Career-killing albums.

[BlueIris]

You know what I mean. The CD your favorite group or artist put out that just killed a career dead in its tracks. Maybe the artist(s) trekked on for a few more years, but it was never the same. The albums you wish had never been born.

My pick: R.E.M.'s "New Adventures in Hi-Fi."

[foxfeet]

1. Charlene-- "Greatest Hits."

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. Styx - Kilroy Was Here

[MissMillie]

21. that was the first one that came to my mind

:hi:

[Roon]

103. It may have been a terrible album

but the concert was very entertaining.

[Seneca]

3. Metallica's self-titled 'black album'

Sure, it was a commercial success, which meant trouble in and of itself. Their innovation stopped dead in its tracks, and it was all rote formula and hooks from there on out. Did they not see 'This Is Spinal Tap'?

[spiritual_gunfighter]

6. The handwriting was on the wall when they released ...And Justice For All

Overlong bloated songs with some pretty tired riffs, not to mention the way the record sounds whichh is almost embarassing for a major record to be released sounding so bad. I dont think Metallica has done anything of consequence since Master Of Puppets unless you count the Garage Days stuff which is great, maybe they should just be a cover band cause their original stuff is horrid now.

[Iggo]

17. You could tell they did it without a bass player.

Blackened was good, but then what?

And by the way, they can't even cover their own stuff anymore. You shoulda heard the bridge part from Master Of Puppets on the last tour. So bad, amateur guitarists were walking out of that place saying, "No really. I actually CAN play that better!" (Okay, that was me.)

[Seneca]

26. I admit I still love "One"

That and "Blackened" still stand out this many years later. It's not nearly as far removed from 'Puppets' as their Spinal Tap album is removed from 'Justice', if I may use a weak scale analogy. :-)

[Iggo]

28. Oops....I forgot about One.

That one's fun.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

32. I saw Metallica on the Monsters Of Rock tour in 1988 and they stole the show

everyone left after they played and Van Halen played to a half empty venue night after night. But those days are long gone. I almost went to see them here in Chicago last year but decided against it, they just suck now.

edited for spellllling...

[HughBeaumont]

41. I could have gone to MOR, but I didn't.

I ended up seeing Metallica at their peak (1989 tour) and Van Halen WITH David Lee Roth later in life. 30 bucks to see Metallica with Van Hagar, Dokkkkkken, The Scoh-piohns! and Kingdumb Cum at the Rubber Bowl in 90+ degree weather didn't sound worth it.

[HughBeaumont]

40. I'm not surprised.

Winded-ass Lar$ couldn't keep up on "Blackened" at the MTV Tribute to them. Too much blow does that to you, I guess.

. . . And Justice really does have NO staying power. I have it on my mp3 player and I gotta admit, if I'm not straight up skipping the songs entirely when I have the thing on random play, I advance to the next random song about halfway through anything on that album. Only Metallica makes their own album sound bad to haze their bassist. Such a dick move by the Turd Trio.

[semillama]

57. Actually, they did do it with a bass player

but they buried all of Newsted's parts in the mix. If you want a revelation of how colossal a mistake that was, check these youtube clips. Apparently, as part of preparing a song for games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, the programmers and game designers need access to all the actual instrument tracks for a recording, and they are in the game software. Someone figured out how to bring up Newsted's bass lines from the AJFA tracks used and put them up on youtube. Of course, they sound rough because it's not professional mixed or anything, but it gives you a great idea of how much better the album could have sounded.

Blackened:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAvwod7BBK0&playnext_from=TL&videos=QH8EXrZk6yQ

Shortest Straw:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuuSdZCPlfI&feature=related

[Iggo]

72. By "did it"...

...I meant conceived, wrote, rewrote, produced, mixed, etc...

Obviously there's a bass player on there somewhere. But it's just as obvious he had zero input whatsoever.

Listen to an album called Doomsday For The Deceiver by Flotsam And Jetsam if you want to lament what Metallica might have been capable of if they'd let Jason Newsted be a full partner in crime rather than a glorified session player.

[YOY]

35. Box of Bees!

Meh...it could have sounded better. What was the sound engineer thinking?

