5 Great Bands With Only One Studio Album
The ultimate mic drop in an album.
Artists tend to pride themselves on the albums they make. While touring is a big commitment, the recording studio is where you can really get down to business and create something that leaves a lasting legacy. If they're lucky, artists can expect to have a vast studio album catalog that will be there long after they've stopped performing.
With these acts, it's a little bit different. The bands compiled here today are examples of bands that only have one album to their name. Through band implosions, tragedy, or just other commitments, each of these artists never had the chance to make another proper in-studio statement beyond their initial offering.
Does that make it bad? Not at all. In fact, the albums on this list have typically garnered positive success. Some of these acts have seen more success than others, but that's just the nature of being at the right place at the right time.
It's always in retrospect that we see what could have potentially been great if the band had stuck it out. Because of life's setbacks, it's fantastic that we had these acts while they were around.
5. The La's
The La's were pretty much your average pop rock band when they started out in the 80's. Under the direction of songwriter Lee Mavers, this band's bright form of jangle pop was reminiscent of the more shimmering moments of the Smith's catalog. Across their 1990 self titled debut are songs that showed major songwriting strength on tracks like "Timeless Melody" and "There She Goes."
The good times weren't meant to last though. After the tour promoting this record, bassist John Power left the group to form the band Cast. Once Power departed, it was pretty much radio silence for the band. Aside from a few rehearsals in 1992, the band went on indefinite hiatus and reunite sporadically for the occasional show.
However, this band helped set the stage for the great British bands of the 90's. Along with the Stone Roses, The La's were an immense influence on bands like Oasis and Travis. While not necessarily fitting in the genre, The La's laid the groundwork for what would become Britpop. Like the Pixies inspired Nirvana in the early 90's, the La's were the just left-of-center band that tend to be known more for who they influenced than what they were.