It's obviously not Automatic but Monster seems wrong because people immediately hated that album.
― Listen to this, dad (President Keyes), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 17:52 (twelve years ago) link
Be Hear Now?
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 17:52 (twelve years ago) link
Be Here Now lol
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 17:53 (twelve years ago) link
in American Urban Hymns was their only hit album and it looks like Richard Astbury's solo career did quite alright over in the UK so idgi - also don't critics still worship that album?
― da croupier, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 17:53 (twelve years ago) link
Let It Come Down by Spiritualized might fit.
― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 17:53 (twelve years ago) link
lol Richard Ashcroft, sorry, freudian slip
― da croupier, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 17:55 (twelve years ago) link
Then again, on the metric of "last.fm" plays, people are still listening to "Everybody Hurts," "Man in the Moon," and "Nightswimming" in large numbers -- who knew?
Actually, I think REM just fails to meet this pattern: looks like AFTP sold about as many copies as Out of Time but none of the singles charted higher than 28; "Everybody Hurts" topped at 29, and "Nightswimming," 5th most listened to REM song per last.fm, didn't even crack top 100.
None of these charted as high as "Losing My Religion" or "Shiny Happy People" or, for that matter, "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" or "Bang and Blame."
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 17:55 (twelve years ago) link
"What's Going On" isn't a slow dance song!
― keeping things contextual (DJP), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 17:55 (twelve years ago) link
with REM isn't it New Adventures? it was obvious the gig was up but it still sold bucketloads; oh but I guess people on ILM defend this hunk of junk, blah
― Euler, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 17:56 (twelve years ago) link
shows you how long it's been since I heard it. I remember those goopy synths at the beginning
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 17:56 (twelve years ago) link
with REM isn't it New Adventures? it was obvious the gig was up but it still sold bucketloads
No, because Monster sold as many copies and scored two more singles that charted higher
whoops – thought this said Automatic. Time for lunch!
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 17:57 (twelve years ago) link
yeah & they coasted into New Adventures' sales
xp right!
― Euler, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 17:57 (twelve years ago) link
Out Of Time, Automatic and Monster all sold 4 million copies stateside. New Adventures sold 1 million. Monster is famously the most sold back CD, now gets two-star reviews in publications when it came out to four stars - I hate to admit it but I don't know how it's not "THE ONE EVERYONE BOUGHT"
― da croupier, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 17:57 (twelve years ago) link
Mj's "bad"
^^^ first thing I thought of
― wk, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 17:59 (twelve years ago) link
eephus's crazy REM theory is eating itself
― Get wolves (DL), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 17:59 (twelve years ago) link
you still hear "Bang & Blame" on the radio though; but "Bittersweet Me" was the biggest single on New Adventures and uh
― Euler, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 17:59 (twelve years ago) link
it's not like all the songs from New Jersey are banned from radio
― da croupier, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:00 (twelve years ago) link
thread title just does not scan well with chorus of "Hungry Heart"
― Pangborn to be Wilde (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:01 (twelve years ago) link
Billy Ocean - Love Zone
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:02 (twelve years ago) link
why Love Zone and not Tear Down These Walls
― da croupier, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:03 (twelve years ago) link
the fact that stipe so strenuously insisted that monster was 'totally punk rock' weighs in favor of its nj-osity
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:04 (twelve years ago) link
Metallica - The Black Album
― aspiring barkitect (silverfish), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:04 (twelve years ago) link
only cuz TDTW only managed one massive #1 and the album charted lower.
xxpost
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:04 (twelve years ago) link
Hmm how about In Through The Out Door? Pretty much un-listened to these days, apart from people on ilm obviously.
The album remained on the US top spot for seven weeks and sold three million copies by the end of September 1979.[9] It is also the Led Zeppelin album that has been most weeks on the top of the charts (tied along with Led Zeppelin II). To date, the album has sold six million copies in the US.
― don't slip in mud (Matt #2), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:05 (twelve years ago) link
TDDW had a top #3 hit with a cartoon duck in the video, so I don't think that album is a "CLEARLY THINGS HAVE CHANGED" album
― da croupier, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:06 (twelve years ago) link
i'd say presence
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:06 (twelve years ago) link
xpost where as the follow-up to TDDW is literally named Time To Move On
Guns & Roses - Use Your Illusion 1 & 2
― aspiring barkitect (silverfish), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:07 (twelve years ago) link
"Bad" didn't follow the exact NJ formula, as it had hits that are still remembered, but there was a definite sense that things had gone sour after OTW and Thriller.
