Author Topic: Bands that blew it (Read 12248 times)

Perpetual Change · « **on:** June 28, 2011, 10:34:05 PM »

As I was looking through my CD collection today, I had an idea to start a thread where we list off bands that we once considered good, until they screwed up so badly that it managed to sour our impressions of even the works which we once held to be their best. If a band you once liked managed to release so much bad material that you don't follow them at all anymore, even have a hard time listening to the good stuff and/or are now reluctant to rec the band to others, list it here.

Hopefully this won't turn ugly.

Queensyrche are one of those bands for me. My resentment of Geoff Tate has grown so much in recent years that I can't stand listening to him, and am extremely reluctant now to even listen to records like Mindcrime and Empire. Is that fair to them, or the "real" QR? Maybe not. All I know is that thanks to the last couple of QR records, I'm unable to take the sound of his voice seriously.

Weezer are another. In my younger years, they were a favorite band of mine. I stuck with them right up until Maladriot. Even though it was lackluster, it was still OK. Then came Beverly Hills and Make Believe. UGH. When I thought things couldn't get any worse, Weezer went on to release an unprecedented 4(!) albums in two years, all of which completely blew. When I realized the band easily had more bad material than good, and was on a downward slope with no sign of stopping, they became something that I simply could not listen to or follow any longer.

More to come!

Adami · « **Reply #1 on:** June 28, 2011, 10:37:07 PM »

Into Eternity - They used to write good songs, now it's bordering on unlistenable.

Gadough · « **Reply #2 on:** June 28, 2011, 10:37:48 PM »

Nothing Queensryche does or has done will ever sour my opinion of Operation Mindcrime. But, I see where you're coming from.

ClairvoyantCat · « **Reply #3 on:** June 28, 2011, 10:48:46 PM »

I don't think any artist has ever really "blown it" for me as far as ruining the material that I enjoyed by weak later releases. But I do know of some artists that lost their traction and never really regained it.

Tori Amos is a good example. Her first four albums were absolutely gorgeous, and then after that she produced a long line of mostly weak, forgettable albums, with the one exception of Scarlet's Walk.

...and, amazingly, I can't think of any other examples, at least right now.

Jamesman42 · « **Reply #4 on:** June 28, 2011, 10:52:39 PM »

In before DT

dongringo · « **Reply #5 on:** June 28, 2011, 10:54:49 PM »

I quite like the last couple Queensryche albums, but Dedicated To Chaos is the one that has definitely soured my opinion of Geoff Tate's influence over the band and the rest of the band not standing up to him. I think this album will inevitably make me think twice about throwing on any other QR any time soon. But I'm sure I can get over this if they can get it together as a band and write another Ryche album. Not holding my breath though.

jlandrus23 · « **Reply #6 on:** June 28, 2011, 10:55:16 PM »

Creed- I used to love this band, then they got progressively worse.

MasterShakezula · « **Reply #7 on:** June 28, 2011, 10:55:52 PM »

Uriah Heep after Firefly. Or Wishbone Ash after Argus.

pain of occupation · « **Reply #8 on:** June 28, 2011, 11:16:44 PM »

probly metallica - ruined by the release of st.anger, and by lameness.

and actually into eternity kinda for me too (home town heroes) - i think they more lost me on line-up changes...also, i had to back off, cuz i think i was scaring tim roth with my fanboy-ness.

man, did i ever 180 on those guys: no exaggeration, i saw something like 30 into eternity shows in under 3 years a decade back...now i havent been to a show in years, and i spin them next-to-never

LCArenas · « **Reply #9 on:** June 28, 2011, 11:57:27 PM »

Quote from: jlandrus23 on June 28, 2011, 10:55:16 PM

Creed- I used to love this band, then they got progressively worse.

This. My Own Prison was awesome. Really, really good. Then came Human Clay, which in my opinion sucked really hard. Weathered had decent songs, but it still had a lot of the mediocre songwriting that Human Clay had. It also had Don't Stop Dancing, which is IMO the worst song they've ever made.

Full Circle was refreshing, but I still think the songs there would sound 100x better if they were sung with Myles Kennedy on Alter Bridge.

