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What's the longest gap between properly great albums?

Royter-Hatfood [Edit] [Delete] 59 replies 14:34 February 5th, 2013

In light of everyone Be Here Now-ing about My Bloody Valentine, I was thinking about how most bands/artists churn out all their best stuff in pretty much one go before entering slowly (or quickly) declining.

The only exception that springs to mind is Bob Dylan, who managed to make 4 great albums in the space of about 3 years (Times They Are A'Changin, Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde), then churned out some fairly iffy stuff (although I do like Nashville Skyline) for years until Blood On The Tracks, before becoming the shittest musician of all time.

Any other contenders?

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Pablo Honey to In Rainbows?

Jordan_229_2 | 5 Feb '13, 14:38 | X | ^ This | Reply
- *OK Computer
  
  _TheBeautifulOnes_ @Jordan_229_2 | 5 Feb '13, 14:40 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - Let's not talk about Radiohead
    
    moker @_TheBeautifulOnes_ | 5 Feb '13, 15:52 | X | ^ This | Reply
    
    ThisTemporaryLife and badmanreturns this'd this
some of Dylan's more recent albums are very good

like Time Out Of Mind.
Thanks.

_TheBeautifulOnes_ | 5 Feb '13, 14:40 | X | ^ This | Reply

emmettcruddas, geordiedave1981, stanstubbs, and Nestor this'd this
- lol
  
  Royter-Hatfood @_TheBeautifulOnes_ | 5 Feb '13, 15:06 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - do you actually like anything?
    
    can't say i've noticed.
    
    _TheBeautifulOnes_ @Royter-Hatfood | 5 Feb '13, 17:47 | X | ^ This | Reply
    - :D
      
      Stunning putdown in a thread where my opening post mentions a number of albums I think are great.
      
      Royter-Hatfood @_TheBeautifulOnes_ | 5 Feb '13, 18:19 | X | ^ This | Reply
      
      johnwiddop and joeymahone this'd this
street legal is as good as anything else dylan ever did

cat_race | 5 Feb '13, 14:41 | X | ^ This | Reply

orangejuice this'd this
Neil Young?

Probably the last classic album of his original run was Rust Never Sleeps in 1979. Having spent the 80s trolling Geffen hard, he then returned with a classic three-run of Freedom, Ragged Glory and Harvet Moon.

pentargo | 5 Feb '13, 14:44 | X | ^ This | Reply

JaguarPirate this'd this
- http://img.xiami.com/images/album/img32/10732/589481304995826.jpg :')
  
  guntrip @pentargo | 5 Feb '13, 14:58 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - Knew immediately what that would be.
    
    joeymahone @guntrip | 5 Feb '13, 16:09 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - http://cedarlounge.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/neil-young-trans.jpg
    
    JaguarPirate @guntrip | 5 Feb '13, 16:17 | X | ^ This | Reply
The Fall

although I can't say there was a period of them being shit.

Or maybe Scott Walker for doing Scott 4, then a load of shit, then coming back with Climate of Hunter/Tilt/The Drift (not heard Bish Bosh yet so can't comment on that one)

lovelessrapture | 5 Feb '13, 14:47 | X | ^ This | Reply
- The Fall have never been shit...
  
  ...only less good.
  
  pentargo @lovelessrapture | 5 Feb '13, 14:52 | X | ^ This | Reply
- I'd say there's probably a 15 year gap of great albums
  
  between Kurious Oranj and The Real New Fall LP. But there's plenty I haven't listened to from that period so I can't really judge it fairly.
  
  Icarus-Smicarus @lovelessrapture | 5 Feb '13, 16:12 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - There are albums in that period just as good
    
    Extricate
    Code: Selfish
    Levitate
    The Unutterable
    The Marshall Suite
    
    bornin69 @Icarus-Smicarus | 5 Feb '13, 16:23 | X | ^ This | Reply
    
    pentargo, Oissin_, and Loui_Tacceh this'd this
    - I only really like a couple of songs on Extricate and the rest bores me
      
      but there's a couple in that list I still need to listen to properly
      
      Icarus-Smicarus @bornin69 | 5 Feb '13, 17:05 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - The Unutterable is probably their best album...
    
