Now be honest with yourself...Every band eventually puts out a bad album that signals the beginning of the end of the creative genius that made you a big fan of their stuff. It's inevitable. If you will, it's the "Jump the Shark" album.

List some of your favorite bands, or simply bands you like, and the album they put out which signalled the beginning of the end for you. Here's mine:

1. Metallica: Black Album
2. U2: Zooropa
3. Rolling Stones: Undercover
4. Soundgarden: Superunknown
5. Lez Zeppelin: Presence
6. Fugazi: Red Medicine
7. Guns 'N Roses: Spaghetti Incident
8. Pink Floyd: Division Bell
9. Rush: Roll The Bones
10. Black Sabbath: Technical Ecstasy
11. Spinal Tap: Shark Sandwich
12. The Darkness: Permission to Land (ha..)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: RayRay,

Suicidal Tendencies-The Art of Rebellion
Red Hot Chili Peppers-Blood Sugar Sex Magic
Metallica-The Black Album
Wu-Tang Clan-Wu Forever
Iron Maiden-Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Prince-Come
Bad Religion-Recipe For Hate
Pennywise-Full Circle
Primus-Tales From the Punchbowl
Carcass-Heartwork
Cryptopsy-Whisper Supremacy
Entombed-Wolverine Blues
Anthrax-Sound of White Noise
Ministry-Filth Pig

Now, some of these bands have since recovered, but these albums signified the end of my complete reverence for them, and caused me to approach any further albums with great caution. Also, many of these albums and bands suffered from a line-up change that caused the assery to come.

One terrible misstep that comes to mind comes from one of my favorite artists in all of music, Bruce Springsteen. 1992's Lucky Town was about three-quarters of a good, though not great album. The fact that on the same day he released Human Touch, which isn't even a quarter of good album, much less great makes that entire Spring a baffling chapter in his career for me.

The Ghost of Tom Joad three years later had enough good moments to restore some of my confidence, but it took a decade until 2002's The Rising for Springsteen to truly return to form.

Now Playing: "I See With My Third 'I'" Rahsaan Roland Kirk Rahsaan: The Complete Mercury Recordings (Mercury)

quote:

---

Originally posted by RayRay:
2. U2: Zooropa
7. Guns 'N Roses: Spaghetti Incident

---

I'm with you on Zooropa, but I think they caught back up with "All That You Can't Leave Behind."

I think GNR might have lost the pace with the excessive sprawl of the two "Lose Your Illusion" records, which have some great songs but might be too much by about 40 minutes.

My own thought might be REM's "Reveal", which seems to indicate a downward spiral. I like "New Adventures" and "Up" enough to avoid saying that the spiral actually started with "Monster."

This was harder than I thought, but I found one.
Talking Heads - Little Creatures. It got mixed reviews, but it was the start of the end.

I must disagree with the Springsteen choice only because The Rising definitely qualifies as one of the Boss's very best.

hal

quote:

---

Originally posted by hal:
I must disagree with the Springsteen choice only because The Rising definitely qualifies as one of the Boss's very best.

---

In this we are in agreement, hal (surprise!). Sometimes an artist overcomes a misstep. My point regarding The Rising is that it represented Springsteen's return to form, which I would further suggest was due in no small part to the return of The E Street Band.

Now Playing: "A Stritch In Time" Rahsaan Roland Kirk Rahsaan: The Complete Mercury Recordings (Mercury)

Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire

I'm serious about all of these, and the thing is, I was serious back when they came out. They are pretty ancient. Now, I'm not saying that these albums stink, but they noticeably dropped from the previous. I'd say this is where I pretty much lost interest with these bands, some of my favorites, even if I was dumb enough to buy more albums by them. Please forgive me if you have the power.

Rolling Stones "Exile on Main Street"
Steely Dan "Aja"
Roxy Music "Manifesto"

Oh well, maybe I'll get off the hook because they are ancient. It doesn't matter but I like "Zooropa", especially compared to "The Joshua Tree." Later, gators.

P.S. hal, I already know!

OK, there are more I missed, but I should apologize for not reading LinnTate's message all the way through. This might have been a beer consumption problem, oops.


xoxo, hal

Think nothing of it, hal. I am, however, confused. "Beer consumption problem." I know what all of those words mean, but I have no idea what you're trying to say. You didn't have enough beer to consume? Help me out here.

Now, back to the topic at hand...

Bob Seger Like A Rock

I like Bob Seger. Sincerely, I do. The majority of his albums are terribly uneven and he has always been stronger live than in the studio, but he fielded a backing band that might have given The Heartbreakers a run for their money back in the day.

That being said, if the slick production and reliance on session players on The Distance was a warning, the dreadful cover photo on Like A Rock should confirmed without even spinning the album that Seger was destined to spend the better part of the next two decades better known for what amounts to jingle than for great rock 'n' roll.

Sad.

Now Playing: Whatever's on WOXY right now, they don't have their "Now Playing" window functioning again yet, but who cares. They're back to streaming. WOO HOO!!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: LinnTate,

The Manic Street Preachers, as unfashionable as they may be here (I really don't know), are a band close to my heart but 'Know Your Enemy' was really quite appalling.

With Metallica, I'd say Load.

