10 Artists who NEED to stop releasing albums
 

http://music.msn.com/music/photos/en...ady/?GT1=28102

Enough Already!

By Sean Nelson
Special to MSN Music

Even though the Who famously hoped "I die before I get old," plenty of veteran musicians have managed to stay relevant far past their predicted sell-by dates. Just look at Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, even Elvis Costello and Prince -- still making vital, interesting albums well beyond the age of 50. But what about the ones who don't age gracefully, or who don't know when to quit, who keep pumping out records year after decade? Some people just stay too long at their own party, and MSN Music is here to turn on the lights.

Madonna

In every imaginable way, the cultural force known as Madonna (as someone once joked, she could easily change her name to Phenomadonna) has transcended music, especially her own. Sure, she began as a pop star, but her legacy has been predominantly visual. The songs are Madonna delivery devices.

Have there been brilliant singles all along? Obviously -- right down to 2005's "Hung Up." However, the mere fact of her new album, "Hard Candy," makes it clear that Madonna's moment as a musical force has long since passed.

She defined the aesthetic of style as substance and gave birth to the teen-pop moment that keeps regenerating every few years. But despite whether she's a massive influence, she feels unnecessary. And pop can be a lot of things, but never that.

The Black Crowes

Remember the recent controversy in which Maxim magazine reviewed the new Black Crowes album before the writer had even heard it? Well, that is obviously inexcusable, but here's the thing no one seems willing to say: He was right.

You don't really need to hear a Crowes record to know what you're going to get, because you always get the same thing: roots rock with an overstated, Southern hippie twang. And it's coming up on 20 years since they had a good tune ("Remedy") to wrap their aesthetic around.

Absent a song, it's just dudes whipping their hair around a mic stand and soloing unto infinity, while a legion of hacky sacks bounce in time. You don't need to make a record to make that happen, dude.

The Who

Surely any list of the five most important rock bands of all time must contain the Who (they're No. 4 on my list; Nos. 2 and 3 are also on this list).

But let's be serious: Have they made a good album, or, OK, an important album since 1973's "Quadrophenia," which I don't even like that much but kind of have to grant you, otherwise we go back to 1969's "Tommy," because I don't like "Who's Next" (1971) that much? The answer is NO.

And it's not because they're old (though it is partially because their drummer died before he got that way). It's because people run out of gas, and Pete Townshend's gift for the short sharp vulnerability ran aground of Roger Daltrey's tendency to grunt and growl instead of sing.

"Endless Wire," the putative Who album from 2006 was one of the most painful listening experiences I can remember -- not one good song, not one good part. How was this the Who? Well, it wasn't. And now they're working on a new one. Here's hoping they never finish.

Ray Davies

A genuine heartbreaker on this list, Ray Davies, the songwriting master behind the Kinks, the second most important band in the history of rock music, has just released his second solo album, "Working Man's Café."

And although you'd have to think at least twice before suggesting that the man who wrote "Waterloo Sunset," "You've Really Got Me," "Lola" and about three dozen other perfect songs was anything other than a genius, you need only suffer through "Café" once to know that the pistons have stopped firing.

Davies' last solo effort, "Other People's Lives," was pretty slack, too. And while I'll fight to the death to support his right to do whatever he wants (if I were president, he'd be poet laureate), I humbly request that he stop making records -- at least till he remembers what he's good at: writing and singing songs about people he's actually interested in.

Joni Mitchell

This one hurts the most, because at her peak, Mitchell was basically the best there was, in the world, period. And then something happened. That something is called ego.

It was one thing for this former folkie singer/songwriter-turned-folk-rock innovator to compare herself to Dylan -- she had every right, especially in the mid-'70s. But when she started comparing herself to Beethoven, it was clear her editorial standards had gone out the window of her limousine.

She hasn't made a record you could even call decent since 1978 -- I would argue 1975, but still least 30 years. And "Shine," last year's "comeback" for Starbucks' Hear Music label, was effectively unlistenable. It may just be time for someone to get herself back to the garden. The great albums remain great, no matter how hard she tries to tarnish them.

