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My picks would be from the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Are You Experienced?, Axis: Bold As Love, Electric Ladyland. Like nothing before or after, 'nuff said.
It's not unusual for an artist to have a single great album, nor is it rare for someone to have several strong releases over a career. But what are the three greatest <I>consecutive</I> releases by a single group or artist?
Beyond the excellent Beatles album cycle, how about a quartet of releases by Supertramp: Crime of the Century, Crisis? What Crisis, Even in the Quietest Moments, Breakfast in America, or the Floyd boys: Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall?
Aerosmith in 1974 to 1976: Get Your Wings, Toys in the Attic, Rocks. Geez. Thanks for the 3rd option. Sorry to all reading if I offend with such blasphemy, but the Beatles are the most overrated musical act to ever be recorded. Down with bug music.
Does the San Francisco Symphony's Mahler cycle on SACD they're currently working on count? If not, then perhaps The Clash's eponymous debut, Give 'em Enough Rope, & London Calling. Or how about four greatest consecutive releases: Miles Davis' Relaxin', Steamin', Workin', & Cookin'.
Hard to argue with any three consecutive albums from Mutt Lange! AC/DC highway to hell, back in black, for those about to rock, Def Leppards high and dry, Pyromania and hysteria, Shania twains last three albums, Just take a look at the top twenty billboard selling albums of all time and how many does he have?? Almost half!! he also has a habit of bailing after three albums but man your almost guarenteed multi platinum success!! otherwise there are too many triplets to ignore..Led Zep 4, houses of the holy and physical graffiti...Fleetwood Macs self titled, rumours and tusk...hell Kiss's destroyer, rock and roll over and love gun gave them the 70's!
I know you will get a lot of Pop mentioned on this one (Rock, R&B, Rap, Hip-Hop, etc), because the hot short-term trend must be capitalized to bring in the big bucks, and one of anything that sells out immediately generates two more. But I have to hold up the classical end of the rack. Any of the last thre Jordi Savall releases on Alia Vox -- he has been extremely active the last 5 or so years, so I don't know which 3, but they are all outstanding. Or how about Tilson-Thomas, with the resurgent San Francisco Orchestra, his ongoing Mahler cycle? You could pick any 3 of those (yesterday, Tower Records in Glendale was sold out of his Mahler 2nd, for those of you out there who think Tower doesn't get sold out of ANYTHING that actually got rehearsed outside of a recording studio). Can we pick the 3 worst? I vote for the first 3 after Herbie Hancock went Disco -- you know, with the synthesizer and the oom-chucka, oom-chucka schtick.
Funny, I just read this week's voting question on Stereophile's Homepage, and while my browser opened the next window I was asking myself: can there be any doubt with Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper? So there is no doubt, is there?