I happen to like all of R.E.M's and U2's albums.

Textbook case:

Van Morrison ~ A Period of Transition

I like the album, I even play it sometimes, but it marks the Turning Point for Van.

Before it he created a string of Classics: Astral Weeks, Moondance, Street Choir, Tupelo Honey, St Dominic's Preview, Hard Nose the Highway, It's Too Late To Stop Now and the incomparable Veedon Fleece.

After it he gave us Wavelength. of all things. The Man lost the plot. And he never found it again.

QED

What else?

Yeah, I'd go along with REM's Reveal and Talking Heads' Little Creatures (Gotta say that Remain in Light was their best, but that's down to Eno I guess).

Bowie - Lodger, the third of his trio with Eno (that man again?) Low was superb - a masterpiece, Heroes is hanging in there, but Lodger fell flat. He had a bit of a fling later with Let's Dance, but in comparison to his earlier work we are not really in the same league here.

Elvis Costello - Imperial Bedroom. I hate to say it, but he made Punch the Clock after that and he never really came back from that nadir. (OK, I'll give "Painted from Memory" a 9/10 but that was mainly down to Burt anyway).

Dylan - Desire. It wasn't up there with Blood on the Tracks, which preceded it, but was still a fine album. After that? Cactus.

I'd better quit now while I'm still ahead.

quote:

---

Originally posted by CopyCat:

Elvis Costello - Imperial Bedroom.

---

I totally agree with that one CC; I would have put it on my list but I forgot about it. Of the four I've mentioned so far though, Elvis is the one I bought the most albums of after the "bad" album. I'm going to listen to "Imperial Bedroom" again just to see if now that I'm "more mature", I won't find it so boring, but at the time, I guess I begrudged him maturing faster than me. I think I'll take "Trust" any day.

I tend to find Elvis spotty over the course of his career. The first four records are great, but then "Trust" isn't. "Almost Blue" is good (I'm looking forward to the 2-disc version, out in early August) but "Imperial Bedroom" not so much. "Punch the Clock" is decent, but "Goodbye Cruel World" was lousy. But then "Blood & Chocolate" and "King of America" made up for "Goodbye..."

I think he made some good records in the more recent past..."Spike" and "Mighty Like a Rose" are strong and I'm a fan of "Brutal Youth". "All This Useless Beauty" is expendable but I kinda like "Kojak Variety" (another 2-disc version that will be out in August).

The most recent records, including the Bacharach collaboration, have been spotty.

The verdict: Elvis seems to ebb and flow. He's done enough good stuff post-"Imperial Bedroom" that I wouldn't say it was THE album when things went bad...

Korn, Take A Look in the Mirror

Nothing like a good four year old thread... ::blows off dust::

I'm not sure how many of you are Live fans around here, but I personally think their first four albums are awesome, especially "The Distance to Here." But after their fifth album "V," they started sucking. Albums six and seven are slightly better to listen to than Nickelback, (or whoever your most hated bland rock band might be) and that's it. Truthfully, they were never an original band (duh). They came up in the wave of grunge, and rode off the success of the "genre." But they had at least had some intriguing musical ideas.

quote:

not sure how many of you are Live fans around here, but I personally think their first four albums are awesome, especially "The Distance to Here." But after their fifth album "V," they started sucking. Albums six and seven are slightly better to listen to than Nickelback, (or whoever your most hated bland rock band might be) and that's it. Truthfully, they were never an original band (duh). They came up in the wave of grunge, and rode off the success of the "genre." But they had at least had some intriguing music

funny: as i reread what this thread was about, one of the bands i came up with was Live. but i would've said "The Distance to Here" as the one that started their downfall.

my own contribution
Pearl Jam - No Code
there have been few highlights since that one, even their self-titled which i didn't care at all for. But up until Vitalogy, they were worth listening

quote:

Originally posted by brainofp:

quote:

not sure how many of you are Live fans around here, but I personally think their first four albums are awesome, especially "The Distance to Here." But after their fifth album "V," they started sucking. Albums six and seven are slightly better to listen to than Nickelback, (or whoever your most hated bland rock band might be) and that's it. Truthfully, they were never an original band (duh). They came up in the wave of grunge, and rode off the success of the "genre." But they had at least had some intriguing music

funny: as i reread what this thread was about, one of the bands i came up with was Live. but i would've said "The Distance to Here" as the one that started their downfall.

my own contribution
Pearl Jam - No Code
there have been few highlights since that one, even their self-titled which i didn't care at all for. But up until Vitalogy, they were worth listening

I know I'm in the minority, but I really really like No Code. It's the only Pearl Jam I listen to any more. I agree that their isn't anything after that but lameness though.

...However, having said that I remember a few days ago rediscovering the song "Nothing as it Seems", and it completely floored me. Great song, with a wonderfully mysterious melody.

Fun thread though, in a morbid sort of way.

Pearl Jam albums have always been of fairly consistent quality to me, except for large chunks on No Code and Riot Act. Their self-titled gets better the more you listen to it, but it takes some time.

Another '90's band that's recently gone downhill (IMO) is Counting Crows. I enjoyed their first four albums quite a bit, but their new one is beyond bland. It's strange too because the whole band is touting it as their "comeback" disc... but they never really left.