Bryan Adams

Umm ... how to put this gently? Never good (not "Summer of '69," not "Heaven," not even "Cuts Like a Knife," which I heard just last week), and only getting worse with age. If indeed, everything you do, you do it for me, I have but one request: Pull the plug.

The Rolling Stones

It's such a cliché by now to make fun of the Stones' advanced age in relation to their live act that you almost forget how long it's been since they've made a good album.

The answer is 36 years. The album was 1972's "Exile on Main Street." If you want to be generous, you could make the case for "Some Girls" in 1978.

Either way, it's been at least three decades since "the world's greatest rock and roll band" could genuinely lay claim to that title. And yet, every time they mount a new tour, a new album comes along to diminish the worth of what should, in fairness, be called "the world's greatest rock and roll brand."

I know, I know, you can't always get what you want, but if a couple of grizzled old glimmer twins are reading this, I hope it's not too much to hope that, with the recent release of "Shine a Light," this could be the last time.

Elton John

As his coffers swell (to say nothing of, well, anything else), the man who managed at least three second acts as a legitimate chart presence hasn't recorded a viable note since 1989 (and that's if you're reeeeeally kind).

His dew-stained do-over of "Candle in the Wind" should have gotten him banished from polite society. Instead, it saved his bacon for the millionth time. How many "Lion King"s can he pull out of his straw boater before the whole toupee comes flying off with it? Time will tell.

But if he wants to make it to his 62nd birthday extravaganza with a shred of dignity, he'll call it a very long day instead of pretending that he can keep trying to pull off a return to roots as he does every so often ("The Captain and the Kid," "Peachtree Road"). The whole point of Elton John was that he had no roots in the first place.

Carly Simon

Never as shallow as Linda Ronstadt or as deep as Joni Mitchell (despite what a recent book suggests), Simon was a talented '70s pop radio artist and sex symbol whose best work is dusted with very affecting melancholy and a very sharp tongue. But she was never a major artist.

By the time the '80s rolled around, her work for movies had steered her into a synthesizer wasteland with lyrics full of vacuous sentimentality and humiliating nursery rhymes. And she's been coasting ever since.

Simon became the latest pop veteran to join the caffeinated ranks of Starbucks' Hear label in late April, but I'm sure I'm not alone when I say the anticipa-a-a-tion didn't exactly drive me crazy.

Def Leppard (see also, Whitesnake)

There was a time -- let's call it the early '80s -- when it seemed like this good-looking, young Zeppelin/Sabbath-lite semi-hard-rock band's hit strewn "Pyromania" LP was a perfect expression of the MTV-defined pop times.

Then a few years passed, tragedies beset the band and they managed to earn a big comeback, in the form of "Hysteria," featuring the unstoppably dumb mega hit "Pour Some Sugar on Me." That was 1987, 21 years ago.

In the meantime, it has become clear that the meaningless (though somehow still stupid) lyrics, good-time party attitude and retrograde iconography is better served up by bands that are young and dumb, not just dumb.

Not because it's more rock to be old, but because anyone who isn't 20 has no business making music so brainless -- just ask their new album. Pour some ointment on them; they're done.

Hahaha.
I love it and so true.

hilarious, thanx for posting!!!~

Can we throw anyone, besides Dave Matthews, who did Farm Aid in there as well? How did Neil Young even get famous?! He can't really play, he CANNOT sing, and I hate his songs because they're so darn cheesy!

Also, Nickelback. Every damn song sounds the same.

How about some acts we'd all like to see again? (even dead ones count)

1. The Association

2. Paul Revere and the Raiders

3. Marvin Gaye

4. The New Radicals

5. Seven Channels

6. Brenda Russell

7. The Mamas and the Papas

8. Boston

9. Dan Fogelberg

10. Heart

Madonna is the train wreck I love to watch. Love/hate w/ that damn girl, and the reality is, I still wonder what she'll do next. Has anything she's one lately been that wow? Is her music relevant? nope, not really, but I dig it. All the others, especially Elton....I stopped caring what he (they) did long ago...which is sad, cause so many of the artists listed have such talent....just it came & went already. Priceless frickin article though!