MetalManiac666 · « **Reply #10 on:** June 29, 2011, 12:05:29 AM »

Metallica proved with Death Magnetic that they can't even do thrash particularly well anymore.

pain of occupation · « **Reply #11 on:** June 29, 2011, 01:36:05 AM »

i actually liked both them first two creed albums quite a bit back in the day; thought the third album was one of the worst drop offs i'd ever heard.

they were another band i basically stopped spinning, though i wouldnt say b/c of said third album [had already kinda moved on from them anywayz (though in all fairness, maybe that added to the perceived drop off)]

Ħ · « **Reply #12 on:** June 29, 2011, 01:48:49 AM »

Definitely agree with Queensryche.

Jirpo · « **Reply #13 on:** June 29, 2011, 01:58:10 AM »

Metallica and Queensryche.

Zantera · « **Reply #14 on:** June 29, 2011, 03:42:52 AM »

Dream Theater - Even though I enjoy Train of Thought, I can't really say that I like any of the albums post-6DOIT.
That album is really fantastic, but I don't really like the direction they've taken with some idea that songs "have to" be long to be good, they aren't on Awake and I&W, and just look at what the fanbase thinks of them.
If I could wish for something, it would be that the next album would have no tracks over 10 minutes or so.

The Killers - I really loved the first two albums, I think they were well-written and perfectly executed indie rock/alt rock-albums.
However, something changed on their third album, and that change in sound was very disappointing to me.
The whole "are you human or are you dancer?" or however it goes is most likely one of the songs I hate the most in this universe, and the third album is just soooo bad.

Pure Reason Revolution - Started out their career perfectly with The Dark Third, which has become one of my favorite progressive albums ever.
It just has a very great mix of progressive, electronics and vocal-harmonies, but sadly they decided to screw up the album.
AVO was a great album, but doesn't quite live up to the quality of TDT, and H&A doesn't nearly match AVO, so the band has slowly been declining with each album.

Three examples that came to my mind right away.

splent · « **Reply #15 on:** June 29, 2011, 03:48:19 AM »

Quote from: ClairvoyantCat on June 28, 2011, 10:48:46 PM

Tori Amos is a good example. Her first four albums were absolutely gorgeous, and then after that she produced a long line of mostly weak, forgettable albums, with the one exception of Scarlet's Walk.

I really like Tori... but yeah, her first four albums are by far her strongest (Earthquakes, Pretty Good Year, Boys for Pele, Choirgirl Hotel)... but there are gems on all those albums that follow. I actually like the concept of American Doll Posse, and saw her live on that tour. She came out as Pip, and did Me and a Gun for the first time with her band accompanying her. It was very very intense... I don't think she's performed the song in any shape or form since then. Her holiday album imo was actually very good, and had many elements of her earlier works (including bringing back the harpsichord!).

I actually really can't wait to hear her new album which was described as “21st century song cycle inspired by select classical pieces spanning the last 400 years”...

As far as bands that blew it for me... I can't really think of a band like that except for maybe Jars of Clay. When I was in middle school I was really into Christian rock and spinned their first two albums all of the time. It just sounded edgy and angry, and lots of acoustic guitar. When their third album came out called If I Left The Zoo, it sounded more poppy and happy and I disliked it... and with everything that followed I just grew weary of them. THat's when Christian rock basically became less original and more praise and worshippy, which really got old quickly for me (I'm still a Christian, but that kind of music just doesn't do it for me outside of church, as much as I hate to say it). It didn't help that I saw them live and they had no stage presence at all. I rarely even listen to them anymore.

jingle.boy · « **Reply #16 on:** June 29, 2011, 05:27:23 AM »

Quote from: Gadough on June 28, 2011, 10:37:48 PM

Nothing Queensryche does or has done will ever sour my opinion of Operation Mindcrime. But, I see where you're coming from.

Agreed.

Off the top of my head, I`m with Splent... can`t think of a band `blowing it` so bad that it tainted my impression of their previous material. Plenty of cases where I was so disappointed, I stopped following future material. Queensryche after Q2K; Van Halen (VH III); Extreme (Extreme III); Tesla (Bust a Nut); Genesis (Invisible Touch); Iron Maiden (No Prayer - but they redeemed themselves with Bruce`s return and BNW). Others I`m sure if I thought harder about it.