[spiritual_gunfighter]

39. I dont know

was that Flemming Rasmussen? He should be embarassed of that horseshit.

[Richardo]

7. "How much more black could it be? The answer is 'none'. None more black."

:rofl:

[EvolveOrConvolve]

116. I completely agree - the Black Album sucked. There's not a single song on it that I like

It was released on my best friend's 18th birthday, and we waited in line to buy it at midnight at some music store. It was a HUGE disappointment, and they've never really been the same since. (although I really dig the S&M album where they played with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra)

[BlueIris]

4. Kick. nt

[spiritual_gunfighter]

5. I thought R.E.M.'s Monster was the real career killer for them

which was the album before New Adventures, which is horrible as well by the way. I dont think R.E.M. ever recovered from that and they have been dragging their legacy through the mud ever since. R.E.M. was my favorite band in high school and I saw them with Camper Van Beethoven in 1986 on the Life's Rich Pageant tour. I never thought I would say this but if I never heard from R.E.M. again I would be happy.

[BlueIris]

8. I almost put "Monster," but looking back, I think it was "New Adventures" that

made their death official. Fans were kinda willing to give them a chance to redeem themselves after "Monster," but not after its follow up.

I'm so jealous of you, getting to see a show from the "Life's Rich Pageant" era (my favorite R.E.M. album, by the way.)

[spiritual_gunfighter]

31. I liked the song New Test Leper

and that is the problem with everything post Green with R.E.M., there would be outstanding songs on every record but overall they albums werent that great IMO. I think up to Document, R.E.M. were one of the best bands on the planet and they were amazing live, but they definitely lost something with the release of Green in 1988.

[SoxFan]

52. Scott Litt was an accomplice to the crime

When REM brought in Litt to produce "Green, everything began to fall apart. "Green" itself was allright, if inconsistent, but Litt's production steered the band away from the moody Southern weirdness that made REM unique. Too often, they came across as Hootie and the Blowfish with a hipper sense of humor.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

59. Yep I blame Litt as well

but I also blame the band for allowing it to happen.

[SoxFan]

64. REM was always heavily influenced by their producers

The Mitch Easter/Don Dixon albums have an off-kilter, indy-pop feel, not far removed from Easter's work with Let's Active. The underrated "Fables of the Reconstruction" has some pastoral touches that demonstrate Joe Boyd's folk-rock leanings. "Life's Rich Pageant" moves towards a more muscular roots rock, not surprising when you look at Don Gehman's work with John Mellencamp.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

104. That is true

I recorded my first album with Mitch Easter and that is in his blood.

[gmoney]

66. I called it "New Adventures in High-Finance"

IIRC, it was the first album after some massive contract that made them all billionaires.

[Seneca]

60. I think 'Document' was their last great album

And 'Green' their last good album. But I admit I am not a hardcore fan of the band, even though I do like them - going back to when I first heard 'South Central Rain.'

[Radical Activist]

81. Those two albums are when they started to sound decent.

I never cared for their 80's fluff.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

105. Wow

I have never heard anyone say that before.

[BlueIris]

108. Okay, true confession: "Monster" was the first R.E.M. I bought...

...and I thought it was just okay. I was like, "Why do people like this group?" It was only when I started listening to their '80s albums that I started to understand what all the fuss was about, and found myself asking, "What happened to their talent?"

Other true confession: I actually really like R.E.M's "Up." Especially my beloved "Lotus," a key stress-relieving song for me.

[pink-o]

9. Going back many years: CCR Pendulum.

I loved those guys when I was a teenager, and "Cosmo's Factory" the LP just before Pendulum was amazing--all killer no filler. Then the rest of the band must've gotten pissed at Fogerty, because they insisted on putting their own inferior product out, and he LET THEM!!!! The result? Major Suckage, and their fans left in droves. Soon after, they broke up and Saul Zaentz, their discoverer and producer, went on to Hollywood. He and Fogerty truly hated each other, and they even fought it out in court.

But that hideous LP by a once great band was the final nail.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

34. The sad thing about that story is John and his brother Tom never

reconciled, Tom died with them not speaking to each other. I agree with you Pendulum was horrible, but what a great band up to that point.

