Bands that got better after they “peaked”

[wingnutkj]

Low - they've continued to produce interesting and innovative albums with a startling degree of consistency. I'm still trying to get my head round the new one. I like it, but to be brutally honest, to me it sounds like the remix album version of a really good Low album, done by a load of mid-00s electronica luminaries.

[leokula]

I dare say Sonic Youth.

[s_mcsleazy]

i dunno if this band ever "peaked" but they got a lot of radio play around the horse of the dog/royal society albums. eighties matchbox b-line disaster.

they went 6 years between royal society to blood and fire and i LOVED blood and fire. it was my favorite album of that year. i seen them on their last tour and it was killer.

[rank]

Talk Talk if you consider their peak based on sales. The Colour of Spring was a great record but pales in comparison to Spirit of Eden & Laughing Stock.

[marqueemoon]

Talk Talk if you consider their peak based on sales. The Colour of Spring was a great record but pales in comparison to Spirit of Eden & Laughing Stock.

I really like The Colour of Spring though. It’s a bridge between the straight up synth pop stuff and when they got weird later.

[rank]

Talk Talk if you consider their peak based on sales. The Colour of Spring was a great record but pales in comparison to Spirit of Eden & Laughing Stock.

I really like The Colour of Spring though. It’s a bridge between the straight up synth pop stuff and when they got weird later.

I love The Colour of Spring but, comparatively, it had pretty conventional song structures compared to the next 2 albums. You can certainly hear them begin heading to where they ended on this album though.

[Singlebladepickup]

Swervedriver. That recent comeback album (haven’t heard their newest stuff) was interesting and catchy

[andy_tchp]

Nirvana.

[cestlamort]

Scott Walker

[tele_pathic]

If by commercial success, maybe Pearl Jam. Ten was HUGE!!! As was the follow-up, but still never reaching the sales volume of Ten. Then the band continued to grow artistically and became more relevant culturally, while still not reaching the mass market appeal/sales of Ten.

[shadowplay]

became more relevant culturally

Could you explain this part of your post.

D

[andy_tchp]

Scott Walker

Ooh, good one.

[stevejamsecono]

I love On The Ones And Threes. I think it’s the best thing Versus did.

Hell yea, that's an amazing record.

Mission of Burma came back pretty strong after being gone a while and just kept getting better.

I guess it depends on which side of the Americas you're on, but if you consider Sloan "peaking" around One Chord or Another they've gotten consistently more interesting (aside from maybe Action Pact) over the years.

Not sure how former bands fit into this, but Stephen Malkmus' output has pretty much surpassed Pavement (nostalgia aside).

Definitely agree about Mission Of Burma.

Thirded on Burma. The Obliterati is a really incredible record.

[s_mcsleazy]

Thirded on Burma. The Obliterati is a really incredible record.

honestly. the obliterati is my favorite burma album. nancy reagan's head is such a great song. same with 1001 pleasant dreams.
i mentioned i seen burma a few years ago. fantastic gig. not a second wasted. plus roger and clint were lovely. i got to hold clint's jazz bass. i still have the setlist on my wall

[shadowplay]

OT Geoff (and with apologies to the OP) but if you haven't seen it you might like this; JD Twitch presents Kreaturen Der Nacht, you probably have most if not all of it but it's definitely worth getting and it's got some very decent and fairly indepth sleeve notes. There's a few things you'd expect to be on it that aren't but this was mainly due to licensing. Best comp of it's kind since Mutazione - Italian Electronic & New Wave Underground 1980 - 1988

D