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Lowly regarded early and/or late albums you like

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Logan View Drop Down
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    Posted: 21 hours 39 minutes ago at 10:52
What are some early albums by favourite-of-yours acts (artists/bands) with quite a few releases that seem to be commonly considered weak (or rated lowly) that you really like, but subsequent albums get critiqued well?  And/or, what are some of your favourite bands/artists where the latest albums are rated considerably lower by others than you would but earlier releases seem to be critical darlings?  That may be the same act where the early albums are not held in high esteem generally, then there is the golden period where the albums are loved by many, and then the latest ones are low-rated.

Maybe to limit this, lets say that the first one or two albums don't get much love compared to subsequent ones, and that the last one or two albums don't get nearly as much acclaim as the previous ones.  Ideally the acts have been putting out material quite regularly up to the last album, rather than it's the return of a band with a poor album or some archival release.

If you have ratings from Prog Archives and/or rate your music to share, and share favourite track, that would be great.  Thanks.

I have mentioned more than once at PA being very into Sufjan Stevens now, and recently have explored many more of his albums.  I love the largely critically acclaimed period from 2003 with Michigan to Carrie and Lowell , as well as his well-regarded 2023 album Javelin, but I also hold quite a few of his albums in much higher regard than the ratings might indicate.  I really like his first two albums, A Sun Came (2000), with a 2.86 rating at RYM, and Enjoy Your Rabbit (2001), with a 2.90 rating at RYM.  Enjoy Your Rabbit is one of my faves of his in particular, but I can understand the harsh (glitch) noise putting some people off and wanting the more melodic and folksy music that came later. instead of this electronic stuff.  And the debut can be quite experimental, jangly, lower-fi, inspired by some alt./grunge...

I made a playlist of four tracks per album of his (still missing some fairly major albums) for an appreciation topic, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXcp9fYc6K4KyAH8MR7NpzBUu0X0YEDRl but here is just one track from each album (wanted to keep both on the reasonably short side).

I can get why such stuff would not appeal much to people looking for music like, say, Carrie and Lowell.



I hope this post is reasonably sensible.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 hours 12 minutes ago at 11:19
Hi,

(hopefully I get what you want! I'll remove if it is not correct!) 

Not many releases, but in many ways there is one album that I have always loved from beginning to the end ... and there are others, of course ... here's a short list.

QUATERMASS -- their album was fantastic, as was the great song they made famous, even though it is far out, it is not even the best piece in the album. The moody keyboard stuff in it is very trippy and far out.

CAPABILITY BROWN - VOICE -- still a favorite after all these years, and that cover just eats me up every time, when the whole album is about some far out vocals ... and then, on side 2 you get that monster side long thing (LP) .... and it is sad that they are not appreciated more. Also notable is in their first album ... their version of LIAR ... is very nice, and way better than the 3 DOG NIGHT's.

AMON DUUL 2 - DANCE OF THE LEMMINGS -- it might be the cover and how it just explodes in your imagination and you can't get out of it easily. But by the time you sit through the MM Soundtrack thing, with closed eyes and in the dark, you end up wondering where all this heavenly stuff is coming from. And then, if that is not enough, your mind, that appreciates art in all its styles, goes to get a cup of tea and spends its time wondering about "Mona Lisa has a bird brain" ... as you splash too much honey in your tea!

CARMEN - FANDANGOS IN SPACE -- only to find that it was a band from LA that blew out David Bowie and many others, and that opening cut alone, will remove a lot of cobwebs from your heart, unless you have already been Medusa'd by some progressive bs!

SEVENTH WAVE - THINGS TO COME -- The monstrosity of those keyboards in this album were fantastic and in my system (top 10% of the stereo system things), was so far out ... and they slimmed it down some for their 2nd album, but still had some far out things in it. It's a shame to see a band like that end up their work together ... but I think that the lack of fame, attention and what not, and a show in LA with 7 keyboard players and only 20 folks showing up ... brings up the sad side of the music history ... so many great things blown away in the winds and fogs of life.