[Seneca]

61. 'Pendulum' is decent enough

The problem was that Johm Fogerty was merely mortal, and it was only a matter of time before he started running out of gas. Consider the rapid and prolific pace of his output up until then. From 'Bayou Country' through 'Cosmo's Factory', he did a LOT in less than 3 years.

The best way for me to summarize 'Pendulum' was that it was a good album by a band who had a huge string of great ones preceding it. The title of the album hinted at that - Fogerty knew he was running dry. Still, for a change every now and then, I like 'Chameleon', 'Molina', and even the flirtation with pretentiousness 'Rude Awakening #2'.

[pink-o]

73. Dude, you're right! I was thinking of Mardi Gras, the LP after Pendulum that was so sucky!

Forgive me, it's been many years since I listened to a CCR disc! I grew up in the SF Bay area, and my friend Andrea and I had huuuuuuge crushes on John Fogerty. (Back then there was no Facebook or Twitter for the objects of your obsession, you had to rely on Rolling Stone to print some cool pix.) So we would get together and giggle like schoolgirls (which we were) and listen to "Long as I can see the Light" and melt at his voice.

To us, Mardi Gras was inexcusable.

Anyway, the years went by and of course I started going out with real guys, got married, got divorced, forget about teenage crushes. Then when I was 35, I ran into Fogerty in a professional capacity. He hadn't changed one bit, and all of a sudden, I was 15 again and just wanted to scream and jump up and down. Of course, I maintained but I can't believe how fast I raced backwards over the years! (BTW, he was wonderful and very nice!)

[Seneca]

90. Yeah, Mardi Gras was sad and disappointing

That one had songs penned and sung by Doug Clifford and Stu Cook, with Tom out of the band. I wonder if it was self-sabotage by John.

A couple of years ago, Norman Lear bought the Fantasy Records imprint from Saul Zaentz. Lear gave Fogerty his songs back, since Zaentz had them tied up in his own name since 1972. It took 35 years, but Fogerty is making money off his CCR songs again, and can play them in concert without worrying about lining Zaentz's pockets. The good guys do sometimes win. :-)

[mitchum]

92. Yes, it was self-sabotage by Fogerty...

Clifford and Cook wanted to contribute some material, but Fogerty was miffed by the suggestion and insisted that if that were the case, they had to contribute an equal share. They tried to explain that was not their desire, but John was adamant. I guess he really showed them, eh?
Fogerty can be a difficult man.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

10. Tori Amos, Strange Little Girls

With the exception of Scarlet's Walk, which came out a year later and was Tori's last great album, nothing after SLGs was as strong as the albums before it. The Beekeeper had a few good songs, but American Doll Posse was just a major disappointment spare for two songs. Abnormally Attracted to Sin had great promise from its first track, "Give", but then seemed to wimp out for the most part.

[BlueIris]

15. I was gonna post this one. Actually, I was going to post "The Beekeeper," since

I think "Scarlet's Walk" is the best album over all and therefore I couldn't label "SLG" as The Killer Record. God, I hate "The Beekeeper."

[Tommy_Carcetti]

19. There were some good songs on The Beekeeper.

"Parasol", "Original Sinsuality", "Witness" and "Cars and Guitars." The title track was decent.

The problem was the rest was all forgettable filler, which you couldn't say about Scarlet's Walk or her earlier albums.

For me, it only got worse with American Doll Posse. Other than "Bouncing Off Clouds" and "Roosterspur Bridge", all the songs fell flat for me. To me, she spent way too much time on the concept and way too little time on the songs.

[Orrex]

94. What do you think of SLG on its own?

Setting aside the possible "career killer" aspect for a moment, do you think the album's any good?

I really like most of it, though several of the songs on it do nothing for me.

I'm not as familiar with her stuff that came after it, though.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

110. I never actually bought the album, but have listened to the songs.

I don't know. The fact that the songs are all covers, even if it is her putting her own spin on it, sort of turned me off of the idea. I'm not a big cover fan.

I will say her version of "98 Bonnie and Clyde" exposes Eminem for being a real nutcase. But from what I've heard of the rest of the songs, they just don't work for me.

