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Post by Moon Dawg on Jun 20, 2021 17:44:57 GMT
The Who
Last Great: QUADROPHENIA (1973) This seems like the consensus pick among both fans and Townshend & Daltrey. Last Good: WHO (2019) Solid surprise. Before WHO, I would have picked the underrated FACE DANCES, which features a sharp collection of Townshend tunes and more nuanced singing than Roger displayed on WHO ARE YOU. First Bad: IT'S HARD (1982) Aside from "Eminence Front" this is an uninspired affair.
Chuck Berry
Last Great: "Tulane'/"Have Mercy Judge" (1970) Double A side single distills Berry's essence one final time. Last Good: CHUCK (2017) Berry's last stand was in the prepping stages at least a decade. First bad: "My Ding a Ling" (1972) What else?
Elvis Presley Last Great: "Burning Love" (1972) His final, undeniable rock & roll smash. Last Good: FROM ELVIS PRESLEY BOULEVARD MEMPHIS TN (1976) Not a starting point, but this LP does convey a tragic grandeur in spots. First Bad: IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR (1963) There was mediocrity before, but this was the first really poor soundtrack LP, IMO.
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Post by Moon Dawg on Jun 20, 2021 17:53:55 GMT
The Rolling Stones
Last Great: EXILE ON MAIN ST (1972) What else? Last Good: BLUE & LONESOME (2016) Decent enough listening, but not something I've gone back to all that much. Perhaps VOODOO LOUNGE (1994) belongs in this spot. First Bad: Either EMOTIONAL RESCUE (1980) or UNDERCOVER (1983). The latter is a true stinker, IMO.
Sly & the Family Stone
Last Great: FRESH (1973) Last Good: Also FRESH. Sly really fell off the cliff. First Bad: HEARD YA MISSED ME, WELL I'M BACK (1976) Sadly, he wasn't.
Liz Phair Last Great WHIP SMART (1994) Last Good: WHITECHOCOLATE SPACE EGG (1998) First Bad: LIZ PHAIR (2001?) Generic product from a once distinctive artist. Reeks of "sell out"
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Post by Kapitan on Jun 20, 2021 18:25:21 GMT
I love seeing some of these of bands that I'm familiar with, but not familiar enough with to contribute to. The Who, the Stones, bands like that I have their early through traditionally understood peak stuff, but then frankly almost nothing after. I enjoy seeing what those of you who follow them closely rate things, even if I can't be of any help...
Lou Reed - Last Great - Transformer (1972). It's also just his second solo album, but I'd put it as his only truly great solo album. (And I like his solo catalog! I just don't dole out "greats" willy nilly.) - Last Good - Ecstasy (2000). I almost put this in the great category, actually. I think it's one of Reed's very best, superior to his 1987 New York that is often seen as both a comeback and great album. - First Bad - Metal Machine Music (1975). I was tempted to go with his debut, Lou Reed, from 1972. But even if I'm not a fan of the arrangements and production, I think the material is pretty strong and it's at least OK. The 1974 Sally Can't Dance sounds a bit better, but has worse material. Still, I put it more in the mediocre range than truly bad. MMM, though--even if praised by some as avant garde noise music genius--sounds like a joke or an F-you to me. I've owned it for 20 years and listened to it straight through exactly once. Which is once too many.
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Post by B.E. on Jun 20, 2021 20:27:49 GMT
I love seeing some of these of bands that I'm familiar with, but not familiar enough with to contribute to. The Who, the Stones, bands like that I have their early through traditionally understood peak stuff, but then frankly almost nothing after. I enjoy seeing what those of you who follow them closely rate things, even if I can't be of any help... Me too. And I'm hoping to listen to (and discuss) some of these groups over the summer if I can find the time.
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Post by kds on Jun 21, 2021 0:20:42 GMT
Black Sabbath
Last Great - The Mob Rules (1981) - They've released a lot of good albums after, but not on this level.
Last Good - 13 (2013) - The finale, and first Ozzy fronted album in 35 years. A good way to bow out.
First Bad - The Eternal Idol (1987) - By 1987, Tony Iommi is the sole original member. Bookended by two very good songs (The Shining and the title track), the rest is uninspired and uninteresting.
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Post by kds on Jun 21, 2021 0:52:41 GMT
Van Halen
Last Great: 5150 (1986) - Sammy's debut with the band was IMO an improvement from Dave's last two (even 1984). The FUCK album is just a notch below great IMO.
Last Good: A Different Kind of Truth (2012) - The surprisingly good reunion album.
First Bad: Balance (1995) - A few good tracks, but even those good tracks don't really live up to VH standards.
