All the bands I loved in my life went stale

distressed

Philly_Q said:

I do agree with the basic hypothesis that nearly all bands go stale.

Bolded part is the key. I tried to check it with some of the bands I like, and whose careers spanned at least 20 years:

Nomeansno - killed it til the end. No weak spot in their discography, delivered live every time.

Dinosaur jr - at least solid albums with reformed OG lineup, very consistent.

Sonic Youth - at least solid albums til the end, also very consistent.

Bob Mould - see above.

The Necks - see above.

Guided by Voices - see above.

Yo La Tengo - see above.

...

Creed_Clicks

Sometimes bands with revolving doors where members come and go can be a good thing. e.g. QOTSA, while I am not a fan, they sound very different now to before. 
Bands like Do Make Say Think sound as good as they ever did. Low is another band who changed their sound a lot as the years went on.

lustycourtier

My first big love affair was Queen. For me their first 7 albums were, and still are pure gold. I was so into the band, but then they did that terrible Flash soundtrack, which inexplicably was marketed as a 'Queen album' rathe than a soundtrack (not good enough!). The first 7 albums all said 'nobody played synth', but for Flash Roger bought one, and then they were used from then on. The game just sounded like the wrong production to me, the next album was DIRE (Hot Space) and although the Works was sort of OK, they lost me. I have never even heard the last few albums.

Hot space is the only Queen record I can tolerate. Its got some great tunes. 

Offset

lustycourtier said:

My first big love affair was Queen. For me their first 7 albums were, and still are pure gold. I was so into the band, but then they did that terrible Flash soundtrack, which inexplicably was marketed as a 'Queen album' rathe than a soundtrack (not good enough!). The first 7 albums all said 'nobody played synth', but for Flash Roger bought one, and then they were used from then on. The game just sounded like the wrong production to me, the next album was DIRE (Hot Space) and although the Works was sort of OK, they lost me. I have never even heard the last few albums.

Hot space is the only Queen record I can tolerate. Its got some great tunes. 

I grew up on the first three Queen albums which were fantastic, especially Sheer Heart Attack which must be the most-played album I've ever owned.  But I didn't buy another Queen album after SHA - I think that was because Queen moved on in a direction I wasn't so keen on, but also because I moved on as well and started listening to different stuff.

I still listen to those first three albums though - there are some absolutely killer tracks on all of them. 

Philly_Q

distressed said:

Philly_Q said:

I do agree with the basic hypothesis that nearly all bands go stale.

Bolded part is the key. I tried to check it with some of the bands I like, and whose careers spanned at least 20 years:

Bob Mould - see above.

Yes, the use of "nearly" was intentional!

Funnily enough, although I listen almost entirely to hard rock and metal, Bob Mould is one of the artists whose albums I collect (although I'm at least a couple behind, I don't know how many because he's pretty prolific).  I'm not always in the mood for his stuff - I might even go a couple of years without listening to him at all - and I don't like all his albums, he's so eclectic, but he certainly hasn't gone stale.

Devil#20

Offset said:

I grew up on the first three Queen albums which were fantastic, especially Sheer Heart Attack which must be the most-played album I've ever owned.  But I didn't buy another Queen album after SHA - I think that was because Queen moved on in a direction I wasn't so keen on, but also because I moved on as well and started listening to different stuff.

I still listen to those first three albums though - there are some absolutely killer tracks on all of them. 

They could quite easily have been my words verbatim. Everything they did after SHA didn't do it for me. Bohemian Rhapsody the best song ever!? Never. Not on your nelly. 

Litterick

Maybe it is not the bands; maybe it is us. We change. 

UnclePsychosis

Litterick said:

Maybe it is not the bands; maybe it is us. We change. 

This is a huge part of it. 

I'd argue that no music will ever be as vital, as incredible, as essential as the music you discover at the right point in your life - which for most of us I'd wager is the music that soundtracked becoming an adult. Those summer gigs with mates when you feel like you could take on the world, that band your first girlfriend got you into, the rebels who understood you the way your parents don't, those speaking truth to power when you're at your most idealistic, etc etc etc.

Philly_Q

UnclePsychosis said:

Litterick said:

Maybe it is not the bands; maybe it is us. We change. 

This is a huge part of it. 

