The beginning of the end

[Grant]

How about a listing of albums by artists that signaled the end of their popularity OR their creativity. For an example, I think "Adreneline" signaled Def Leppard's fall from grace. I think "Out Of Order" was Rod Stweart's last great album.

[Claus]

AC/DC - Back In Black
Black Sabbath - Sabotage
Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Rolling Stones - Tattoo You
ZZ Top - Degüello

[Grant]

I'll throw out an interesting one, sure to cause a debate:

The Beatles' "Let It Be" album should never have been released.

[Claus]

In my eyes... the Beatles are overrated! I can't understand why Abbey Road and Let It Be got the highest ratings in AMG... :confused:

[mikenyc]

Claus, I strongly agree with you.

However, since we dont believe in the Gospel That The Beatles Are Gods, we have contrary views against the grain of all Beatle fans.

[peterC]

Great topic Grant.

Here are my first signs of loss of creativity albums (still great albums though):

(there'll be many who disagree but here goes)

A Period of Transition-Van
Muswell Hillbillies (too much 12 bar, short on actual melodies) or Everybody's in Showbiz-Kinks
Broken Barricades-Procol Harum
Whatever came after A New World Record-ELO
Nashville Skyline-Zimmo
Tragical History Tour (the double ep as originally released).....but they proved us wrong!
Pendulum-CCR
Interview-Gentle Giant
Neil Young-impossible one!
Diamond Dogs-Bowie
15 Big Ones-not a first sign but a complete plunge.
Goat's Head Soup-Stones
Out of Time-REM
The Up Escalator-Graham Parker
somewhere around the time of the Let it Be sessions-John Lennon

I could go on, but.........

[Grant]

Originally posted by Claus
In my eyes... the Beatles are overrated! I can't understand why Abbey Road and Let It Be got the highest ratings in AMG... :confused:

I happen to think "Abbey Road" is THE greatest Beatles album. I think it full well deserves that rating.

Hey, we've been down this road before, two weeks ago, in fact. Not everyone thinks so highly of the fab four. Many of us do.

[peterC]

Originally posted by Claus
In my eyes... the Beatles are overrated! I can't understand why Abbey Road and Let It Be got the highest ratings in AMG... :confused:

Actually giving all the Beatles proper albums 5 stars (if thats what AMG does)(Rolling Stone does) is pretty useless to a martian who has just arrived and wants to buy a Beatles album.

The star rating to be of any use should be an internal rating of Beatles albums. Therefore, Let it Be gets one star and Rubber Soul etc get five stars.

However if we accept that the rating system is a rating of the albums in relation to the whole of popular music then its got to be five stars all around.......with the possible exception of Let it Be, and excluding Yellow Submarine and The MMT ep.

[Grant]

Originally posted by peter castanos


Actually giving all the Beatles proper albums 5 stars (if thats what AMG does)(Rolling Stone does) is pretty useless to a martian who has just arrived and wants to buy a Beatles album.

The star rating to be of any use should be an internal rating of Beatles albums. Therefore, Let it Be gets one star and Rubber Soul etc get five stars.

However if we accept that the rating sysyem is a rating of the albums in relation to the whole of popular music then its got to be five stars all around.......with the possible exception of Let it Be, and excluding Yellow Submarine and The MMT ep.
Now THIS I can agree with 1000%. I'm outta here!

[aceman400]

The Kinks - State of Confusion
They lost it after that one
Thanks,
Aaron

[Wie Gehts?]

CCR's "Mardi Gras." Tom Fogerty had split, while Doug Clifford and Stu Cook showcase their "talents" as singer/songwriters. Oh, how the mighty had fallen.

[Jeffrey]

Originally posted by Grant
I'll throw out an interesting one, sure to cause a debate:

The Beatles' "Let It Be" album should never have been released.

Hi,

Thank the music gods someone other than Grant made this call!

Another View,
Jeffrey

[HeavyDistortion]

The Who - Quadraphenia, IMO their last solid album. Also, The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers, which I think was their last solid album. I should add, that I believe each of these groups had some excellent songs after these releases, but never seemed to put it all together for the killer LPs that they had created earlier.