Madonna

number one for a reason.

Yeah, I've never been a fan of Madonna's.

Also, Daughtry. All of his stuff sounds exactly the same.

Well, let me know when you write a song even a 10th as good as the epic Cortez The Killer or the "cheesy" tale of heroin abuse and death, The Needle And The Damage Done. Thanks.

And yeah, the legend that is Dave Matthews is still producing awesome music while other Farm Aid performers such as Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, Emmylou Harris and Bob Dylan, haven't produced anything worthwhile in years. Okaaaaay.

Bite your tongue...
 

I love Chris and the whole band. I think they have a very recognizable sound but I dont think they sound the same. Home vs. Its Not Over...very different to me at least.

The list is more about artists who used to be great who haven't produced anything worthwhile in a long time.

I almost died when I saw Bryan Adams on the list...
I think his stuff is just....horrible!!
I admit, I am a sucker for 'Summer of 69', but the rest...give me a break!

Ethan, I agree about Daughtry sounding gennerally the same on his work. But with that I must add that I like him, he was my favorite idol contestant season 5 [the year yucky taylor hicks won....:distress: ], and i think he deserves every bit of sucess he's had these last few years.

Truthfully, I cannot STAND Madonna, pardon me for saying this if you do like her, but the only reason she has a carrer was because she was a slut in the 80s, and she still is a slut to this day.

DMB? Crash is the only song I like by them. end of story.

Nickelcrap? I used to like them when I was like 10, but their stuff gets so tiring!!

aj...I can def. see where we'd want the Mama's and the Papa's back. I love thier music, but to me it wouldn't be the same without Mama Cass...[this may sound drastic, but it would be like the Beatles without John Lennon...it just wouldn't work.] If they pulled some stuff out of the vault though....that would be nice :D

I would loveeee to throw Rod Stewart into the 'don't make music' catagory.
I really hate Rod Stewart.
"Do You Think I'm Sexy" is the only song by him I even like. The rest sounds so similar. JMO.

Well, to be fair, it wouldn't be the same without John Phillips or Denny Doherty either. Michelle Phillips is actually the only surviving member of The Mamas And The Papas. :(

I do agree about Rod Stewart, although when he was in The Faces he was fantastic.

He first got famous as a member of Buffalo Springfield. He is a master songwriter and singer and I enjoy his work very much, both studio and live. He plays:
Guitar
Harmonica
Piano
Ukulele

When I saw him live for the first time at a Bridge School Benefit, I was completely blown away.

I don't care for most of the artists on this list, but I think it's a bunch of bull****. :rolleyes:

No artist NEEDS to stop doing their art. Just because some opinionated writer at MSN needs to meet his article quota does not lend any credence to his opinions.

And besides, the same thing could be said about every artist that someone, somewhere doesn't like.

Madonna just had her fourth number one album in a row, but I'm sure she is going to end her career now just because this guy says she should.

Now that she's surpassed Elvis for the most Billboard top 1o hits - she's had 37 - I'm sure Madonna will accept her irrelevancy and the fact that she's a slut.

Man, your friends are so hip and cool. Can you guys teach us children and queers to be like you?

Thanks for reminding us "queers" that only bigots decide what music is of value.

does this mean I have to turn in my queer card for thinking that Madonna is an artistically talent challenged hoax?Well maybe not I do love Stevie Nicks and ABBA!:laugh:

The NAMECALLING post was removed, for its insulting content.

Only 80% of it :wavey:

Seriously, Madonna's talent is not her voice. It never was.

Her talent is her ability to dance (still the heavy emphasis in her tours and videos) and her ability to be the mouthpiece for some of the more talented producers and innovative musicians of the last 25 years. She also has a talent for pushing the envelope of convention. I cannot really think of anyone like her or forget that in like 1983, there was nobody like her at all, save possibly for Cyndi Lauper in that they were both very quirky and made this great music. La Lauper, though, actually has a great voice. But, I love Madonna's stuff and think she is very talented in those areas.

I also think to call her a fluke or say that she was a slut therefore she made it ignores the facts. If you want to say she made it bacause she understood how to manipulate the public by shocking them, I will grant you that, though she also had slammin' music to back it up.

