Bands that were good and got bad.
 

I wrote and HUGE post on this topic. About why it happens and how it could be avoided. I then mentioned as a prime example of this, IMO, Roxy Music. I went on about how great I thought they were at the beginning and how by "Avalon" they were bad, all in great detail. Then I asked for bands you thought suffered this same fate. Then I accidentally hit the "X" and lost it all.

This is the abridged version, and I apologize for the lackluster appearance.

most all bands.

Almost every band gets worse, but lots get bad too. Sorry, can't think of any examples at the moment.

Jinx.

Shit, just about every band that has ever been "good" ends up pissing their legacy away in the end.

Off the top of my head: The Modern Lovers, Television, Patti Smith Group, Stooges, Husker Du, Butthole Surfers, the Stones, the Clash, and many, many more. I'm sure a few people on here would say Sonic Youth.

A tougher question is to think of bands that started out being crap and then pulled themselves around into something fantastic - I guess MBV are an obvious choice there...

Heh. Way too late there ;)

I think Husker Du is definitely the best example of a band who got really really bad at the end, in my opinion.

The Rolling Stones
Pink Floyd
New Order

weezer

God yeah. Fucking Pinkerton was such an amazing album.

Now listen to those fucking pricks.

The Clash is a great example too, they were near elevator music by the end..

EDIT: I'll add something new to the table rather than just agree.hmmm...

The Kinks.

Television?

Patti Smith still makes good records.

I'd agree with Television. Marquee Moon is nearly perfect and the only thing I really care about. Anything else is just meh.

What about a band that was good, then got bad, then got good again? Dinosaur Jr. The early stuff is great, then after Lou and Murph left they were bad (too much J), now the reunion stuff and new album is great.

aside from mbv first record i like their twee pop punk stuff more than their later stuff.

the damned

I love all Dinosaur jr releases wholeheartedly, except without a sound.

where you been, hand it over, green mind, all amazing amazing guitar albums. amazing. no shrinkage there baby!

"too much J?" are you fucking crazy?

I cannot get enough! that's like saying too much pussy, or too much high grade weed, or too much ROCK

"Oh this rocks too hard! it is too much rock for me!!!"

Adventure is poor, but at least it's better than Verlaine's solo stuff I suppose...

And as much as I love her, Patti hasn't made a great album since Radio Ethiopia. Easter had it's moments, but Wave was dire. I've not really listened to any of the recent stuff in depth, but what I have heard didn't inspire me to persevere.

Miles Davis - his last decade (1980s) is embarrassing.

R.E.M.

"Too much J", for me, is like a lack of Murph and Lou. I just don't like the stuff without them near as much as the stuff with. I like J Mascis and the Fog, though. And it's physically not possible to rock too hard.

that's cool for sure.

however, codplay fans will most ecrtainly tell you that, for their wuss rock flava, there is such a thing as rockin too much! play the UNSANE singles collection for them!

"My name is Beck Hansen and I have no soul to sell anymore, nor any songs"



"Hello, my name is Chan Marshall, I used to write my own songs and enunciate properly, now I am terrible and I clearly suck off my keyboard player"



"Hey did you guys listen to Terror Twilight? Because we clearly didn't"



"Hey, too bad we all got weird haircuts and Machina happened"

I think R.E.M. got better, to be honest. Yes, I said it.

Also, Chan Marshall is pretty hot in that picture, so I forgive her.