Because I'm a blogger who is responsive to his readers, let's kick off a new music thread. I've been accused on many occasions of "good ol' days syndrome." Ask me about any band and I'm bound to answer, "I like their old shit." So, I want examples of bands where this does not hold true. Here's some examples of bands that are not up for debate:
Rolling Stones
U2
AC-DC
Bowie
Deep Purple (snickering)
Jefferson Starship (maybe the most high-contrast example)
Now I know that Toby is going to throw Steve Earle at me, but I don't buy it. As good as his post-heroin music has been, it ain't Devil's Right Hand or Guitar Town. Don't try Elvis either.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
22 comments:
Weezer
Green Day
Fucking Weezer? What are you going to come up with next, Six Feet High and Rising? Their new shit is the bomb. (Hash Pipe rocks)
I think Green Day is arguable. I want a high-contrast example...just one...where people will unanimously agree that their new shit is better.
I guess the Beatles qualify.
I never listened to Metallica or SoundGarden much, but I have to argue with you on The Cult. Later albums pale in comparison to Love or Electric. Their songwriting became predictable and their sound became tired. Compare that with the variety on the first two albums.
Soundgarden DEFINITELY improved over time, as did Metallica. Weezers new album is just as good as any of their others, and HASH PIPE was out 10 years or so after their debut anyway. Regarding the Stones, while Little T N A came out on TATTOO YOU, that album was a collection of songs that had never made it onto albums, so who knows when it was written? BUT VOODOO LOUNGE was pretty good, and SAINT OF ME is outstanding, still it's erratic. I would argue that SOME GIRLS, which came out at least a decade after they did, is just as good as any of their other albums.
Steve Earle's stuff DEFINITELY DID NOT IMPROVE, name me 5 songs that eclipse DEVILS RIGHT HAND, JOHNNY COME LATELY, GUITAR TOWN, ANGRY YOUNG MAN, I AIN'T EVER SATISFIED and GETTING TOUGH?
Still thinking of the Stones. Exile on Main Street came out in '72, about 8 years after they hit it. It is widely considered to be their best work, but I think SOME GIRLS was around 1981. Look at THE WHO, Who's Next is considered by most to be their best album, and it hit in '72 also, about 7 years after they hit. Led Zeppelin's PHYSICAL GRAFFITI is outstanding. For these bands it seemed they peaked 7 to 10 years after they hit, and once they hit 35 to 40 years old or so, the creativity started to diminish.
One more, many people consider HOTEL CALIFORNIA to be the Eagles best work. I really don't care for the Eagles, but that's what "they" say.
One more. The man of many comebacks, BOB DYLAN, INFIDELS, OH MERCY, TIME OUT OF MIND, LOVE AND THEFT and even EMPIRE BURLESQUE are all awesome albums. He is an anomoly. Keep in mind, most bands don't last very long, and that makes the question itself a little bit loaded.
Tom Petty is another example. His FULL MOON FEVER solo album is probably better than the Heartbreakers first album. Since Full Moon Fever, not that much is memorable, but there was a lot of time that went between those two albums, again, once he hit 40 or so, the creativity and drive probably started diminishing.
I guess it's just me. But I don't agree with just about any of the bands mentioned...then again, I don't listen to all that many of the bands mentioned.
I'd allow the devil to take years off my life in return for never having to listen to the Eagles again. Petty...like his old shit. FMF was good, but not as good. Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti was probably their best...much better than their "new" shit like Presence or Coda. As for the Stones, I like Exile much better than anything on Steel Wheels or the litany of flubs we've seen over the last decade that exist just to justify a tour. I haven't grown with Wilco. Give me Casino Queen or anything off Being There against this new hypno-spacey shit they're playing.
It could be that I simply lack the musical maturity of this esteemed panel and should stick with my vapid punk rock.
But Steve, Exile was out way after they hit, making it their NEW stuff at the time. Ditto Physical Graffiti. Granted their NEW NEW stuff isn't as good, but fuck, they are in their 60's.
I think this question would be better debated while shitfaced-drunk. We're trying to soberly draw distinctions that cannot be soberly drawn.
Any band we discuss should have to have gone through some sort of stylistic evolution...like The Clash (or Zeppelin).
So, for purposes of clarity, and for arguments sake, what exactly is the OLD STUFF, when you are talking about the Stones?
I wanna be your man? Paint it Black? Time is on my side? Get Offa my cloud? or Start me up? because that was 20 years later.
Red Hot Chili Peppers/
Californication as good or better then anything in their catalogue
They only had one direction to go.
Mothers Milk? Unlistenable.
They are a clear example of the benefits of hiring a good producer. Can you imagine the RHCP were sitting around one day and saying, "I think we need some strings and a chorus of backup singers on 'under the bridge.'"
True, Dick, but that doesn't matter, I believe that Geoge Martin had a WHOLE LOT to do with the Beatles forays into diferent instrumentation.
So did weed, LSD, and Transcendental Meditation.
Hey, whatever works
The Steve Earle Bluegrass album was either all all covers or mostly, loved the Rivers of Babylon thing, but it is mostly or all covers, so it shouldn't count, in my opinion. I Feel Alright ranks with his best, but El Corazon, is really good, not near as good as GUITAR TOWN or even EXIT 0 in my opinion.
One more comment on the Chili Peppers, it wasn't just a producer, they also brought back their old lead guitarist, Fruscante or something like that, and that mad a huge difference.
Speaking of Steve Earle albums, I think "Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator" is one of the coolest album names ever, albeit not that great an album.
Also, his bluegrass album was "The Mountain" done with the Del McCoury Band. I think JimL was referring to "Train a Comin'" which contained the awesome but decidedly non-Bluegrass Tom Ames' Prayer.
I don't know about any of the Brit stuff because it all sounds the same to me, but you are deranged in your estimation of the Pixies as hit-or-miss and quirky.
I contend the Pixies were about as seminal and important a band as the eighties produced. They spawned a lackluster career for Black and a few good hits for Kim Deal's bands, but as the Pixies put out multiple great albums (Doolitle, Trompe le Monde, Surfer Rosa) loaded with great music.
Post a Comment