Why is this? I can't think of a single band who made career-defining music AFTER their fourth album? Discuss...

4 albums is a fair amount of time and a lot of music. Most bands never even make it to a 4th album.

4 albums is also enough time for the drugs and booze to really settle in and the fighting to start. Don't do it! Look into my eyes----eat M&Ms instead!

Aspiring Musician Wrote:
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> I can't think of a single band who
> made career-defining music AFTER their fourth
> album? Discuss...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Hot_Chili_Peppers_discography

Signatures are for fags

I personally think the Beatles best stuff was recorded on their later albums. Rubber Soul and Sgt Pepper were really the start of their innovative music career and Abby Road is probably my favorite.

Their stuff before that was really just the same pop stuff everyone else was doing. It wasn't until they were able to do whatever they wanted creatively that they really put down their most innovative stuff.

Of course this is probably one of the few exceptions. Very few artists have such long successful careers.

On the other hand, I guess we'll have to see what Justin Beiber does after his fourth album.

Aspiring Musician Wrote:
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> Why is this? I can't think of a single band who
> made career-defining music AFTER their fourth
> album? Discuss...


You don't get out much, do you? The Beatles? The Rolling Stones? U2? The Greatful Dead? Queen? That should get you started.

20th studio album, and totally fresh new stuff. No coasting on momentum for these guys.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2012 11:42PM by tomahawk.

Also, Led Zeppelin's last album was still better than most bands' first albums.

Pink Floyd didn't even become really big until like their 4th or 5th album.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2012 11:44PM by tomahawk.

Deep Purple
Album 4- In Rock
Album 5- Fireball
6- Machine Head
7- Burn

Blue Oyster Cult
Album 4 -Agents of Fortune
5 -Spectres
7- Cultosaurus Erectus
8- Fire of Unknown Origin
12- Imaginos


Pink Floyd
Album 6 - Meddle
9- Dark Side
10- Wish You were Here
11- Animals
12- The Wall

For one, they have their whole lives to come up with ideas for the first album. Then they have 2-3 years to come up with new ideas for the second album. Unfortunately, most just have one album's worth in them.

It's also interesting to note that these days, bands take 2-3 years between albums. In the 70's, bands were coming out with albums every year.

Take a look at Elton John's discography. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_John#Discography

This guy came out with an album a year, and had two in two different years. Say what you want about Elton & Taupin, but they produced classic music at an astonishing rate.

And the Rolling stones: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones_discography

Many years they came out with more than one album.

Now days, bands take 2-3 years to party and burn out, or to give someone else time to write songs for them.

And there's the 'SuperBowl effect.' Once you're successful, you don't have to try as hard. A lot of them just start phoning it in.

Aspiring Musician Wrote:
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> Why is this? I can't think of a single band who
> made career-defining music AFTER their fourth
> album? Discuss...


Burn Out

Most people develop their taste in music while their hormones are racing out control in high school, thus creating an emotional link between them and their music.

Most bands make it big in their 20's, only a few year removed from their high school days and because most rockers are dorks, carry emotional baggage from those days.

So you have some 15-18 kid going through high school, hating life and a band singing about how much life sucked while in high school. At some point both move on and the connection is lost.

I AGREE WITH OTHERS, THAT MANY BANDS (ONCE SUCCESS IS OBTAINED) WIND UP PHONING IT IN FROM THAT POINT ON. THEY'VE MADE MEGA BUCKS, AND ARE NOW SIMPLY EARNING GRAVY.

Typically a band can spend several years writing songs before being signed to a record deal. They typically spend the first few albums going through this inventory of songs. Given the demands on their time, touring, etc, the new material tends to suffer.

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With the Beatles and Stones, the change in sound was a combination of technical recording improvement and a move of the groups away from the short and whiny pop sounds to psychedelic influences. I will take Abbey Road, White Album, Let it Be over Love Me Do and Please, Please Me and the weak "LP's" they were released on anyday. I think the Stones best period was Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St- I dunno the chroniology but they had probably five records before that.

Black Sabbath had some good early stuff, but I like Master of Reality, Vol.4 and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath probably more than there first two albums.

@Numbers- I like some of the really old Deep Purple music with Rod Evans and the other bassist, but it's really kind of weak hippie pop compared to what came with In Rock and the lineup change. BTW you omitted Who Do We Think We Are? LOL...Burn is a great album, Stormbringer not so much and Come Taste the Band is actually not too bad.

idontlikebeingrightaboutshitlikethisbutiam



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