Author Topic: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great  (Read 6183 times)

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Offline Zook

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #70 on: June 10, 2018, 02:10:11 PM »
:lol

I don't at all agree that radio play is indicative of any sort of quality. Popularity, maybe. But if it's quality, you need to explain why Five Finger Death Punch gets radio play.  :lol
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SHAM PAIN :metardica:

This is the worst damn thing I have seen since the ICP video about miracles.

You have to wonder what their intentions were here. If they were parodying Nickelback's Rockstar, they're 10 years too late. On top of that, Rockstar is already a satire, and FFDP managed to make a worse song than Rockstar. Was it on purpose? They were clearly taking the piss, but it was executed TERRIBLY. I should know. :neverusethis:

Offline nobloodyname

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #71 on: June 10, 2018, 02:39:38 PM »
Metallica *ducks and runs*

Rightly ignored for the first two pages of the thread.

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Offline Snow Dog

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #72 on: June 10, 2018, 10:34:25 PM »
A couple of these might ruffle feathers, but it’s just my opinions.

Symphony X - Granted, Divine Wings is a decent album, but it still never gripped me the way V, The Odyssey, and Paradise Lost did.

Skillet - I don’t expect this will kick up a lot of discussion given their subject material and I never see them mentioned here. But a look into their past revealed to me their first four albums were industrial shite, and it wasn’t until Collide/Comatose that they became the guitar-oriented, riff driven band they are today.

Threshold - Psychedelicatessen was decent, and Clone was a good transition into the Mac era, but Damien’s delivery on Wounded Land and Extinct Instinct is just something I still can’t tolerate. It isn’t until we get to Hypothetical onward that each release is solid to stellar (except maybe For the Journey, but I enjoy even that one too).

Offline Anguyen92

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #73 on: June 10, 2018, 11:18:51 PM »
Skillet - I don’t expect this will kick up a lot of discussion given their subject material and I never see them mentioned here. But a look into their past revealed to me their first four albums were industrial shite, and it wasn’t until Collide/Comatose that they became the guitar-oriented, riff driven band they are today.

I mean I like Alien Youth, despite the industrial vibe at times, but yeah, with Collide and especially, Comatose, that's when they really hit their stride.

Offline erwinrafael

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #74 on: June 11, 2018, 12:22:11 AM »
Savatage. Paul O'Neill really brought them to another level with Hall of the Mountain King.

Online MirrorMask

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #75 on: June 11, 2018, 02:11:18 AM »
Savatage. Paul O'Neill really brought them to another level with Hall of the Mountain King.

Not gonna argue with that, but there are so many kickass songs on those first three albums (Fight for the Rock indeed sucks).
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Offline Cruithne

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #76 on: June 11, 2018, 02:37:07 AM »
Symphony X - Granted, Divine Wings is a decent album, but it still never gripped me the way V, The Odyssey, and Paradise Lost did.

I think I might agree with that. I've just been in the midst of a grand CD cull and the only one of the first four Symphony X albums I ended up hanging onto was Divine Wings and I definitely eyed that CD up with a degree of suspicion. With the rest I think I really only liked about one or two songs per album.

Offline Nekov

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #77 on: June 11, 2018, 06:04:44 AM »
I'll jump in the bandwagon with Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree. And I will mention Anathema in spite of the threats...
IQ is another band I would name. Their first 4 aren't bad but what comes after is waaay better.
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Offline bosk1

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #78 on: June 11, 2018, 11:06:31 AM »


That's cool.  I just never liked "old-school thrash."  Same reason I don't like Kill 'Em All, or earlier albums from other thrash bands that I otherwise think had some great later output (e.g. Flotsam & Jetsam and Testament).  And that sound was Megadeth's wheelhouse for those first four.  Just, for some reason, it really worked and clicked with me on Rust.  Mid-'80s to early-'90s is when Thrash evolved to a point, and my tastes evolved to a point, where the two were compatible.

Fair to say that you like thrash influenced metal, more than thrash metal..?

Maybe.  But I'm not sure specifically what you are referring to when you say "thrash influenced metal."  If you are talking about modern metal bands that were influenced by, say, Metallica and others, like Dream Theater, Epica, and on and on, then yes.  But can you elaborate?

Symphony X - Granted, Divine Wings is a decent album, but it still never gripped me the way V, The Odyssey, and Paradise Lost did.

Yes!  GREAT call!  For my tastes, this band may as well have had V be their debut.  I pretty much ignore everything before.
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Offline pg1067

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #79 on: June 11, 2018, 11:42:34 AM »


I agree with Kev about Styx.  The debut is almost completely forgettable.  Lady was a minor hit twice, but Styx II also largely nondescript (although you can start to hear the "classic" Styx sound on a couple of songs).  There's nothing remarkable about The Serpent is Rising (unless you find some entertainment value in Plexiglass Toilet).  Man of Miracles has a couple of good songs, but Styx really didn't get its legs under it until Equinox.