I almost gave up on Rush after Vapor Trails, but fortunately a buddy played S&A for me, and all was good with the holy triumverant again.

King Postwhore · « **Reply #17 on:** June 29, 2011, 05:31:55 AM »

Aw jingle.boy

II Sides is their masterpiece!!!

Splent. I think you would like Jar's Of Clay's album, Good Monsters.

PC. I agree about Weezer. I loves the first 3 albums but every album after that has some very good songs and a ton of dead weight.

TAC · « **Reply #18 on:** June 29, 2011, 05:44:34 AM »

Quote from: MasterShakezula on June 28, 2011, 10:55:52 PM

Uriah Heep after Firefly. Or Wishbone Ash after Argus.

Wow! A new Fogey! Be sure to check out the Old As Mold thread! I can't beleive how dated Abominog sounds.

Queensryche for sure. I'd agree with Metallica, but I love Death Magnetic. It's a complete metal jam fest. But we'll probably end up waiting another 5 years for a next album...

I'm, going with Def Leppard. High n Dry was one of the most ass kicking albums of the early 80's, and along with On Through The Night, I was poised to be a Def Leppard fan for life. They were my first concert in 1983 on the Pyromania tour. As soon as I heard Hysteria, I knew the ride was over for me. WTF happened? The last decent things put out was the Hysteria B Sides.

King Postwhore · « **Reply #19 on:** June 29, 2011, 05:49:13 AM »

The middle of Def was bad. Good call TAC. I'd say the last few albums have been better.

I remember Cheap Trick having some soft albums until the release of their second self titled album in 1997. Though I did like 1994's Woke Up With A Monster.

TAC · « **Reply #20 on:** June 29, 2011, 06:01:08 AM »

Quote from: kingshmegland on June 29, 2011, 05:49:13 AM

The middle of Def was bad. Good call TAC. I'd say the last few albums have been better.

I remember Cheap Trick having some soft albums until the release of their second self titled album in 1997. Though I did like 1994's Woke Up With A Monster.

Never been into Cheap Trick. I think I've sampled some Def Leppard as they have released new stuff, but it all just sounds terribly uninteresting to me. Any Recomendations?

King Postwhore · « **Reply #21 on:** June 29, 2011, 06:03:04 AM »

Songs from the Sparkle Lounge. Though, they'll never be as rocking as High 'n' Dry.

jingle.boy · « **Reply #22 on:** June 29, 2011, 06:11:50 AM »

I wouldn`t say that late 80s Def was bad, it was just VERY commercial. Lots of bands digressed from their origins to gain commercial popularity - Crue, Metallica, Bon Jovi immediately come to mind. I don`t consider their commercially successful albums to be `bad`.

Quote from: kingshmegland on June 29, 2011, 05:31:55 AM

Aw jingle.boy II Sides is their masterpiece!!!

Not sure if you meant that to be green or not. You`re right to some degree... III wasn`t bad, but I`d hardly call it their masterpiece. I actually had a brain fart (only 1 cup of joe so far) and meant to call out Waiting for the Punchline. That was bad.

TAC · « **Reply #23 on:** June 29, 2011, 06:19:06 AM »

Quote from: jingle.boy on June 29, 2011, 06:11:50 AM

I wouldn`t say that late 80s Def was bad, it was just VERY commercial. Lots of bands digressed from their origins to gain commercial popularity - Crue, Metallica, Bon Jovi immediately come to mind. I don`t consider their commercially successful albums to be `bad`.

I don't think either Bon Jovi or Motley Crue went commercial or really changed all that much, at least through Dr. Feelgood (their 5th album) and New Jersey (their 4th). In the case of Motley Crue, they actually became much better writers and players.

Stylistically Def Leppard lost me. Like Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet..yes it was a commercial success, but it really came out of nowhere. Stylistically, it's not much of a change from 7800 F or their 1st album. I'd argue that there was a bigger style gap from High n Dry to Pyromania than any in the between the 80's output of Bon Jovi or Crue.

