Good Bands That Turned Bad

Van Halen, everything after Roth was so so with Sammy. Classic lineup VH is the best! Still can't believe ED is dead.

Weezer Offspring Metallica

Guns N Roses - They went to shit when they thought it was a good idea to do an album of covers and Izzy left the band. The Use Your Illusion albums were their high water mark.

Drive By Truckers - Really dug the albums Southern Rock Opera, Decoration Day, The Dirty South, and A Blessing And A Curse. After Jason Isbell left the band, they went to shit. They became too preachy with politics and the female vocalist added for the next three albums was horrible. DBT seems to be fading away while Jason Isbell is having a successful solo career.

With a few exceptions, early stuff is almost always better. With their first few albums they blow their creative loads that’s been building up their whole lives, so to speak. After that they generally lose their energy and either repeat and copy themselves or go off in weird directions.

Springsteen's albums from 72-84 were incredible. His last good album was 37 years ago. Maybe add The Rising in 2002.

Agree on several others mentioned.

When I read the headline, I"m thinking this thread is going to be about drug use and trouble with the law. Don't all rock bands turn BAD at some point ?

There are so many!

I think Metallica is one that bought into a heavy metal formula and kept turning out very similar music after a certain point.

A short list would be - REM - anything after Green was far too commercial and pop-ish for me.

The Clash - huge sell out and decline with Combat Rock.

Bruuuuce sold out and got too into the issues a long time ago! Darkness on the edge of town was one of his last great albums. I still love Atlantic City as a song - but Nebraska was too much political crap otherwise.

I still enjoy U2. But, I am in the minority. Although, when I heard the guitar intro to Sunday Bloody Sunday, I realized how much I missed their early sound.

Elton John is an artist who turned to shit several decades ago.

I think Kanye’s first few albums were excellent - and then he seemed to lose his way.

Beastie Boys fell away quickly - but I think it was impossible to keep that intensity and energy going for any amount of time.

One more comment about Bono. That duet with Frank Sinatra was bizarre!

Here’s a funny old SNL bit with Phil Hartmann as Sinatra!

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Van Halen after debut album (as pop invaded their rock). Album 1984 and song Jump was particularly ridiculous despite commercial success. Def Leppard after 2nd album High n Dry AC/DC after Back in Black Surprised to not see anyone else trashing Led Zeppelin In Through the Out Door. Jimmy Page has called it "a little soft" and said he and Bonham didn't like it On the other hand, I like all U2 - some albums better than others, but no bad album IMO

^^ Decline In Through the Out Door I thought was a great album. A decade in the music world can be a long time in terms of musical taste of the audience. While it was a departure from the type of stuff that made Zep the dominant band for 10 years, it hit the #1 spot on the charts within two weeks of release. At some point you've got to understand the changing times and go with it. In the Evening, All My Love and Fool in the Rain are classics still heard all the time on radio. I'm Gonna Crawl was more of the more deep rooted blues tracks, reminiscent of the old Led Zep, and is barely remembered today. Also you've got to attribute a lot of the highly synthesized pop-sounds of the album to the fact that Bonham and Page were so consumed by alcohol and heroin, respectively, that they missed many rehearsal and recording sessions, leaving the bulk of everything to Plant and Jones. And who could forget the record sleeve artwork with the watercolors!

tesla started to decline as soon as they did they released 5 man acoustical jam.

whitesnake's decline begins when they kicked out john sykes.

some may say the rolling stones. mick taylor leaving the band and cutting out dance/disco tracks on black and blue and some girls signified many to be the beginning of overall decline of the stones. to me black n blue to me is an underrated album and some girls is a top 10-15 album of all-time.

Agree on Bruce - he first 3 albums were outstanding and he was a cultural phenomenon - on the cover of Time and Newsweek the same week! Only place to go is downhill after that.

Thank God Cher hasn't turned bad!

I disagree with Cashman1234 about Elton John. He is getting better as his ass gets looser!