Apparently--and I just recently found out--she released a Christmas album a few months ago. And I'm hesistant for the exact same reason as I am about SLG, although some reviews say it's her best work since Scarlet's Walk.

As for her newer albums, based on a curve from her earlier work, I'd give Scarlet's Walk an A, The Beekeeper a B, Abnormally Attracted to Sin a B-/C+, and American Doll Posse a C, possibly a C-.

[Orrex]

114. She's always done covers, though.

She did Smells Like Teen Spirit way back in 1992, and Joni Mitchell's A Case of You appears on More Pink: The B-Sides. Not to mention her excellent version of Cohen's Famous Blue Raincoat. Her live shows have included covers since the very beginning.

I see your point, of course, that a cover album is a tricky venture. David Bowie's Pin-Ups is decidedly mixed bag, for instance.

And you're absolutely right about her version of '97 Bonnie and Clyde. I can't speak to Eminem's mental state, but her take on the song is positively chilling!

[dawg]

11. My favorite band killed its career three different times with three different albums.

I'm talking about Yes, so the haters are welcome to pile on if they want.

In the 70s, Yes released Tales from Topographic Oceans, a double-album containing four songs - one for each album side. Even today, it is often cited as an example of self-indulgent excess. Although the record has now been thoroughly scrubbed, the prior three Yes albums had been critically praised (even by Rolling Stone) for taking rock music in a new and different direction. Tales, however, was a bridge too far, and the music critics never came back around. I personally like this album, although I think it drags at some points.

Then, Yes killed their career again by releasing Drama - an album that replaced progressive rock icon Rick Wakeman and signature Yes vocalist with the Buggles (famous for Video Killed the Radio Star). This really pissed off many of the band's remaining fanbase, killing their career for the second time. I freakin' love that album, though.

Then, after reforming and scoring a number one hit with Owner of a Lonely Heart, they killed their career for the third and final time by releasing the album, Union. Like Freddy Kreuger, it was the bastard child of a thousand fathers. I don't like this album very much at all.

Of course, the band is still around and touring. I'd love to go see them, even though they have another replacement lead singer. But they haven't been remotely relevant since the late 80's.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

13. Agree with you on most of that

Especially "Union"...two versions of the band on one CD filled with really, really bad tunes.

I think the trio of The Yes Album / Fragile / Close To The Edge remains relevant and unbeatable to this day, but outside of that (especially the three albums you mention), no thanks.

I'm not impressed with the current lineup at all, especially the lead singer. It's not Yes...it's Chris Squire and Alan White and some other guys playing Yes songs. Steve Howe just released the second "reunion" album of new material with the original lineup of Asia, so I don't know if he's even involved in Yes at the moment.

[MissMillie]

22. I'd add "Going For the One" to your trio (make it a quartet)

Steve Howe is still in the current lineup, btw.

The part of Rick Wakeman is being played by his son, Oliver.

Benoit David, apparently found on YouTube, is playing the part of Jon Anderson.

As a touring thing, this lineup turns out to be ok.

But... I don't think you'll see any thing new from them. That would be difficult if Jon Anderson were not part of the deal. He's traditionally been a HUGE creative force for Yes.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

51. I saw a show from the "Going For The One" tour...

...went with friends who saw both nights in San Francisco. Supposedly night #1 was vastly superior to night #2 because:

1). On night #1, they played "Starship Trooper" almost note-for-note as it appeared on "The Yes Album," whereas on night #2, they played the standard Yes in concert noodle-rama, all over the place version

2). The laser light show malfunctioned somewhere near the end of night #1 and was not used on night #2

That said, it was the one and only time I'd seen them in concert, and it was nice to have seen them with Wakeman in tow. He was relatively conservative on this tour, at least at this show, in terms of his playing and his appearance.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

36. I still defend Tales to my Yes fan friends who dont like it

Rick Wakeman hated it and basically quit because of it. I think a lot of Yes fans hated 90215, but I love that album and I thought Trevor Rabin saved that band from breaking up for good. I never heard Union I guess I shouldn't right? I saw Yes in Chicago a couple of years ago with Jon Anderson and they were amazing.

