I always thought '90s one-hit wonder albums were bad until I found a CD in a Seattle thrift store

I grabbed the 1995 album 'Fuzzy' by Grant Lee Buffalo for a dollar, figuring it was just for the single 'Mockingbirds'. Turns out the whole record is full of great, moody folk rock songs I'd never heard on the radio. It completely changed my view on digging deeper into those bands that only got one big moment. Has anyone else been surprised by a full album from an artist you only knew for one song?

3 comments

3 Comments

noahchen12d ago

Wait, you used to write them off too? I was totally that guy who figured one hit meant the rest of the album was just filler. But then I did the same thing with that Grant Lee Buffalo record and realized those deep cuts have this raw, lived-in quality that radio hits sand down. It's like the band wasn't trying to please anyone, just making the songs they actually wanted to make. Makes me wonder how many other full albums I skipped because I only knew the single.

tessa_roberts12mo ago

Oh man, that's a total mood. I had the same thing happen with the band Harvey Danger, way beyond just "Flagpole Sitta".

dianab682mo ago

Yeah the "way beyond just Flagpole Sitta" thing is so real. I totally wrote them off as a one hit wonder for years. Then I actually listened to "Little Round Mirrors" and the whole "Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?" album. The lyrics are way smarter and sadder than I ever gave them credit for, it completely changed my mind about the band.