Bands who cames back strong

[Special K 0]

I'll start with my by far favourite band of all time: Sonic Youth. They started noisy, chaotic and menacing as fuck (but good) in Confusion is Sex and Bad Moon Rising. They started crafting some absolutely amasing more rhythmic (still noisy) albums with a really cool sensibility, with some actual standout tracks. Almost certainly their peak (EVOL, Sister, Daydream Nation) They had one really good mainstream grunge album (Goo) a pretty much Ok album (Dirty) and then started putting out some pretty blah records (like Experimental Jet set, Thosand Leaves, NYC Flowers & Ghosts) which all had a couple good tracks, but weren't really cohesive, and Kim Gordon got fucking ANNOYING. Then they seemed to content to completely wallow in totally avant-garde feedback fests in the SYRs and the Silver sessions (Some are highly regarded, but that shit's just clangs and hums to me.) Washing Machine was a bright spot in this whole era, it's an awesome album.

Then BAM, out comes Murray Street. I don't know if it was Jim O'Rourke joining the band or what, but this album is just drop-dead gorgeous from beginning to end, and IMO their second best album, very nearly their best. Totally different sound, but just lovely. Sonic Nurse, their most recent, is also very, very, good. I can't wait to see what they come out with next, but in their middle age, they are just great purveyors of lovely rock music now.

 

The Pixies: This is a different example. The Pixies were always a great band, but when they split, Frank Black made some absolutely SHITTY music. The Breeders, with Kim Deal were awesome, but only put out a couple albums before Kim Deal supposedly dropped off the face of the earth and lived some hard years. They've come back, and from what I've heard, they're just amazing in concert. I liked their one new song too (the one with the completely gibberish name that was available on iTUNES.) I hope they put out some more new music.

 

The Posies: I always liked them, and they didn't really get bad, but I never figured they'd get back together. From what I've heard on the radio, the new stuff's GOOD too.

 

50 Foot Wave (or L'~ if you're UBER) Throwing Muses was always a great band, and they didn't trail off in quality at all. However, with a new drummer, they've completely reinvented themselves as the best punk rock band I know of today. They sound incredible. Kristen Hersh sounds like a woman possessed. She sounds like the most pissed off alcoholic grandma in the world.

 

So what bands do you think made an unexpected comback, or just changed their sound to good effect?

[The Czech Republic 0]

Pink Floyd. Started off as whimsical psychedelic material with Syd at the helm, then after spinning their wheels for a while trying to find their niche (even though Atom Heart Mother is a favorite of mine, it's totally transitional), they really come up with what we consider the classic Floyd sound with Meddle, and with that you get through the 70s with six classic albums. Yeah, I'll count Obscured by Clouds as an underrated classic. Nobody gives it its due.

 

Radiohead. After being written off as a one-hit wonder with "Creep" being amidst a bunch of shitty songs like "How Do You," "Prove Yourself," and "Anyone Can Play Guitar," they keep their heads above water with The Bends (which apparently got overlooked initially) and then OK Computer put them in the pantheon, and so on. Even though some of Pablo Honey isn't so bad, a lot of it is pretty uninspired, and I'll take any other era over that one.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

Frank Black has done some shit, granted, but the majority of his solo stuff remains underrated. And his band's versions of Pixies songs were virtually flawless, which is why I'm not insanely over the moon about the reformation, though I will see them.

[Anorak 0]

Wilco: Their first album didn't make any waves whatsoever and Jeff Tweedy's post Uncle Tupelo career began firmly in the shade of his ex-bandmate Jay Farrar, whose debut with his new band Son Volt got all the critical plaudits. Only a year later and somewhat out of the blue Wilco release a fantastic double album to great reviews and Tweedy becomes the main man. From then on he never looks back as the band's profile and his own songwriting reputation go from strength to strength.

 

Manic Street Preachers - Nobody would have been surprised if they quit when Richey Edwards went missing but they decided to carry on as a 3 piece and acheived big mainstream success with their next album.

[Nighthawk 0]

The almost ten years between Gold Experience and Musicology was pretty shitty for Prince.

 

Electric Hellfire Club has shifted from industrial dance to alternative metal and done both things well.

 

I don't personally care for it, but Kid Rock pulled off juvenile rapper to country crooner better than I'd have imagined.

[King Kamala 0]

I'd go with Prince, his first two albums were for the most part, generic 70s R&B than all of a sudden he comes out with Dirty Mind and the rest his history.

 

That's only one of his instances of coming back strong.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Belle and Sebastian. After their fine first two LPs, they released The Boy With the Arab Strap and Fold Your Hands..., both of which were sterling examples of mediocrity. Though they were still putting out fine EPs during this era (ref. disc 2 of the Push Barman to Open Old Wounds comp), it seemed hopeless that they'd ever put out a good full length again. Then came Dear Catastrophe Waitress.

[Guest Samantha]

I'd say Green Day, the popularity weened somewhat after 'Warning' but now they're one of the biggest bands in the world.

