Posted on 05/03/2021 2:31:54 PM PDT by mylife
Age is a terrifying thing for a lot of people. Your body is not as nimble as it was before, you start to forget things, and people generally tend to live in the memories of the glorious past rather than creating new ones. When it comes to big rock musicians it hits even harder since artists start losing the very energy that gave them fame and fortune. It’s tempting to just continue riding your name till the very end not releasing anything relevant and just exploiting your catalog of classics, but some bands have the courage to finish while they're still strong and able. Let's take a look at 7 rock and metal bands who called it quits at just the right time.
(Excerpt) Read more at ultimate-guitar.com ...
I just saw an episode of Brian Johnson's Life on the Road that featured Robert Plant. They broke up because John Bonham died then Robert spends the rest of his life making music nobody would pay a nickel to see if it didn't have his name behind it.
The just released a new album a couple of weeks ago. Let The Bad Times Roll
Nirvana?
Well I guess Cobain swallowing a 12 gauge counts as ending the band “at the right time”...sheesh!
Zep is the only band on the list I give a damn about. They were my #1 from the release of Physical Graffiti in ‘75 (when I was only 11) until I got burned out from over-listening, probably through high school, in the middle of the new wave era.
Saw ‘em in ‘77 and had tickets for ‘79 when Bonzo died and it all ended. At the time I agreed with the surviving members that Zep without their other-worldly drummer was unthinkable.
Saw Page one more time in ‘83 at the ARMS concert (benefit for Ronnie Lane) playing with The Firm with Paul Rodgers on vocals, and it was alright. But it was obvious that Page was a fish outta water.
Agree with you that Zep should re-formed when Jason was old enough. Say, mid ‘80s. He wasn’t on the level of his dad, but close enough in style and ability that it could’ve worked.
Wasn’t really impressed with the post-Zep work of either Page or Plant, aside from a few numbers. But together they might’ve been able to keep the mojo going. And the vastly underrated Jonsie was a big part of that magic.
On a side note....gotta admit I like Sabbath’s first 4 albums, particularly Paranoid (‘70) and up through Vol. 4 (‘72), but after that...straight downhill.
The author’s reasoning was that they could have hired another singer and tried to keep going, but they didn’t. Sometimes that works (ACDC for example). Most of the time it doesn’t.
Probably not. More’s the pity for them though.
Cool. I need to reconnect with them. Thanks
That is exactly the truth about Black Sabbath
“The author’s reasoning was that they could have hired another singer and tried to keep going, but they didn’t”
Ludicrous assertion by the Writer. Nirvana was a three piece band. Cobain was Singer Songwriter and guitarist. A grand total of ONE song was written by someone not named Cobain. Seriously it would be like Mitch Mitchell and Noell Redding continuing to Tour as the Jimi Hendrix Experience after Jimi died. I doubt Grohl and Novoselic even had rights to the name of the Band. That probably went to Cobain’s Wife Courtney Love.
Saw Page, Plant and young Bonham at the then-new Nashville Arena 20 years ago. They kicked ass and took names. The show was almost spoiled because the Arena had a bunch of junior Nazis running around making sure no one smoked anything at all. That was my first and last time there.
I saw them cotton bowl 74-75?
Acoustics were poor
I think Page was on H
It was hot
Plant was great
U2: 1983-1992 - nine years
Metallica: 1983-1992 - 9 years
Coincidence?
I have to disagree on Metallica, which fits the 7 year rule: 1984-1991, Ride the Lightning to the Black Album. I wouldn’t include Kill ‘Em All or Load among their classics.
Oddly enough, “Kill ‘Em All” is the album I still listen to, as it brings me back to being an angry 12 year old in a good way. The youngins can have their “WAP,” I will take “The Four Horseman.” Not a fan of “And Justice for All,” other than “Blackened” but it definitely fits into the classic period.
I wonder if Plant did not want to do the reformed Zep because he couldn’t sing like that anymore. His ability to wail and hit the high notes really declined after about 1973 - not sure how long he could’ve kept doing it, even had Bonzo lived
I grew up listening to Billy Joel and thought it was admirable he didn’t dilute his catalog with increasingly weaker albums that virtually every other notable musician of his generation did. He released 12 studio albums and the fans more or less like all 12.
He got rid of all his guys. Last couple albums weren’t as good. And now he’s just on the legacy tour. Actually I think most musicians that keep making new music get better. There is a certain freedom to no longer being pressed for hits. That’s usually what makes weak late period albums, chasing the audience, getting away from what makes the band good, not allowing the art to grow naturally.
And the bassist who was with him from 74 till 88 ended up taking his own life because he never got over it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Stegmeyer
But there is usually a string of truly awful albums before you get to that period. Rod Stewart and Elton John started out great...
There’s a great documentary about back up bands on Amazon, Hired Guns I think is the name, and they talk to one of Joel’s guys. Apparently he didn’t even tell them, he got in the car one day and heard a new Billy Joel song, and from there guessed he didn’t have a job anymore.
Elton is interesting because he really doesn’t write his own stuff. But yeah the “chase” period is where the weak albums come from. Then the smart ones adjust and figure out what kind of music they want to make now that the record company doesn’t expect them to go multi-platinum.
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