[dawg]

46. If you love 90125 ...

there might be a few songs on Union that you would like. (I like 90125 and the Trevor version of the band, too) But you would do better to find a copy of the Talk album or Trevor's solo album, Can't Look Away.

I'm assuming you have heard Big Generator. If you love 90125, you should love that one almost as much.

As for Tales, I love it but could live without The Remembering and portions of The Ancient. People wail and moan about the 18 minute songs. I try to explain that they are more like suites or medleys than just one song droning on for 18 minutes but most people would rather believe the critics instead of listening for themselves. The same critics who, ironically, rave over endless self-indulgent jamming so long as its done by the Allmans or some other band of which they approve.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

48. Tales was my first exposure to Yes

I grew up listening to punk and hardcore and Yes was pretty much the enemy. I had a long drive one day and the college radio station played Tales in it's entirety and I was totally hooked.

I love the Cinema stuff so I would probably dig the other Trevor Rabin stuff.

[MissMillie]

50. I think the story on Tales was that

they had enough for a single album, not enough for a double. They added a lot of fluff.

I think "The Revealing Science of God" kicks butt.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

12. Peter Frampton's "I'm In You"...

...the exact moment where the forward momentum of the "Frampton Comes Alive" freight train came screeching to a halt.



Couple that with his pairing with the Bee Gees in the Sgt. Pepper movie and you have a prime example of career suicide.

Of course, he's come back in the role of "elder statesman" in recent years, claims in a recent interview that he's been clean and sober for 7 years, and has just released a fine new album, "Thank You Mr. Churchill."

But back then...when he released "I'm In You"...that boy effed UP.

[guitar man]

45. I agree

Frampton Comes Alive was arguably the best live rock album ever made, the energy of the performances on it are the stuff of legend. To follow it up with a turd like "I'm In You"...what were they thinking?

:(

[Amerigo Vespucci]

53. He put fame in front of the music...understandable, I guess. Lamentable, but understandable.

I went to the San Jose Flea Market during the "I'm In You" era...the huge and legendary one down on Berryessa Road...and there was a 3 x 4 foot poster of Frampton from the "I'm In You" photo shoot, except he had the shirt off. It was like Farrah Fawcett with chest hair. I thought "This shit isn't going to fly with the Humble Pie crowd that put him on the map," and sure enough, it didn't.

In the years that followed he found a balance between the hard-rocking stuff and the ballads, but the biggest thing he did to put his career back on track was to return the music front-and-center, where it belonged, while sidelining the fluffy-haired rock star shenanigans (although that might be easier these days since he has a lot less hair, none of which is fluffy).

:rofl:

:toast:

[guitar man]

69. yeah, management

I've always wondered how much of that was him and how much was management. I've seen some great musicians over the years fall on their face because of who they let handle their careers....it's really a damn shame when it happens.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

14. Bob Dylan's "Modern Times"

Well, it didn't kill the career. But it should have.

Since that didn't kill it, certainly "Christmas in the Heart" will.

:hi:

[Seneca]

27. Careful, there

They said the same thing about 'Self-Portrait', and that was 40 years ago. :-)

[Radical Activist]

83. It was much better than his 80's crap.

His career will never die no matter what he produces.

[DutchLiberal]

89. 'Modern Times' was one of the greatest albums of his entire career!

I just listened to it again, today, and I was still amazed at the sheer beauty of it.

[bif]

16. Yes "Tormato"

everything pretty much sucked after that stinker.

[dawg]

18. Want to know my shameful secret?

I love "Don't Kill the Whale".

[MissMillie]

23. I actually like the album

Except for Arriving UFO

[dawg]

47. Have to agree with you on that one.

I'm also not fond of Circus of Heaven, although the candy floss bit at the end is cute.

This album is kind of a grab bag, which is offputting to some people. And it has an actual love song on it! (And it's good!)

[YOY]

20. Billy Idol: "Cyberpunk"

n/t

[spiritual_gunfighter]

33. Did Billy Idol every produce anything good?

Besides Generation X, who were great.

[unpossibles]

43. I did not see your Generation X qualifier at first

and thought I was going to have to esplain something.

