Bands That Have Improved As They Went

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Tool is the best case for evolution that I've seen mentioned here. Even the VU example doesn't work quite as well, as they were solidly awesome from step to step.

 

Opiate: Decent songs, superb title track, the beginning of their sound.

 

Undertow: Impeccable singles, some of their most fulfilling heavy moments, Maynard's voice emerging as a key instrument.

 

Aenima: The first classic, their best individual songs, and the point where everything really gelled.

 

Lateralus: The culmination of what they promised with Aenima, with the best instrumentation and most consistent musical feel of their career.

 

It's been almost three years since Lateralus and the new Perfect Circle album has been done and out for a while. I want the fifth album, dammit.

[Guest frowned]

Jeff Buckley

 

but seriously, only one that spring to my mind was At The Drive-in - although that will be disputed, the earlier albums / EPs were good at demonstrating their potential and include some nice gems, but "Relationship of Command" was IT for me.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Tool is the best case for evolution that I've seen mentioned here. Even the VU example doesn't work quite as well, as they were solidly awesome from step to step.

 

Opiate: Decent songs, superb title track, the beginning of their sound.

 

Undertow: Impeccable singles, some of their most fulfilling heavy moments, Maynard's voice emerging as a key instrument.

 

Aenima: The first classic, their best individual songs, and the point where everything really gelled.

 

Lateralus: The culmination of what they promised with Aenima, with the best instrumentation and most consistent musical feel of their career.

 

It's been almost three years since Lateralus and the new Perfect Circle album has been done and out for a while. I want the fifth album, dammit.

Tool has consistently been the shit. Opiate is both straightforward and very original, with wicked songs that all fit together to form a cohesive piece of music. The cd is a kick in the teeth. Great, great debut album.

 

Undertow-Totally agreed. I think this is their first masterpiece, though, being great all the way through, with stuff intentionally being muddy and creepy, giving a real good illusion of simplicity. Every time I listen to it, though, I hear something different in there.

 

Aenima-A step back in terms of being on target, but a step forward in their overall growth. Call me nuts, but I rank this at the bottom of their material, since there's too much screwiness (like Intermission) and that track with the crying baby. They don't really serve as good intros really, and just serve to fill space and try to provide a segue. This might not be fair, but I'd like it more if Lateralus wasn't so fucking awesome. There's the album where it really came together for them. The segue tracks are well done, and don't distract or try to stand out, really. This is more like one big piece of music with different movements, than it is a collection of songs on a disc. Probably my favorite album to come out in the past 20 years or so, at least.

[B. Brian Brunzell 0]

Aenima-A step back in terms of being on target, but a step forward in their overall growth. Call me nuts, but I rank this at the bottom of their material, since there's too much screwiness (like Intermission) and that track with the crying baby. They don't really serve as good intros really, and just serve to fill space and try to provide a segue. This might not be fair, but I'd like it more if Lateralus wasn't so fucking awesome. There's the album where it really came together for them. The segue tracks are well done, and don't distract or try to stand out, really. This is more like one big piece of music with different movements, than it is a collection of songs on a disc. Probably my favorite album to come out in the past 20 years or so, at least.

I agree about the seemingly pointless segues like "- Ions" and "Intermission." They don't add any continuity towards the album, especially "Intermission." How that is supposed to set me up for the AWESOMENESS that is "Pushit", I'll never know.

 

Alot of my friends didn't like Lateralus. I love for the reasons you stated, AoO. That, and the fact that Maynard mixes up his vocals very well. He changed his style of singing to a bit of a higher pitch with Aenima, which turned some people I know off. And on Lateralus, he mixes his newer style of vocals in with the rough, gritty and angry style of Undertow and Opiate, paticularly on the album's title track.

 

Still, I like Undertow the best. From the amazing opening track "Intolerance" to the "Crawl Away" which has a great bridge to the mellowed-out feel of "4 Degrees" to the heavy-as-hell, mirky groove of "Flood", there isn't a bad song on the album.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

We can't agree with the chilli peppers, they seem to get more embarassingly awful each year. They're not trying anymore. We don't agree with The Smiths either, the last album was still great but not quite up there with the others IOO. Certainly not better. A lot of our favourite bands go through a lull then come back with something fantastic, like Sparks or XTC. The latter unit's songwriting definitely improved over the years. About 70% of Andrew WK's second album displays his evolution, a lot of us still keep hearing new bits, the production is just godlike. But then we knew he was 100x more talented than all his MTV peers anyway.

 

Big Black, Killing Joke and The Birthday Party all attained the most critical acclaim for their last/latest albums, though some prefer previous efforts. Tool for sure.

[Red Baron 0]

I would say Megadeth...but...um....Risk? :bleh:

 

 

Iced Earth has released some great stuff, and it keeps getting better. Jon Schaffer is under-rated IMO

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Definitely Metallica.

