Why do some bands seem to have no bad songs? Or is this an illusion based on how much of a fan you are?
For example, among people who like Van Halen, I feel like they know and like every song on the first six albums. There are less famous songs, yes. But no truly bad ones — again, among fans. Same with Billy Joel. Everyone from Long Island knows and likes every song on every classic album, at least up to Innocent Man. I don’t know Bruce Springsteen’s work at all, but I would imagine people who like Bruce, really like Bruce, and know and like all the songs. I’m guessing this is also true for Beatles and Zeppelin fans.
I’m also guessing that bands that aren’t gunning for hits may have a more uniform output as far as their fans are concerned. If you’re a fan of a shoegaze or dream pop band with lots of atmospheric songs, I would imagine you’re more inclined to listen to the whole album and like all the songs. It’s not like they’re going to have a “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” moment where they try disco. Though to be fair, Rod Stewart fans love that song too!
Is it just that when a band gets to a certain level of popularity, the fans devour everything, making all the songs de facto “good”? Or are there really famous bands where their own fans would suggest the output is spotty. I’m not super familiar with Elton John, but he has so many albums in so many styles that I’ve gotta imagine there are more than a few songs in there that the fans don’t totally love and maybe even he doesn’t remember.