Complete Album Collections From "Career" Recording Artists

JOv2

Well-Known Member
Tell us about any complete album collections that you have from long-term recording artists.
  • Ground rule: Let’s focus on those artists who’ve recorded "somewhat" continuously for at least a 20-year period.
 
I don't have any myself.

I'm one-album shy for these two artists:
  • Randy Newman: I actually have his entire studio album output, but I demoted Born Again (1979) to the dungeon several years ago (so, it's no longer on the A-team). His more recent material has become increasingly political and trite, which is not as satisfying as his unique, sardonic offerings for which he is known. As a result, I doubt I'll be purchasing any albums subsequent to Dark Matter (2017).
  • Paul Simon: I don't have the Songs From The Capeman CD. I bought a used copy for $3 following its release and was so disgusted by it that I threw it in the trash. (I later learnt that the record store owner priced all used version of the CD at $3 because he also hated the CD -- which meant that he probably only paid $1 to the seller.) I read in 2019 that In The Blue Light (2018) was to be his final recording. Simon's work of the past 20 years has exhibited a reduction of honest melodies, which is unfortunate. Like with Newman, I'm somewhat addicted to his music and really want to like the later offerings; but, truth be told, had any other artist offered this music, I'd pass.
 
I'm pretty sure I can claim everything that Herb Alpert ever did, as well as Sergio Mendes.
 
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On the border of the rules for me, that I'm not counting, would be

The Corrs - they had a scattering of albums in their later period, but they did manage somewhat around 20 years.

ABBA - they were only together as a group for around a decade, and are about to release something new later this year or next.

There were a few breaks of long stretches, but I think I have all of Lani Hall.

If you count Beatles + Solo, I think I have MOST of their output, I'm missing some of the wackier things they called albums, but have the great bulk of their standard musical output.
 
I haven’t had a physical collection for about 8 years now, but when I did, Steely Dan /Donald Fagen solo and Van Morrison.
 
I won't be counting compilations, anthologies, box sets, etc. But here goes.

I'd have to say of the A&Ms, Herb, Sergio (except maybe the latest album?), Julius (although not quite continuously--he recorded Linear Sketches, had a pause of a few years, did a string of Baja albums, then the final CD New Deal in the 80s), probably Carpenters.

Also:
  • Pat Metheny--probably all of them, except for perhaps an odd date or two on other labels that I'm not aware of. But ECM, Geffen, Nonesuch, etc.? Complete.
  • Cal Tjader--except for a rare Savoy 10", got all the rest.
  • Earth Wind & Fire--complete, and also have all but a couple of the 12" singles (a few promos that are rare and expensive).
  • Jean-Luc Ponty--I think we're complete here also, unless it's some obscure early album I'm not aware of.
  • Same with John Klemmer. I think I have them all, then I find some other obscure release I hadn't seen before, like the recent LP that I believe was only released in quad (SQ).
  • Henry Mancini--an awfully large collection of them, but I don't think I'll ever be complete since there were long-forgotten soundtracks never issued on RCA.
Also complete sets of The Mavericks, Bebel Gilberto, Genesis, Depeche Mode, Yellowjackets, Robert Plant/Led Zeppelin, Stray Cats/Brian Setzer/Lee Rocker, Steely Dan/Donald Fagen/Walter Becker, and probably others I'm forgetting right now.

Honorable mentions:
  • Styx...all of the albums when they were still Styx (with Dennis DeYoung), not a tribute band with only one founding member.
  • Stevie Wonder, everything from Music of My Mind onward, not the repetitive early Motown stuff.
  • Miles Davis--all the Columbia albums and beyond, with a few from Prestige prior to Columbia.
  • Maynard Ferguson--the entire Roulette and Columbia recordings, the post-Columbia albums, and a few scattered in between.
  • Peter Gabriel--the main studio albums, but not the soundtrack albums (some of which were modified instrumental versions of the studio tracks), Plays Live, and one or two side projects like the orchestral album and the Scratch My Back/I'll Scratch Yours projects (one album of PG covering others' tunes, the other album those same artists covering one of PG's tunes).
 