― Listen to this, dad (President Keyes), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:07 (twelve years ago) link
silverfish otm
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:08 (twelve years ago) link
Cheap Trick- Dream Police
You got killer single and George Martin- should have been their victory lap and it was popular but they had kinda lost something and the slide to the state fair starts.
― earlnash, Tuesday, August 7, 2012 1:43 PM (22 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
George Martin didn't produce Dream Police, but did produce the follow-up, All Shook Up (which didn't sell too well, and didn't have any major hits).
Ironically, Dream Police was recorded before At Budokan was released.
― Sun? Sun? It's your cousin, Marvin Ra (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:09 (twelve years ago) link
but only one follow-up single scraping into the top twenty and the album stalled at platinum. Love Zone was his last event album.
xpost to croup.
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:09 (twelve years ago) link
ok i was only there as a little kid watching billy ocean videos with aliens, cartoon ducks and danny devitos so if you're really sure that the "Event" status of a billy ocean album had been lost and I missed it that's possible.
the thing about the NJ is that it's a bit of a dis. Hard to pin on someone like MJ because it requires implying "The Way You Make Me Feel" or "Remember The Time" was negligible in hindsight and good luck with that.
― da croupier, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:11 (twelve years ago) link
Yep, MJ managed to sidestep having a New Jersey, unless the second disc of HIStory being smuggled in as part of a greatest hits counts. Even still, the singles from it are still pretty well regarded.
― Eric H., Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:12 (twelve years ago) link
if an artist is consistently good and doesn't have a quality drop-off before a commercial drop-off, they didn't really have a New Jersey.
― da croupier, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:12 (twelve years ago) link
i have no idea what "Remember The Time" is, and I'm pretty sure I can sing every single off Thriller, so there's that
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:13 (twelve years ago) link
yeah but you thought Automatic For The People was lost to the sands of time
― da croupier, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:14 (twelve years ago) link
Destiny's Child - Survivor
― MarkoP, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:16 (twelve years ago) link
oh yeah it was clear Beyonce was in decline after that one
― da croupier, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:16 (twelve years ago) link
These are really good points, I think:
Maybe then it's less a signpost of "career decline" and more a mass discovery of career limits that didn't previously seem obvious/relevant.
― Eric H., Tuesday, 7 August 2012 17:19 (3 minutes ago) Permalink
It looks for a while like the blockbuster's been beaten, then it ... just hasn't)
― Ismael Klata, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 17:42 (11 seconds ago) Permalink
― mr.raffles, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:16 (twelve years ago) link
the whole point of this thread is naked geekdom!
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:17 (twelve years ago) link
bingo, Remember is a good single but not something you'll hear often 20 years from now (if you even hear it much today)
― frogbs, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:17 (twelve years ago) link
Afterburner, Rattle and Hum and Fore! look like the best contenders so far.
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:18 (twelve years ago) link
I picked Monster based on buyer's remorse. The last album that, in retrospective, most people ended up caring about from REM is Automatic for the People which makes Monster the one that signaled the gig was up, it also sold more than its predecessors and successors at the time. It fits perfectly with the criteria of the thread.
― Moka, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:18 (twelve years ago) link
The fact that it became the most sold-back album of all time tells you all you need to know. Lots of people bought it and lots of people stopped caring.
― Moka, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:19 (twelve years ago) link
xp: except that it's awesome
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:20 (twelve years ago) link
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, August 7, 2012 2:18 PM (2 minutes ago)
Should totally have the heavyweights compete in a most "New Jersey" poll after this runs its course!
― mr.raffles, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:22 (twelve years ago) link
and Dancing on the Ceiling
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:22 (twelve years ago) link
To be a New Jersey:- follow-up to a huge, (possibly) defining record- has less and/or smaller hits than prev album - or - hits based more on momentum than appeal - brings with it the feeling that the NEXT record (if there is one) will see the bottom fall out (relatively speaking)
Def Leppard's "Adrenalize" ... right? Or no?
― alpine static, Tuesday, 7 August 2012 18:23 (twelve years ago) link