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AtomicCrimsonRush 
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 Topic: It was the worst of times and the best of times
Posted: April 23 2010 at 21:31 |
The idea just dawned on me from another thread that prog music is so personal that some albums may appear to be brilliant masterpieces and then the band's next release comes across as an absolute disaster. A case in point.
I can state that I consider Black Bonzo's 'Sound of the Apocalypse' a masterpiece, yet their latest followup release is a fizzer in my opinion, discarding everything that made the debut so great. 'Guillotine Drama' is abysmal in comparison to the SOTA which really stunned me for both musicianship and conceptual songwriting. See my reviews on these for further details if you like.
So there you have their descent from the best to worst.
Another case in point. When Pink Floyd released 'The Wall' I thought I had heard quite possibly the greatest piece of music in history, and then 'The Final Cut' was released. TFC is simply apalling and showed how a band can go from the peak of the mountain to the abyss.
So what albums by an artist can you name where they went from brilliant to the pits on subsequent releases. or you may like to vent your opinion on artists that went the opposite direction; from an apalling album to an absolute masterpiece on their next release. I look forward to the responses.
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AtomicCrimsonRush
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Posted: April 23 2010 at 23:12 |
I just thought of poor old Metallica who releases the stinker 'St Anger' and then followed up with one of the most dynamic prog metal albums, the fantastic 'Death Magnetic'. Now theres a contrast.
While we are at it - how do people feel anout ELPs followup to Love Beach?;
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A Person
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Posted: April 23 2010 at 23:23 |
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I would say the opposite is more true with PF, but that's just my opinion.
Magma went from Merci (rated 2.52 here) to KA (4.47). I've not heard Merci, so I cannot judge it, but KA is the best Zeuhl album I've heard.
Edited by A Person - April 23 2010 at 23:28
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TheLastBaron
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Posted: April 23 2010 at 23:41 |
 AtomicCrimsonRush wrote:
I just thought of poor old Metallica who releases the stinker 'St Anger' and then followed up with one of the most dynamic prog metal albums, the fantastic 'Death Magnetic'. Now theres a contrast.
Agree 100% on that, I was so glad that Death Magnetic was a return to form for them, it was just so much better than st. anger, reload, load, and the black album, best thing they've done in quit some time and it was great to hear a instrumental from them again to.
While we are at it - how do people feel anout ELPs followup to Love Beach?; |
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" Men are not prisoners of fate, but prisoners of their own minds." - FDR
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TheLastBaron
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Posted: April 23 2010 at 23:52 |
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I think that a classic example is Genesis after Trick of the Tail. For me that album was on par with the gabriel era releases, its just to bad that they couldn't keep it going, if they at least stuck with the trick of the tail sound and tried different things that where still experimental and stuck with the interesting lyrics and concepts it would've been great.
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" Men are not prisoners of fate, but prisoners of their own minds." - FDR
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RoyFairbank
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Posted: April 23 2010 at 23:53 |
BY THE LACK OF GOD... The Final Cut would be better than the Wall if only the Wall weren't the wall. Its Like Everest to K2. BY THE LACK OF GOD 
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Zombywoof
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Posted: April 24 2010 at 00:12 |
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I'm going to have to disagree with you about The Final Cut. Without a doubt, it's my favorite Floyd album.
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Continue the prog discussion here: http://zombyprog.proboards.com/index.cgi ...
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apps79
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Posted: April 24 2010 at 02:40 |
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What about MARILLION going from the painful ''Holidays in Eden'' to the masterful ''Brave''?
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When the power of love overcomes the love of power,the world will know peace...
listen to www.justincaseradio.com , the first ever Greek Progressive Rock radio
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seventhsojourn
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Posted: April 24 2010 at 03:06 |
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Close To The Edge -> Tales From Topographic Oceans.
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AtomicCrimsonRush
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Posted: April 24 2010 at 03:24 |
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those choices were interetsing and I agree with all but that Final Cut. But ah well, Pink Floyd are like that. Some like Waters, some like Gilmour. They are polar opposites these days each creating their own Floyd band, give me Gilmour anyday.
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sleeper
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Posted: April 24 2010 at 03:24 |
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Opeth, Blackwater Park is one of the top 5 albums I have ever heard, a masterpiece if ever there was one but the follow up, Deliverence, is incoherant nonsense and just plain terrible.
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Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005
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bsms810
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Posted: April 24 2010 at 04:20 |
sleeper wrote:
Opeth, Blackwater Park is one of the top 5 albums I have ever heard, a masterpiece if ever there was one but the follow up, Deliverence, is incoherant nonsense and just plain terrible. |
I disagree with this. Deliverance, whilst perhaps not being quite Blackwater park, is far from being an example of a huge fall/fail. That's my opinion
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'when was the last time you had a girlfriend?'