There are some gems on those early albums:

Father O.S.A.
The Grove of Eglantine
Winner Take All
Best Thing
You Need Love
I'm Gonna Make You Feel It
Man of Miracles

Your list of songs encompasses at least three of the songs I was thinking about when I said that "you can start to hear the 'classic' Styx sound on a couple of songs" on Styx II and "Man of Miracles has a couple of good songs."  A lot of it has to do with Wooden Nickel being a shitty record company, but there was really very little on those first four albums that foretold what was coming.  The funny thing about it is that the only real change was swapping out Curulewski for Shaw.  Maybe the real impetus was the band acting as its own producer, which is a rather remarkable thing for an otherwise relatively unknown band with virtually no solid track record signing onto a major label.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #80 on: June 11, 2018, 06:32:10 PM »

Your list of songs encompasses at least three of the songs I was thinking about when I said that "you can start to hear the 'classic' Styx sound on a couple of songs" on Styx II and "Man of Miracles has a couple of good songs."  A lot of it has to do with Wooden Nickel being a shitty record company, but there was really very little on those first four albums that foretold what was coming.  The funny thing about it is that the only real change was swapping out Curulewski for Shaw.  Maybe the real impetus was the band acting as its own producer, which is a rather remarkable thing for an otherwise relatively unknown band with virtually no solid track record signing onto a major label.

I've always said that Styx would occasionally stick their feet into the prog pool during their heyday, but on those first four albums they were leaving them in a bit longer, and I do wonder if they had stayed on the most "artsy" path had those early albums done well, aside from Lady.  Equinox, the last album with Curulewski, was a departure from those first four albums in several major ways, yet history now shows it as the first in their classic albums run.

Offline Stadler

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #81 on: June 12, 2018, 09:46:39 AM »


I agree with Kev about Styx.  The debut is almost completely forgettable.  Lady was a minor hit twice, but Styx II also largely nondescript (although you can start to hear the "classic" Styx sound on a couple of songs).  There's nothing remarkable about The Serpent is Rising (unless you find some entertainment value in Plexiglass Toilet).  Man of Miracles has a couple of good songs, but Styx really didn't get its legs under it until Equinox.

There are some gems on those early albums:

Father O.S.A.
The Grove of Eglantine
Winner Take All
Best Thing
You Need Love
I'm Gonna Make You Feel It
Man of Miracles

Your list of songs encompasses at least three of the songs I was thinking about when I said that "you can start to hear the 'classic' Styx sound on a couple of songs" on Styx II and "Man of Miracles has a couple of good songs."  A lot of it has to do with Wooden Nickel being a shitty record company, but there was really very little on those first four albums that foretold what was coming.  The funny thing about it is that the only real change was swapping out Curulewski for Shaw.  Maybe the real impetus was the band acting as its own producer, which is a rather remarkable thing for an otherwise relatively unknown band with virtually no solid track record signing onto a major label.

Well, Shaw is a beast, so I don't know if that's a minor change (I'm not a huge Styx fan, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong).

Honest question, though:  what did Wooden Nickel have to do with the music?  Were they telling the band what they could and could not release?   Again, honest question, not trying to be sarcastic here; I've already said, not much of a Styx fan.

Offline pg1067

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #82 on: June 12, 2018, 10:24:28 AM »


I agree with Kev about Styx.  The debut is almost completely forgettable.  Lady was a minor hit twice, but Styx II also largely nondescript (although you can start to hear the "classic" Styx sound on a couple of songs).  There's nothing remarkable about The Serpent is Rising (unless you find some entertainment value in Plexiglass Toilet).  Man of Miracles has a couple of good songs, but Styx really didn't get its legs under it until Equinox.

There are some gems on those early albums:

Father O.S.A.
The Grove of Eglantine
Winner Take All
Best Thing
You Need Love
I'm Gonna Make You Feel It
Man of Miracles

Your list of songs encompasses at least three of the songs I was thinking about when I said that "you can start to hear the 'classic' Styx sound on a couple of songs" on Styx II and "Man of Miracles has a couple of good songs."  A lot of it has to do with Wooden Nickel being a shitty record company, but there was really very little on those first four albums that foretold what was coming.  The funny thing about it is that the only real change was swapping out Curulewski for Shaw.  Maybe the real impetus was the band acting as its own producer, which is a rather remarkable thing for an otherwise relatively unknown band with virtually no solid track record signing onto a major label.

Well, Shaw is a beast, so I don't know if that's a minor change (I'm not a huge Styx fan, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong).

Honest question, though:  what did Wooden Nickel have to do with the music?  Were they telling the band what they could and could not release?   Again, honest question, not trying to be sarcastic here; I've already said, not much of a Styx fan.

In hindsight, Shaw coming on board was obviously huge since many of the band's best known and most highly regarded songs are his.  At the time, it was no big deal, and Shaw was a last minute replacement for Curulewski.  I'll have to try and dig up what I read about Wooden Nickel, but I recall having read disparaging comments about Wooden Nickel by DeYoung, Young and Shaw.
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Offline erwinrafael

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #83 on: June 12, 2018, 07:39:49 PM »
Savatage. Paul O'Neill really brought them to another level with Hall of the Mountain King.