I didn't list Carpenters as they were really only a little more than a decade, but yes, I have pretty much everything.
 
It’s too long of a span. Most acts were popular about 10 years, or broke up. Some like Karen passed……..or just quit making albums altogether for a ton of reasons. Lack of sales, no label. death of key members, etc.
 
It’s too long of a span. Most acts were popular about 10 years, or broke up. Some like Karen passed……..or just quit making albums altogether for a ton of reasons. Lack of sales, no label. death of key members, etc.
Yep. And the longer careers often run out of steam. Paul Simon lost me a couple of times. Van Morrison and Donald Fagen settled into a pattern of making the same albums over and over again, in the sense that they broke no new ground (if you've heard MORPH THE CAT, you don't need to hear SUNKEN CONDOS).
 
Yeah, Stinkin' Condos I never warmed to (I thought the production was weak on it), although I liked Morph The Cat.

Most of what I listed have lasted 20 or more years--it's not too much of a stretch. In fact, some shocked me that they were around for 20 years, like Bebel Gilberto (she recorded a few minor things earlier, but her career took off in 2000 and has released an album every 3-4 years). And damn I feel old....Depeche Mode's first album was 40 (!) years ago, and they still sound like a "new" band to me. And Earth Wind & Fire? 50 (!!) year ago!

Carpenters is arguable--sure, the good stuff was the first several albums, but hasn't Richard been re-recording everything for the past 40 years? 🤣
 
Yeah, Stinkin' Condos I never warmed to (I thought the production was weak on it), although I liked Morph The Cat.

Most of what I listed have lasted 20 or more years--it's not too much of a stretch. In fact, some shocked me that they were around for 20 years, like Bebel Gilberto (she recorded a few minor things earlier, but her career took off in 2000 and has released an album every 3-4 years). And damn I feel old....Depeche Mode's first album was 40 (!) years ago, and they still sound like a "new" band to me. And Earth Wind & Fire? 50 (!!) year ago!

Carpenters is arguable--sure, the good stuff was the first several albums, but hasn't Richard been re-recording everything for the past 40 years? 🤣
This would probably get me hurt on large sections of this board, but while I appreciate Richard's production and Karen's voice, I stopped caring after HORIZON. I was pleasantly surprised by some tracks here and there after that, but not whole albums.
 
I have most every release by the following artists. I am just an album or two shy of each.
I am not counting compilations and box sets.
Carole King, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Judy Collins, Melissa Manchester, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell.
My collection of Enya is complete.
 
Bending the 20 year rule a bit, to career or group, singers with a nice catalogue of releases:
Carpenters- 100’s of CDs and vinyl, box sets etc.
Abba-complete cd and vinyl, box sets etc
Elton John- everything on cd and or vinyl
Boney M. Everything on cd and vinyl
Harry Nilsson- all vinyl and CDs.
The Roches- all cd and vinyl
Pet Shop Boys- over 200 cds and vinyl
Matt Bianco- complete cd collection.
Chris Rea- complete CDs and most vinyl
Lesley Gore- complete cd and vinyl
Carole King- complete cd and vinyl
Blondie- complete vinyl and all but 1 or 2 cd
Nick Heyward/Haircut 100- complete CDs
The Korgis-complete CDs
Manhattan Transfer-complete CDs
And several more…..
 
I do have one after all...

Aimee Mann. She's released 9 albums since 1993 and I do have them all. Solid songwriter all the way around.

I'm pretty sure I can claim everything that Herb Alpert ever did, as well as Sergio Mendes.
That's Impressive!

If you count Beatles + Solo, I think I have MOST of their output, I'm missing some of the wackier things they called albums...
Like all that John 'n Yoko audio garbage (e.g., Life With The Lions); then there's George's Electronic sounds LP... Oh, good grief!

