Top 10 Bands with the Most Chronologically Confusing Studio Albums
Normally, a band's studio album discography would be fine, but these bands are confusing. Either because they have two albums titled the same thing, or the same album with two titles, or even the same album title but with a completely different track listing.
AC/DC are a Australian hard rock band, formed in November 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young, who continued as members until Malcolm's illness and departure in 2014 . They were fronted by Bon Scott until his untimely death due to alcohol poisoning in 1979, after which they hired Brian Johnson... read more One of my favorite bands of all time, but their discography is very confusing. Most people think High Voltage was their first album. They are right, but it isn't the same album they are thinking of. The High Voltage most people know is actually the T.N.T. album with two songs removed and two songs from the original High Voltage added in.
That's not the only confusing thing about them. The original version of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap contained the songs Jailbreak and R.I.P. (Rock in Peace), but they were removed for the international release. Instead, they were replaced with Rocker, a song from T.N.T. and a new song titled Love at First Feel. I should also mention that the tracklisting for both versions of Dirty Deeds is different, besides the title track being the first song.
On their next album, Let There Be Rock, it was mostly intact, but the song Crabsody in Blue was removed for international release and instead replaced with Problem Child, a song that already appeared on both versions of Dirty Deeds. It's the same song, but the main difference is that the Let There Be Rock version doesn't have the false climax at the end of the song.
Powerage was mostly the same, being the first album to have the same album artwork for all releases, but European versions of the album contained a song titled Cold Hearted Man and some of them removed Rock N Roll Damnation. Pretty much every album after that was mostly the same, though Highway to Hell had two different album covers. However, it gets confusing once again with the 74 Jailbreak EP, which contained four of the songs from the original High Voltage and the song Jailbreak from Dirty Deeds. Only Jailbreak wasn't recorded in 1974. It was recorded in 1976.
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The group comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the development of the 1960s counterculture and the recognition of popular... read more Yes, even the Beatles' studio albums are confusing. Not every album by the Beatles was released everywhere. Some were only released in the UK. Their album titled "The Beatles' Second Album" was actually the third studio album released in the USA.
Quiet Riot is an American heavy metal band. The band was founded in 1973, by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni under the name Mach 1. They then changed the name to Little Women, before settling on Quiet Riot in May 1975. The band's name was inspired by a conversation with Rick Parfitt of... read more They seem normal until you get to QR III (Quiet Riot III), which is their fifth album. Most people didn't know the first two Quiet Riot albums existed because they were only released in Japan. Then, you get to QR (Quiet Riot), where they now have two self-titled albums. Lastly, there is Quiet Riot 10, which is their 12th album.
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois, calling themselves the Chicago Transit Authority in 1968 before shortening the name in 1969. The self-described “rock and roll band with horns” began writing politically charged rock music, and later moved to a softer sound, generating... read more They have many albums titled Chicago [Insert number here]. However, if you only consider studio albums, you will realize some numbers are skipped. This is because these numbers appeared on compilation albums.
Weezer is an American alternative rock and power pop band formed in Los Angeles in 1992. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar), Patrick Wilson (drums), Brian Bell (rhythm guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), and Scott Shriner (bass, backing vocals)... read more They have four self-titled albums. Some people use the color of the album cover and refer to them by that (e.g., The Red Album).
Stone Temple Pilots is an alternative rock band formed in San Diego, CA in 1989.The band currently consists of brothers Dean and Robert DeLeo (guitarist and bassist, respectively), and Eric Kretz (drummer). Their main vocalist from their formation up to 2013 was Scott Weiland. He was fired in... read more
In 2010, they released a self-titled album. In 2018, they made a new album, and what is it called? The same thing as the 2010 album.
Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbanding of Overcast and Aftershock. In 2000, they released a self-titled album. In 2009, they did the same thing. They released two self-titled albums in one decade.
Van Halen was an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. From 1974 until 1985, the band's lineup consisted of guitarist Eddie Van Halen, vocalist David Lee Roth, drummer Alex Van Halen, and bassist Michael Anthony... read more Van Halen is mostly normal until you get to Van Halen III, which is not their third album. It's their 11th.
Def Leppard are an English hard rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement.
Killing Joke are an English rock band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England. The original line-up included Jaz Coleman, Paul Ferguson, Geordie Walker and Youth. And those two self-titled albums happen to be some of the band's best work.
The Newcomers
The most confusing discography ever. Several albums were released long after being recorded. There are compilations of theirs made of only unheard material. All members are credited simply as "performer" on each album. Worst of all, two lineups record separately but under the 'Faust' name. I will never understand them or their history.
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band formed in July 1967, in London. The band have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time.
Judas Priest are a British heavy metal band that formed in Birmingham, England, in 1969. They are often referred to as one of the greatest metal bands of all time, and are even commonly called “The Metal Gods”, after one of the songs on their 1980 album “British Steel”... read more The question is: do you count Killing Machine and Hell Bent for Leather as one album or separate albums? I consider them one album. They are basically the same album with the same cover but with two names because one had to be changed to avoid controversy. They also have different track listings.
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. As of 2010, the band currently consists of Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson and Daxx Nielsen.
Sodom is a German thrash metal band from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1981. They have gone through many line-up changes, leaving bassist vocalist Tom Angelripper as the only constant member. There are actually two different versions of Obsessed by Cruelty, but other than that, they are normal.
Vader is a Polish death metal band from Olsztyn. Formed in 1983, the group was founded by then-bassist Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek and guitarist Zbigniew "Vika" Wróblewski. Starting as a heavy metal group, Vader eventually went to thrash, speed, and then in the late 1980s became a death metal band. The... read more In 2017, they released an album called Dark Age, but the album is a rerecord of their first album.