Not gonna argue with that, but there are so many kickass songs on those first three albums (Fight for the Rock indeed sucks).

Well, the OP is about bands whose first four albums aren't THAT GREAT, so yeah, lots of kickass songs on those good albums. :D

Offline TAC

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #84 on: June 12, 2018, 07:51:24 PM »
I'd say Savatage's first four, middle four, and last four weren't that great.  ;D
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
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Offline jingle.boy

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #85 on: June 12, 2018, 09:05:13 PM »
I'd say Savatage's first four, middle four, and last four weren't that great.  ;D

I think you typed Saxon wrong.
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Offline IDontNotDoThings

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #86 on: June 12, 2018, 09:54:56 PM »
Queensryche










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Offline Stadler

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #87 on: June 13, 2018, 08:04:51 AM »
I'd say Savatage's first four, middle four, and last four weren't that great.  ;D

I think you typed Saxon wrong.

I thought he meant "Slayer".   My bad.

Offline jingle.boy

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #88 on: June 13, 2018, 08:41:57 AM »
I'd say Savatage's first four, middle four, and last four weren't that great.  ;D

I think you typed Saxon wrong.

I thought he meant "Slayer".   My bad.

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Offline Podaar

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #89 on: June 13, 2018, 11:14:33 AM »
Pantera.

Yup.

I agree with Styx as well.
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Offline DragonAttack

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #90 on: July 06, 2018, 04:34:26 PM »
As groundbreaking as they were, and even if you include their non LP 45s......The Beatles.  Even if one does include their non LP 45s, just because of 'For Sale', one would have to include their first four offerings as 'not so great'. 

Kind of an interesting division, depending on who one talks to, in regards to Journey.  'Next', their third LP, became quite a hit to many of us once the band hit it big.  Those who love Steve Perry would consider their first two (or three) releases weak.  Some people think those three offerings were their strongest.  Hmmmm?
« Last Edit: July 06, 2018, 10:22:20 PM by DragonAttack »
...going along with Dragon Attack's Queen thread has been like taking a free class in Queen knowledge. Where else are you gonna find info like that?!

Offline KevShmev

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #91 on: July 06, 2018, 05:09:58 PM »
Compared to what came later, you probably could say the Beatles, but it feels odd to say them since those early album are loaded with so many pop classics.

I would throw XTC in as a band that fits this thread well.  To me, they didn't hit their stride to their 4th album.  I have little to no use for the first three.  But albums 4 through 14 (counting The Dukes) are mostly money.

Offline WildRanger

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #92 on: July 07, 2018, 04:37:24 AM »
I'd say Savatage's first four, middle four, and last four weren't that great.  ;D

I think you typed Saxon wrong.

Saxon >>> Savatage

Offline Peter Mc

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #93 on: July 08, 2018, 03:24:59 AM »
Not actually sure if this is correct as I’ve never heard their first four albums but would Amorphis fit into this category? My collection only runs from Eclipse onwards and I have all their albums since but never got the impression that I need to go back and listen to their earlier stuff. Like I said though, I’ve never actually heard any of it so I could be very wrong!

Offline Luoto

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #94 on: July 08, 2018, 08:52:41 AM »
Not actually sure if this is correct as I’ve never heard their first four albums but would Amorphis fit into this category?

No chance. Tales from the Thousand Lakes in particular is a melodeath classic, and Elegy is just as good as the Joutsen albums too.
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Online Indiscipline

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #95 on: July 08, 2018, 10:08:45 AM »
The first four Tyrannosaurus Rex albums were so poor they had to change name to T-Rex.

The following four were all kinds of fabolous.

Offline ?

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #96 on: July 09, 2018, 04:15:55 AM »
Pink Floyd is the most logical answer.
Yup. Rush would fit this category too if 2112 wasn't so great.

Offline ReaperKK

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #97 on: July 09, 2018, 04:57:56 AM »
I think Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree jump to mind. There are some gems among those records but they are few.

Offline The Walrus

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #98 on: July 09, 2018, 06:29:37 AM »
Symphony X - Granted, Divine Wings is a decent album, but it still never gripped me the way V, The Odyssey, and Paradise Lost did.

Threshold - Psychedelicatessen was decent, and Clone was a good transition into the Mac era, but Damien’s delivery on Wounded Land and Extinct Instinct is just something I still can’t tolerate. It isn’t until we get to Hypothetical onward that each release is solid to stellar (except maybe For the Journey, but I enjoy even that one too).

I actually agree with these. I don't really like pre-Paradise Lost Symphony X (even V and The Odyssey), and Threshold... well, I like Psych, but it's not excellent, and everything else I've heard is just not that compelling. Dead Reckoning and Legends of the Shires, however, are fantastic.
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Offline ytserush

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Re: What good bands' first four albums aren't that great
« Reply #99 on: July 17, 2018, 04:37:39 PM »
Wow. This is the craziest thread I've read in a while.

Pink Floyd?

King Crimson?

Journey?

Rush?


Seriously?