 

As for the Manic Street Preachers, I wouldn't say they got better after Richey disappered, they became more successful though. 'Everything Must Go' was really good but half of the songs had been written by Richey, 'This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours' was a pretty good album as well but it all started going downhill from there. No new Manic's album will be as good as 'The Holy Bible'

[UZI Suicide 0]

Red Hot Chili Peppers.. in 95 Dave Navarro joined the band and they put out "One Hot Minute" and that album really wasn't all that good. They lost a bit of popularity after that but then a few years later came back wtih "Californication" which is arguably their best album.

[Youth N Asia 0]

I agree with Greenday. While I enojy all of their albums, Warning just seemed to be overlooked. I'm sure Nimrod sold better for Good Riddance alone.

 

But American Idot not only sold huge, but it stayed in the top 10 forever. I had the damn thing for months and never played it, just thought I'd be disapointed that it couldn't live up to its hype. Now it's my favorite by them

[Guest Fook]

Agreed with Chili Peppers. Although I do like One Hot Minute, it's not on par with Californication, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, or By The Way.

 

Apparently the band agrees too as not a single song from OHM was on their Greatest Hits release.

[Red Baron 0]

Tool.

 

Each album gets better and better.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Agreed with Chili Peppers.  Although I do like One Hot Minute, it's not on par with Californication, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, or By The Way.

 

Apparently the band agrees too as not a single song from OHM was on their Greatest Hits release.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That's not your nose, it's a false one.

 

By which I mean, you're incorrect, My Friends is on their Best Of.

 

Can anyone name the movie in question? This one won't last long.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Tool.

 

Each album gets better and better.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That's remarkably debatable.

 

IMO, Aenima is far and away the best Tool album, and that's not selling short Opiate, Undertow and Laterallis.

[Masked Man of Mystery 0]

I think U2 made an awesome comeback with All That You Can't Leave Behind, one of my favorite CDs, after the awful album known as Pop

Edited July 19, 2005 by Masked Man of Mystery

[B. Brian Brunzell 0]

I'm throwing in Type O Negative. Bloody Kisses was a fantastic album, but October Rust was an overall letdown. Or as AoO once put it: "It's only good when you're fucking a goth girl" or something along those lines. World Coming Down was back on par with Bloody kisses, with extended numbers that actually seemed to go places rather than meander around for seemingly no reason. Then, there was the all-out awesomeness that was Life is Killing Me. There isn't a bad track on the album. Nothing is really skippable, save for possibly "I Like Goils." Steele's lyrics are clever as always, and the music is some of the heaviest the band, or well, Pete has written in a long time.

[The Czech Republic 0]

I think U2 made an awesome comeback with All That You Can't Leave Behind, one of my favorite CDs, after the awful album known as Pop

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That one was okay, but I didn't really care for How To Dismantle . . . after I listened to it like twice. I realized "wait, this was a stupid CD to buy. This just sounds like everything else they've done."

[Masked Man of Mystery 0]

Yeah, I was disappointed with Atomic Bomb too

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

Pop is one of the only decent things U2 ever did. Seriously.

[King Kamala 0]

Bruce Springsteen went from four track folkster on Nebraska to 80s pop rock god on Born In The U.S.A. Although some would say that was a turn for the worse.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

Yeah, wherever you stand on that, it was obviously an inspired move. It's not so much selling out cos he made it his own.

[King Kamala 0]

About U2, I read in the liner notes of the Boomtown Rats Greatest Hits album, that U2 started out as the Hype that they were a Peter Frampton cover band. I wonder if Bono and the Edge still rock out to Frampton Comes Alive!

[cabbageboy 0]

Aenima isn't really one of my favorite Tool CDs. The production is muddy to the point of being distracting, and aside from a few main singes (Stinkfist, 46 and 2, H) I really can't think of anything else I liked on that album.

 

I think Undertow is still their best album. Lateralus is good in spurts but there is a lot of boring crap that is FF worthy (seriously, taking 3 mins to get into a song?). And really, circa 1993 or 94 was there much else that was similar to stuff like Sober or Prison Sex? Really weird and disturbing.

[Youth N Asia 0]

Pop nearly killed U2. Good for them they smartened up and made music people would buy again

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Skimming through this thread again, I saw The Red Hot Chili Peppers mentioned up there. I don't care for that band whatsoever, but I used to adore One Hot Minute. I haven't listened to that in ages. Bet I could find it used for next to nothing, since everyone else hated it.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Pop is one of the only decent things U2 ever did. Seriously.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I still like U2 a whole lot, but you're right. Pop is way better than either of the two albums that followed it and a lot of the rest of the catalog too. Especially the last three tracks.

 

I thought the newest album was good on first listen, but that was nostalgia talking. It's actually pretty awful. Two fine songs, the rest is utterly forgettable.

[snuffbox 0]

Edwin - What 2 songs on Atom Bomb did you like?

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

"City of Blinding Lights" and "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own." Every song on Achtung Baby is better than both of them, but you take what you can get in the twilight years.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

How long until Edwin realizes he doesn't like U2 at all anymore.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

I don't think that will ever happen. They've definitely slipped a lot, though. When I saw them live in 2001 they were my favorite band and now they're just token, largely. I'm always going to like the first half of The Joshua Tree. And what really keeps me from believing I'll ever not like them entirely is War, which is just sharp and good and I could probably pass off as post-punk if I was feeling hipster enough.