# The last is the best (music) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 2, 2022, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082 "2022-01-02T14:46:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/21 "2022-01-02T21:00:56Z")
Here’s a second suggestion - one for you to adjudicate on, Bo. Best work (I would argue) was her only solo (studio, planned) album; but this after several albums as a key part of The Fugees Best album: The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill j ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/22 "2022-01-02T22:01:19Z")
Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/23 "2022-01-02T22:12:02Z")
Good one! ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/24 "2022-01-02T23:30:49Z")
What about _MTV Unplugged No. 2.0_? Isn’t that her last album? It was recorded live but it was all new material and was recorded so that the songs/performances could be released as part of an album. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/25 "2022-01-02T23:50:40Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > What about _MTV Unplugged No. 2.0_ ? Isn’t that her last album? It was recorded live but it was all new material and was recorded so that the songs/performances could be released as part of an album If those count, then I might add that there is an argument that Nirvana’s Unplugged might be _their_ best album. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/26 "2022-01-02T23:55:16Z")
You can make the argument but I’d argue that it was a just live performance album. The arrangements were new but the songs were not. And half of what they played were covers. Aaaaand it wasn’t recorded intending it to be an album. Lauryn Hill’s _Unplugged_ is 24 songs, 23 of them her own new material. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/27 "2022-01-03T01:47:17Z")
On which I concede. J ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/28 "2022-01-03T15:41:13Z")
I think you’re mainly going to find either artists that died or bands that split up… So I’ll add **Anodyne** by Uncle Tupelo. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/29 "2022-01-03T15:51:55Z")
ISTM that a lot of bands achieve a huge success, then cash in with a live double album or something experimental, but never again approach that level of success. Who had a big album and then died in a plane crash, overdosed, etc. and thereby were prevented from releasing a lesser followup? And BTW I think “The Beatles” (White Album) is their best. The fact that it’s a double album makes it that much more awesome. Abbey Road would be #2. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/30 "2022-01-03T16:09:35Z")
Leonard Cohen. His last album, _You Want it Darker_, was released when he was 82. He also did some recordings in his dying days, released posthumously as the album _Thanks for the Dance_. Somehow or another, he surpassed _You Want it Darker_ with that one. > [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Johnny Cash is the outlier here - not to quibble about a particular album - because he was someone who, at the end of a very long career, produced work of a stunning quality. I’m not familiar with his later works, but I’ll give them a listen. Are there any particular songs you recommend? ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/31 "2022-01-03T16:11:32Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Who had a big album and then died in a plane crash, overdosed, etc. and thereby were prevented from releasing a lesser followup? Richie Valens, Buddy Holly, and The Big Bopper. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/32 "2022-01-03T16:14:28Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8AHCfZTRGiI/maxresdefault.jpg "Johnny Cash - Hurt") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AHCfZTRGiI) If you know the original, this is even more impactful. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/33 "2022-01-03T16:25:24Z")
Not going to argue with Bo on that one. I’ll just quietly add this: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WYzEIIx_KHg/hqdefault.jpg "Johnny Cash - In My Life") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYzEIIx_KHg) j ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/34 "2022-01-03T16:31:37Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > I think you’re mainly going to find either artists that died or bands that split up… I think that’s what makes it an interesting question. Very, very few artists are making an artistic statement that, once made, they can now be silent. For most, this is how they earn their living, so they continue to produce work and try to sell it, sometimes right up until they are no longer physically capable of doing it anymore. OTOH, one of my favorite bands _did_ achieve their ideal and simply stopped. Bolt Thrower kept refining their sound and songwriting over 20 years until they finally produced the album they had been dreaming of (2005’s _Those Once Loyal_) and then they stopped writing new songs. They played shows for another 10 years or so and then the drummer passed away unexpectedly. The band stopped playing live shows and a year later said: > [@Bolt Thrower](#): > > We spent over 20 years together, touring the world, with 3 different vocalists, but he was so much more than just a drummer to us. So when we carried his coffin to his final resting place, the Bolt Thrower drummer position was buried with him. He was, and will now forever remain THE Bolt Thrower drummer, our Powerhouse and friend Martin ‘Kiddie’ Kearns. Later, vocalist Karl Willets confirmed it: > [@Karl Willets](#): > > I can confirm that Bolt Thrower are definitely over for good. There will be no reunion tours etc… no compromise. Not only is their last album a fucking banger, the band showed incredible cohesion and integrity throughout and in every aspect of their career. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/35 "2022-01-03T16:43:43Z")
Here’s another: Gay for Johnny Depp. Fantastic band; simply one of the greatest punk rock bands ever. In February 2011 they released _What Doesn’t Kill You, Eventually Kills You_ and [8 months later called it quits](http://www.gayforjohnnydepp.com). ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/36 "2022-01-03T17:48:07Z")
In my opinion, _L. A. Woman_ is the last album by the Doors. The band didn’t exist without Morrison and everybody knew it. _L. A. Woman_ is a terrific album, with two all-time classics on it. Their best? Well, they’re better, more mature, musically. The first album, one of the best debut albums ever, is hard to top, admittedly, but _L. A. Woman_ was pretty much designed as a last album to go out on top with, so it’s in the running. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2022, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/37 "2022-01-04T14:39:42Z")
Make it Big by Wham! was their last album. But, they only had two. I haven’t heard either album but Make it Big was their biggest selling album. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2022, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/38 "2022-01-04T14:50:16Z")
Not really their best album, but _Sky Full Of Holes_ by Fountains of Wayne has what’s probably my favorite song of theirs, “Someone’s Gonna Break Your Heart”. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2022, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/39 "2022-01-04T14:55:14Z")
With Otis Redding, it’s hard to say what his last album was, but the best candidate is “The Dock of the Bay,” the product of his last effort to make an album — and some say it’s his best (e.g., five stars on AllMusic). ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2022, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082/40 "2022-01-04T15:00:47Z")
If we’re avoiding artists who died around their creative peak, I’d suggest maybe The Pogues. Their last album with Shane MacGowan (as integral as Morrison was to the Doors) was “Hell’s Ditch.” It’s my favorite album of theirs (though many would disagree). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-is-the-best-music/957082.md?page=3)