The best career closer (final track on final album) ever?

I had a feeling Goodbye Sober Day would make an appearance. Great song, but now we're getting towards the stage where almost every career closer of a now-defunct band I like is getting nominated...

― They are known for contracting the ugliest players, like Kuyt (country matters)

nah i really thought about this for about an hour and its my top choice, way above all the other alternatives

"Underwater Moonlight" - The Soft Boys. All the random crap and the twenty-years-on reunion never happened.

almost every career closer of a now-defunct band I like is getting nominated...

I don't expect anyone is going to nominate Hüsker Dü's You Can Live at Home Now, or Cop Shoot Cop's Money Drunk (if only they'd ended Release with The Divorce (and not have it fadeout) )

From the Morning by Nick Drake works real well...

Or how about A Distorted Reality is Now a Necessity to be Free by Elliott Smith (Assembled and released after he died but I count it as his final album)

i would also think neutral milk hotel's "two headed boy, pt. 2" would get consideration

on a slightly different tip, but just about perfect:

Jawbox "Apollo Amateur" (last song they recorded)

Metallica - "Dyers Eve"

― kshighway, Wednesday, September 2, 2009 3:17 PM (13 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

lol good one, never figured you for a Metallica purist

Tip for bands watching this thread: make sure every album ends in something memorable. You never know you might split up afterwards or worse, like Morphine's Mark Sandman :-(

hahahaha yeah that (C$C) was one of the ones i was hoping to be wrong about! i even checked the track listing xxxxpost

Was just gonna say Two Headed Boy Pt.2 is a pretty good career closer

x-post

also if by career closer it's implied that posthumous albums released to profit from an artist's passing don't count..

the notorious b.i.g.'s "you're nobody (till somebody kills you)" is quite the closing statement

"I don't expect anyone is going to nominate Hüsker Dü's You Can Live at Home Now..."

that's a good one

The Smiths: I Won't Share You. A change in pace and direction, and very moving.

Big Black "He's A Whore" on the CD version anyway.

Is The End by The Beatles too obvious to mention? Last song all four ever recorded together, last song on Abbey Road...

Is The End by The Beatles too obvious to mention?

Her Majesty comes after it.

How about Riders On The Storm: The Doors

Zombies "Time of the Season"

If only Police had ended "Synchronicity" with "Tea In The Sahara" or "Wrapped Around Your Finger", and not the forgettable "Murder By Numbers".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg8iBfyxy8o

Does "Don't Hang Up" by 10cc count? It was last on the last album by the classic four piece lineup.

No. Sorry.

The release of The Embassy Tapes ruins mine (which would have been "President of Vice" by Nation of Ulysses, a song that would give me suicide fantasies when I was fifteen)

The Specials' "Enjoy yourself (reprise)", for the levels of irony...

"Surrogate Drone" by Swans off of Soundtracks for the Blind fits the bill, although Gira has recently stated he may record as Swans again.

"I'm Not The Man" by 10,000 Maniacs off of Our Time In Eden doesn't really cut it. Should have been "Stockton Gala Days" instead.

The best one I can think of is "Just For A Moment" by Ultravox off of Systems of Romance. Their last album with John Foxx, so the end of one version of the group at least. An utterly chilling song, wonderfully described by one critic (after the fact) as "making Thom Yorke's bedroom angst anthems sound like a night in the pub with Dodgy."

If only Police had ended "Synchronicity" with "Tea In The Sahara"

Geir, they did! On the original LP release anyway. 'Murder By Numbers' was added on the cassette or something I think, but it wasn't on the album proper.

I was going to say something about this but I was afraid my memory was tricking me.

Slint 'Good Morning Captain' is an obvious shout to me but if ppl are keen to try and overlook bands with less than like 90 minutes of musical output then I understand

Japan - Cantonese Boy (last song on Tin Drum). Although this is basically the thread of bands who split up or died before they started to suck, no?

or pulled one last rabbit out of the hat..

Argument is one of Fugazi's best song ever and so(unless anybody comes up with anything better) it's miles ahead of the field here.

Richard & Linda Thompson "Wall of Death"

"Two Suns In The Sunset" from The Final Cut, since the post-Waters albums don't count. A melancholy, eerie and desolate valediction.

Slint 'Good Morning Captain' is an obvious shout to me but if ppl are keen to try and overlook bands with less than like 90 minutes of musical output then I understand

― DJ AMencap (DJ Mencap), Wednesday, September 2, 2009 2:17 PM (1 hour ago)

Galaxie 500's "King of Spain, Part Two" always seemed a pretty fitting end point to me.

The best one I can think of is "Just For A Moment" by Ultravox off of Systems of Romance. Their last album with John Foxx, so the end of one version of the group at least. An utterly chilling song, wonderfully described by one critic (after the fact) as "making Thom Yorke's bedroom angst anthems sound like a night in the pub with Dodgy."

^^^this song is brilliant, yes, and like The Beta Band without Steve Mason (renamed Aliens), Ultravox! should have done more than simply ditch the exclamation point.

jesus christ how has no one mentioned aaliyah??

the final track of the standard version of aaliyah, "what if" is easily eligible for this thread:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_4D2ox-4Kk

but taking the final track of the international version, "try again", and there is no contest whatsoever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEF_-IcnQC4

RIP babygirl

My cd of Aaliyah ends with "Messed Up" which isn't as great a career closer as "What If".

Came here to say The Dismemberment Plan - Ellen And Ben, but some dude beat me to it.

Jawbox - Absenter (not counting the Tori Amos cover which follows it as a ghost track)

Bedhead - "The Present"
12 Rods - "Telephone Holiday"
The Olivia Tremor Control - "Hilltop Procession"

hahaha hilltop procession came on my ipod shuffle just earlier and it was great and it never occurred to me that it was a farewell track

Yeah 'Try Again' was the first thing that occurred to me. Also 'Where Did You Sleep Last Night' from Nirvana Unplugged.

archers of loaf, white trash heroes. bit of a departure but i'm still v fond of it.

Jellyfish--"Brighter Day" pretty much sums up the band, and their kitchen sink.

Galaxie 500's "King of Spain, Part Two" always seemed a pretty fitting end point to me.

― Bill A,

just what i came to post

"Build", The Housemartins.

(tho they had a final, non-album single "There Is Always Something There To Remind Me")

The actual career closer by The Specials (not counting Special AKA, which was something else) was "Ghost Town", which is probably the best swansong ever.

sex pistols "emi"

"Powerless" by Attacco Decente.