Henry Mancini--an awfully large collection of them, but I don't think I'll ever be complete since there were long-forgotten soundtracks never issued on RCA.
That's a winner!!

Miles Davis--all the Columbia albums and beyond, with a few from Prestige prior to Columbia.
I part company with Mr. Davis after In A Silent Way. I understand he "retired" for some point in the '70s, but then returned back to Columbia.

Harry Nilsson- all vinyl and CDs.
Nilsson!!
 
I guess if we're allowed to split our list out by the actual artist name that appeared on the album cover, I have everything by:

Sergio Mendes & Brasil '(whatever) (but I don't have the pre-A&M Sergio)
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass and the T.J.B. (I have skipped a couple of his post-Brass output, but only a couple)
Carpenters
The Alan Parsons Project (including his post-Project solo work)
Santana (excluding some of his very early stuff that's mostly just jams)
Lani Hall
Elton John - I "think" I have about everything he's done, but like a lot of artists, there are so many rarities and etc. that it's almost impossible to tell.
The Buggles (they only put out two albums, so... easy peasy)
Talk Talk (I really like these guys, all the way from their "pop" beginnings to their "post-rock" endings)
Ambrosia
America (a lot of their more recent albums have really blown, but I still keep buying 'em)
Toto
Heart (I may be missing a solo project here and there but I have all the group albums)
Steely Dan (I only have one of their actual albums (Can't Buy A Thrill) but I have the box set which contains all the albums so ... does that count?)
The Police (same as Steely Dan, except the one actual album I have is Synchronicity)
Daryl Hall & John Oates - I've followed them from Atlantic to RCA to Arista to wherever they are now, if anywhere. Pretty reliable.
Paul Williams, unless he has stuff out post A&M. I have all of his A&M music, which started out really good and got pretty sappy (even for him) by the end of his tenure on the label.
Burt Bacharach - only his solo and duet albums, not his soundtracks (except Butch Cassidy).
Fleetwood Mac - I rarely listen to any of the early blues stuff, but I collected all of it back in my music store days, hoping I would find more "pop gems" on the albums. No such luck, mostly. Every now and then some live album from the '60s will show up, and I don't have those but all the studio material has shelf space in my rack.

There are probably more but as the old song goes, "I'm tired and I wanna go to bed"
 
The advantages of working in a record store, and hanging out at radio stations in the mid-late 70’s. All the promos sent or for the taking at the stations. Record swap meets at Capital Records parking lot, Goldmine Magazine etc. I miss all that.
Now it’s mostly Amazon, EBay and Discogs. The thrill of the hunt isn’t quite the same. Used record stores are usually picked over, or the vinyl is trashed, expensive. Still I’m glad to have the advantage of collecting since around 1976.
It’s a lot harder now.
 
Paul Williams, unless he has stuff out post A&M. I have all of his A&M music, which started out really good and got pretty sappy (even for him) by the end of his tenure on the label.
Mike, Paul did four albums after A&M:


1979A Little on the Windy SidePortrait
1981...And Crazy for Loving YouPalD
1997Back to Love Again
2005I'm Going Back There SomedayAIX

As for sappy---I think I know what you mean. During the part of 1975 that I lived in San Diego, KFMB added "One More Angel Up In Heaven" to its playlist. Yikes! Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey" with a dark, depressive hint near the end.
 
This would probably get me hurt on large sections of this board, but while I appreciate Richard's production and Karen's voice, I stopped caring after HORIZON. I was pleasantly surprised by some tracks here and there after that, but not whole albums.
You're not alone there. And for me they all have to be the original releases.


I part company with Mr. Davis after In A Silent Way. I understand he "retired" for some point in the '70s, but then returned back to Columbia.
I forgot I'd had the complete Columbia set from many years ago. Some of the later Columbias do nothing for me, but I like the Warner recordings.


