Disappointing beginnings to total greatness

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The flipside to the "great beginnings to total disappointment" thread.

This one is a bit harder, I think. I'm trying to think of an artist who started out awful and ended up great and no-one comes to mind. But then, I think we're a bit preconditioned to expect earlier recordings to be more authentic & gritty and to by suckered by the fan-logic of "i got this bootleg of Kurt playing a kazoo when he was nine, it's way better than In Utero, maaaaan".

― fritz, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the world class wrecking cru -> NWA, I guess, but that's not exactly fair.

Laughing Gnome-era David bowie -> whatever era Bowie you like.

aretha franklin's records got better when they stopped trying to turn her into cocktail jazz.

it took Neil Young a while to get off the ground, too. I've never been nuts about most of the Buffalo Springfield stuff or the first solo record.

― fritz, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Early Tom Waits is just OK. Same with early Flaming Lips. Boredoms have been getting better the whole way.

― Mark, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Also Bruce Springsteen, Guided by Voices.

― Mark, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Radiohead

Drill is AWFUL. There again, their new stuff isn't much better...

― Zanny G, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

My Bloody Valentine's first album sucks.

― Alex in SF, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

as does the pre-eels E stuff

― dan, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Primal Scream.

― Nick Southall, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Some would argue that Talk Talk fit this bill, but personally speaking, I actually like their skinny-tied, angsty synth-pop period.

― Alex in NYC, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

James Brown, Pulp

― Curt, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I rather disagree with Nick about the Scream.

Ok, "Sonic Flower Groove" is no "Screamadelica", pushing back the boundaries and touching the zeitgeist of a generation, but the first Primals album is, on its own merits, a gorgeous 30-minute sway through a kind of Byrds-y indie psychedelia. Not seminal, but no way disappointing. And what about "Velocity Girl" ? If not, then no Stone Roses ? The James Beattie-era Scream is underrated- discuss.

― Darren, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Japan's first two releases. Then they sophisticated their sound and made some decent records.

― brian, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Talk Talk is the obvious answer here, but I'd cast my vote for The Church. Never was a big fan of the early 12-string jangle-pop stuff (though inexplicably to me folks swear by _Blurred Crusade_ and _Seance_), but I love the last couple of albums from P=A onward.

― Chris Barrus, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Awful is an overstatement, but I don't think that Aesop Rock's FLOAT really gives any indication that he's going to make something as good as LABOR DAYS down the road, although I've only listened to FLOAT once.

I don't think it's cool say Slint is great anymore, but I've never been good at being cool, so I'd apply the same analogy to TWEEZ/SPIDERLAND.

Although I don't know if they're totally great (haven't heard much), the first Destroyer album is damn near unlistenable.

And I know Smog purists who insist that he never got better than SEWN TO THE SKY, but if he had kept putting albums out like that and FORGOTTEN FOUNDATION I probably wouldn't own any Smog today.

The first Superchunk CD is pretty forgettable, but they're one of my all time favorite bands now.

That is all.

― doug, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Cocteau Twins. Garlands = scary and repetitive BLEH.

― Lee, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Japan's first two releases. Then they sophisticated their sound and made some decent records.

*counting down the seconds until Sean says something*

And hey, I like The Blurred Crusade, dammit! But I like Heyday and Priest=Aura more.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Aerosmith were nowhere near as good at being pseudo-Stones blooze- metal as they are at being blowdried Desmond Childed arena-metal.

― M Matos, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Aerosmith were nowhere near as good at being pseudo-Stones blooze- metal as they are at being blowdried Desmond Childed arena-metal

This is just not true. I agree that the Boredoms are constantly improving, but it's not like their beginning was disappointing except perhaps in retrospect. I suspect that Radiohead is a good answer, but having never heard any of their albums other than "Amnesiac", and having liked "Creep" when it came out, that's probably not fair either. Pantera? (admittedly, a loose definition of totally great, but "Fucking Hostile" is totally great, if nothing else...)

― Kris, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

*counting down the seconds until Sean says something*
Wrong Sean, I know, and I'm coming to the defense of the Church, not Japan. I actually think the Church tailed off again after Gold Afternoon Fix (I seem to be the only one around here that didn't particularly like Priest=Aura), but I'm a great fan of Blurred Crusade, Heyday and Starfish (but esp. Heyday). Seance I can take or leave, despite similarity to my name, and I'm not really a big fan of the first. The new one is a mini return to form after a few forgettable albums.

I think I disagree on Neil Young, too: personal taste aside, Buffalo Springfield is still what I'd consider hitting the ground running.

― Sean Carruthers, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ps. I heart Garlands.

― Sean Carruthers, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I believe Rick Springfield's career had a shaky start. (Does anyone remember his Saturday morning cartoon?) Now he's headlining among the greats in Vegas. (I think Yakov Smirnov is going to be there next month.)

― Dave225, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Speak to the Sky" (1971) is Rick Springfield's best song.

― Arthur, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Of Skin and Heart was great. I think the Church is one of the most consistant bands out there, and David Bowie's Music Hall stuff was great too. I'm going to say Low & Flaming Lips for getting better.

― A Nairn, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Tough to think of someone going from awful to great.Ron Sexsmith I like but hated his early stuff-Grand Opera Lane, Patti Smith's a big mover from such a horseshit start... though not many agree. XTC maybe? Radiohead go from OK to total crap and Neil Young was far from awful early on solo or with Buffalo Springfield.

― kiwi, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I second SMOG. That first 7" on Drag City is fucking horrible, and I can't say I think too much of "Sewn To The Sky" either.. but I love pretty much everything that follows

― electric sound of jim, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Soundgarden

― dave q, Saturday, 13 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Soundgarden? "Hunted Down"/"Nothing To Say" is a GREAT 7"!

― electric sound of jim, Saturday, 13 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Japan's first two releases. Then they sophisticated their sound and made some decent records.
*counting down the seconds until Sean says something* Ahem. Yes, they did get a bit "sophisticated" didn't they? The first two records are the best. Do I need to go on? Oh, and Erik to thread, btw.

― Sean, Sunday, 14 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Answer: Any artist you care to name.

What a curious question, I believe my hair may have curled.

― C Sallis, Monday, 15 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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