# Great albums released by mediocre/past their prime artists **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 31, 2006, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951 "2006-08-31T18:03:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![buns3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/21 "2006-09-01T09:41:30Z")
Todd Rundgren’s last album, “Liars”, is one of his best for many, many years. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/22 "2006-09-01T10:34:55Z")
[QUOTE=Victorian Squid] Nice Cave hadn’t had a really great album since _Let Love In_, but then he came back with an incredible double album _Abattoir Blues / Lyre of Orpheus_ after several pretty disappointing ones. [/QUOTE] That strikes me as a baffling assessment. Between the two he released _Murder Ballads_, _The Boatman’s Call_ and _No More Will We Part_, all at least the equal of his earlier albums. They contained songs that I have on my Nick Cave car CD such as: _Stagger Lee_, _O’Malley’s Bar_, _Where The Wild Roses Grow_, _Into My Arms_, _Are You The One That I’ve Been Waiting For?_, _People Ain’t No Good_, _Love Letter_, and _Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow_. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/23 "2006-09-01T11:52:01Z")
[QUOTE=don’t ask] That strikes me as a baffling assessment. Between the two he released _Murder Ballads_, _The Boatman’s Call_ and _No More Will We Part_, all at least the equal of his earlier albums. They contained songs that I have on my Nick Cave car CD such as: _Stagger Lee_, _O’Malley’s Bar_, _Where The Wild Roses Grow_, _Into My Arms_, _Are You The One That I’ve Been Waiting For?_, _People Ain’t No Good_, _Love Letter_, and _Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow_. [/QUOTE] I’ll second that and add that I am utterly baffled by the adoration being heaped on his latest double… ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/24 "2006-09-01T12:49:26Z")
One I’d nominate for surprisingly-good-though-maybe-not-great would be **Cheap Trick** ’s 1997 effort _Cheap Trick_ (BTW, how many artists have had more than one eponymously-titled album, anyway?) I also think the \*\*the Undertones \*\* latest, _Get What You Need_, fits in that category as well. ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/25 "2006-09-01T13:19:54Z")
Not a whole record, but Prince’s single “the Most beautiful girl in the World” in 1994 was a great brief return that came entirely out of left field. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/26 "2006-09-01T13:26:27Z")
[QUOTE=An Arky] (BTW, how many artists have had more than one eponymously-titled album, anyway?) [/QUOTE] Peter Gabriel, the Grateful Dead, and the superb French folk band Malicorne, to name three. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/27 "2006-09-01T14:02:47Z")
[QUOTE=Biffy the Elephant Shrew] Peter Gabriel, the Grateful Dead, and the superb French folk band Malicorne, to name three. [/QUOTE] Also Weezer (the “Blue Album” and “Green Album”). ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/28 "2006-09-01T14:04:05Z")
[QUOTE=cactus waltz] Not a whole record, but Prince’s single “the Most beautiful girl in the World” in 1994 was a great brief return that came entirely out of left field. [/QUOTE] I thought one of Prince’s more recent singles, the funky “Musicology,” was the best thing I’ve heard from him in over a decade. The two songs he performed this past season on Saturday Night Live (off his newest album) just brought the house down as well, and proved he’s still “got it.” ---
**Author:** ![Balduran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Balduran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balduran)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/29 "2006-09-01T14:10:50Z")
[QUOTE=No Me Ayudes Compadre] Ten New Songs by Leonard Cohen. [/QUOTE] But in poor old Leonard’s case it wasn’t completely voluntary. He was pretty much retired and then found out his financial manager lost/stole all his money )except for his house which he’s since had to re-mortgage). Now he’s trying to rebuild his savings. A cautionary tale for all you rich artistic types who feel it isn’t worth your time to keep tabs on your money. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/30 "2006-09-01T15:06:13Z")
**Jethro Tull** was pretty much written off of people’s awareness, but then kicked out the fantastic _Crest of a Knave_ album. Because of that, they will forever be immortalized as the band who, oddly, won the first Heavy Metal category Grammy award. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/31 "2006-09-01T15:22:49Z")
**An Arky** - have you heard Cheap Trick’s new one, _Rockford_? Really great power pop! And I happen to dig the [cover](http://www.amazon.com/Rockford-Cheap-Trick/dp/B000FILW86/sr=1-1/qid=1157123722/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-9042003-8540166?ie=UTF8&s=music) (amazon listing). And **BBVLou** - have you heard the following songs by Prince: - Count the Days - Five Women - She Spoke to Me Ohmigod. All recent stuff. I am a _huge_ Prince guy but let him fade from my radar during the whole “change my name to get out of my contract” debacle. I was talking with a friend who is an even bigger Prince nut - and who had stayed up to speed - and I tossed off a comment about his newer stuff wasn’t up to it. He \*dragged \* me out to his car (amazing stereo) and put in a mix that included these songs. 