we’ve been rather disappointed with Great Big Sea of late.
In 1990 I bought Tripping The Live Fantastic I only listened to about a couple songs then stopped because, as he was singing, it sure sounded to me like his voice was cracking a lot. I thought that maybe he just wore it out and would retire soon. 13 years later and he’s still putting out albums, although I haven’t heard anything past Flowers In The Dirt.
Wow, before showing this thread to my wife, I told her about it and asked her the same thing. The words from your post that I bolded, is the exact same thing that she said. 
Joel: Don’t feel bad, you haven’t missed anything. And I’m an obsessive Beatles collector and lifelong fan since they were on Ed Sullivan. You could take the best songs off all the albums he’s done from “Off The Ground” to the present, and make a decent EP. On the other hand, many of the B-sides and bonus tracks on the real EPs he’s issued since “Flowers In The Dirt” would make a SPECTACULAR album. Hell, some of the demos and unreleased songs he’s recorded throughout his career would make a great album. But whatever he’s working on now…feh.
The sad thing is, I’ll buy it, and all the CD singles and the Japanese bonus edition anyway…
U2 - until Joshua Tree
R.E.M. - until Green
The Police / Sting - until Ghost In The Machine
The Ramones - until Animal Boy
and another vote for Van Halen after Dave left… ditto Paul Weller and (ugh) Style Council
I liked them up until Achtung Baby and, except for a couple of songs, didn’t really care for them until All That You Can’t Leave Behind.
I really liked Black Flag untill Henry Rollins came along. It might not have been his fault, but they started getting a bit whiney starting with the Damaged album which was still pretty good, but then, apart from a few great songs, they went downhill fast.
Corrosion of Conformity had two GREAT albums, Eye For an Eye and Animosity, and then they started doing bad metal.
The Misfits were always a favorite, and I even liked the first reunion album, American Psycho. Mike Whatshisname was a pretty good singer and he did a good job live, but the second post-Danzig album sucked ass. So then Jerry loses his band, gets Marky Ramone and Dez from Black Flag to back him up…fine, sounds like it might be OK, I thought. So I pay 25 bucks to see them, which, in a way was worth it, because they did a bunch of Black Flag Songs with Dez singing, however, the cool factor of that was canceled out by Jerry singing all the Misfits songs. I felt like I should have been paid 25 bucks to listen to that. Jerry Only is a horrible HORRIBLE singer. So now, the three of them put out an album of 50’s covers which sounds good in theory. I downloaded it, and boy does it fucking reek. I still have to buy it on vinyl though, cause I’m such a friggin’ completist. Between that and all the little mall punks wearing their little Misfits accessories from Hot Topic, I’m ashamed to admit I ever dug them in the first place.
Jon
Absolutely agree. I’ve just re-ordered three of the earlier albums on CD (Reckoning, Murmur and Fables of the Reconstruction) which are vastly better than the last few. At one point I had every single album, compilation and the odd EP; never again. It just went, well, bland.
I loved Suzanne Vega’s first two albums (“Suzanne Vega” and “Solitude Standing”) but pretty much gave up on her after that.
I totally agree with the first two statements, but STP’s new single “All In The Suit That You Wear” is the best offering I’ve heard from them since their 2nd album.
Am I the only one who likes Van Hagar as much as Van Halen-Roth?
Respectfully disagree. I like “Invisible Touch” and “We Can’t Dance” except for the ballads, which are worse than horrible. I also bought the next album (the one without Phil Collins) but have no recollection of listening to it.
As for the topic…
Dire Straights: whatever followed “Brothers in Arms.” Although I like Mark Knopfler’s solo stuff.
Pink Floyd: post “The Wall” stuff. I Hate “The Final Cut” (except Not Now John) and while “A Momentary Lapse of Reason” is ok, “The Division Bell” does nothing for me.
ELO: whatever followed “Out of the Blue.”
Yes: Since “Big Genrerator”
I liked a few songs from the Hagar period, but the Roth period was just much, much better.
Years ago I made a mixed tape of my favorite Van Halen songs with David Lee Roth singing, it’s a 90 minute tape. I also made a tape with my favorite songs when Sammy Hagar sang. It’s a 60 minute tape. Side one has the Van Halen songs, and side two has songs from both Dave’s and Sammy’s solo careers.
So my liking 90 minutes of Van Halen Roth VS liking 30 minutes of Van Hagar is probably the closest thing you’ll find to someone liking the two equally.
Green Day: After Insomniac. Nimrod had mostly good songs, and wasn’t complete crap, but Warning was just terrible. But 39/smooth, Kerplunk, Dookie, AND Insomniac are some of my favorite CD’s.
Blink 182: After Duderanch. Enema of the state wasn’t too bad, but after that it was all just cleaned up pop-punk crap.
I actually am in the middle of the type of changes you guys are describing. I’ve been an avid Tori Amos fan for many years now (“Boys For Pele” was the first album I bought). I thought the way she sounded on that and the two following is probably some of the most brilliant, bold and imaginative music I’ve heard.
Now I am slowly beginning to lose hope that she’ll ever rise to these heights again. Her recent albums have been good. Very solid, well produced, great songs — BUT her manner of performance has quieted down, became more smooth and cosy. That’s the direction she chooses, well, fine.
But hearing her utterly destroy two of her songs when re-recording them for the latest Greatest Hits album, and hearing how her musical direction is becoming tame and somewhat boring… I lose hope.
I think she’s off to somewhere I don’t really have the energy to follow.
She started hiding the piano under layers of srum-strum-strumming guitars. In the badway.
I liked Jackson Browne until he slugged Daryl Hannah.
His first 3 or 4 albums, anyway.
I liked the Dixie Chicks until they put down the president, then continued to be obnoxious about it. It’s a shame, too. I really liked their music, but I just can’t bring myself to keep the station when they come on. Same with the TV.
Bush- Sixteen Stone was really good, so I expected the same from Razorblade Suitcase, but it was quite a letdown. Never bought anything released by them ever since.
Pearl Jam- While Ten is their best in my opinion, the next few were also pretty good. By the time Yield came out I decided it was time for them to hang it up. They continued on and released Binaural, which was just more proof the band was well past its prime.
Metallica- Everything pre-black album is their best. The black album itself is good, but it’s more mainstream. Load and Re-Load were big letdowns, and St. Anger is a complete abomination.
Van Halen- Count me in as another one who lost interest once Dave left and Sammy stepped in.
Black Sabbath- I faithfully held onto them in the post-Ozzy era. Ronnie James Dio’s performance was good; too bad he left. Ian Gillan’s performance on Born Again kept the band alive, but by the time Seventh Star was released everybody else bailed, leaving Tony Iommi and three unknowns to represent the band. By this point Black Sabbath was never the same.
Then you really, really, really should give Songs in Red and Gray a listen. Some of her best songwriting ever. A lot of reviews have characterized it as a “return” to the sound of the 1st two albums, but it’s more of synthesizing what made those albums good (the songwriting and emotional clarity) with the lessons of the intervening “experimental” albums.