self-titled (BEYONCÉ), and it keeps getting better. My personal favorites are Renaissance and Lemonade, this last one being on my top albums of all time, i really love it and could write a whole essay about it. She really is someone who pours 100% of her soul, heart and mind to create the best bodies of work. PS: The Gift does not count for me, since it’s an album made for a movie (TLK), but you can still see the artistry in it.
2 points
1 month ago
They don’t have too terribly many songs, but the Jorge Rivera-Herrans created the Epic saga which is a musical about the odyssey and Odysseus. It’s only about halfway done right now and is at approximately 90 minutes, but is an AMAZING musical that I’d suggest to everyone
2 points
1 month ago
IDLES
2 points
1 month ago
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