The Progression (or regression) of your favourite artist(s)

Trollheart · 05-16-2021, 03:56 PM

Sometimes the debut album is solid, and the next one not so good, or the reverse: debut weak but they make up for it next time. Some bands/artists have a pretty consistent flow of quality all through their career, but many go up and down (and often repeat this). So how do your favourite artists fare?

I'm looking into Supertramp first.

Debut album was good but not really an indication of where they would be going - more folk than rock really, though there were some good ideas on it. Second album, Indelibly Stamped, went more back to a blues/roots rock sort of thing and I really didn't like it. It wasn't till their third that they hit their stride, and for five years they really could do no wrong commercially (or artistically), with albums like Crime of the Century, Crisis? What Crisis?, Even in the Quietest Moments and their breakthrough Breakfast in America.

After that, there was one more album before founder member Roger Hodgson left, the appropriately-titled Famous Last Words giving them one last hurrah in 1982, and scoring another hit with "It's Raining Again". Then the rot began to set in.

Though critically acclaimed, I found 1985's Brother Where You Bound a big bore, with a sixteen-minute title track that just wanders around and goes nowhere. This was not the Supertramp I'd come to know and love. A sixteen-minute song? They'd never done much over ten before, and had made their name on short, snappy, pop prog songs. This was, to me, remaining founder member Rick Davies indulging himself to the max. And the next album was another blues one; while Free as a Bird has a few decent tracks they're very much outnumbered by the poorer ones, and I saw Supertramp's fortunes declining very rapidly and sadly.

Then there was hope ten years later (!) in 1997, where the not-at-all-appropriately-named Some Things Never Change did in fact see a change in recent Supertramp music, a sort of melding of Davies' new influences and moods, and somewhat a return to the more commercial fare of the seventies and early eighties.

Their last album was released in 2002, and this time it was an appropriate title. Slow Motion was exactly that: it dragged, it meandered, it bored. And that's been it from them so far. I don't know if, almost twenty years down the line, we can expect another album from the band, but if so, I really hope it improves on the last.

Your turn. How has your favourite band done throughout its discography?

Trollheart · 05-16-2021, 07:32 PM

As opposed to all the threads you make.

Haven't you got drugs to do, and a minimum-wage job to hold down?
Anyway, bored as I am (not really) I made a graph for the post above.

Trollheart · 05-16-2021, 09:04 PM

DriveYourCarDownToTheSea · 05-18-2021, 06:11 PM

With some exceptions, it seems that bands' or artists quality generally goes down after about 5-7 albums or so. I think a lot of bands just run out of ideas and start regurgitating lesser versions of the stuff they became well-known for. Some bands even peak at their first or second album.

The Batlord · 05-18-2021, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

As opposed to all the threads you make.

Haven't you got drugs to do, and a minimum-wage job to hold down?
Anyway, bored as I am (not really) I made a graph for the post above.

What are you dense? Are you retarded or something? Who the hell do you think I am?

I'm the goddamn Supertramp!

Guybrush · 05-19-2021, 07:10 AM

Sorry for mentioning a band that bores everyone, but I recently checked out U2's Zoo TV concert which I hadn't taken a look at since the mid-90s or so. Holy ****, what a cringe-fest. It's like Bono has all the narcissism of Morrisey times ten. His stage personae is a hard watch.

They're good in the 80s. In the 90s, they were popular, but seem so desperate in their chasing after the zeitgeist. Since then, I haven't paid attention to them at all. How do they fare?

Trollheart · 05-19-2021, 03:10 PM

I'm no fan as such, casual listener, but I got All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000) and was quite impressed by it. Worth it for "Peace on Earth" alone really.

Norg · 05-20-2021, 09:47 AM

KORN is 13 albums deep and there all good and different but yet still korn

i would jout down there history but yall already know it :P

Guybrush · 05-20-2021, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

I'm no fan as such, casual listener, but I got All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000) and was quite impressed by it. Worth it for "Peace on Earth" alone really.

Interesting! I'll give that a listen.

05-16-2021, 03:56 PM	#1 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	The Progression (or regression) of your favourite artist(s) Sometimes the debut album is solid, and the next one not so good, or the reverse: debut weak but they make up for it next time. Some bands/artists have a pretty consistent flow of quality all through their career, but many go up and down (and often repeat this). So how do your favourite artists fare? I'm looking into Supertramp first. Debut album was good but not really an indication of where they would be going - more folk than rock really, though there were some good ideas on it. Second album, Indelibly Stamped, went more back to a blues/roots rock sort of thing and I really didn't like it. It wasn't till their third that they hit their stride, and for five years they really could do no wrong commercially (or artistically), with albums like Crime of the Century, Crisis? What Crisis?, Even in the Quietest Moments and their breakthrough Breakfast in America. After that, there was one more album before founder member Roger Hodgson left, the appropriately-titled Famous Last Words giving them one last hurrah in 1982, and scoring another hit with "It's Raining Again". Then the rot began to set in. Though critically acclaimed, I found 1985's Brother Where You Bound a big bore, with a sixteen-minute title track that just wanders around and goes nowhere. This was not the Supertramp I'd come to know and love. A sixteen-minute song? They'd never done much over ten before, and had made their name on short, snappy, pop prog songs. This was, to me, remaining founder member Rick Davies indulging himself to the max. And the next album was another blues one; while Free as a Bird has a few decent tracks they're very much outnumbered by the poorer ones, and I saw Supertramp's fortunes declining very rapidly and sadly. Then there was hope ten years later (!) in 1997, where the not-at-all-appropriately-named Some Things Never Change did in fact see a change in recent Supertramp music, a sort of melding of Davies' new influences and moods, and somewhat a return to the more commercial fare of the seventies and early eighties. Their last album was released in 2002, and this time it was an appropriate title. Slow Motion was exactly that: it dragged, it meandered, it bored. And that's been it from them so far. I don't know if, almost twenty years down the line, we can expect another album from the band, but if so, I really hope it improves on the last. Your turn. How has your favourite band done throughout its discography? __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

05-16-2021, 07:32 PM	#2 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	As opposed to all the threads you make. Haven't you got drugs to do, and a minimum-wage job to hold down? Anyway, bored as I am (not really) I made a graph for the post above. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

05-16-2021, 09:04 PM	#3 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	__________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

05-18-2021, 06:11 PM	#4 (permalink)
DriveYourCarDownToTheSea AllTheWhileYouChargeAFee Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Kansas City Posts: 1,178	With some exceptions, it seems that bands' or artists quality generally goes down after about 5-7 albums or so. I think a lot of bands just run out of ideas and start regurgitating lesser versions of the stuff they became well-known for. Some bands even peak at their first or second album. __________________ Stop and find a pretty shell for her Beach Boys vs Beatles comparisons begin here

05-19-2021, 07:10 AM	#6 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	Sorry for mentioning a band that bores everyone, but I recently checked out U2's Zoo TV concert which I hadn't taken a look at since the mid-90s or so. Holy ***, what a cringe-fest. It's like Bono has all the narcissism of Morrisey times ten. His stage personae is a hard watch. They're good in the 80s. In the 90s, they were popular, but seem so desperate in their chasing after the zeitgeist. Since then, I haven't paid attention to them at all. How do they fare? __________________ Something Completely Different*

05-19-2021, 03:10 PM	#7 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	I'm no fan as such, casual listener, but I got All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000) and was quite impressed by it. Worth it for "Peace on Earth" alone really. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

05-20-2021, 09:47 AM	#8 (permalink)
Norg Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 2,358	KORN is 13 albums deep and there all good and different but yet still korn i would jout down there history but yall already know it :P