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Post by kds on Jun 21, 2021 14:25:16 GMT
Jimmy Buffett
Last Great: Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes (1977) - I say that as a big Buffett fan. He does not have many "great" albums to his name. A lot of really good ones. In fact, this might be his sole "great" album. You've got the title track, a little song about margaritas, and a wonderful collection of deep tracks like Wonder Why We Ever Go Home, Landfall, Biloxi, and Banana Republics.
Last Good: Life on the Flip Side (2020) - Released as the very beginning of the lost summer of 2020, this music was the perfect antidote to a somewhat grim and uncertain time. It's also one of Buffett's most consistent releases.
First Bad: Down to Earth (1970) - Even Buffett himself doesn't always consider his first two albums (the 2nd one wasn't even released until Buffett had already achieved some popularity in the mid 70s) as part of his overall canon. It's a pretty middle of the road collection of country esque songs. The lone stand out, The Captain and the Kid, was re-recorded for his 1976 Havana Daydreaming album to save it from obscurity.
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Post by B.E. on Jun 22, 2021 0:02:32 GMT
Bob Dylan
Last Great: Blood On The Tracks (1975) - I nearly went with Desire, but I suppose that's "just" a very, very good album.
Last Good: Love And Theft (2001) - There are a few later albums that I think of favorably, but nothing that really stands out like Love And Theft does.
First Bad: Self Portrait (1970) - I briefly considered Nashville Skyline, but, while disappointing, it's not bad.
Sorry, no interesting picks here.
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Post by Kapitan on Jun 22, 2021 1:28:51 GMT
Dylan: Last Great - Love & Theft Last Good - Together Through Life First Bad - Self Portrait
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Post by kds on Jun 22, 2021 12:31:49 GMT
Blue Oyster Cult
Last Great: Fire of Unknown Origin (1981) - Also the final BOC album to feature the full original lineup.
Last Good: The Symbol Remains (2020) - An unexpected gem of an album that was released last fall.
First Bad: Revolution by Night (1983) - Another situation where "bad" might be harsh, but the step down in quality from Fire of Unknown Origin to this album is pretty noticeable.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 22, 2021 14:01:53 GMT
Bob Dylan Last Great: Blood On The Tracks (1975) - I nearly went with Desire, but I suppose that's "just" a very, very good album. Last Good: Love And Theft (2001) - There are a few later albums that I think of favorably, but nothing that really stands out like Love And Theft does. First Bad: Self Portrait (1970) - I briefly considered Nashville Skyline, but, while disappointing, it's not bad. Sorry, no interesting picks here. I agree with two of your three, and my disagreement - with Love And Theft as the Last Good - isn't even that serious. I'm going with Modern Times as the Last Good album. And, it's funny because I didn't care for Modern Times that much when it came out. It has grown on me.
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Post by Kapitan on Jun 22, 2021 14:11:11 GMT
I debated Modern Times for last good, but I decided Together Through Life just barely qualifies as good. (The high end of mediocre or the low end of good, anyway.)
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 22, 2021 14:17:11 GMT
I debated Modern Times for last good, but I decided Together Through Life just barely qualifies as good. (The high end of mediocre or the low end of good, anyway.) I didn't care for Together Through Life. I wanted to like it, and I gave it repeated listens, hoping it would grow on me. The only three songs that resonated were "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'", "Jolene", and "It's All Good". I might stretch to mediocre, but that is a stretch (and on a good day).
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Post by Kapitan on Jun 22, 2021 14:21:28 GMT
I really like "Beyond Here Lies Nothin" and "Jolene," too, and also put "I Feel a Change Comin' On" in that top tier. Those three would be on any modern (TooM and after) Dylan comp I'd assemble. To me, they are good enough to put the album into that high-mediocre/low-good area. But I also found some of the others a little better when I relistened to the whole Dylan catalog last summer (fall? whenever that was that we went through those) than I'd remembered them.
Still, don't get me wrong. It's not a great album, and I only begrudgingly called it good for our purposes here. Otherwise, like you, I'd say Modern Times.
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Post by kds on Jul 6, 2021 18:53:55 GMT
Iron Maiden
Last Great - A Matter of Life and Death (2006) - The first three post reunion albums are all great IMO. This one was so impressive that the band opted to play it from start to finish on tour.
Last Good - The Book of Souls (2015) - A little trimming could've made a good album very good.
First Bad - The X Factor (1995) - This is Maiden's first album without Martin Birch since their debut, so there was nobody to reel in Steve Harris's prog leanings. The end result is a bloated 77 minute affair. It's got some really good songs, and ones that just plod.
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