Ranking All The Three Dog Night Studio Albums
As one of the best classic rock bands of all time, Three Dog Night has got to be near the top of everyone’s list. They’ve been rocking out since 1968 and are still rockin’ on today. The band was formed in 1967 by vocalists Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron, and Cory Wells. They had their first top ten hit song with “One”, released on their debut album, Three Dog Night (released in 1967). Since then, Three Dog Night has become one of the most successful bands with numerous top 40 hits in the US Three Dog Night is primarily known for their hit songs “Mama Told Me (Not To Come),” “Joy to the World,” and “Black & White.” Their music has also been used on TV shows, movies, commercials, and video games. Today, we’re going to rank all of Three Dog Night’s studio albums from their worst album to their best:
11. Coming Down Your Way (1975)
Not as good as their previous records, but still good to listen to. The album was released in 1975. Initially, they were to name the album “Dog Style,” but for some unknown reason, they decided to change the name to “Coming Down Your Way.” The album was a commercial failure. It didn’t even make it to the top 200 best-selling albums list. The only hit song from this record is “Til The World Ends.”
10. Hard Labour (1974)
Hard Labor is an album better recognized for its controversial album cover. The band wasn’t in a perfect mental space when it released the album. Charles Negron was struggling with drug addiction. It all came to a head when the band recorded this album from 1972-to 1973. Critics were quickly to it put down as their worst. All of the songs sounded similar and were a bit bland. The only hit song from this album is “The Show Must Go On.”
9. American Pastime (1976)
Not too bad of an album, but not good enough to be on the top 8. It wasn’t just one bad song; it was more or less half of the album. That is why I decided to place it at number 10 on this list. It doesn’t sound like Three Dog Night; instead, it sounds like a cover band. The lyrics to the songs don’t fit together. The album had a few hit songs, but it wasn’t enough to save their reputation. The only good songs from this album are “Mellow Down,” “Everybody is a Masterpiece,” and “Hang On.”
8. Cyan (1973)
This album spawned one of Three Dog Night’s massive hits, “Shambala.” The second album single, “Let me Serenade You,” didn’t do well on the charts. Although the album wasn’t that much of a success, it’s still a fantastic album to listen to. The band had songs that were very different from each other. One song can be funky while another will be soft rock, yet another might be a ballad-like song. Three Dog Night was known for having pieces with multiple genres, which is why they’re considered part of classic rock.
7. Harmony (1971)
As we continue to analyze and rank Three Dog Night’s albums, let’s turn to the band’s fabulous 1971 album, Harmony. The album was a major success, going gold and peaking at number 8 on the USA Pop Albums charts. It featured two Top 10 hits, “Never Been to Spain” (the US no.#5) and “An Old fashioned Love Song” (the US no. #5).
6. Suitable for Framing (1969)
“Suitable for Farming” deserves a spot in the Top 3. The band had a lot of success with this album. It was their first major chart success, hitting the top 10 in both the US and Canada. One of the songs, “Easy to be Hard,” peaked at no. 4 on the “US Billboard Hot 100. This album also has another one of their massive hits, “Eli’s Coming.”
5. It Ain’t Easy (1970)
“It Ain’t Easy” was the band’s third studio release. The album is best remembered for covering songs from some of the most cherished artists, including Elton John, Randy Newman, Cynthia Weil, and Barry Mann. Tracks that stood out included “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” “Out in the Country,” and “Woman.” The album was a success and certified gold.
4. Seven Separate Fools (1972)
Seven Separate Fools was the band’s sixth studio release. It contained two all-time fan favorites, “Black and White” and “Pieces of April.” Danny Hutton’s performance on the lead single “Black and White” was beyond what everyone expected. The same goes for Chuck Negron’s soul-infused vocals on “Pieces of April.” You could tell the band poured their heart into producing this album, and it paid well. Suffice it to say, every single in this album is a gem in itself.
3. Three Dog Night (1968)
The group’s debut album will go down in history as one of the best classic rock albums ever released. From the heavy blue eye soul singing to the deep lyricism and perfected vocals, it’s hard to believe this was the band’s first studio album. The album has many rocking tracks, a must-have if you’re a classic rock lover. If we to single out a single that best represents the album, “Black and White”, it is.
2. It’s a Jungle (1983)
The band released a music video to accompany the album’s title single, “it’s a jungle out there.” The real meaning behind this single is not known. But the music video features a woman in a watering hole. She’s being flirted by three of the band member and other bystanders. She agrees to go on a date with each one of them (including the bystanders). But while on the date, she vanishes into thin air, having tricked them into believing she was mad in Love with them. The video ends with the woman back in the watering hole, with a smug on her face, having tricked all the men in her life.
1. Naturally (1970)
Closing out our best Three Dog Night albums is the band’s fourth studio release, “Naturally.” It was released in 1970 and had two top 10 hits, Joy to the World (the US no. #1 on February 1971) and Liar (the US no. #7). Another track off the album, “One Man band”, reached number #19. That makes “Naturally” one of their most popular albums, and deservedly so!