I'd argue that no music will ever be as vital, as incredible, as essential as the music you discover at the right point in your life - which for most of us I'd wager is the music that soundtracked becoming an adult. Those summer gigs with mates when you feel like you could take on the world, that band your first girlfriend got you into, the rebels who understood you the way your parents don't, those speaking truth to power when you're at your most idealistic, etc etc etc.

There's definitely truth in that.  I still like most of the music I liked in my late teens and early twenties; maybe if I heard it for the first time now I wouldn't even like it, but that's impossible to say.  Taking it further, I look through my CDs sometimes and see things I bought more recently, in my 30s or 40s, and (a) I've forgotten I ever had them and (b) I can't imagine why I bought them.

However, all that you've said there can also apply to the bands themselves.  They had that youthful energy, idealism etc and for many that's when they made their best music.  It's not there any more twenty years later, even if they've theoretically become "better" musicians and songwriters.

Reverend

S56035 said:

It must be hard when you're in a big band, do you keep playing the same stuff over and again or try something different.  As a metaller Slayer are an example of almost never changing since day one, all that has happened is the production has got better.  They must have been bored as shit by the end of it.  Then you have Metallica who have gone more in the other direction and everyone moans about not being like the first four albums.  Bands can't win.

Slayer production got worse. I can;t listen to anything after Seasons.

Springywheel

Devin Townsend after Addicted/Ki 

Very mediocre albums peppered with the odd gem. Empath was a step in the right direction - I haven't had a chance to fully digest the latest one, Lightwork. 

PolarityMan

I think he got a bit overboard with the layers. I find it hard to wrap my head around some of his really recent stuff. 

fretmeister

scrumhalf said:

All bands should disband or change personnel after their third album unless there's a very good reason not to

Pantera really didn't start making good stuff until their 3rd album.

fretmeister

distressed said:

Philly_Q said:

I do agree with the basic hypothesis that nearly all bands go stale.

Bolded part is the key. I tried to check it with some of the bands I like, and whose careers spanned at least 20 years:

Nomeansno - killed it til the end. No weak spot in their discography, delivered live every time.

Dinosaur jr - at least solid albums with reformed OG lineup, very consistent.

Sonic Youth - at least solid albums til the end, also very consistent.

Bob Mould - see above.

The Necks - see above.

Guided by Voices - see above.

Yo La Tengo - see above.

...

If you start mediocre it's quite easy to maintain it though.

Vintage65

I follow music, not bands.

Philly_Q

Vintage65 said:

I follow music, not bands.

Brief and to the point... but if you like a particular song or album, it must lead you to investigate that band's other material?

Vintage65

Philly_Q said:

Vintage65 said:

I follow music, not bands.

Brief and to the point... but if you like a particular song or album, it must lead you to investigate that band's other material?

Yeah, I'm inquisitive, but I'm not disappointed if a band lose their mojo. There is always the next thing, and the old music I like never goes away. I noticed early on that most bands go off the boil at some point, so enjoy it while it lasts. It's also fun to be late to the game and find a band with a decent back catalogue.

CaseOfAce

lustycourtier said:

My first big love affair was Queen. For me their first 7 albums were, and still are pure gold. I was so into the band, but then they did that terrible Flash soundtrack, which inexplicably was marketed as a 'Queen album' rathe than a soundtrack (not good enough!). The first 7 albums all said 'nobody played synth', but for Flash Roger bought one, and then they were used from then on. The game just sounded like the wrong production to me, the next album was DIRE (Hot Space) and although the Works was sort of OK, they lost me. I have never even heard the last few albums.

Hot space is the only Queen record I can tolerate. Its got some great tunes. 

For a start it's got Under Pressure. 
I quite like Los Palabras De Amor as well - but I do find myself skipping the other Hot Space tracks on Live at the Bowl when I'm giving it a listen...
As I understand it, Freddie wanted to continue with the disco / funk direction and the rest of the band weren't so keen so... this was the album that resulted?

Cranky

Gimmicky is too strong of a word, but I think the more gimmicky or specific the band is, the staler it’ll get and more quickly.

U2, Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, the Stones, Radiohead all have good staying power.  Just regular old music.

Reverend

fretmeister said:

scrumhalf said:

All bands should disband or change personnel after their third album unless there's a very good reason not to

Pantera really didn't start making good stuff until their 3rd album.

Power metal is the last one I listen to