Burt Bacharach - only his solo and duet albums, not his soundtracks (except Butch Cassidy).
I think I have everything there. It's hard since like with Mancini's catalog, there are obscure soundtracks that might have been released that sank without a trace.


The Police (same as Steely Dan, except the one actual album I have is Synchronicity)
Can't get much more complete than Message In A Box, as it has all the B-sides and the original 3-song EP with "Fallout," "Nothing Achieving" and "Dead End Job." Although they didn't last as a group for very long (no recordings past '86 when they redid "Don't Stand So Close To Me"), all three continued recording separately.
 
My this is tough I have all of Herb and BMB for sure and near complete discographies on many some I have lost track of after collecting almost a majority of here are a few examples
1.David Benoit All his AVI Reissues on Mesa Bluemoon and his GRP output from Freedom at midnight 1987 to Shaken not stirred 1994 plus his 1985 Spindletop release " This Side Up"

2. The Rippingtons The first 10 years of Cds from Moonlighting in 1986 to Black diamond in 1997 Plus Russ freeman's pre rippington album " Nocturnal playground"

3. Bob James from His 1974 Bob James " One" until his last collaboration with Earl Klugh titled " Cool" in 1992

4. Earl Klugh from his first album in 1976 until his 1999 recording a Peculiar situation

Of course these are just a few examples I lost track of collecting some of these artists when I got super busy in the late 90s but as many of these are now out of print I'm very thankful I held on to these
 
Are we allowed to list comedians? I have everything by:

George Carlin, including several box sets
Gallagher - he only released one album, but I have DVDs of most of his comedy specials (which are varying in funniness)
Burns and Shreiber - again, only one album but it's pretty classic. Has never been released on CD to my knowledge.
Pat Paulsen - talk about a wild variation in quality. He's got one album that's really fun (Pat Paulsen for President) and a couple of other albums which I have -- but they're terrible.
Cheech & Chong - that stuff is sounding seriously dated now but there are still some good moments. The first 3 albums are the best and it was pretty much crap after that, especially when they started doing "music."
Bill Cosby - in light of recent revelations on him, nobody will ever hear his comedy anymore which is a real shame, he was a brilliant comedian. Virtually everything he ever recorded is excellent. Well, besides the music, that wasn't so great. (Why do comedians want to do music?) Talk about a squandered legacy.

I have every comedy album ever put out by A&M that I know of -- the two by Franklyn Ajaye, and there were a couple of various-artists political comedy records in the 1980s that I needle-dropped to CD. Dated of course but still funny. ( I don't count the "Ethel Merman Disco Album.")
 
Bill Cosby - in light of recent revelations on him, nobody will ever hear his comedy anymore which is a real shame, he was a brilliant comedian. Virtually everything he ever recorded is excellent. Well, besides the music, that wasn't so great. (Why do comedians want to do music?) Talk about a squandered legacy.
Agree. And it's a shame. "200 MPH" is a brilliant bit of long-form storytelling.
 
I remember that Cosby album as I saw it in the cutout bins long ago. It was called Bill Cosby Sings Silver Throat!!!
Different album. "Silver Throat" had his #4 hit "Little Ole Man (Uptight-Everything's Alright)".

200 MPH was all spoken-word comedy, and it's the title track, which takes up an entire side, that I think is brilliant long-form storytelling:

 
Different album. "Silver Throat" had his #4 hit "Little Ole Man (Uptight-Everything's Alright)".

200 MPH was all spoken-word comedy, and it's the title track, which takes up an entire side, that I think is brilliant long-form storytelling:


Okay. The comment was made about his singing and I thought that Silver Throat might have been what you were referring to in the comments about singing comedians.
 
Bill Cosby "Sports" (self- titled UNI album from late 1969 since leaving Warner Bros.) is a great album!! NOT on Apple iTunes.
 
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