[mitchum]

24. The Clash "Cut The Crap"

[spiritual_gunfighter]

37. I thought Combat Rock was the career killer

but I agree Cut The Crap was much worse.

[gmoney]

68. "Combat Rock" somewhat cost them their purist fanbase

But they had two massive singles from it and probably made them crazy wealthy. "Cut the Crap" was the non-Mick Jones album, and really suffered because of it.

[mikeytherat]

25. The Distillers - Coral Fang

mikey_the_rat

[Taverner]

29. Peter Frampton "Sgt Pepper", Kiss "The Elder",

[mitchum]

30. But Uncle Lou wrote material for The Elder!

It is still horrible, though

[spiritual_gunfighter]

38. I like Kiss's Music From The Elder

mostly because it is completely ridiculous and Lou Reed was writing songs on it.

[bluesbassman]

42. Rush - Rush Pretty much downhill after that.

:evilgrin:

PS I'm just kidding, I actually like Rush.

PPS For God's sake don't tell TZ that! :rofl:

[Seneca]

62. 'Signals' was their last great album

I chalk that up to producer Terry Brown, who had produced them up through that album.

Never was quite the same after that. The hardcore fans think they can do no wrong (my roomie in college, for example), but after the semi-listenable 'Grace Under Pressure', they got downright BORING on 'Power Windows' and after. Since then, they only have a good song or two on every other album.

[unpossibles]

44. Guns & Roses - whatever was after "Appetite for Destruction" nt

[LynneSin]

49. Led Zeppelin's "In Through the Out Door"

If Bonham hadn't died in his own vomit I think the band would have with the release of that album.

Mind you there is some brilliance on that album, I actually like it better then "Presence" but it was the beginning of the end with Led Zeppelin.

[dawg]

63. But "Fool in the Rain" is what got me into Zeppelin ....

Seriously - no sarcasm at all. I loved that song.

I also thought the band was Satanic and that it was my Christian duty to avoid it at all costs. Let's just say I've mellowed since then. ;)

[Seneca]

67. When I learned some years later that...

'All My Love' was written for Plant's late toddler son, it completely altered my perception of the song. It turned into what initially struck me as a cliched love song into a true lament. Not until Clapton's 'Tears In Heaven' was there a sadder mainstream song about the loss of one's child.

I like the album though. I always thought Zeppelin was better when they got away from trying to be a blooze band. 'Carouselambra' is self-indulgent but fun, and Page's solo on 'Fool In The Rain' is one of the jazziest solos to ever sneak onto rock radio.

My only real issue with Zeppelin is radio. The 'Classic Rawk' format not only caused me to stop listening to the radio, I had to quit listening to Zeppelin for YEARS. After 5 or 6 years passed, I got out my CD's and enjoyed them again. Their filler is usually good, and if radio had given more time to those songs rather than endless replays from the tired and overrated 'LZ II', I may have not quit them so easily.

[Radical Activist]

85. Yeah, classic rock radio ruined an entire genre of music that way. n/t

[LynneSin]

71. I love "Fool in the Rain" and especially "In the Evening"

I remember the first time I saw Robert Plant in concert (1988) - mind you, I wasn't much of a concert person before that so this was my first time seeing anything 'led-zeppelin-like' in concert (I was too young to see the band tour although I did get my mom to agree to see the ITTOD of it happened).

Plant opened with "In the Evening" - I just feel in love with that song.

But ITTOD was a far cry from the early Led Zeppelin that made and built their reputation. For what it's worth it was probably their "Some Girl" album - last really decent album before they fall off the deep end. My opinion has always been that "Some Girls" was decent for the Rolling Stones but pretty much the beginning of the end for any of their quality work.

[DevonRex]

65. Yeah. Mostly written by Jones and Plant so it wasn't nearly as good.

Don't get me wrong - I think Jones is a fantastic musician and he did his share of the writing before that. It's just that without major input from Page and Bonham ITTOD was destined to have a very different flavor from the previous albums and IMO not nearly as good.

[carlyhippy]

88. All of my love is one of my favorite songs of all time

C

[Seneca]

91. John Paul Jones lays out some beautiful synth on it

Doesn't he?

