Thursday 7 October 2010

Thursday conundrum

News that Weezer have been offered $10 million to split up by their own fans prompts me to ask: which of your favourite musicians/TV shows/artists etc. would you pay to slip quietly away? Who's done fantastic work, but subsequently spoiled it with an unending stream of mediocrity?

Despite my huge respect for them, and even though their latest album was really pretty good, I'd nominate REM as suffering from the law of diminishing returns. Ditto The Charlatans. Paul Auster and Don Delillo have gone off the boil rather in the literary world.

The Charlatans' problem is that even though most of their albums have featured beautiful, compelling tracks, their second single (1990) was such a smash that it's overshadowed everything else they've done.

4 comments:

Ewarwoowar said...

I saw The Charlatans at a V Festival once. After they had played that one, I went and got some chips instead, so you're totally right there.

The answer is obviously U2.

The Plashing Vole said...

I was hoping someone would nominate U2. I couldn't, because I've never liked anything they've done.

Björk?

Benjamin Judge said...

Björk? Are you fucking insane? Have you actually heard her later stuff? She is less commercial, sure, but she gets better with every album.

As for Auster, I could not agree with you more, and if The Pregnant Widow was any indication of how Amis is planning the next phase of his career he can just stop now for me.

The Charlatans main problem, in my eyes, is being interesting for a couple of albums and then becoming a second rate Rolling Stones covers band.

Can I nominate: George Lucas, Kings of Leon, and Prince.

The Plashing Vole said...

OK, I was just teasing about Björk, and I don't disagree with you on The Charlatans.

Definitely with you on your choices, though I've only heard the Kings of Leon track that's on the radio everywhere I go.

New Order. Morrissey. Philip Glass (that hurts).