I love that young filly Taylor Swift! She's embracing my trans queen brothers and letting her freak flag fly!

There’s really so many. Because bands have the challenge of beating what made them famous in the first place. You have your whole life to write your first album so they saying goes. I mean who is still out there making awesome shit? That ain’t rhetorical either I’m interested in knowing so I can check it out for myself.

Just a few commments on above. I don’t get Peter Gabriel Genesis. It’s puts me to sleep. Phil Collins Genesis is just so much better.

U2 had some good songs in the 2000’s like Vertigo and City of blinding lights. That last album really sucked by them though.

Agree on Springsteen.

Aerosmith is another band that sounded a lot better when they were on drugs. Have not had a good album since ROCKS. Many bands put out there good stuff when they were stoned and only good for a few albums.

I thought Guns and Roses set the bar almost too high with Appetite for Destruction. They seemed to get too caught up in their greatness and put out Use Your Illusion - as I think there was lots of infighting once they got big.

Sadly, I think Axel still thinks he’s a huge star!

To see Aerosmith go from the band that did "Toys in the Attic" and "Rocks" to becoming a band for 13 year old girls...painful.

I like 80’s/90’s Aerosmith, they definitely had some good hits in there

joe perry said lightning strikes is one of his favorite all-time aerosmith songs. that's huge considering he didn't write that song.

Bon Jovi .... great 80’s cock-rock band ... terrible adult contemporary or whatever their latest crap is band.

Def Leppard ... amazing first 2 (maybe 3) albums, then also not much.

Motley Crue as well, Poison ... pretty much any of my 80’s bands I suppose. Good thing they all had amazing first and second albums!

Boston - hugely popular first album. Then they just kind remade the same album over and over. Elvis Costello - Great first few albums. Hit a wall at Almost Blue and rarely has had a good song since. Yes - great first 5 albums. Everything after sucked. They are still doing oldies cruises. Joy Division - Great Band! New Order - not so much. The Pixies - reformed in 2014 and really shouldn't have. Kings of Leon - three great records. Toured with U2, went pop, and have sucked ever since.

Totally agree with sinclair about the Drive By Truckers

^^^ wow all of that is spot on.

Toys in the attic was Aerosmith's 3rd album. They went from mama kins and dream on to a parody. The Ramones lost it. Doobie Brothers. Chicago. Its hard to repeat....

These two bands didn't turn bad they were horrible from the start Red Hot chili peppers and Allison in Chains.

Two years ago a relative purchase tickets for Allison in chains I went because I felt obligated. Spent most of the time in the lobby but could still hear their crappy ass sound

"Allison" in Chains? Is that the female cover band for them!? Seriously it was downhill after Staley passed.

A lot of longtime rock bands go softer because the vocalist's throat can no longer hold up. I think of Tool and AFI.

^ they couldn't be any worse

Allysin Chains is a porn star. I’ve never heard her sing in her scenes.

She was cute and hot about 10-15 years ago.

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I wonder if there’s any correlation to bands/artists jumping the shark once a porn star uses their name? I know there’s a Brittany Rears, and there’s a girl who looked like Miley Cyrus.

METALLICA

Eminem

I agree with most of what everyone said... I am surprised no one mentioned Dread Zeppelin, the Reggae band led by lead singer and Elvis Impersonator Tortelvis...

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Offspring. Not only did they sell out and become Nickelback, Jr., but their concert was awful.

Why is it that Nickelback is so disliked? I like a lot of their music and I have been to a couple concert.

Clapton. It may have been a hit, but that bossa nova version of Layla ruined the great original for me.

AC/DC - Started out good, but turned into a caricature of themselves Queensryche - Good up until the mid 90's, then Geoff Tate lost his vocal range, then was kicked out and the current singer just isn't as good. Metallica - Still my favorite band, but their song writing peaked at And Justice For All. Black Album was OK, but from Load to St Anger had to be the worst group of songs by a once great band. It looked like they may come back with Death Magnetic, then came the aptly titled Hardwired to Self Destruct.