The Joe Montana Syndrome

[profpike]

Sports Fans will understand me hear. After spending the 80s as one of the greats of the game-Joe Montana did not know when to quit and spent an utterly forgettable couple of seasons in Kansas City.

Your challenge NW fans-what bands didn't know when to pack it in?

I guess you could also call this-what bands jumped the shark and when?

Here's a couple to get us started; The Clash after being the only band that mattered for so long-and when the band dissolved Joe Strummer insisted on keeping the name and releasing "Cut The Crap" one of the rock 'n roll albums that matters least.

Gang of Four: Hard isn't a bad disco album-but it's a loousy Gang of Four album-they could only come up with three "gangsters" by the time this came up. and this after Songs of The Free?

I guess the opposite would be the John Elway syndrome-bands that releaesed fully realized visions and then packed it in.

I might put the Jam and the Undertones in this camp.

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[scramjet]

Tears for Fears's "The Hurting" is one of the best NW albums ever. "Songs From the Big Chair" was decent but I lost all interest after that.

The Cars's 1st two albums are towering pillars of genius followed by a gradual decline into bland pop mediocrity.

Thomas Dolby never did anything even nearly as good as "The Golden Age of Wireless".

[highway1pch]

Is this thread about the theory of DEVOLUTION?

And yes, even DEVO devolved.

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[SomebodySomewhere]

The Jam broke up at exactly the right time. "The Gift" is a fine parting one. It was Weller who didn't know when to pack it in.

My votes go to New Order and REM for finding uninventive (and unlistenable) ways to jump the shark. New Order were never great to begin with, and who told Michael Stipe he has anything left to offer music?

They aren't quite as redundant now, but it probably would have been in Duran Duran's best interest to not get back together after the 1985 split.

[Bitter Almonds]

Clan Of Xymox pulled a major one by continuing to record after Anke and Peter left the band. The only post-Anke and Peter album worth listening to is [i]Hidden Faces[/i] and that barely scratches the cool Goth band they once were. Most of it nowadays is pure clownish white face drek on par with ICP[:o)]

[birdmadgirl]

I started to just go with: If The Cure's next album (rumored to be released next year) sucks as bad as their last effort, I'll come back and vote for them.

But after thinking about it, I'm just so freaking happy that the bands I love are still making music, rather than "packing it in." Even when the stuff they release isn't so great, it's just great to see bands in this particular genre still making music. Why should they stop? Someone out there will love it, even if the rest of us think it sucks, and that makes it all the worthwhile, I think.

*shrugs*

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[Peter Venkman]

[quote][i]Originally posted by SomebodySomewhere[/i]
<br>The Jam broke up at exactly the right time.[/quote]

"Precious" is one of the gayest songs ever recorded by a "punk" band. They should have split after 1980, and save us Bitterest Tears, Town Called Malice, etc. etc.

[quote]My votes go to New Order and REM for finding uninventive (and unlistenable) ways to jump the shark. New Order were never great to begin with, and who told Michael Stipe he has anything left to offer music?[/quote]

I disagree about New Order. REM, in my opinion, were never worth a shit. They have three songs that I like, and none of them come after 1988. They are now the acme of irrelevance.

<font size=1 color=#CC0033 >[i]"What's a computer?
EAT Y'SELF FITTER!
What's a computer?!
EAT Y'SELF FITTER!"[/i]--The Fall, "Eat Y'Self Fitter" </font>

[Grunch]

The Clash - after being the only band that mattered for so long?????????????????????????????????????????????????????? I am guessing this is STRICTLY your own opinion. If I left alone all the bands that recorded around the same period as The Clash, shit there would be tons of excellent bands I would not have discovered for at least my own personal taste - it's hard to imagine with your statement that you conside such bands as The Chameleons ones that "don't matter" but I respect your personal opinion. I would bet most people would think otherwise. As for me personally, while I do like The Clash, there are probably at least a few hundred bands/artists from that same period I would never part with well before giving up The Clash. That's just me.

Also think Gang of Four - Hard is pretty decent. Granted, they transitioned to a different sound, but that was their choice, their career. Sounding different does not make a band bad, or beyond their time. Fortunately, they go by what they want, not what we want.