EGBERTO GISMONTI - NO CAIPIRA -- the insane mix of Villa Lobos, Bossa Nova, Jazz, Classical and some intense moody stuff is something that the majority of folks won't listen to. It's sort of like hearing Stravinsky the very first time and not having any idea what it will be like ... and by the time you are done with the album, you are out of breadth. It makes you wonder how, and what people see when yo hear things like that ... I keep flashing back to the dance of the alligators, and other animals in FANTASIA ... it just seems crazy, but you know it isn't.


Edited by moshkito - 21 hours 9 minutes ago at 11:22
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Valdez Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 hours 7 minutes ago at 11:24
I sorta dig it!  Only problem I hear is repetition.  (The Sufjan Stevens clips)

Edited by Valdez - 21 hours 6 minutes ago at 11:25
https://bakullama1.bandcamp.com/album/new-2025-broken-hearts-troubled-minds



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 hours 34 minutes ago at 11:57
^^ Thanks Pedro, will respond later.

Originally posted by Valdez Valdez wrote:

I sorta dig it!  Only problem I hear is repetition.  (The Sufjan Stevens clips)


Repetition is common in much of my favourite music, be it Post-Rock, Krautrock, Zeuhl (think Magma's MDK, Swans' The Glowing Man, various GY!BE, Fishmans' Long Season etc.)...  Repetition is very common in Post-Rock and I would say that post rock, or something similar, is a component of quite a bit of Sufjan Stevens music

I especially love it when there are subtle differences and variations on a theme and love thematically repetitious music that builds to crescendos.  Something I like about Sufjan's music is that he will often switch gears in a song (a bit like Gentle Giant at times).  Those early ones are not albums I
would recommend most to start with when looking into his music (and scanning though my playlist with 52 tracks off 13 of his albums shows my biases of course) -- Illinois is one great album that I would recommend to many into progressive Indie Folk but repetition I do feel is important to how quite a bit of music is made by him. Suitkees described much of my favourite music as atmospheric.

People who don't like repetition (or kinds of repetition) would not like a lot of my favourite music.  Repetition can help music to resonate deeper and build more with me.  Incidentally, I wish I could nail down better what kinds of music are really meaningful to me and gives me chills / give me the dopamine response and what music just fails to interest me or absorb me.  Comparing two American "Christian" artists (I'm not religious), Sufjan Stevens has tons of music that just speaks to my "soul", whereas Neal Morse does not do it for me and alienates me.

EDIT: Formatting was all messed up as I had tried using the post editor function.

Edited by Logan - 20 hours 3 minutes ago at 12:28
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Finnforest Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 hours 23 minutes ago at 12:08
Smashing Pumpkins - Gish (rated lower than their next 3 albums and my current fave of catalog)
10,000 Maniacs - Wishing Chair (ditto)
Fiona Apple - Tidal
BOC - Revolution by Night
LZ - Presence and Coda
Rush - Debut and Caress



Maybe those aren't all "lowly regarded," but all are rated significantly lower than the top albums for each band at RYM, but with that, all are my faves or near-faves for these bands.
...that moment you realize you like "Mob Rules" better than "Heaven and Hell"
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 hours 18 minutes ago at 12:13
^ Thanks. Gish is great. I really like that album by Fiona Apple, not played it in too long. Playing it now. Wonderful.

Edited by Logan - 20 hours 17 minutes ago at 12:14
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Valdez Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 hours 17 minutes ago at 12:14

Sometimes sufjan seems to repeat only because he's stuck in a spot and cant get out. (if that makes any sense)

I love repetition if its done well.  This is on the extreme end of the subject but one of my favorites.





Edited by Valdez - 20 hours 9 minutes ago at 12:22
https://bakullama1.bandcamp.com/album/new-2025-broken-hearts-troubled-minds



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote verslibre Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 hours 9 minutes ago at 12:22
Originally posted by moshkito moshkito wrote:

SEVENTH WAVE - THINGS TO COME -- The monstrosity of those keyboards in this album were fantastic and in my system (top 10% of the stereo system things), was so far out ... and they slimmed it down some for their 2nd album, but still had some far out things in it. It's a shame to see a band like that end up their work together ... but I think that the lack of fame, attention and what not, and a show in LA with 7 keyboard players and only 20 folks showing up ... brings up the sad side of the music history ... so many great things blown away in the winds and fogs of life.