[carlyhippy]

93. yes, it was a beautiful and moving song

It was about Robert Plant's loss of his little son.

[Throd]

54. Dead Kennedys - "Bedtime For Democracy"

[SoxFan]

55. Not fatal, but damn, it tried

Fortunately, they realized that they are ultimately a sophisticated garage band at heart, not clubbing Eurotrash, and got back on track with All That You Can't Leave Behind.

[BlueIris]

78. Sorry, "Pop" killed my U2 love for good.

Le sigh. I miss 'em.

[Radical Activist]

82. "All That You Can't Leave Behind" was the complete sell-out.

They gave up on doing something new and daring with Pop and chose to pander to top-40 commercial radio audiences. It was a shameful and boring album compared to Pop.

[SoxFan]

87. Disagree strongly

"Pop" was a sad attempt at gaining hipster credibility that failed miserably. "Achtung Baby" at least sounded like a U2 record, an innovative one heavily influenced by Madchester. "Pop" sounded, well, silly. Maybe they were out drinking with New Order and it sounded like a good idea after a few too many rounds.

ATYCLB had U2 feeling comfortable in their own skin again.

[LanternWaste]

56. Lancelot Link and the Evolution Revolution

Their premier album killed any chances they may have had for a chart-topping singles career. :P

[Iggo]

74. Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp.

Man, that takes me back.

[geardaddy]

75. I loved that show!

Yeeeah!

[mvd]

58. Sometimes an album marked a career less commercial, but still effective

New Adventures In Hi-Fi is a great album. I feel they did a couple albums after that that were a little weaker (though still good.)

One of mine: Bon Jovi hasn't been as good starting with the album Bounce.

[gmoney]

70. Elvis Costello "Punch the Clock"

I was the biggest EC fan going, but when PTC came out, he lost me, and I think many others, despite it having a couple hit singles. "King of America" and "Blood & Chocolate" were excellent, and there are a few odd tracks here and there that are OK, but for the most part, the past 25 years, he's been irrelevant.

[WinkyDink]

76. Oh, I might be a rival for that fan title!

[gmoney]

97. I had all the US and UK vinyl on Columbia, and some rarities, bootlegs, promos

He did a promo only thing for Almost Blue and Imperial Bedroom where he recorded little intros for each song... have those.

And I have about 20 copies of his one-sided single version of "Every Day I write the Book" -- a weird experiment to release 45s without a b-side, I guess to cut costs on artist royalties.

I met him before a show once and had a poster for him to sign from Punch magazine -- he said "Where in the hell did you get this?"

I've bought most of his stuff over the years, basically out of momentum and nostalgia, but Spike and later I've just not even paid attention.

His tour came thru town last summer, played a venue maybe a 1/4 mile from my house, and I didn't go.

[Dr Morbius]

77. Pink Floyd: The Final Cut

Okay, so it only broke up the band and Floyd still sells today. But it's an awful album, even worse than Atom Heart Mother.

Kilroy killed the career of Styx, but frankly, that was a good thing after Paradise Theater. Styx had three, maybe four good albums, but they went bad before Kilroy. Remember "Babe"? Ughhhh...

What was the name of the second album by the Knack?

[Orrex]

95. The Final Cut is in my top three Floyd albums, FWIW

The few videos from it are incredibly, horribly, laughably, and shockingly bad, but the album is terrific and much under-appreciated IMO.

[Winston Wolf]

106. That should have been a Roger Waters solo album

It didn't sound like The Pink Floyd Sound. The album sounded like Bring The Boys Back Home the entire way through, filled with whiny, angsty, Roger Waters vocals, not the dark, soothing vocal work he did for WYWH.

The only redeeming tracks were Not Now John, Fletcher Memorial Home, and of course, Two Suns in the Sunset, but other than that, the album was garbage, much like Waters solo career, in my opinion.

The problem was that Roger Waters was a lyrical genius, and when he left, he took the dark side of Floyd with him. David Gilmour had a great sense of melody, but he didn't have the lyrical wit Waters possessed.

If only Waters had taken to heart a verse from Have A Cigar.