King Postwhore · « **Reply #24 on:** June 29, 2011, 06:34:48 AM »

It was Adrenalize that through me off the Def Lep bandwagon for a while.

Waiting for the Punchline was an album that had to grow on me. But I understand.

Perpetual Change · « **Reply #25 on:** June 29, 2011, 06:38:41 AM »

Quote from: MasterShakezula on June 28, 2011, 10:55:52 PM

Uriah Heep after Firefly. Or Wishbone Ash after Argus.

I bought a Uriah Heep Greatest Hits CD awhile ago. It was good, but there was also a LOT of bad material on it, too.

ZirconBlue · « **Reply #26 on:** June 29, 2011, 07:06:17 AM »

Quote from: TAC on June 29, 2011, 06:19:06 AM

I don't think either Bon Jovi or Motley Crue went commercial or really changed all that much, at least through Dr. Feelgood (their 5th album) and New Jersey (their 4th). In the case of Motley Crue, they actually became much better writers and players.

Crue went really commercial with Theater of Pain. Compare it to any of their other albums through the S/T, and it sticks out like a sore thumb.

King Postwhore · « **Reply #27 on:** June 29, 2011, 07:07:27 AM »

Quote from: ZirconBlue on June 29, 2011, 07:06:17 AM

Quote from: TAC on June 29, 2011, 06:19:06 AM
I don't think either Bon Jovi or Motley Crue went commercial or really changed all that much, at least through Dr. Feelgood (their 5th album) and New Jersey (their 4th). In the case of Motley Crue, they actually became much better writers and players.

Crue went really commercial with Theater of Pain. Compare it to any of their other albums through the S/T, and it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Great tour though. Saw them with Accept, Helix and Y & T.

YtseBitsySpider · « **Reply #28 on:** June 29, 2011, 07:24:56 AM »

Im going to go with Guns N Roses.
What a colossal waste of everyone's time.
They were huge....they could have been legends.

Circus Maximus is next on this list if they don't get their shit together....though personally I think they've blown it already.

Quadrochosis · « **Reply #29 on:** June 29, 2011, 07:35:58 AM »

Dream Theater definitely blew it after 6DOIT, I agree with Zantera on that point.

Durg · « **Reply #30 on:** June 29, 2011, 07:36:37 AM »

Quote from: splent on June 29, 2011, 03:48:19 AM

As far as bands that blew it for me... I can't really think of a band like that except for maybe Jars of Clay. When I was in middle school I was really into Christian rock and spinned their first two albums all of the time. It just sounded edgy and angry, and lots of acoustic guitar. When their third album came out called If I Left The Zoo, it sounded more poppy and happy and I disliked it... and with everything that followed I just grew weary of them. THat's when Christian rock basically became less original and more praise and worshippy, which really got old quickly for me (I'm still a Christian, but that kind of music just doesn't do it for me outside of church, as much as I hate to say it). It didn't help that I saw them live and they had no stage presence at all. I rarely even listen to them anymore.

I think If I Left the Zoo is better than Much Afraid but not by much. They're very similar except that there is a "happier" mood to If I Left the Zoo. I admit that I haven't listened to their last few releases. However, I have to tell you that last winter I saw Jars of Clay at Lancaster Bible College and it was infinitely better then the previous two times I've seen them. Why? Their equipment truck broke down in Tennessee and they only had their bare bones equipment. They actually did all of the songs from their first album complete with acoustic guitars and a grand piano. It truly was amazing. And the one song that I never really paid much attention to, "Worlds Apart", just absolutely blew me away. The harmonies were spot on and Dave just got so emotionally into it. Since then I've been listening to those three albums again after all these years and I just can't believe how good they really are. I do wish that they'd leave the pop radio sound behind and go back to the creativeness that made them so good. I'm not giving up on them yet.

I'm definitely going to agree on Queensryche. Also, Def Leppard as well. Pyromania was their high point in my opinion.