[BX 0]

I definately think Kyuss kept it trucking, right until the end. And as a continuation of that, Queens of the Stone Age definately have improved. All three QOTSA albums are great though, but we'll have to see when the new one comes out this year.

[Guest Van Mundegaarde]

in addition to some mentioned I'll submit Wilco. They've gotten arguably better with each album. YHF being head and shoulders above their other efforts.

[spiny norman 0]

For one moment there I read Wilco and thought Falco. It's true either way though.

[godthedog 0]

Definitely Metallica.

and, to a lesser extent, chevelle.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

That joke is played.

[godthedog 0]

you're the one who brought it up.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

...man, I hate Chevelle...

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

We can't agree with the chilli peppers, they seem to get more embarassingly awful each year.

Please back that statement up. If anything they've evolved from the one-dimensional funk fusion band they had been before Frusciante's re-appearence.

[Henry Spencer 0]

Meh. The Red Hot Chili Peppers went from a one dimensional funk band to a one dimensional AOR band. Next.

[Guest]

A good example of the RCHP phenomenon would have to be STP. They got really bad after 2 great albums if you ask me.

[Steviekick 0]

You could say that Danzig's lyrics/songwriting got better over the time from Misfits to Samhain, but after the second Danzig album, it started to go back down again.

[Coffin Surfer 0]

At the Drive In comes to mind. They put out consistently good albums throughout most of the 90s, and their second to last lp, "In/Casino/Out" is arugably their best album. Though it was slightly over produced, "Relationship of Command" was also a fine farewell lp that could be considered one of their best.

 

Depending on who you talk too, you could make a good case for AFI(as of right now anyway), since they've evolved with just about every album without a drop off in quality.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

you're the one who brought it up.

Ah, but I was also the first one to complain about it.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

We can't agree with the chilli peppers, they seem to get more embarassingly awful each year.

Please back that statement up. If anything they've evolved from the one-dimensional funk fusion band they had been before Frusciante's re-appearence.

Well, we'd take anything on 'One Hot Minute' over anything off 'By the Way' in a second. With their collective musical talents they have no excuse for producing such middle of the road garbage. In terms of musical significance, they've been worthless for quite a while now.

[Anorak 0]

in addition to some mentioned I'll submit Wilco. They've gotten arguably better with each album. YHF being head and shoulders above their other efforts.

Jeff Tweedy was a great songwriter and performer from day one, I think the further they have got from sounding like an alt country band the more a lot of indie critics have embraced them You could make a good case for YHF being their best album (it certainly contains some of their absolute best songs) I know i'll be going back to Being There and Summerteeth for just as long.

[Anorak 0]

We can't agree with the chilli peppers, they seem to get more embarassingly awful each year.

Please back that statement up. If anything they've evolved from the one-dimensional funk fusion band they had been before Frusciante's re-appearence.

Well, we'd take anything on 'One Hot Minute' over anything off 'By the Way' in a second. With their collective musical talents they have no excuse for producing such middle of the road garbage. In terms of musical significance, they've been worthless for quite a while now.

'By The Way' made little to no impression on me when I heard it but I really liked Californication before it.

[B. Brian Brunzell 0]

I really like By the Way. Keidas' lyrics are great, Sith and Flea are as brialliant as always, and Fruiscante does a job keeping up with everyone else(face it- he's no virtuoso). blood Sugar Sex Magik it ain't, but it's still a very good album, FAR etter than One Hot Minute.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

It's just so frigging middle of the road, like some radio band copying what the chilli peppers did, without any of the originality. It's high time those boys were melted down for glue.

[EricMM 0]

>>Depending on who you talk too, you could make a good case for AFI(as of right now anyway), since they've evolved with just about every album without a drop off in quality.<<

 

Yeah, BAD quality.

 

The Leaving song (pt. 2) is katchy, but I feel dirty for listening to it because they're so poserriffic. For the record I don't like anything else I've heard of them.

 

I haven't heard their old stuff, did they improve from utter shittiness?

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

we like some of AFI's old stuff, we're bored of them in general these days, but the live show has remained very good, so fair play to em.

[notJames 0]

Sense Field, definitely. Each of their last three albums have topped the previous ones.

[Styles 0]

I'll say Iron Maiden. Brave New World was a huge comeback and they sound tighter than ever with their new dynamic 3 guitar sound (and Bruce's voice sounds better than ever).

[haVoc 0]

"No Prayer For The Dying" was awful. You could tell it was coming to end for Maiden at that time. The album was bad. I saw them on tour for that album and I left disappointed.

 

Didn't help that Bruce soon left and did his solo project and put out that God awful version of "All The Young Dudes." That's a whole other subject, though.