I also think she can act in a limited way. She was wonderful in Evita and Desp. Seeking Susan. Then again, like Winonna Ryder paying crazy, Madonna was merely playing herself in those two parts.

Buy my album and you'll see I have written songs as good as those. :laugh: Okay, I did forget about Needles and the Damage done. It is a pretty good song, but not exactly in the top 500 of the decade even. It's a song that is very good for a folk singer in a coffee shop. In fact, I've heard better from guys at coffee shops. :)

I don't know if you can call what he does "playing". It is all at an extremely rudimentary level. His "singing" is better described as moaning and croaking. LOL! :laugh: One poster pointed out The Needle and the Damage done which is a good song, I will admit. Please tell me someone who doesn't cringe at "Keep on Rocking". LOL!

To each their own, but, objectively - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Young

I am not a huge fan of his, but I respect the talent :shrug:

I'd say she's a master manipulator and has gotten where she is largely because of image and not any innate performance talent. She has an okay voice and I don't know if she plays anything or not. She is an excellent songwriter, far better than Neil Young. LOL! )Have to take another jab at the guy......) Like A Prayer, La Isle Bonita, Crazy for You, Music, Cherish, and many others are all wonderful songs. I just think there has to be a point where you put the slut image behind you and try to have some dignity. I think a 50 something year old women in an S & M outfit isn't sexy, it's just pathetic.

Apparently not to millions of people world wide. I mean you have your opinion and all, but I'd venture to say you are vastly out numbered.

Also, what exactly constitutes a slut? I say this in an historical way. She has inspired fashion since 1982 ish. So, if dressing like a slut is what she does, then seemingly women for the last 25 or so years are doing that as well. i get she did a nudie book, but that was 16 or so years ago. Also, I might agree with you in general if that 50 year old woman looked even 40. But, Madonna's body looks like she is in her 30's. Finally, dignity is how one judge's oneself, not how others judge another. For all we know, she has lots of dignity. Who am I to judge her about that?

Also, she is a highly trained and very good dancer, which is performace talent.

I think it is interesting that the two you attack are also heavily anti war - I think I see a correlation :wavey:

How would you know?

You're standing in a long line.

Ya know -- I always seem to miss the name calling and bickering by like 10 minutes :mad:

I feel like we're talking about Bob Dylan or Stevie Nicks.

I don't know about moaning and croaking. Have you heard 'Old Man' or even better 'War of Man?' His voice is pure and golden. He doesn't really have a rasp.

Too each his own of course.

What happened? I didn't call anyone names. Perhaps I missed it too as my post is deleted.
Sheesh.

Ya know, I never noticed the correlation about the war thing. I just hate his music and I think Madonna needs to grow up a bit. I mean, she looks good, but if you can afford to buy a body and face, anyone can look good. I think it is just a leftist thing to prolong adolescence as long as possible. I mean, how many conservative sluts are there? Anyway, I don't want to get too political here. I actually like Madonna's music, but I don't understand the ego or the hype. On a local radio station, she did a voiceover that says "I AM madonna" instead of "Hey there, it's Rob Thomas from Matchbox Twenty and you are listening to...." I don't get the reason for the ego. To me, entertainers are supposed to be a distraction from real life problems and when they weigh in on current events with a high school education and no real experience in the private sector beyond gigging, I lose most interest in them whether conservative or liberal. I would listen to a Michael Jordan, who is a businessman, over Madonna anyday. As far as the dignity goes, I have to say that dignity is based on societal norms and not what you think of yourself. That would mean that any degraded person, or insane person, is dignified even if they are lying in a gutter in their own filth. Not to say Madonna is doing that, but I disagree with your premise.

I don't mind being outnumbered by people worldwide. I mean, last year there was a survey on British culture and the majority of people thought that Sherlock Holmes was real and that Winston Churchill was a myth! I have never really cared what the majority thought about anything, since most of them know the names of the Idol contestants but couldn't name their own senator, or those who know the name of Paris Hilton's dog, but couldn't tell you who the secretary of the treasury is. Most polls prove to me that people just swallow good marketing and believe whatever they are handed. Music is all about packaging and has little to do with quality anymore.

