4 Alternative Rock Bands That Only Released One Album

It’s hard to imagine any of the greatest alt-rock bands from the decades past only releasing a single album. However, that is the case for these four underrated alternative rock bands of the 1990s and early 2000s. Let’s take a look at four alternative rock bands that only released one single album during their heyday!

1. Mother Love Bone

Mother Love Bone should always be included in conversations about grunge, as well as lists of alternative rock bands that only released one album. Unfortunately, this incredible grunge outfit flew under the radar in favor of Nirvana, Soundgarden, and the rest. The band released an EP in 1989 to great acclaim, and the Seattle grunge rock scene was buzzing about them for a while. 

Unfortunately, lead singer Andrew Wood passed away from a heroin overdose only a few days before Mother Love Bone’s very first (and very last) album Apple dropped. The rest of the band decided not to move forward without him, though two members did go on to form Pearl Jam.

2. Temple Of The Dog

The unfortunate passing of Andrew Wood also inspired Temple Of The Dog. The one-off band was put together by Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, who was a dear friend and roommate of Wood’s. Their one and only album was released in 1991 and featured some now-famous names like Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready, among others. It was considered a very brief “supergroup” of sorts. Their self-titled debut album was their last release.

3. Them Crooked Vultures

Did you know Dave Grohl, John Paul Jones, and Josh Homme are in a band together? The initial union of Them Crooked Vultures delivered a self-titled album in 2009, and it was a real delight. There was obviously a lot of hype around them, and they certainly delivered. There’s always the possibility of the band putting out another album, as they perform together periodically today.

4. Mad Season

Yet another supergroup, Mad Season came together after grunge had already blown up across the country. Mike McCready and John Baker Saunders got together after the Pearl Jam guitarist got out of rehab. They decided to work with Screaming Trees’ drummer and Alice In Chains’ singer for a one-off project. Mad Season’s Above was released in 1995. They disbanded due to member commitments to their other bands.

Photo by John Shearer

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