    ...you mental.
    
    pentargo @Icarus-Smicarus | 5 Feb '13, 16:23 | X | ^ This | Reply
The gap between Portishead and Third was 11 years

And they're both wicked

vamos | 5 Feb '13, 15:05 | X | ^ This | Reply

colon_closed_bracket, pichaelmarker, and Antelope this'd this
- Did they release anything in between though?
  
  Royter-Hatfood @vamos | 5 Feb '13, 15:07 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - no
    
    colon_closed_bracket @Royter-Hatfood | 5 Feb '13, 15:45 | X | ^ This | Reply
    - Not really what I'm after
      
      Kind of meant bands/artists who are great, go shit for a bit then become great again.
      
      Royter-Hatfood @colon_closed_bracket | 5 Feb '13, 16:03 | X | ^ This | Reply
blood on the tracks has only got one good song on it.

meths | 5 Feb '13, 15:10 | X | ^ This | Reply
- *3 good songs
  
  Royter-Hatfood @meths | 5 Feb '13, 15:32 | X | ^ This | Reply
- stanstubbs @meths | 5 Feb '13, 15:50 | X | ^ This | Reply
- Blood On The Tracks is ok
  
  but Desire is really good.
  
  Icarus-Smicarus @meths | 5 Feb '13, 16:10 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - Also John Wesley Harding is in between Blonde On Blonde and Nashville Skyline and is really great too
    
    Icarus-Smicarus @Icarus-Smicarus | 5 Feb '13, 16:13 | X | ^ This | Reply
    
    furio and orangejuice this'd this
    - also New Morning is quite good
      
      furio @Icarus-Smicarus | 6 Feb '13, 08:25 | X | ^ This | Reply
      - It really isn't
        
        The Big Lebowski song is good, the rest...not so much.
        
        At best it's okay.
        
        Royter-Hatfood @furio | 6 Feb '13, 09:45 | X | ^ This | Reply
        
        meths this'd this
        
        title song is good also
        
        furio @Royter-Hatfood | 6 Feb '13, 19:16 | X | ^ This | Reply
        
        and day of the locusts
        
        definitely not a bad album
        
        furio @furio | 6 Feb '13, 19:17 | X | ^ This | Reply
        
        Sign On The Window
        
        is one of my favourite Dylan songs. I think New Morning as a whole is worthy of 'quite good'.
        
        Coja @Royter-Hatfood | 6 Feb '13, 22:02 | X | ^ This | Reply
        
        furio this'd this
- 1 good and 9 great obviously...
  
  DiSisAcid @meths | 6 Feb '13, 21:06 | X | ^ This | Reply
Kate Bush

Hounds of Love (1985) – Aerial (2005) (not that Sensual World is shit, and Red Shoes is only a bit shit)

lukowski | 5 Feb '13, 15:33 | X | ^ This | Reply

Loui_Tacceh this'd this
Mark Kozelek

Was great mid nineties with Songs for a Blue Guitar.

Then a stinker of a RHP album (Old Ramon), followed by tedious live solo albums for years, then Ghosts of the Great Highway.

What a comeback.

StormsOnTheMoon | 5 Feb '13, 15:44 | X | ^ This | Reply
- I disagree
  
  Old Ramon is great, the live solo stuff is beautiful but Ghosts... is bloody wonderful, true.
  
  steinbolt @StormsOnTheMoon | 5 Feb '13, 15:52 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - I can't get into Old Ramon,
    
    especially after hearing great, better versions of those songs on other releases (such as the Nights LP).
    
    The live stuff I think got way better around the time of Admiral Fell Promises, but tbf there's not much difference I guess.
    
    Ghosts, April and AFP were a fantastic comeback, even more so when he admits to having writer's block for months at a time.
    
    StormsOnTheMoon @steinbolt | 5 Feb '13, 17:16 | X | ^ This | Reply
I thought both the Stone Roses albums were amazing

If you igore Turns Into Stone (also good) there's like a mega gap between them but they're both great.

moker | 5 Feb '13, 15:53 | X | ^ This | Reply
I'd say Scott Walker too,

Maybe John Cale (Hobosapiens) as well.