Both Seventh Wave albums, Things to Come and Psi-fi, are musts for anyone into mid-'70s keyboard prog like Tangerine Dream and Synergy.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 hours 8 minutes ago at 12:23
^^ I like Buzzcocks too. Done well really does depend on taste commonly. I think one should very be careful when making claims of quality (objective). I've had so many people complaining about music as if it was poor over the years where kinds of thematic repetition are important to the structure that resonates so deeply with me. And some of those would then suggest music that does nothing for me and to me seems shallow and boring (for my tastes). To each their own tastes. I can't think of any artist whose music both moves me and interests me more than Sufjan Stevens. I;m sure some would complain about Beethoven's Seventh's second movement as being too repetitious, but it's one of my favourites. What sometimes gets to me with some arrogant people is that they act like they know better than the composers or appreciators what's good and lose sight of the subjective nature of appreciation. Of course there are some standards of good and bad and metrics to objectively gauge that, like on the imitative performance level.

Edited by Logan - 19 hours 56 minutes ago at 12:35
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Valdez Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 hours 57 minutes ago at 12:34
Originally posted by Logan Logan wrote:

^^ I like Buzzcocks too. Done well really does depend on taste commonly. I think one should very be careful when making claims of quality (objective). I've had so many people complaining about music as if it was poor over the years where kinds of thematic repetition are important to the structure that resonates so deeply with me. And some of those would then suggest music that does nothing for me and to me seems shallow and boring (for my tastes). To each their own tastes. I can't think of any artist whose music both moves me and interests me more than Sufjan Stevens.

Well, there ya go then!  More power to ya! Big smile  

I think a couple of King Crimsons albums were panned after ITCotCK and Poseidon. I hold the latter albums in high regard, nevertheless.  To answer your original question. 
https://bakullama1.bandcamp.com/album/new-2025-broken-hearts-troubled-minds



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 hours 48 minutes ago at 12:43
^ Thanks, I was thinking specifically of the earliest and latest albums being lowly rated or regarded commonly as compared to the subsequent or previous albums. Say the first one or two and the last one or two. For instance, Genesis' From Genesis to Revelation is generally held in much lower regard than subsequent albums, but someone might still love it and hold it in much higher regard. It has a 2.83 rating at RYM compared to the subsequent Trespass which has a reputable 3.65. Incidentally, to me that's a fair rating for Genesis debut although I do like "The Serpent" off it very much.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 hours 37 minutes ago at 12:54
The last three albums by YES! Big smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote TheLionOfPrague Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 hours 37 minutes ago at 12:54
Giant for a Day - Gentle Giant
Talk - Yes
March or Die - Motorhead
Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace - The Offspring
The Getaway - Red Hot Chili Peppers

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Valdez Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 hours 36 minutes ago at 12:55
Originally posted by Logan Logan wrote:

What sometimes gets to me with some arrogant people is that they act like they know better than the composers or appreciators what's good and lose sight of the subjective nature of appreciation. Of course there are some standards of good and bad and metrics to objectively gauge that, like on the imitative performance level.


Let's be clear... I said I sort of liked it. I've heard other songs by him I like a lot. I'm not a critic, I'm a simple listener. 


Edited by Valdez - 19 hours 36 minutes ago at 12:55
https://bakullama1.bandcamp.com/album/new-2025-broken-hearts-troubled-minds



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 hours 32 minutes ago at 12:59
Originally posted by moshkito moshkito wrote:

...AMON DUUL 2 - DANCE OF THE LEMMINGS -- it might be the cover and how it just explodes in your imagination and you can't get out of it easily. But by the time you sit through the MM Soundtrack thing, with closed eyes and in the dark, you end up wondering where all this heavenly stuff is coming from. And then, if that is not enough, your mind, that appreciates art in all its styles, goes to get a cup of tea and spends its time wondering about "Mona Lisa has a bird brain" ... as you splash too much honey in your tea!...


Lots you mention that I like, and please don't consider removing your post even if it's not quite what I had in mind. That does not negate its value and I am not much of one of those "stick to a narrow topic" kinds of people. To me that can be really boring, I prefer more openness, and digressions can make the best reading and conversation. It also can be the most infuriating. Depends often on attitude and the open mindedness of the participants/ conversationlists.

I really like ADII, Yeti is a particular favourite album of mine, and I really like Tanz der Lemminge. While it often does get favourable reviews, I have noticed myself appreciating, and certainly recognising, the debut, Phallus Dei, more than many. It does have very good ratings at PA and RYM. To me it is one of the great albums of the 60s, but quite a few at PA don't seem to hold Krautrock in high regard or be very familiar with it. The post Wolf City album are not held in nearly as high regard (I like Vive la Trance, but don;t know the vast majority of later releases, only heard Made in Germany of post 1974 ADII albums).
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 hours 30 minutes ago at 13:01
Originally posted by Valdez Valdez wrote:

Originally posted by Logan Logan wrote:

What sometimes gets to me with some arrogant people is that they act like they know better than the composers or appreciators what's good and lose sight of the subjective nature of appreciation. Of course there are some standards of good and bad and metrics to objectively gauge that, like on the imitative performance level.


Let's be clear... I said I sort of liked it. I've heard other songs by him I like a lot. I'm not a critic, I'm a simple listener. 



Not trying to imply or thinking that you're like that in case it may come across that way, just sharing my experience with some people at PA over the years.

Edited by Logan - 19 hours 27 minutes ago at 13:04
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Valdez Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 hours 25 minutes ago at 13:06
Am I wrong for simply loving Amon Duuls HIJACK?  lol.
Not their most popular album...  Sometimes I just put 'De Guadaloop' on a loop all day! 


Edited by Valdez - 19 hours 21 minutes ago at 13:10
https://bakullama1.bandcamp.com/album/new-2025-broken-hearts-troubled-minds



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 hours 16 minutes ago at 13:15
^ I rather like what I have heard of Hijack as I recall.

Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

The last three albums by YES! Big smile


Thought you might mention Yes.

I might say that Yes had fairly firmly jumped the shark by Tormato and never really released a good (or essential for most Proggers) album after that, but my unpopular opinion (based solely on taste and a worthless opinion admittedly) would be that even by Close to the Edge they were at least precariously close to dipping their feet in shark infested waters. I do like Relayer, but nothing much by Yes after that. Not sure if the band released anything really generally highly regarded after Going for the One. No, I guess magnification has quite a few fans, and Fly From Here is higher regarded methinks than subsequent ones.

Edited by Logan - 19 hours 15 minutes ago at 13:16
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Valdez Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 hours 6 minutes ago at 13:25
Paul Roberts and Baz as vocalists after Hugh Cornwell left the Stranglers... Wow do they get the critiques!!
 I LOVE Paul and Baz contributions, so many albums later (post Cornwell). Some excellent overlooked albums especially "About Time" and Norfolk Coast with Roberts singing.
Not Prog I know, but that's all that comes to mind ATM.


Edited by Valdez - 18 hours 21 minutes ago at 14:10
https://bakullama1.bandcamp.com/album/new-2025-broken-hearts-troubled-minds



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Psychedelic Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 hours 6 minutes ago at 13:25
Originally posted by Logan Logan wrote:

^ I rather like what I have heard of Hijack as I recall.

Originally posted by Psychedelic Paul Psychedelic Paul wrote:

The last three albums by YES! Big smile


Thought you might mention Yes.

I might say that Yes had fairly firmly jumped the shark by Tormato and never really released a good (or essential for most Proggers) album after that, but my unpopular opinion (based solely on taste and a worthless opinion admittedly) would be that even by Close to the Edge they were at least precariously close to dipping their feet in shark infested waters. I do like Relayer, but nothing much by Yes after that. Not sure if the band released anything really generally highly regarded after Going for the One. No, I guess magnification has quite a few fans, and Fly From Here is higher regarded methinks than subsequent ones.

I actually went out and bought the Mirror to the Sky CD from an Oxfam charity shop, even though they charged me £7 for it - which wasn't very charitable of them. Tongue
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