Which bands have kept up a consistently high standard throughout a long career?

hollywoodrox

stickyfiddle said:

Some of you lot need higher standards. I love the Stones and ACDC but the idea that either of them maintained high standards is laughable - neither has recorded more than 1 or 2 great songs since 1982

REM and Radiohead are definitely good choices. I love REM's Accelerate and Collapse..  - it's the couple before those where the biggest dip happened.

I would make an argument for U2. Absolutely fantastic form until the last 3 records or so, and still one of the greatest live acts around. 

There’s loads of great post 82 Stones songs 
undercver of the night 
one hit to the body 
harlem shuffle
miixed emotions 
rock & a hard place
almost hear you sigh (absolutely awesome)
Slipping away
love is strong
you got me rockin
out of tears 
I go wild
Rain fall down 
streets of love
doom & gloom 

ICBM

CoolCat said:

Eagles

As a fan of the Eagles.... no. They never made a great studio album after Hotel California. The Long Run is patchy, and Long Road Out Of Eden is terrible. Live is outstanding (if debatably live!), and Hell Freezes Over is OK, but the studio tracks are weak. I saw them at the last show of that tour and that was the end of the real Eagles, for me - they were never the same without Don Felder.

viz

Duran Duran

ICBM

viz said:

Duran Duran

There are a couple of pretty dodgy albums in the 90s. The most recent ones are good though.

To get in before you, I don’t think Steve Vai has made a bad album . (Although I don’t like Sex & Religion.)

stickyfiddle

hollywoodrox said:

stickyfiddle said:

Some of you lot need higher standards. I love the Stones and ACDC but the idea that either of them maintained high standards is laughable - neither has recorded more than 1 or 2 great songs since 1982

REM and Radiohead are definitely good choices. I love REM's Accelerate and Collapse..  - it's the couple before those where the biggest dip happened.

I would make an argument for U2. Absolutely fantastic form until the last 3 records or so, and still one of the greatest live acts around. 

There’s loads of great post 82 Stones songs 
undercver of the night 
one hit to the body 
harlem shuffle
miixed emotions 
rock & a hard place
almost hear you sigh (absolutely awesome)
Slipping away
love is strong
you got me rockin
out of tears 
I go wild
Rain fall down 
streets of love
doom & gloom 

I think we have a very different take on the definition of "great"! 

scrumhalf

Paul Gilbert. I don't think he's recorded a duff album. 

Budgie

Spiritualized
Billy Bragg
Radiohead
Stereolab
Richard Thompson
David Bowie
U2 (with caveats )

octatonic

Clutch.
Been going 30 years, 13 studio albums.
Not a single dud album.
Still the original line up.

Autechre- although some might not consider them a 'band'.
35 years, 15 studio albums, each pushing the limit of what was technically possible at the time.
Can be a difficult listen for the non-initiated.

I'd also suggest Porcupine Tree and moe.

darthed1981

digitalkettle said:

darthed1981 said:

..."Leaving New York" sounds less like a paean to one of the world's great cities and more like it should be about how the only good thing in Hull is that big aquarium.

Deep, man.

Sorry, Hull really is a shithole.

I mean I live near Northampton, so have no excuse to talk BTW.

digitalkettle

darthed1981 said:

digitalkettle said:

darthed1981 said:

..."Leaving New York" sounds less like a paean to one of the world's great cities and more like it should be about how the only good thing in Hull is that big aquarium.

Deep, man.

Sorry, Hull really is a shithole.

I mean I live near Northampton, so have no excuse to talk BTW.

No, it's called 'The Deep'

Stuckfast

darthed1981 said:

Sorry, Hull really is a shithole.

I mean I live near Northampton, so have no excuse to talk BTW.

Having spent a fair amount of time in both places, I'd take Hull every time. They're both shitholes but there is a ton of interesting stuff going on in Hull, and a proper music scene. And it's very cheap.

Litterick

Saint Etienne

Haych

The Police - all their albums sound much alike to me, I couldn't tell you which songs come from which album, but I do have them all and I don't think they had a weak album.

Another vote for Rush - if Hold Your Fire was their weakest album, then it's still better than a lot of stuff from the same era by other big name bands.  And I think if they hadn't included Tai Shan on that album it would be seen in a very different light.

The Zutons - all fairly consistent and enjoyable stuff regardless of the album.

drofluf

Low
The National 
Radiohead
R.E.M. (If we excuse Around the Sun and Reveal)

All seem to manage to reinvent themselves from album to album

darthed1981

Stuckfast said:

darthed1981 said:

Sorry, Hull really is a shithole.

I mean I live near Northampton, so have no excuse to talk BTW.

Having spent a fair amount of time in both places, I'd take Hull every time. They're both shitholes but there is a ton of interesting stuff going on in Hull, and a proper music scene. And it's very cheap.

Oh hell yes, I agree completely.

Also correct on the last point, Northampton is shit and incredibly expensive.

CE1

Placebo, Bob Mould in his ever evolving machinations.

joneve

monquixote said:

Alice in chains. Not as good as the original stuff but having that big of a break and losing a critical member but still managing to produce great albums is really impressive.

Radiohead. I know a lot of people hate everything post OKC but I love them more with every album.

Deftones, again fashionable to only like the early stuff but I think they have maintained an awesome standard.

Paramore I don't think these guys get the respect as songwriters they deserve but the singles from the new album suggest they are still on top of their game.

Taylor Swift has steadily grown into one of the best songwriters in modern pop. Folklore / Evermore are a pair of truly superb albums.

Wis'd for AIC, Paramore and Swifty. Never been a huge Deftness or Radiohead fan so can't comment here. 

how long is "long" in this case? 

Hundred Reasons released their first album in 2002 and their following efforts were all absolutely solid. After a long hiatus, their new album, being released in feb, has all the signs of carrying on where they left off in terms of songwriting quality (if the singles are anything to go by). 

Pjon

Haych said:

The Police - all their albums sound much alike to me, I couldn't tell you which songs come from which album, but I do have them all and I don't think they had a weak album.

Did The Police have a long career? Late 70s to mid 80s? Just checked - 5 years and 5 albums. 

hollywoodrox

darthed1981 said:

digitalkettle said:

darthed1981 said:

..."Leaving New York" sounds less like a paean to one of the world's great cities and more like it should be about how the only good thing in Hull is that big aquarium.

Deep, man.

Sorry, Hull really is a shithole.

I mean I live near Northampton, so have no excuse to talk BTW.

Grimsby makes Hull look positively cosmopolitan 

CharlieShaw

Pjon said:

Haych said:

The Police - all their albums sound much alike to me, I couldn't tell you which songs come from which album, but I do have them all and I don't think they had a weak album.

Did The Police have a long career? Late 70s to mid 80s? Just checked - 5 years and 5 albums. 

The second Police album, Regatta de Blanc, was a complete dud after the first one.