Artists that got better by the record

I think Rush falls into this category. Their first album was enjoyable but mediocre IMO. Moving Pictures will always be looked at as their magnum opus and that was 7 or 8 albums in.
 
SKYNET said:
Kind of skirting past my point tho? are you suggesting U2 was burned out by the time Achtung was released? Your opinion notwithstanding, there are plenty of other ways I could counter you if you say yes
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I'm not saying they were burned out, I'm just saying I don't think there was a continuous improvement in the quality of their albums.
 
Hellowhosthat said:
I'm not saying they were burned out, I'm just saying I don't think there was a continuous improvement in the quality of their albums.
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<DirkMavs> I wasn't sure anyone was going to try and rival my contribution with their subjective opinion.

{<shrug} {<huh} there really isn't even a debate about it considering the context of my reply to TS but to each their own.

I'll see myself out now thanks.
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SKYNET said:
<DirkMavs> I wasn't sure anyone was going to try and rival my contribution with their subjective opinion.

{<shrug} {<huh} there really isn't even a debate about it considering the context of my reply to TS but to each their own.

I'll see myself out now thanks.
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I think we're interpreting the OP in different ways, I took it as he's looking for a continual improvement in albums (so the 2nd is better than the 1st and the 3rd is better than the 2nd and so on and so on) with them peaking later on, whereas I think you're looking at it as bands still being good after that many albums.

Reading the OP again it seems to ask both those questions, so now I'm more confused as to what TS is after.
 
Hellowhosthat said:
I think we're interpreting the OP in different ways, I took it as he's looking for a continual improvement in albums (so the 2nd is better than the 1st and the 3rd is better than the 2nd and so on and so on) with them peaking later on, whereas I think you're looking at it as bands still being good after that many albums.

Reading the OP again it seems to ask both those questions, so now I'm more confused as to what TS is after.
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I think it's quite simple actually when you base it off the starting point of "I don't think there's a such thing as objectivity when it comes to music"

Gotta go late for work. I do appreciate the banter although we are leagues apart on U2, I respect your opinion bud.
 
loisestrad said:
Haven't been visiting this particular subforum for a while, but I did right now and saw the thread about "5 best songs of the 90's". One of the songs I voted for was REM's Losing My Religion - and I immediately thought: Is this tune actually from the 90's?

It was, and it turns out that it was from REM's 7th album. It kinda blew my mind, cuz most bands/artists are long since burned out by their 7th album. REM, though, went on to make Automatic for the People and at least a few other great albums. Monster, New Adventures in Hifi comes to mind.

So, the question is: Which are the artists that got progressively better as their carrer went on, and made it to the 7th (or so) album before reaching peak level?
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I think REM peaked in the 1980s. I liked them best as an underground "college band" (Murmur, Reckoning, etc.). That said, they reinvented themselves many times (kind of like Neil Young) and did some good stuff in the 90s, too.
 
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It may not be a fair comparison because rock music was evolving so much at the time, but the Beatles, Stones, Who and even Beach Boys (Pet Sounds) got a lot better and played more complex and interesting material in later albums. They all started near the end of the "doo-wop" era. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was fine for the early 60s, but I like the White Album better.
 
Hellowhosthat said:
I just personally think it's shit and like War a lot more. <WhatItIs> I don't think there's such a thing as objectivity when it comes to music really.
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They basically spent a lot of their earlier career shifting between more crowd pleasing albums and somewhat more sonically experimental ones like November and The Unforgettable Fire.

I mean Acthung Baby wasnt exactly revolutionary, it was still stadium rock just with electro production and Bono's Joker act but I think it was actually a good idea to scale back from the "Big Sky" Joshua Tree sound and it does I think have plenty of catchy songs on it. When they switched back to the earlier sound is really were I lost interest in them.
 
moreorless87 said:
They basically spent a lot of their earlier career shifting between more crowd pleasing albums and somewhat more sonically experimental ones like November and The Unforgettable Fire.

I mean Acthung Baby wasnt exactly revolutionary, it was still stadium rock just with electro production and Bono's Joker act but I think it was actually a good idea to scale back from the "Big Sky" Joshua Tree sound and it does I think have plenty of catchy songs on it. When they switched back to the earlier sound is really were I lost interest in them.
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Yeah Acthung Baby just isn't my thing, but I respect that that's a minority opinion that I hold. There's quite a few sacred crow albums that just don't do it for me for whatever reason.
 
I spose some would say The Police although personally I prefer the sound of the first couple of albums, the following ones do have some great singles though like Don't Stand So Close to Me and Every Little Things She Does is Magic.
 
Hellowhosthat said:
U2 peaked pretty early on for me.
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SKYNET said:
Achtung Baby?
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Joshua Tree was IMO their peak. Bono went full douche shortly after and it’s 50-50 that I change the radio station on them now (yes I listen to the radio sometimes).
Bono travelled the world meeting with politicians to have them forgive 3rd world debt owed to them (them is actually every taxpayer - government money belongs to the taxpayers). During this time, Ireland had favourable tax status for artists so they wouldn’t leave the country. As soon as that tax status ended, U2 took their business elsewhere to reduce their taxes. Normally I’m all for reducing one’s tax burden, but not when your campaigning like he was. Fucking hypocrite.

BTW, Bob Marley all day. His music got better and better with each album. Died at 36 with a massive catalog.
 
baba2008 said:
Joshua Tree was IMO their peak. Bono went full douche shortly after and it’s 50-50 that I change the radio station on them now (yes I listen to the radio sometimes).
Bono travelled the world meeting with politicians to have them forgive 3rd world debt owed to them (them is actually every taxpayer - government money belongs to the taxpayers). During this time, Ireland had favourable tax status for artists so they wouldn’t leave the country. As soon as that tax status ended, U2 took their business elsewhere to reduce their taxes. Normally I’m all for reducing one’s tax burden, but not when your campaigning like he was. Fucking hypocrite.

BTW, Bob Marley all day. His music got better and better with each album. Died at 36 with a massive catalog.
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Right, and with all that being said, yes, U2 fits TS criteria imho. Really couldn't give 3 fks about a musicians politics much less anyone here. Pretty sure there are plenty of musicians that are supremely talented that are saints and really great people that haven't accomplished 1 scintilla of the things Bono and company accomplished with every single album following Joshua. Whether you like it or not is your opinion and as has been mentioned here before, musical tastes are mainly subjective. Who am I to say you are wrong? Needless to say I disagree. That's my right.

Bob Marley all day OK sure I never challenged you on that but I appreciate you bringing it up
 
Sonic Youth were great for basically their entire existence. They seemed to keep getting better, or at least maintained, for a long time. Goo was their 7th studio album.

Murray Street, Sonic Nurse, Rather Ripped, and The Eternal were their 12th-15th studio albums before they called it quits. All are great.
 
Tyler the Creator is on his 6th album with IGOR, and it's still too early to say if he peaked IMO. His last two albums are MILES ahead of his first four.

Opeth's first 8 albums were all masterpieces IMO. YMMV as to whether their peak was Still Life (4), Blackwater Park (5), or Ghost Reveries (8).

Death either peaked with Symbolic (6), or The Sound of Perseverance (7). Who knows if Chuck Schuldiner could've topped those two had he not died.
 
Miles Davis took like 30-40 albums before he really got going.

Deep Purple was at their best from In Rock to Stormbringer.

Tori Amos was inconsistent for a bit after her 3rd album, but Scarlet's Walk (#7) was IMO as good or better than her first couple ones.
 
The offspring had some records before smash.
Also at the drive in got better by albums iirc.
 
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