Having seen your list of artists who are "good" and those who aren't, I think I'll be saving my money for the next Neil Young album, thanks :wavey:

Funnily enough three of Neil Young's songs made Rolling Stones' list of the 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/500_Gre...gs_of_All_Time

I'd be surprised to see Sinai 48 ever make this list lol :)

lol you're funny. The fact that you think Neil Young is cheesy suggests that you know nothing about his music or the man at all other than a few songs you heard on the radio lol :)

Well then, I think you're a twit :wavey::wavey::wavey:

(for the weak of heart, I am joking with Richard :cool: )

I love it. You're my man, Strand, my main man.

omg Now I realise it's pointless arguing. Wow.

Ann Counter - I mean she wears a come fukc me dress showing off her misquito bump breasts and bony clavicle and Adam's Apple at eight in the morning.

Then again, can a man be a slut :eek:

Poor Ann :laugh:

Also, let's see:

1. Sen. Craig (after all, he plead guilty after throwing his position around did not work)

2. too many far right preachers to name

3. Strom Thurmond -- and with a black woman :eek:

4. Al State Attorney General Troy King -- though not proven yet, it will be

5. Neil Bush -- hey the hooker just showed up at my door - -what was I supposed to do?

6. Bob Barr - honey I know you are sick and likely dying, but please sign these divorce papers wherein I am screwing you over

7. Mark Foley - emails to the teenage boys in your employ anyone.

8. Ted Haggard -- Leader of the National Association of Evangelicals
(November 2006) and chronic beneffactor of male prostitutes and crystal meth -- BUT I WAS THERE FOR A MASSAGE ONLY

9. Bob Allen - Member of the Florida House of Representatives, Florida Chairman of John McCain’s Presidential Campaign (July 11, 2007) -- How about a hummer for $20 you big black burly man?

10. Glenn Murphy Jr. -- National Chairman of the Young Republicans (July 28, 2007) -- mouth-to-penis resuscitation of your asleep friend anyone - and repeated violations at that

11. Senator David Vitter -- I LOVE A HOOKER

12. Jeff Gannon -- gay rent boy in the White House anyone -- and just how did he pass that post 9/11 WH screening? Go here for "Bulldog's" lewd pics. and rates http://www.americablog.com/2005/02/man-called-jeff.html
_____________________________________________

I could go on, but I think that is enough for now.

Back to the topic at hand, I am happy Haircut 100 stopped recording.

I was talking about entertainment. What is the point of this post anyway, why do you need to get nasty all the time, why do you need to drag politics into EVERYTHING, and who is Haircut 100?

I was responding to your comment. For the record, I think Bulldog's stripping could be considered in the entertainment industry :laugh:

Alas, this explains alot (joking) -- they were a one hit English wonder in the 80's with a kind of cool song called "Love Plus One."

Well, we just hired an attorney who says there are 3 labels that we may end up getting signed with, so you never know?!

I'd be surprised if any of my songs made it there, but I think we'd all agree that Rhiannon and Go Your Own Way should be higher and a lot of those songs shouldn't be on there at all.

Besides, how "great" a song may be is irrelevant to musicianship. I mean, everyone knows Twinkle Twinkle and it is a "great" song because of its influence and impact, but it doesn't take much to play it. Neil Young may have "great" songs, but he's a poor musician. I mean, look at Kurt Cobain. He could barely play, he can't sing that well, he wrote some good songs, but he's consistently on the list of the greatest guitarists?! Why? Good marketing and the fact that he's dead. If he hadn't died, he'd be another STP or Live. He certaintly isn't a great guitarist. I mean, he makes the list and Elvis makes the list, but Lindsey doesn't? :shrug:

My parents listened to a lot of Neil Young albums while I grew up and I just didn't like them. So what?! His voice grates, his songs are okay but nothing spectacular, and his guitar playing annoys me. Can we talk this subject to death any more?!

I think bulldog stripping DESCRIBES the entertainment industry! :thumbsup: