"I prefer the early stuff" Vs "Oh, they got so much better"

[Utter Shit]

I tend not to voice this opinion cos it's exactly the type of thing a try-hard would say, but Kendrick Lamar's two critically-acclaimed albums do nothing for me, while Section.80 is jam-packed with great tracks like Poe Man's Dreams, Keisha's Song, ADHD and Hiii Power,

[jamiefairlie]

With New Order, the breakpoint usually relates to Joy Division fans who disregard everything after 'Movement - specifically the point between 'Everything's Gone Green' and 'Temptation'', when Bernard stopped trying to write and sing in Ian's style. I'm a miserable bastard and 'Movement' is probably my most-listened to album of theirs, but then''Technique' runs it a close second.

Yup, that's me to a tee. I blame that visit to New York in 81.

[jamiefairlie]

The Beloved were a great indie guitar band before they took E's and went all shit.

[jamiefairlie]

Dead Can Dance:

Joy Division influenced guitar tunes - good but awful production
Medieval chanting influence - their peak
World music new age meandering- steep decline

[SteveDave]

A lot of Arctic Monkeys fans didn't like the last LP. When I saw them in 2018, everyone around me was filming all the non-Tranquility Base Hotel+Casino songs and singing along, but as soon a new song started they'd sit down and just go on their phones.

[Brundle-Fly]

The Beloved were a great indie guitar band before they took E's and went all shit.

On a similar 'there was always a dance element to our music' theme, I was never so keen on The Shamen's faux-sixties psyche indie guitar beginnings. They definitely got better on E rather than LSD  but then artistically took too many pills by late 91. Figuratively speaking, of course.

[Psmith]

Has anyone mentioned UB40?
Bit obvious I know but things were going well until Labour of Love.

[Better Midlands]

On a similar 'there was always a dance element to our music' theme, I was never so keen on The Shamen's faux-sixties psyche indie guitar beginnings. They definitely got better on E rather than LSD  but then artistically took too many pills by late 91. Figuratively speaking, of course.

En-Tact is a fantastic album, everything before and after it leaves me cold.

[kngen]

DEVO

Early avant-punk-rock

1978 - Are We Not Men?
1979 - Duty Now For The Future

Weird synthpop/MTV darlings

1980 - Freedom Of Choice
1981 - New Traditionalists
1982 - Oh, No! It's DEVO

Commercial but unpopular dancepop

1984 - Shout
1988 - Total DEVO
1990 - Smooth Noodle Maps

Very modern-sounding return

2010 - Something For Everybody

Almost everything after New Traditionalists is fucking hard work (and it's hardly a classic itself) - Oh No, It's Devo has Peek-a-boo, but not much else.  When those Hardcore Devo comps came out, it was clear that the only way the band's catalogue was improving was by looking backwards, which is... fitting.

Still massively relieved Mothersbaugh saw off Covid, though - that would have been too much to bear.

[RenegadeScrew]

May as well just say the potentially controversial ones

Pixies/Verve - downhill from the debut album

Miles Davis' best album is On The Corner, although he's pretty incredible from 69-75.

Can is all about Tago Mago & Ege Bamyesi and Talking Heads is all about Fear of Music & Remain in Light

Prince only made one half-decent album (sign o the times) and even then it has garbage on it like 'play in the sunshine'.

The best thing Hendrix did was the Band of Gypsy's album.

Ian Brown's first solo album is better than the Stone Roses debut.

Bowie's best album is Blackstar, and the Berlin trilogy is decent (esp one of them).  Other than that he made some great songs.

[smudge1971]

May as well just say the potentially controversial ones

Pixies/Verve - downhill from the debut album

Miles Davis' best album is On The Corner, although he's pretty incredible from 69-75.

Can is all about Tago Mago & Ege Bamyesi and Talking Heads is all about Fear of Music & Remain in Light

Prince only made one half-decent album (sign o the times) and even then it has garbage on it like 'play in the sunshine'.

The best thing Hendrix did was the Band of Gypsy's album.

Ian Brown's first solo album is better than the Stone Roses debut.

Bowie's best album is Blackstar, and the Berlin trilogy is decent (esp one of them).  Other than that he made some great songs.

In my opinion it is easier to commit suicide by drinking a litre of gut rot brandy and washing down them Co-Dydramol.

[JaDanketies]

Best Bowie album is The Labyrinth OST

[lazyhour]

Finally, someone's taking sense.

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

Almost everything after New Traditionalists is fucking hard work (and it's hardly a classic itself) - Oh No, It's Devo has Peek-a-boo, but not much else.  When those Hardcore Devo comps came out, it was clear that the only way the band's catalogue was improving was by looking backwards, which is... fitting.

Was thinking the same thing with the Hardcore albums. (on that note, sod them for not doing any of those hardcore shows in the UK. would have got tickets in a heartbeat[NB]last time I thought about going to see them was when they were playing Are We Not Men? in London. The tickets were pretty steep and when I emailed and got a reply saying they were just going to play the album nothing else i thought they could fuck off and never bothered about seeing them again. Hardcore Devo would be another matter though [/NB])

No arguing with your post, except I'd say as a whole album New Traditionalists has a lot more going for it than Freedom Of Choice, half of which is surprisingly pants considering the great stuff on there.

The only post-Oh No! track I ever listen to is Puppet Boy thanks to this pretty great fan video https://youtu.be/0ULd9wXRduA

[RenegadeScrew]

In my opinion it is easier to commit suicide by drinking a litre of gut rot brandy and washing down them Co-Dydramol.

I don't know.  One could hang oneself from ones twisted pants.

If it was the comedy forum I'd expect you were right (about Bowie/Prince) and would hang myself in shame.  Or at least go "oh yeah, that eating the dead dog bit is absurd".

Fortunately for you this is in oscillations and I rise to the very top of it, like a thick cream or a thin scum. 

[Brundle-Fly]

Bowie's best album is Blackstar, and the Berlin trilogy is decent (esp one of them).  Other than that he made some great songs.

Semi-agree. My favourite Bowie period is his 1960s Deram phase and final two albums. I'm also the only cunt who likes Earth Ling.  Hunky Dory is very, very good though but it might just as well be from his 1960s era.  And In between all that, some GREAT songs.

I'll get me spandex.

[Gulftastic]

Has anyone mentioned UB40?
Bit obvious I know but things were going well until Labour of Love.

My sister adored them in her youth, even sticking up for Labour Of Love, not realising that it's lite-Reggae covers were a sign of the band's entire future.

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

Anaal Nathrakh

First era (Full on eardrum smashing blackened grindcore assault)

Codex Necro
Domine Non Es Dignus

Second (More industrial and more hooks but still absolutely furious noise)

Eschaton
Hell Is Empty, and All the Devils Are Here
In the Constellation of the Black Widow

The rest until now (Cleaner production, metalcore elements, more clean singing, albums a bit more patchy)

Passion
Vanitas
Desideratum
The Whole of the Law
A New Kind of Horror


I (and a lot of other people) prefer the first two eras but there are corkers all over the last 5 albums.

[RenegadeScrew]

Semi-agree. My favourite Bowie period is his 1960s Deram phase and final two albums. I'm also the only cunt who likes Earth Ling.  Hunky Dory is very, very good though but it might just as well be from his 1960s era.  And In between all that, some GREAT songs.

I'll get me spandex.

Unlike Prince tbh, I just don't "get" a lot of Bowie.  Something like Queen Bitch just kinda passes over me, none of the stuff I dislike is terrible.  Low is the album for me from Berlin.

His work on transformer is absolutely and utterly tremendous. 

[the science eel]

Unlike Prince tbh, I just don't "get" a lot of Bowie.  Something like Queen Bitch just kinda passes over me, none of the stuff I dislike is terrible.  Low is the album for me from Berlin.

His work on transformer is absolutely and utterly tremendous.

It is! best Lou solo and best Bowie.

Blackstar is appalling

[wosl]

Dead Can Dance: Joy Division influenced guitar tunes

The Banshees' early sound looms at least as large on that first DCD album - the bass on it sounds like Severin on secondment, and the guitar approach is decidedly school of McKay/McGeoch.

[sutin]

Was thinking the same thing with the Hardcore albums. (on that note, sod them for not doing any of those hardcore shows in the UK. would have got tickets in a heartbeat[NB]last time I thought about going to see them was when they were playing Are We Not Men? in London. The tickets were pretty steep and when I emailed and got a reply saying they were just going to play the album nothing else i thought they could fuck off and never bothered about seeing them again. Hardcore Devo would be another matter though [/NB])

No arguing with your post, except I'd say as a whole album New Traditionalists has a lot more going for it than Freedom Of Choice, half of which is surprisingly pants considering the great stuff on there.

The only post-Oh No! track I ever listen to is Puppet Boy thanks to this pretty great fan video https://youtu.be/0ULd9wXRduA

I have very silly DEVO tastes which I don't expect anyone here to agree with.

Oh, No! is my favourite DEVO album. I can't help it, I just love that synthpop sound and all the songs are catchy as all hell.

I prefer Shout to New Traditionalists. New Traditionalists just seems too flat and serious to me.

I really enjoy the Enigma albums. There's no defending them as part of DEVO's legacy, but they're very enjoyable late '80s dancepop albums to me. Mark was still writing great melodies, even if DEVO's whole concept and worldview was largely forgotten.

Something For Everybody is the new album I played by far the most in the last decade, according to Last.FM.

[kngen]

I was reviewing Metallica live once, and I got talking to the guy next to me who was there with his kids (always good for a bit of colour if you're running out of snide things to say about Lars Ulrich). He said to me that he didn't really like the early stuff, but got into them around the time of Load/Reload, and hoped they'd play a few songs from that era. His kids? Surely they were Metal Up Your Motorbreath Militia devotees? Nope, he got them into those albums by playing them in the car constantly.

In a parallel dimension, I'm still stood in the O2 catatonically staring at the seat where this man once sat, my face frozen into an expression of utter incomprehension.

[sutin]

I went to that Are We Not Men? show in London, and it was pretty short (they did play an encore of a few hits too, but not many). I still haven't seen the DVD of it, which was only released in America as part of some ridiculous, out of print boxset. I've never been able to find a rip online. I was right at the front so there's a good chance i'm on film.

[kngen]

I have very silly DEVO tastes which I don't expect anyone here to agree with.

Oh, No! is my favourite DEVO album. I can't help it, I just love that synthpop sound and all the songs are catchy as all hell.

I prefer Shout to New Traditionalists. New Traditionalists just seems too flat and serious to me.

I really enjoy the Enigma albums. There's no defending them as part of DEVO's legacy, but they're very enjoyable late '80s dancepop albums to me. Mark was still writing great melodies, even if DEVO's whole concept and worldview was largely forgotten.

Something For Everything is the new album I played by far the most in the last decade, according to Last.FM.

You're right. They are silly. But I salute your indefatigability nonetheless.

[kngen]

I went to that Are We Not Men? show in London, and it was pretty short (they did play an encore of a few hits too, but not many). I still haven't seen the DVD of it, which was only released in America as part of some ridiculous, out of print boxset. I've never been able to find a rip online. I was right at the front so there's a good chance i'm on film.

I remember people being fairly pissed off at the time, as it was pretty pricey, too, I think?

I went to the Meltdown gig at the RFH (and then their off-site one at Shepherd's Bush Empire a little while after), which convinced me that this was as much Devo as I needed to see at that point in my life, and I should quit while I was ahead, so didn't bother with that one at the Forum. Daft attitude.

[JaDanketies]

Metallica

Saw a meme the other day:

"Wow Metallica is fuckin turning 40! Thank you for 7 years of great Metal music!"

[kngen]

Saw a meme the other day:

"Wow Metallica is fuckin turning 40! Thank you for 7 years of great Metal music!"

Funnily enough, I saw that this morning, which probably put the above encounter in mind.

[sutin]

I remember people being fairly pissed off at the time, as it was pretty pricey, too, I think?

I went to the Meltdown gig at the RFH (and then their off-site one at Shepherd's Bush Empire a little while after), which convinced me that this was as much Devo as I needed to see at that point in my life, and I should quit while I was ahead, so didn't bother with that one at the Forum. Daft attitude.

I was at that Meltdown gig too and it might have been the winner, not least because I met Jarvis Cocker before going into the hall, and they played Wiggly World.

[sutin]

You're right. They are silly. But I salute your indefatigability nonetheless.

Haha. Yeah, that is very much what I enjoy the most rather than what I think is technically better. I would never reccommend Shout or Total DEVO to anyone, but those records bring me pure joy. I'm the same with ropey mid-late '80s Sparks, B-52's and Oingo Boingo albums.