Albums by bands that are effectively over

[kid_runningfox]

I was listening to Led Zeppelin's 'In Through the Out Door' the other day on Youtube, and it struck me that, despite it undoubtedly having one or two highlights such as 'Carouselambra,' it's unmistakably the sound of a band struggling to survive, and largely held together at this point by the sheer willpower of John Paul Jones. I found myself wondering, even had it not been for the sad death of John Bonham the following year, whether Zeppelin would have survived long into the 80s, given that it was very clear that they were struggling to adapt to the musical changes of the time and that Page's creative spark especially was suffering from his substance abuses. As a result, I started thinking about albums by other bands that served as little more than notice that they were effectively finished, be that through internal dissent, the loss, incapacitation, or sheer lack of interests of a former key member, managerial problems, substance issues, etc. A few immediately sprang to mind:

The Eagles - The Long Run
Pink Floyd - The Final Cut
The Who - It's Hard
The Beatles - Let It Be
Blue Oyster Cult - Club Ninja

Any suggestions of others?

[Mister Triscuits]

Three with titles that allude to the band being kaput:

Cream - Goodbye
Traffic - Last Exit (of course, they came back)
Buffalo Springfield - Last Time Around

[bob_32_116]

The Eagles - The Long Run

- Definitely. I didn't much like Hotel California, but at least it had The Last Resort.

Pink Floyd - The Final Cut

- end of Waters era maybe. I don't think they disgraced themselves with The Division Bell, though.

The Who - It's Hard

- or some would say Face Dances.

The Beatles - Let It Be

- more or less a given.


Another:
The Rascals - Search and Nearness. A dull album with a couple of their worst covers ever.

There were a couple more Rascals albums, but by then it was only Felix and Danny from the original line-up.

[JJ88]

Agreed with most of those in the O/P. However, whilst In Through The Out Door and The Final Cut are patchy they at least still have something new to say.

The Long Run and It's Hard (arguably Face Dances as well) are the sound of clapped-out bands going through the motions. Not total disasters and there's some good songs, but so far from their peak.

Let It Be will always be my least favourite Beatles album in any form, but Phil Spector's work did the material no favours. Let It Be Naked is not perfect by any stretch but makes a better argument for the material.

It was a new line-up but Calling All Stations also springs to mind. As a re-launch it's decidedly half-baked.

[Oreb]

It was a new line-up but Calling All Stations also springs to mind. As a re-launch it's decidedly half-baked.

That was pretty much the first one I thought of as well.

[Lopez]

Odessey and Oracle by the Zombies came out in 1968 after the band had broken up.

Split Ends by the Move came out after they had already transitioned to the Electric Light Orchestra

[Koreabruce]

It was a new line-up but Calling All Stations also springs to mind. As a re-launch it's decidedly half-baked.

I'll say! I've tried and tried to get into this, but it just doesn't work for me. Just re-listened to it last month, and I still feel the same. Many of the songs do indeed come across as half-baked (and those damned fade-outs! ) I think Ray Wilson is a good singer, but his voice is just blandsville in this context. Phil is greatly missed in pretty much every respect but most notably in the role of co-arranger. He had a decided knack for arrangement.

[rcarlberg]

Hamburger Concerto - Hadn't Focus broken up by the time it was released?

[Sputnik]

Egg - The Civil Surface.

[rcarlberg]

Egg - The Civil Surface.

Along with Khan, a sort of reunion album I understand.

[NogbadTheBad]

Zamla Mammaz Manna - Familjesprickor (Family Cracks) pretty much talks to the break up of the band. It's a very strong album and may be my favorite of theirs.

[Vic2012]

Clockwork Angels - Rush

[JKL2000]

Queen - Innuendo
Warren Zevon - The Wind

Not that these or most of the other albums mentioned are bad. I like Face Dances and Its Hard, and love The Final Cut.

[JJ88]

I'll say! I've tried and tried to get into this, but it just doesn't work for me. Just re-listened to it last month, and I still feel the same. Many of the songs do indeed come across as half-baked (and those damned fade-outs! ) I think Ray Wilson is a good singer, but his voice is just blandsville in this context. Phil is greatly missed in pretty much every respect but most notably in the role of co-arranger. He had a decided knack for arrangement.

They couldn't replace Phil. He was too big a personality and creative force.

I think they came up with a few (though no more) great songs, but the arrangements and production decisions made were sometimes appalling.

[Magic Mountain]

Can't believe that Yes - Tormato was not mentioned already. IMO, this fits the OP's conditions perfectly

[JJ88]

Queen - Innuendo

Freddie Mercury actually recorded a few other bits and bobs after Innuendo, some of which turned up on the Made In Heaven project. I think 'Mother Love' and 'A Winter's Tale' are the songs in question.

[Scott Bails]

Can't believe that Yes - Tormato was not mentioned already. IMO, this fits the OP's conditions perfectly

Unfortunately, Yes has many candidates that fit those conditions.

[JKL2000]

Can't believe that Yes - Tormato was not mentioned already. IMO, this fits the OP's conditions perfectly

I'm not sure how if they made 12 more studio albums after that (so far) you can say they were effectively over. I guess they might have seemed it though. I would say Union better fits this description, but there were still eight albums to come after that (so far).

[NogbadTheBad]

I was going to list every line-up change of King Crimson but that covered about 75% of their albums.

[JKL2000]

I'm a little confused by this thread. Can the albums be good?

[Magic Mountain]

I'm not sure how if they made 12 more studio albums after that (so far) you can say they were effectively over. I guess they might have seemed it though. I would say Union better fits this description, but there were still eight albums to come after that (so far).

I think that album clearly showed that version of the band and the era preceding it was clearly over

[NogbadTheBad]

I'm a little confused by this thread. Can the albums be good?

Of course, there have been many albums that have benefited from the internal conflicts of the band members.

[No Pride]

Queen - Innuendo

Freddie Mercury actually recorded a few other bits and bobs after Innuendo, some of which turned up on the Made In Heaven project. I think 'Mother Love' and 'A Winter's Tale' are the songs in question.

Freddie is on all of "Made In Heaven." He sounds amazingly strong, considering how ill he was at the time. The band fleshed the album out after his death. I like it better than Innuendo.

[Scott Bails]

Freddie is on all of "Made In Heaven." He sounds amazingly strong, considering how ill he was at the time. The band fleshed the album out after his death. I like it better than Innuendo.

I enjoy both, but enjoy them more knowing the circumstances under which they were recorded.

Is that weird?

[JJ88]

Freddie is on all of "Made In Heaven." He sounds amazingly strong, considering how ill he was at the time. The band fleshed the album out after his death. I like it better than Innuendo.

Obviously I know he's on all of it!

I was talking specifically about the songs that Freddie recorded after Innuendo. Many of the album's songs had actually been released before on B-sides or their various solo projects, others were mere scraps that they made into a finished song. Don't be fooled by the idea that this was all done just before Freddie's death, some of it goes back to the early 80s.