"Everybody else is just green,
And have you seen the charts?
It's a hell of a start,
It could be made into a monster,
If we all pull together as a team."

[Orrex]

109. If I had to choose between Waters-without-Gilmour and Gilmour-without-Waters...

I'll take Roger every time. Amused to Death is clearly (IMO) the best solo work by a Floyd member, and if we have to designate The Final Cut as a solo project, so be it.

Waters crafts whole narratives in his writing, even if he uses his "whiny, angsty vocals" to do it. Gilmour, in contrast, can't seem to manage more than a rhymed couplet without stumbling.

Sure, his guitar work is sublime, but Roger's lyrics are ultimately more interesting to me than David's strumming.

[mulsh]

79. Frampton Comes Alive -

great live album by a great guitarist, his career sort of fizzled after that record.

[Taverner]

80. Yes but it wasn't until "Sergeant Pepper" that his carreer fizzled

And I blame this all on Robert Stigwood, in a Cocaine haze where he thought his shit did not stink

Did you know Frampton and the Bee Gees pleaded with Stigwood for them to be let go when they were filming it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnLjS2-jxGM

[Radical Activist]

84. Face Dances

The Who
Most 60's rock bands started to suck ass in the 80's but The Who should have quit after Keith Moon left the band.

[gmoney]

98. They only released 11 albums (not counting live/compilations)

Hard to believe... slackers.

[Radical Activist]

86. Beautiful Garbage

It's a shame Shirley Manson is off acting now. What a waste of a great band.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

111. Yeah. Both the title album and Version 2.0 were classics.

It's a shame they never matched that level again. Butch Vig is genius, as evidenced by his production on Siamese Dream.

[Orrex]

96. Let's Dance -- David Bowie

Though there are a few good tracks on it and it made him a ton of money, that album marks the beginning of the very protracted end. Nothing he did musically post-1983 compares to his work prior to that.

He's had some musical bright spots in the 27 years since then, but not enough of them.

[mitchum]

99. Absolutely!

He remained an astonishing musician, but he lost that magic touch. Booze can be very bad. And in some cases, eventual sobriety can still be pretty bad.

[Orrex]

100. I listened to the amazing Scary Monsters from start to finish yesterday

And then I heard Modern Love on the radio. It's like he had his passion and style burned out of his body some time in 1982.

[mitchum]

101. I honestly thought that the whole Let's Dance thing was going to just be another elaborate persona..

"Dave the Entertainer" with the yellow hair, cream suit, and all of that (making $$$ as an art performance)
and that he would then pick up where he left off with Scary Monsters.
Unfortunately...

[Seneca]

112. Seems like most major 70's artists lost their way in the 80's

Exceptions abound, of course. But the 80's had a corrosive effect on creativity for a large swath of musicians. Many were hitting early mid-life crises, or record companies were putting the screws on them to produce more commercially viable pablum. I would like to blame the MTV climate of the times, but I see that as more of a symptom than the disease.

[mitchum]

113. Agree with you; everything had to be bigger than life and dumbly cartoonish...

even an "artiste of integrity" like Springsteen presented himself as the cartoonish "Working Classman"

I think the success of "Thriller" had a lot to do with desperate attempts by others to dumb it down and move lots of units. Much like the $$$$$ earned by Rocky, Star Wars, and Jaws led to the death of the film renaissance of the late 60s-70s

[darkstar3]

102. Blender

from Collective Soul. In my mind, they died shortly after releasing Dosage.

There's also Gutterflower from the Goo Goo Dolls. Dizzy wasn't exactly a strong album, but Gutterflower belonged in the gutter.

[Winston Wolf]

107. Alan Parsons Project, album, Vulture Culture

'Nuff said.

[BlueIris]

115. Damn. One of my most popular threads ever.

Who knew?

I most certainly didn't know it would get this good.

[Phentex]

117. People are very emotional about their music...

It's weird how many I agree with in this thread.

[Fire Walk With Me]

118. Rolling Stones. Emotional Rescue.

Probably already been listed.

[maxsolomon]

119. Genesis: Duke

although it was the album that MADE their career and destroyed their music.