'nuff said - anyone who doesn’t get the amazing quality of this music isn’t worth talking to. The language of Count the Days is profane but the juxtaposition of gospel music and thug talk is amazing. And She Spoke to Me is so far above what I have heard from pretty much anyone else in the past decade I don’t know what to do - combines pop, Jobim-like Latin, funk and a Miles Davis (60’s group with Hancock and Tony Williams) breakdown - it just doesn’t get any better. No one comes close. ---
**Author:** ![Victorian\_Squid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5a626/32.png) [@Victorian\_Squid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Victorian_Squid)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/32 "2006-09-01T15:47:34Z")
[QUOTE=Autumn Almanac] Relly. I think _All Hands_ is great, but _One Beat_ was their weakest since the self-titled. Two or three inspired songs plus so much filler. Just curious, how does _The Woods_ rate for you? [/QUOTE] I thought _The Woods_ was fantastic. It kills me that they’ve broken up because I would really liked to have seen where they went with that. ---
**Author:** ![Victorian\_Squid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5a626/32.png) [@Victorian\_Squid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Victorian_Squid)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/33 "2006-09-01T15:52:13Z")
[QUOTE=don’t ask] That strikes me as a baffling assessment. Between the two he released _Murder Ballads_, _The Boatman’s Call_ and _No More Will We Part_, all at least the equal of his earlier albums. They contained songs that I have on my Nick Cave car CD such as: _Stagger Lee_, _O’Malley’s Bar_, _Where The Wild Roses Grow_, _Into My Arms_, _Are You The One That I’ve Been Waiting For?_, _People Ain’t No Good_, _Love Letter_, and _Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow_. [/QUOTE] OK, I’ll admit I don’t have _Murder Ballads_, and _Boatman’s Call_ was pretty good, though not as good as LLI. _No More Will We Part_ sounded forced, and a little worn out, and _Nocturama_ was, frankly, terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/34 "2006-09-01T15:56:50Z")
How about _Athens Andover_ by the Troggs? I’m not sure it qualifies as a great album, but I think it’s a pretty good album. And the back story is pretty cool - how in 1991 REM covered the Troggs’ 1968 hit “Love is All Around.” As a result, the Troggs, now true dinosaurs, formed a friendship with REM who backed them on this 1992 release. Give it a listen if you’re not familar with it. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/35 "2006-09-01T16:13:41Z")
[QUOTE=WordMan] **An Arky** - have you heard Cheap Trick’s new one, _Rockford_? Really great power pop! And I happen to dig the [cover](http://www.amazon.com/Rockford-Cheap-Trick/dp/B000FILW86/sr=1-1/qid=1157123722/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-9042003-8540166?ie=UTF8&s=music) (amazon listing). [/QUOTE] Oh, yeah, it’s pretty good. I’ve got _Special One_, too, which has a few of good songs on it. Still, nothing compares to the initial outburst of songs Nielsen penned for CT; it filled up 3 classic albums. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/36 "2006-09-02T00:33:19Z")
About 30 years after Ronnie Van Zant died, [Lynyrd Skynyrd](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47917DB4CAE7F20C093314CC8BA60FD07FE50F28F096E4954C0A2054D9A0E23E748E9D0D2B0E577B479A9B326AE580DD9CBE9469CA1&sql=10:st2m963okep7) has apparently come up with a kick-ass album that stacks up with their work in the 70’s. I haven’t heard it, but Allmusic gives it a very good review. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/37 "2006-09-02T06:11:35Z")
Wow, 27 posts in and nobody has mentioned **Brian Wilson** , who finally finished _Smile_ last year. It was a pretty stunning work, and was worth the wait. The incredible bonus for those who had heard the bootlegs of recordings for the original _Smile_, the recreations by the new band were spot on, as close to the sound of The Wrecking Crew as it is possible to get. It is easily the best work of his “mature” period, and a masterpiece that will be difficult, if not impossible, to best. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/38 "2006-09-02T06:16:25Z")
Sorry, you know I meant to say 37 instead of 27. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/39 "2006-09-02T15:47:08Z")
Loretta Lynn’s _Van Lear Rose_ was a great album and brought her back to TV/radio. The album was produced by Jack White of The White Stripes and he does vocals on several songs. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951/40 "2006-09-02T21:30:27Z")
[QUOTE=control-z] Loretta Lynn’s _Van Lear Rose_ was a great album and brought her back to TV/radio. The album was produced by Jack White of The White Stripes and he does vocals on several songs. [/QUOTE] Oh yeah, that was a great album, and it introduced me to Loretta Lynn. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-released-by-mediocre-past-their-prime-artists/370951.md?page=3)