Paste Magazine has released a list ranking the 25 most brilliant music artists who produced only three full-length albums. The selection spans genres from psychedelic rock to grunge, honoring acts limited by breakups, deaths, or shifts to other projects. Top spots go to Nirvana, Nick Drake, and Television for their enduring impact.
Paste Magazine's associate music editor Robert Ham introduces the list as a celebration of artists whose careers yielded just three albums, part of a series that will later cover those with two and one. The criteria exclude EPs and singles, focusing solely on proper full-length releases before disbandment, passing, or redirection, such as Tom Petty's solo work alongside his Heartbreakers output.
The ranking begins with cult favorites like the Idle Race, known for shimmery pop hooks in albums from 1968 to 1970, and Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros, whose 1999-2002 releases blended reggae, folk, and punk, ending with the vibrant 'Streetcore.' Mid-list entries include Vashti Bunyan's folk gems spanning 1969 to 2014, Cibo Matto's eclectic food-themed pop in the 1990s, and the 13th Floor Elevators' pioneering psychedelic sounds from 1966 to 1969.
Higher up, Blind Melon's 1990s alternative hits like 'No Rain' stand out, alongside Soul Coughing's angular alt-pop and Aaliyah's R&B evolution cut short in 2001. Shoegaze pioneers Lush and folk-rock innovators Buffalo Springfield represent the 1960s-1990s diversity, while Camp Cope's recent punk breakup adds a modern edge.
The top five feature My Bloody Valentine's shoegaze mastery in 'Loveless' (1991), Portishead's trip-hop triumphs from 1994 to 2008, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience's psychedelic breakthroughs like 'Are You Experienced' (1967). Television's art-rock 'Marquee Moon' (1977) and Nick Drake's delicate folk across 1969-1972 precede Nirvana's grunge-defining 'Bleach,' 'Nevermind,' and 'In Utero' from 1989 to 1993, cementing their status as the ultimate three-album band despite Kurt Cobain's 1994 death.
Contributors like Ham, Josh Jackson, and Madelyn Dawson emphasize the profound legacies left by these concise catalogs.