Post the album that marked the beginning of the decline for that artist..

Not bad, but less than what came before. The way I see the OP's intention, I don't think a weaker album after a string of stronger ones qualifies unless it was not followed by other albums on par with that peak.

The way I read the thread, it's possible to consider a relative decline which included one or more good albums that came after, just not on the same level as that period of greatness before the decline.

 

It has three U.S. hit singles on it.

 

And, the way I interpret it is that the album that marks the decline is the first in the slide, and nothing great comes after that. But, it's all subjective. I think people just mark the time when they became disinterested, not really doing any objective analysis.

 

One which peaked at #73 ("More Than Physical"), the other which peaked at #76 ("A Trick Of The Night").

Commercially, True Confessions was a success, no question, just on the basis of that one #1 pop hit. But it didn't help the band because they lost faith in the production team that made them and moved to SAW full-time, which couldn't handle the band dynamics.

 

I think it was the album before that, just for the cover alone. Did Manowar know Rick was invading their wardrobe?

 

Hmmm... I didn't check Joel Whitburn. I went by how much radio airplay those songs got around here.

 

"Glow" was a really good back to basics album that no one listened to. It was recorded live in the studio with only one or two takes of any song.

 

Easily one of the worst covers of all time. The album art alone is enough to scare away fans and any potential listeners.

 

I see. Thanks! If this is the case, then how can we conclude that an artist's/band's decline was short-term or long-term? Isn't it at least realistic to recognize that unparalleled genius is going to run out eventually and has to be left on its own merits?

 

That's a good question. There are those who burn out faster than others, I guess is the way to put it, and burning out is all relative when you are being judged against yourself.

 

The cringe-worthy cover aside, this was a great album that came after the mania of Street Songs. Maybe Rick was relying a bit on the formula that was applied to Street Songs, but it deserves to be looked at as a riskier and ambitious follow-up to Songs. Commercially, we can definitely make a point that this was the one that started the domino effect, if you will.

 

I went by Wiki, which I usually find reliable (and when it's not, I'm reliably corrected).

"More Than Physical" was a big hit in the clubs that year, but it didn't sell nearly as well as it got played.

 

They had a lot of ups and down, made brilliant music at many different periods. But this is the first album that wasn't 100% genius.

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Things started to well and truly bloat at this point. And Kiss That Frog is kinda icky. A guy that old should not be that openly horny in public.

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Like Sparks, there was much brilliance to be had after this album. But it's the first one that had stuff that actively sucks. Baby Loves to Rock...come on guys, you used to make fun of this kind of thing.

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Pretty much meh starting here.

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I like all the Suede albums, but they did drop off a bit at Head Music. That Tears record, though, kills me. Agree on Bloodsports. That album is ridiculously good.

I adore that album. If You Want My Love, She's Tight, One on One...I seriously love that album.

I have friends who own that album just for that song. Seriously.

 

The album when James started going over-the-top. Good album, but the cracks were starting to show.

 

Post-Dropout-Fantasy excess. Post-retirement Jay excess.

 

I'll give it another listen but i can't recall anything as good as Lola, This Time Tomorrow or Strangers from the previous record. Its good but not awesome, in any case at least its much better than anything that follows it.

 

I liked the record - for the most part - but yeah, you could see the writing on the wall. I thought Up was just awful...

 

I like a lot of what he did on Us, and I liked about half of Up. I like the tribute album as well. But Us was a sign...

 

Yep, I didn't include it since it's not an official album, but I feel ya, they definitely weren't on the same level with the new tracks. Although I actually like them, especially Hazy Shade as you mentioned, I still to this day don't see why they didn't just nix the remixes and add another 5 new tracks and call it a completely new album. It surely would've been their last truly good to great album.

 

I just checked Billboard. Wow. Looks like "I Heard A Rumor" and "Venus" were the group's only two top 10 hits in the U.S., while the rest languished in the lower registers of the Hot 100 singles chart. You never would have known with all the media exposure they got back then, especially on MTV. My saying that the other two singles off "True Confessions" was stretching it a bit lot!

 

The album was hilariously brilliant, but it was the last one that was any good. Perhaps his son's death the next year has something to do with that.

 

James Brown's output by the early 1970s was insane. This was his third double album in three years, and he was releasing two-three a year.

 

"Cruel Summer" peaked at #9 in 1984 and broke them in the U. S., but I think that was the only other big hit they had in the U. S.. In the U. K., they had many top tens but never a #1 ("Venus" barely made the Top Ten there.)

They were a huge club act. They also had some major video play on MTV, with "Robert DeNiro's Waiting" and "Shy Boy."