I was listening to the Talking Heads last album ‘Naked’ yesterday-- I had bought the album when it first came out and I liked it then, but I hadn’t listened to it in a while. I thought it held up really well.
It’s got the usual TH themes of the angst and alienation caused by modern civilization, with an extended theme of us being nothing more than slightly more evolved monkeys, despite all our human progress and accomplishments. Mood-wise it runs the gamut, from songs like “Nothing but Flowers” that’s sardonic and funny, to darker stuff. But on top of that, it’s just very listenable-- the first track for example, “Blind”, is a jam, with its polyrythyms, horns and general James-Brownian funky groove. Just a really strong album overall I think.
Many former talented, popular bands just seem to milk it, putting out albums of declining effort and creativity for years, sometimes pushing on after their most talented members leave. but what other bands went out on a high note with their last albums? I’m sure there are several, but I’m kind of drawing a blank. The Beatles come to mind-- whether you consider ‘Let it Be’ or ‘Abbey Road’ their last album, both are very good.
I’m one of the Ben Folds Five fans that enjoyed their third and final album, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, immensely. It was a bit of a departure - not as poppy as the other two - but boy was it polished and mature. And it was absolutely stunning live!
Of course, they had to ruin it by getting back together some years later and releasing an utterly forgettable album. But you can consider that like a BFF tribute band and count the real band’s real last album as dy-no-mite!
Led Zeppelin’s “In Through the Out Door” wasn’t bad overall. Far from their best, but nothing to be ashamed of. The Police’s “Synchronicity” is not well loved by their hardcore fans, but it was definitely a blockbuster, and has its moments. Phish’s “Undermind” is good – they consciously chose to break up before they started to suck, but later reunited (not sure if they made another album), Michael Jordan style.
I assume we’re not counting solo acts where the artist died while peaking, nor acts like Nirvana where the dominant member did same.
The Doors L. A. Woman, the last album with Jim Morrison, was a huge popular and critical success. I don’t consider anything after that a “real” Doors album.
Steely Dan disbanded after Gaucho, not their best album but still with some fine music on it. What happened many years later is best not talked about.
If those don’t count, here’s the undisputed champ: Avalon, by Roxy Music. Their last ever studio album and a strong contender for any “best all-time album” compilation.
Yeah, I’d say “Abbey Road” is the canonical example of this. They knew their days as a band were numbered, and they chose to go out on a high note, producing what some consider their greatest album of all.
I was all set to come in here and suggest Boston, and use 1994’s Walk On as my argument. Lo and behold, they have released not one, but TWO albums since then!
Shows you how plugged in I am to my “favorite” bands.
Came in here to mention *On Every Street *-- it showcases Nashville’s influence on Mark Knopfler, and is by far the most “American-sounding” album that Dire Straits made (not that I’m saying it’s a better album than others for that characteristic – it was definitely a transition album from the Dire Straits sound to the solo albums that Knopfler has made, which seem to share British and American influences to one degree or another).
I’m listening right now to On the Night, the 1993 live album using recordings from the tour that supported On Every Street – it’s fantastic as well, but isn’t technically the band’s last album.
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, by the way, five of Dire Straits’ albums, including On Every Street, are available for free listening.
Abbey Road, the last Beatles album is the best pop/rock album every made. Layla, by Derek and the Dominoes, is the second best album ever made, but it was the band’s only album.
Van Halen’s 1984, the last album with the original line-up, was a great send off for Van Halen. Supposedly, 3 of the members formed a spin off band with some guy who had trouble driving under the speed limit, but that band wasn’t Van Halen.
Yeah, with Nirvana and Sublime I would say their retirement on a high note (musically, anyway) as a band was pretty non-voluntary. Although points to them, I guess, for realizing it was pointless to go on. As opposed to bands like the Doors, who unfortunately did not stop at LA Woman after Morrison died. I actually own “Other Voices” on vinyl, and it’s execrable. I just checked their discography to make sure OV was an official Doors album, and I see they actually released TWO post-Morrison albums: “Full Circle” as well (and that’s not counting ‘American Prayer’, which were some posthumous snippets of JM’s recorded poetry set to music).
I considered Led Zeppelin. Mayyybe…I’m kind of on the fence about ‘In through the Out Door’-- I always thought of it as “Zep Lite”.
‘Avalon’ is a good one. Also "Bridge Over Troubled Water’-- never owned that album, but I know it’s (one of?) their best. I’m not familiar with Dire Straits’ last album-- I’ll have to check that one out.
Ha, I actually bought this at a used CD & vinyl store a long time ago knowing nothing about the band, just found the album title amusing. Haven’t listened to it in years-- I’ll have to dust it off and give it a spin.
I might nominate the Mothers of Invention. I’m not too familiar with their final album (One Size Fits All), but it’s highly regarded.
Be-Bop Deluxe’s final album, Drastic Plastic, was a stylistic departure, but still I think a very good album.
I’m feeling surprised at how difficult it is to come up with answers beyond the ones already given. Even the Beatles require an asterisk, as Let It Be was released after Abbey Road. As regards the Doors, I sympathize with the viewpoint that Other Vocalists (sorry, I mean Other Voices) and Full Circle aren’t “real” Doors albums, but that gets you into a grey area, with bands like the Lovin’ Spoonful and the Velvet Underground, who also managed to squeeze out another LP or so after losing their frontman.
Then there was Mott the Hoople. The last LP by the band called Mott the Hoople, The Hoople, holds up well against any of their others. But after Ian Hunter left, a rump version of the band, just called Mott, soldiered on, releasing a couple of dreary albums.