Bobby Womack's had an up and down career also.

marckee | 5 Feb '13, 17:44 | X | ^ This | Reply
Gary Numan

After the triad of Replicas, TPP and Telekon, there was a long downward spiral until mid-late 1990's goth/industrial blast of Sacrifice, Exile and Pure. So that's like 15-18 years?

dcnuman | 5 Feb '13, 19:11 | X | ^ This | Reply
Beyond in 2007 - whatever early Dinosaur Jr album you consider to be great

(it's Bug in 1988, obviously)

Epimer | 5 Feb '13, 19:53 | X | ^ This | Reply

pentargo this'd this
- Where You Been? is pretty great
  
  yuggy @Epimer | 6 Feb '13, 10:41 | X | ^ This | Reply
The Wedding Present

Seamonsters - 1991
Take Fountain - 2005

14 years. Watusi and Saturnalia aren't bad (and Mini is pretty fantastic but that's an EP, let's be honest) but those are two that I'd consider GREAT with NON-GREAT stuff in between.

automatik | 5 Feb '13, 20:00 | X | ^ This | Reply

hibster this'd this
Dinosaur Jr

YLAOM/Bug were great, Farm was (surprisingly) great, everything in between can fuck the fuck off

blisters | 5 Feb '13, 20:45 | X | ^ This | Reply
- WHERE YOU BEEN
  
  lemonbrickcombo @blisters | 6 Feb '13, 00:57 | X | ^ This | Reply
  
  orangejuice this'd this
- beyond is way better than farm
  
  anal_schwarzenegger @blisters | 6 Feb '13, 01:05 | X | ^ This | Reply
  
  Epimer this'd this
The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967)

Lou Reed and Metallica (2011)

dan_thw | 6 Feb '13, 00:49 | X | ^ This | Reply
- :D
  
  anal_schwarzenegger @dan_thw | 6 Feb '13, 01:06 | X | ^ This | Reply
  
  theShipment, furio, Royter-Hatfood, Antelope, joeymahone, and Epimer this'd this
mission of burma

the horrible truth about burma - 1985
the obliterati - 2006

anal_schwarzenegger | 6 Feb '13, 01:07 | X | ^ This | Reply
Wire

Apart from the Vien EP which is amazing, these guys kinda dossed it after 154 (to my ears). Then came Read & Burn, then came Send. Mother of God.

Loui_Tacceh | 6 Feb '13, 01:23 | X | ^ This | Reply
Scott Walker

Scott 4 1969
Climate of Hunter 1984

bornin69 | 6 Feb '13, 07:24 | X | ^ This | Reply
The Cure

Wish - ace
Wild Moon Swings - cack
Bloodflowers - ace

8 years. Not that long, I suppose.

fenella | 6 Feb '13, 10:09 | X | ^ This | Reply
Could be ...

The AVALANCHES first & 2nd albums ... but I don't wanna get started on that.

theintl | 6 Feb '13, 10:15 | X | ^ This | Reply
Simple Minds? 27 years??

From New Gold Dream (1982) to Graffiti Soul (2009), although I suspect Graffiti Soul is 'quite good' rather than 'properly great' (I haven't heard it).

sidrrrs | 6 Feb '13, 10:33 | X | ^ This | Reply
Fleetwood Mac

Twice.

Anyone bought or listened to the 5 or 6 albums after Peter Green left and before Buckingham & Nicks joined? Or the two albums between Tango In The Night and Say You Will.

Actually, can someone direct me to any hidden gems in that periodgems in there, but can't really be bothered.

MarsBonfire | 6 Feb '13, 19:42 | X | ^ This | Reply
- *Actually, can someone direct me to any hidden gems in that period?
  
  MarsBonfire @MarsBonfire | 6 Feb '13, 19:53 | X | ^ This | Reply
Longest gap.....Johnny Cash?

The prison albums in the late 60s, whatever he did for the next 25 years and then back with American albums under Rick Rubin.

MarsBonfire | 6 Feb '13, 19:49 | X | ^ This | Reply
Leftism.

Is still bloody marvellous. Such a shame they didn't release more albums, rhythm and stealth aside.

crosseyedsniper | 6 Feb '13, 21:59 | X | ^ This | Reply
...Bill Fay...

41 years between 'Time of the Last Persecution' (1971) and last year's equally excellent 'Life Is People' (I'm not counting the 'Tomorrow...' album from 2005 as that was a bunch of unreleased recordings).

CharlieClown | 6 Feb '13, 22:02 | X | ^ This | Reply

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