Acts whose entire album output has always been on the decline, with no exception

Cheap Trick (1977) > In Color > Heaven Tonight > Dream Police > All Shook Up > Next Position Please > Standing On The Edge > The Doctor > Lap Of Luxury > Busted > Woke Up With A Monster

Alas, it is impossible to argue that Cheap Trick (1997) continued the decline, so the chain has to stop. I suspect that the assumptions that most people would dispute are a) that Cheap Trick (1977) is their studio peak (an opinion that I've always had), b) that The Doctor is better than Lap Of Luxury (I'm almost completely unfamiliar with the material on The Doctor, but I think that you would have to dock LOL the max for the invasion of the outside songwriters to support this opinion...), and c) that Busted is better than Woke Up With A Monster (probably unsupportable, although my only exposure to WUWAM was when one of the videos showed up on Beavis & Butthead...).

-- xhuxk (xedd...), May 19th, 2005.

While they never matched their first album, I don't think it'd be fair to call their output from then on a "steady decline." I thought Truth and Soul, Reality of my Surroundings, and Give a Monkey a Brain all had some good moments on them.

And the Sex Pistols.
Probably Suicide, too.

You've not heard their last one the, presumably? Not their best by any means, but defiitely their best since Trade Test Transmissions imho.

Uh, Animal Rights?? I mean Play and 18 aren't the best, but yeesh.

No way on both of these. (Prodigy's best is their third, and Siegbran and I will never agree on Celtic Frost, as many threads here have demonstrated.)

I was thinking of Cheap Trick myself, but their third blows away their too-much-powerpop-without-enough-power second. The Cars might work, though. And ditto Pere Ubu, starting with the *Datapanik* EP, even. --- and yes, including their later stuff, which I've never understood the appeal of.

I'm an American, so I don't know those early Buzzcocks albums. *Singles Going Steady* will always be their debut to me (well, after *Spiral Scratch* I guess), and that kinda throws everything out of whack. (And also, I will defer to anybody who has actually kept up with the Vibrators. What do I know?)

I kinda wish somebody would disagree with me about Devo or the B-52s (who I'm way less sure belong here than, um, the Clash.)

(with exception for the entertaining singles...)

BEST SHARK JUMPER maybe.

BWAHAHAHA :'D

Gotta love some of those american 'e-lectro-nicka' fans.

actually, *They Said It Couldn't Be Done* (c. 1985). "Girls Love the Way He Spins" was the first track, though.

accept my apologies already.

"The Masterplan" is a b-sides collection & therefore excempt btw.

Oasis own this thread and only politeness in regard of the thread starter is holding back the obvious conclusion imo.

Not very, but it does have more decent songs than anyone was really expecting by then, like 'Excess'.

Oasis's starting point was pretty low already, though. There's a point at which distinguishing between various shades of shit becomes ridiculous.

xp

*Explodes!*

OK.

How about The Undertones?

cyndi lauper? (though not if blue angel counts, i guess.)
go-gos?? (though i think xgau liked one of their later albums.)

a case could be made for blondie, too, though i doubt i'd *quite* agree with it. (their third beats their second, probably.)

their third is at least as good as their second, maybe better.

There's also
Daft Punk

I'd dare to say Pearl Jam. Depending on your taste.
Mull Historical Society.

and i'd say basement jaxx, too, though nobody would agree with me.

pretenders third > second, in my mind.

i'd also love to see somebody make a case for springsteen, since i'm currently in love with his debut (the most hold-steady-like album he ever made, probably.)

I agree about the Pogues, though. RRFM is their best record.

Absolutely not, The W is waaaaaaaay better than Wu-Tang Forever.

and no way on springsteen. #2 and #3 both > #1. #6 > #5. actually, #6 > everything else.

Shellac.

Anybody taking odds on whether or not The Arcade Fire will be on this list in a few years?

Runaways, maybe?

(that is a massive overstatement. it's just not nearly as great as tnt and millions. I can't believe anyone would think it was).
-- kyle (akmonda...), May 20th, 2005 9:37 PM. (akmonday) (link)

Oh, y'know what? I'd actually forgotten there was an album before Millions. Ha!

Meat Puppets?

You've got your arrows back to front.

So you did. OTM, though! As for Meat Puppets, I think II is a little better than I.

I think this is the best suggestion yet!