HeavyDistortion

[TimM]

Albums that started a slide downhill:

Fleetwood Mac - Mirage

Rod Stewart - Smiler

Chicago - VIII

Jackson Brown - Lawyers In Love

George Harrison - Extra Texture

[Togo]

This is not to say I don't rate albums after this point - it is just a personal opinion.

Here are a few...


REM "Green"

Prince "Lovesexy"

Queen "News of the World"

David Bowie "Scary Monsters"

XTC "Oranges & Lemons" (but made a classic comeback with "Apple Venus Vol.1")

Elvis Costello "Blood & Chocolate"

Rolling Stones "Exile on Main Street"

Smiths "The Queen is Dead"

Beatles "Abbey Road" (not bad considering they only released one more!)


:rolleyes:

[Peter D]

Fairport Convention - Full House
James Brown - Payback
Chuck Berry - St. Louis to Liverpool
Prince - Sign O The Times
Ramones - Road to Ruin
Yes - Close to the Edge


All of these artists made some good albums and/or songs after these but never recaptured their former brilliance, IMO.

Then there are people like Dylan and Van Morrison and Neil Young who I keep thinking are washed up but who then surprise me with a great album after a string of lackluster ones...

[Grant]

Originally posted by Jeffrey


Hi,

Thank the music gods someone other than Grant made this call!

Another View,
Jeffrey
:D I would have deep-sixed the sucker!

[Jeffrey]

Originally posted by Grant

:D I would have deep-sixed the sucker!

Hi Grant,

No question, ya called it! Not sure ya should get any points for that shot since ya were standing on a twelve foot ladder leaning over the basket at the time ya made it.

Solo efforts or not, I still think Paul (in particular) did some very nice work on Let It Be and it has brought me years of enjoyment.

Jeffrey

[Dan Steely]

Public Enemy - Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black (after this one they made a nosedive)
Michael Jackson - Thriller (obvious)
Sly & The Family Stone - Fresh
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear
The Meters - Fire On The Bayou

[Grant]

Originally posted by Dan Steely

Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear
The Meters - Fire On The Bayou

Hmmm, i'd have to disagree with you there. I would say "In My Lifetime" instead.

[Grant]

Originally posted by Jeffrey



Solo efforts or not, I still think Paul (in particular) did some very nice work on Let It Be and it has brought me years of enjoyment.

Jeffrey
You do bring up an interesting point. It may depend on how you listen to a particular piece of music. I'm guessing you listen to it as a musician. I am also a musician but I hear "Let It Be" from more of a production/engineering perspective.

[Matt]

Originally posted by Claus
In my eyes... the Beatles are overrated! I can't understand why Abbey Road and Let It Be got the highest ratings in AMG... :confused:

Man, I just absolutely love Abbey Road; just a gorgeous album.

Anyway, with Let It Be, there MAY have been some potential at making a real five-star album, but as it is, no way (three stars at most). Besides the Phil Spector production and picking the best takes (which have already been discussed), I still think "Two Of Us," "I've Got A Feeling," and the better known tracks like "Get Back," "The Long & Winding Road," and "Let It Be" are great songs, better than most of the stuff written for the White Album. "Don't Let Me Down" (from the same sessions) is also one of my favorite Lennon songs, too, and it's a great performance. If they had cut out the amateurish, jokey bits and been more thoughtful with the sequencing and take selection, it probably would've been a five-star album.

[ED in NY]

Originally posted by Claus
AC/DC - Back In Black
Black Sabbath - Sabotage
Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Rolling Stones - Tattoo You
ZZ Top - Degüello

Fair enough Claus but I would change Sabotage to Technical Ecstasy. Sabotage is a great Album !

Best - ED

[Ronald]

Huey Lewis and the News "Sports". After such a phenomenal release, everything afterward was lacking in creativity. Maybe when the 49ers started winning Super Bowls, Huey didn't give a rat's backside and was happy to celebrate life with the Niners.

[Grant]

Originally posted by Ronald
Huey Lewis and the News "Sports". After such a phenomenal release, everything afterward was lacking in creativity. Maybe when the 49ers started winning Super Bowls, Huey didn't give a rat's backside and was happy to celebrate life with the Niners.

Ron, did you forget about "Fore"? I thought it was the last great Heuy Lewis & The News album.

I would say that it all started going downhill with "Perfect World".