'I dont look at it as when, I look at it as who...and why' - David Brent
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RoyFairbank
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Posted: April 24 2010 at 09:38 |
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hmmm... you know this is hard.... I usually blanket like a lot of my bands. Especially from the masterpieces and the surrounding albums. Biggest dropoffs in general then are probably Genesis: We-can't Dance to Calling All stations, Bob Dylan, Infidels to the still alright Empire Burlesque, Pete Townshend from White City to the still pretty good Iron Man....
But wait.... now that I think of it,
Going For the One to Tormato - right?
and much lesser, Pallas the Sentinal to the Wedge, a sort of D-grade masterpiece to a D-grade mediocrity.
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AtomicCrimsonRush
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Posted: April 24 2010 at 11:06 |
RoyFairbank wrote:
hmmm... you know this is hard.... I usually blanket like a lot of my bands. Especially from the masterpieces and the surrounding albums. Biggest dropoffs in general then are probably Genesis: We-can't Dance to Calling All stations, Bob Dylan, Infidels to the still alright Empire Burlesque, Pete Townshend from White City to the still pretty good Iron Man....
But wait.... now that I think of it,
Going For the One to Tormato - right?
and much lesser, Pallas the Sentinal to the Wedge, a sort of D-grade masterpiece to a D-grade mediocrity.
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yes, indeed you hit the nail on the head with those
a couple of posts up - i was shocked as I loved Opeth's Deliverance - a melancholy excursion showing how the band can be diverse in style rather than all that caustic gravel voice screaming.
How about Queen - The Game  was followed by 'Flash Gordon'  - come on,  that was a classic!
Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - April 24 2010 at 11:07
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lazland
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Posted: April 24 2010 at 12:03 |
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The Final Cut was, in truth, a rehearsal for Waters' solo career - barely a Floyd album at all. I think it is a masterpiece, but I can understand why it causes such controversy on the site.
There is no band I know who is immune from issuing the odd stinker. That is simply human and artistic nature, I'm afraid.
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Asphalt
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Posted: April 24 2010 at 12:11 |
AtomicCrimsonRush wrote:
yes, indeed you hit the nail on the head with those
a couple of posts up - i was shocked as I loved Opeth's Deliverance - a melancholy excursion showing how the band can be diverse in style rather than all that caustic gravel voice screaming.
How about Queen - The Game was followed by 'Flash Gordon' - come on, that was a classic! |
I think you're thinking about Damnation, not Deliverance. However, I disagree nonetheless with the original post. I don't think Opeth had any dramatic increase/decrease in quality. Not to say they haven't changed, just that none of the direction changes they had strikes me as uninspired (Even though at first I hated Ghost Reveries).
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Finnforest
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Posted: April 24 2010 at 12:13 |
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I love the Final Cut too, and still it at a quality level well above Pros and Cons and Radio Kaos. The material is so personal and "felt" by the artist, while Pros and Cons feels much more contrived.
Plus, Gilmour's touch is still there, albeit lightly, it is enough to raise the bar. The Final Cut is no dog.
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...that moment you realize you like "Mob Rules" better than "Heaven and Hell"
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bsms810
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Posted: April 24 2010 at 12:17 |
Asphalt wrote:
AtomicCrimsonRush wrote:
yes, indeed you hit the nail on the head with those
a couple of posts up - i was shocked as I loved Opeth's Deliverance - a melancholy excursion showing how the band can be diverse in style rather than all that caustic gravel voice screaming.
How about Queen - The Game was followed by 'Flash Gordon' - come on, that was a classic! |
I think you're thinking about Damnation, not Deliverance. However, I disagree nonetheless with the original post. I don't think Opeth had any dramatic increase/decrease in quality. Not to say they haven't changed, just that none of the direction changes they had strikes me as uninspired (Even though at first I hated Ghost Reveries).
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I hope you changed your mind about Ghost Reveries... :D
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'when was the last time you had a girlfriend?'
'I dont look at it as when, I look at it as who...and why' - David Brent
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splyu
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Posted: April 24 2010 at 12:59 |
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While I don't necessarily endorse that view myself, I'm sure some Fates Warning fans feel that way about Inside Out / A Pleasant Shade of Gray.
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Evolver
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Posted: April 24 2010 at 13:12 |
I felt the Pink Floyd's drop off was after "Animals".
"The Wall", while conceptually brilliant, really has only a few tracks that don't bore me.
ELP's "Works" was their first disappointing album.
Gentle Giant's "Giant For A Day", was pretty bad, but "The Missing Piece" was hinting of that direction.
Queen lost me at "Day At The Races", Kansas at "Monolith".
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It was the worst of times and the best of times