TAC · « **Reply #31 on:** June 29, 2011, 07:39:17 AM »

Quote from: ZirconBlue on June 29, 2011, 07:06:17 AM

Quote from: TAC on June 29, 2011, 06:19:06 AM
I don't think either Bon Jovi or Motley Crue went commercial or really changed all that much, at least through Dr. Feelgood (their 5th album) and New Jersey (their 4th). In the case of Motley Crue, they actually became much better writers and players.

Crue went really commercial with Theater of Pain. Compare it to any of their other albums through the S/T, and it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Yes, I was thinking that as well, I just didn't post it. I'm not sure if it was a commercial trend, or that they had run out of good material and had to start from scratch. It's not a very good album.

skydivingninja · « **Reply #32 on:** June 29, 2011, 07:42:06 AM »

Quote from: YtseBitsySpider on June 29, 2011, 07:24:56 AM

Im going to go with Guns N Roses.
What a colossal waste of everyone's time.
They were huge....they could have been legends.

They already are legends even with only one amazing album.

cfmoran13 · « **Reply #33 on:** June 29, 2011, 07:52:18 AM »

Queensryche... Queensryche... Queensryche!!! Nuff said!

GnR is definitely towards the top of the list in this subject. It's amazing how one self-destructive @sshole could single-handedly ruin one of the most popular and successful rock bands in decades. This band should go the route of L.A. Guns. There should be Axl Rose's Guns N' Roses ('cause it really is a solo band) and there should be a Guns N' Roses with the other guys with a singer who'll actually show up on time to a gig.

Extreme's III Sides is definitely my favorite album from them. "The Truth" is absolutely awesome!

There's absolutely nothing wrong with Tesla's Bust A Nut. There might be a few more commercial songs on this album than there were on previous. But, it's still pretty solid.

And, what happened to Def Leppard in between Pyromania and Hysteria?!? Seriously?!? Let's see... Their drummer lost an arm and they decided to stick with him. Their music definitely suffered as they adapted to Rick Allen's limitations. But, you gotta hand it to them for not giving up on him. It was after Steve Clark's death that they definitely lost it for me with Adrenalize. To me, this is them trying trying to recreate the commercial accessibility of their previous album and create Hysteria 2 with a new guitarist who doesn't enjoy heavy music anymore.

Bolsters · « **Reply #34 on:** June 29, 2011, 08:08:09 AM »

Guns N' Roses isn't one I thought of. But you're all right, huge loss of potential there.

Here are some I thought of:

Frost* - Great first album, but I was incredibly disappointed with the second, going for more of a mainstream pop sound (I know the first hinted at this, but the second took it much farther and IMO too far). Then the main driving force of the band just calls it quits making things worse, because the band is pretty much dead forever. Definitely blew it.

Thunderstone - Started off as a decent power metal band (a power metal band I could actually enjoy listening to, very rare and there's not many of them). Then they moved onto more of a standard metal sound over time, which I thought they still did well even though it took me longer to appreciate. But I had high hopes for Dirt Metal after the progression of the albums leading up to it (Evolution 4.0 = great), and it was a huge disappointment that has still not grown on me and probably never will. Now, the band members seem more focused on their dinosaur kids metal band than Thunderstone so there's nothing on the horizon. There probably will be something eventually, but for the moment, not a thing.

The Corrs - Probably a band no one here gives a crap about, but I like them. Or at least their older stuff before they started to blow. It. The first album was almost a masterpiece, my only gripe being that there was too many traditional songs (although I still liked them) and not enough originals. Their fusion of celtic folk and pop was masterfully done. The second album, Talk On Corners, took them further into pop and rock territory, but it still felt like the same band. But even though In Blue had one or two decent songs, starting with this album they began a huge nosedive that only continued to worsen as each subsequent album was released. What started off as a fusion of celtic folk, rock, and pop became nothing but tacky pop, and it was not only a complete waste of their talent but also the loss of something that was unique and interesting after its complete bastardisation.

Some people might not agree about Frost* but oh well. I can't think of any others offhand except these three, so far, besides what was already mentioned.

News: Dream Theater Forums: Biggest Dream Theater online community since 2007.

Author Topic: Bands that blew it (Read 12248 times)