a friend just posed this question to me:

are there any musicans or bands that you really respect/enjoy the early work of, but think they totally lost it, sold out, just had horrible music later in their career?

too many to list....but ill say Michael Jackson was the shit back in the day

U2

do you think michael jackson lost it, or that his music suffered when he stopped working with quincy jones?

lou reed
he never recovered after berlin

metallica

David bowie
Went from ziggy stardust to goblin king
The live concert I had on dvd of his from the late 90s or 2000s was painful

Most certainly yes. That guy is bat shit crazy

I think it's different for artists like Michael Jackson who don't write their own stuff, vs. U2 or metallica who do.

My picks..

Metallica (should have stopped when Burton died)
Megadeth (Musically, Mustaine was so much better when he was a drug addict! Sad, but true...)
Voivod (they took Metallica's rejected bass player!)

haha i meant lost the music stuff
craziness aside

I also vote Metallica.

Others
Korn (First album was awesome, second album was okay, it was downhill from there)
The Smashing Pumpkins

This is different, but I loved At The Drive In, I have never been a fan of The Mars Volta.

red hot chili peppers
californication vs. blood sugar sex magik

iggy pop
candy.... blech!

rolling stones

weezer

Yeah, it was just too hard to pass up


David Bowie might have lost it, but i dont think he sold out. The dude just does what he feels like doing.

However Metallica, U2...

Personally for me it's Radiohead...I know I'll probably catch all sorts of hell for that...and i still love them...but their past 3 cd's have really just done nothing for me. I just dont think that they care any more to be honest. When you are young and angry and such, inspiration comes a little easier. Plus it probably doesnt help when you've been working with the same people for 20 years

i will cut you

To me this is like the exact opposite of the question as far as AtDi is concerned. In my mind At The Drive In was really just starting to catch fire, Relationship of Command is one of my favorite albums.

I also LOVE Deloused, however I do think that every record since then has been, well, mostly 45 minutes of random noises, and 15 minutes of music

Radiohead? Blasphemy!

I think MOST bands if not all lose it at some point. Inevitably we tend to hold onto the good memories.

I think the question should be rephrased...What bands HAVEN't lost it. Fugazi still holds up for me.

Haha, yeah, I knew that wasnt going to be a popular opinion to say the least. But in my mind, there have been as many memorable songs on their last 3 cds as there were on the entirety of The Bends, or OK Computer, or Kid A.

TOTALLY agree!
i;ve given them try after try, but just can't get into them.
and i'm a prog metal fan... i just can't do it.
de-loused is good though.

i would have to go with metallica, of course, suicidal tendencies, after the first one they weren't the same, and snoop dogg, he wasn't as smoothnizzle after the first one.

they almost lost me at Kid A and Amnesiac... although Kid A took me awhile to digest (now i like it). then i liked Hail to the Thief and In Rainbows... although all are still not as good as The Bends and OK Computer, but they haven't lost it

i actually like the newer albums better... just listen to them like 5 more times all the way though, then you'll either love it or bash your face against the wall

I did too. The craziness is what I think caused the music to suffer.

David Bowie still fuxxin rules hard!

'Im afraid of americans' is a great piece of work from the 90s. also, Labyrinth was a very cool movie, I think he fit perfectly in it and I even like the soundtrack. all that on top of the obvious amazing jim henson puppet work.

Bowie still has it, his sense, his musical integrity and pocketloads of cash. he is the bees knees.

A few off the top of my head:
Red Hot Chili Peppers - loved the early stuff through "Blood Sugar...", though now that one is annoying, but I still enjoy the first 4.
Metallica - duh
Beck - anything after he started taking himself seriously (post-"Mellow Gold") sucks, IMO
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Snoop Dogg - he was great from the "187" single through his 2nd album
Actually, most rappers are only good for a few albums then run out of things to say.

DANZIG

that is all i have to say.

from this


to this


i like bowie a lot, but his newer music just doesn't hold a candle to his work from 30 or 40 years ago

holy shit 40 years

what about tupac. he still churns out consistent work