the infamous classic album-dud album combo

We all know what I'm talking about. So many artists have released classics, or a number of classics, followed by a relatively crappy album, or a number of.......you get my drift.

What would you say is the most drastic classic-to-dud shift? And keep in mind: it doesn't mean you don't have to like the album. Is it an album that is commonly referred to as a dud?

My choice:

Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti to Presence

Although Graffiti is my fav Zeppelin album by a long-shot, I also love Presence. However, a lot of people don't. It seems to me that my parents' generation (who grew up listening to Zeppelin) consider this album to be the cut-off. I've heard people even say Zepp IV was the last great album.

Black Crowes - Shake Your Moneymaker to Southern Harmony and Musical Companion

Boston - S/T to Don't Look Back

Bloodbound - Nosferatu to Book Of The Dead

Epica - Consign To Oblivion to The Divine Conspiracy

...and the most personally painful one...

Therion - Lemuria/Sirius B to The Gothic Turd

Metallica - And Justice For All ---> Black album OR Black Album ---> Load depending on who you talk to.

Judas Priest - Defenders of the Faith ----> Turbo

Savatage - Power of The Night ----> Fight For The Rock

First that comes to mind

Iron Maiden "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" followed by the hideous "No Prayer for the Dying."

CORONER - Mental Vortex / Grin

FORBIDDEN - Twisted Into Form / Distortion (and Green too)

CRIMSON GLORY - Transcendence / Strange and Dreadful

IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST when they were with alternate vocalists

P.S. almost forgot

NIGHTWISH - Once / Dark Passive Play

Dokken - DYSFUNCTIONAL to SHADOWLIFE

decapitate wrote:

First that comes to mind

Iron Maiden "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" followed by the hideous "No Prayer for the Dying."

I agree!!
Also...

Black Sabbath from Cross Purposes to Forbidden.
Slayer from South of Heaven to Seasons in the Abyss
Testament from Low to Demonic

tohostudios wrote:

Black Crowes - Shake Your Moneymaker to Southern Harmony and Musical Companion

You are joking right!

Nope. I loved Moneymaker then that weed-inspired retro crap on SHMC came out and I went, "WTF"?

Weed inspired! Everythings weed inspired when it comes to 'Rotten Twins'.

But really retro crap! Moneymaker as good as it was, was basically a Faces tribute. Almost as much as A Bit Of What You Fancy.

But they really came into their own with Southern Harmony, diverse, historically reverant and broke the mold of the simple Faces/Stones derivative. Theres more soul as well which is a big plus.

rattpoison wrote:

Weed inspired! Everythings weed inspired when it comes to 'Rotten Twins'.

But really retro crap! Moneymaker as good as it was, was basically a Faces tribute. Almost as much as A Bit Of What You Fancy.

But they really came into their own with Southern Harmony, diverse, historically reverant and broke the mold of the simple Faces/Stones derivative. Theres more soul as well which is a big plus.

We'll just have to agree to disagree. Southern Harmony drove me waaaaaay far away from this band until I took a chance on "By Your Side" which I considered somewhat of a return to form. So I took a chance on "Lions". Ooops, back to the retro crap. I give up on this band.

I just thought it was strange, most people love their first 3 records and then usually dump on them when they went in that bare foot Deadhead hippy jam band period.

But you are an exception which is cool, i still think you need to revisit it when it has songs like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GTRqG62Q_E on it.

I got one for ya's


The Cult - Electric to Sonic Temple

That song just typifies what drove me away. The keys are way too prominent in the mix and the overall melody just isn't memorable enough. To me, it sounds like Grateful Dead with more guitars. And that ain't good...

rattpoison wrote:

I got one for ya's


The Cult - Electric to Sonic Temple

Hmmm, that one almost qualifies. Sonic Temple was a big letdown after electric.

However, if we're going to pick on The Cult, I think the dropoff from Beyond Good And Evil to Born Into This is worse.

That's whats great about it the keys. Grateful Dead? I don't think so. Sounds like a great hard rock n' soul song.

I think the drop off is between the S/T (1994) great album almost their best to Beyond Good And Evil although their was what like 7 years between that one.
Beyond Good And Evil is too cold, industrial toned and has too much heavy metal.

tohostudios wrote:

rattpoison wrote:

I got one for ya's


The Cult - Electric to Sonic Temple

Hmmm, that one almost qualifies. Sonic Temple was a big letdown after electric.

However, if we're going to pick on The Cult, I think the dropoff from Beyond Good And Evil to Born Into This is worse.

Oh, come on guys! The new album is cool.

If we're gonna go after the Cult, I'd go with Temple to Ceremony, or Ceremony to the Cult (which is horrible).

Oh no you didn't Firehouse.

The Cult S/T (1994) is one of their top 3 records after Love and Electric.

Temple was bad and Ceremony was worse. Which would be Dud to Dudder. But this is classic to dud. And Temple ain't no classic.

The new album is a shadow of the Cult. A pale tribute to themselves.

Waitaminnit, waitaminnit... Sonic Temple is BAD? Are y'all on crack??

It is FF, Sonic Temple is a big fat drunken bloated pile of rubbish. With only 3 songs that are any good.

rattpoison wrote:

It is FF, Sonic Temple is a big fat drunken bloated pile of rubbish. With only 3 songs that are any good.

Y'all on crack. Sorry. SONIC is a top three Cult album for me (the other two being ELECTRIC and BEYOND GOOD & EVIL, but I see you don't like BEYOND...either).

Oh, and I agree, the new Cult album bites the big weenie in the sky. Bad, bad, bad!!!

1. Electric
2. Love
3. The Cult

That's all that really needs to be said. The post-punk/goth stuff before hand is good but apart from that the rest below is terrible. Which makes me wonder if this band's genius was accidental considering the stinkers they've produced.

Sonic Temple was the clash of Astbury's drunken delusions and Duffy's Hollyrock c*ck rock guitar wank fantasies.

Ceremony is Astbury's artiste delusions of granduer. Leave the thinking to Warrior Soul boys.

Beyond Good And Evil is just cold, industrial toned and too heavy metal.

Born Into This is a pale tribute to themselves.

Lurideath wrote:

decapitate wrote:

First that comes to mind

Iron Maiden "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" followed by the hideous "No Prayer for the Dying."

I agree!!
Also...

Slayer from South of Heaven to Seasons in the Abyss

-=> on both accounts

Nuclear Assault


They followed-up the excellent Handle With Care with the godawful Out Of Order.