New Order is a good excample of a band that certainly sounds very little like their early material, yet they still do some brilliant work in my opinion. Imagine if most people cursed them for even thinking they could carry on without Ian Curtis, and become a new band, and had they caved in to those that would have them ceases and desist. Look what we would have missed.

I don't personally if a group morphs over time, or from one recording to the next, that's their choice. They can do whatever they want, and for me, if I don't necessarily care for a release by them, I'll skip it, and maybe the next one I'll like. Pet Shop Boys is a good example for me. I love their first few releases, but they did put out a couple later ones that I did not personally care for, but that was fine, I never gave up on them. With each release, I gave them a good listen, and sure enough, the last few I've thought were excellent.

I guess it really is to each their own. As a listener, I am just happy these talented people are putting out music. Just thought of another, The Cure. They've been trashed quite a bit, but man, I personally think Bloodflowers (the whole CD) is one of their best ever, absolutely great in my opinion.

By the way, Joe Montana did play some good football with KC.......he needed a better team around him, and true, he was getting old. But you cannot blame the guy for wanting to play the game he loved. I am sure he knew he was not the Montana of old, but he was still a damn good quarterback, better than many of the younger ones playing at that time. Hey, it's like us going to an 80s club when we are in our 40s and 50s, we are simply trying to enjoy what we've loved for so many years. Should we have to just stop because we don't have the same dance moves we flashed in our heyday??? I know I lost mine many moons ago. But not my love for the game, I mean the music.

[profpike]

[quote]<it's hard to imagine with your statement that you consider such bands as The Chameleons ones that "don't matter"


ummmm....I kind of the Chamaleons.....

I guess I stepped in it again, huh!?

Well as long as no one from this message board comes "looking for me" I'm okay.


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[djcraig]

Great Thread!

There are so many bands that should have quit long before they embarrassed themselves. Tops among these are The Beach Boys, Jefferson Starship and KISS.

In the New Wave Category I'd say The Thompson Twins got out a couple of albums too late. To this day it gives me memory pain if I hear "Doctor Doctor", "Lay Your Hands On Me" or "King For A Day". Ugh!

Say what you want about Sting, The Police quit at the absolute top of their game. They could have gone on and milked their fame for all it was worth and become a parody of themselves while raking in millions but chose not to.

Did you hear that No Doubt?

[Bitter Almonds]

The Police [i]chose[/i] not to? The guys were literally at each other's throats by the end[}:)]

[highway1pch]

U2?

Just my opinion, but their output since [i]Joshua Tree[/i] has been downhill.

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[SomebodySomewhere]

I think U2 kind of did a reverse shark jump. For a while in the '90s, they were pretty much unlistenable, and then this decade, they righted the ship, and their last album was actually pretty solid. Maybe not groundbreaking (although after the aptly-titled "Lemon," I can't imagine anyone would want that), but memorable.

New Order, while they never pulled a "Lemon" per se, they just flat out forgot how to write hooks. And without hooks, what are you left with? Bernard Sumner's tone-deaf voice, that's what.

[Frau_Blucher]

[quote][i]Originally posted by SomebodySomewhere[/i]
<br>And without hooks, what are you left with? Bernard Sumner's tone-deaf voice, that's what.
[/quote]
Poor Barney...he's making do pretty well with what he's got! [B)]

And no hooks? No hooks?! NO HOOKS?!! Whuh...shuh...fuh...uh...HUH?!!! [making Ferris Bueller's incredulous face when Cameron tried to say he didn't have a good time]

Download these six very quick samplings from their 2000s albums. I think they're loaded with very classic, very signature New Order-ish hooks! And they've still got [i]Peter</I> Hook on top of all that!! [8D]

<a href="http://us.f13.yahoofs.com/bc/44a58f96_3c7b/bc/Public/Hooks.mp3?BChHapEBXPF71oWu">"Damned Hooky New Order Sample"</a>

[MARV]

The notion that Bernard Sumner is tone deaf or that New Order have forgotten to write hooks is preposterous. Their collection of singles is one of the most listenable catalogues that most people find themselves humming to long after they've finished.

http://www.andwedanced.com/reviews/sirens.htm

"... instantly memorable pop hooks...On (last year's) Waiting For the Sirens Call his (Bernard Sumner's) voice is central to every song and shines as a gorgeous instrument..."

<a href="http://www.worldwildlife.org/cetaceans/index.cfm">I dig whales.</a>