"the best album since _____" syndrome
 

I notice pretty much every artist with over 20 years to their belt get this everytime a new album comes out that gets good word of mouth... the current example I can think of if the new Pet Shop Boys album Yes, which I've already heard the "this is the best album since Very (1993)" comment from several fans.

Usually the album that gets compared to is usually seen as the last album of a classic run that every album since gets held up against.

Examples:
Rolling Stones - Tattoo You
David Bowie - Scary Monsters (who infamously referred to this and said he considered releasing an album called "The Best Album Since Scary Monsters", lol)
U2 - Achtung Baby (the latter albums have gotten good reviews but they still can't seem to escape Achtung)
Prince - Sign O' The Times
REM - Automatic For The People
Depeche Mode - Violator

any others? I know there are dozens more where this comes from

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

Metallica - Master of Puppets/And Justice for All (people will say one or the other)

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

I felt like Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot set the standard for new indie/alt-country(?)/mildly distorted singer/songwriter releases there for awhile.

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

Pearl Jam - Vitology
Neil Young - Harvest Moon
Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever
Beck - Midnight Vultures
Garbage - Version 2.0

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

Sorry, no.

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

Which is odd. TUSK is fucking genius, man...

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

I agree. I thought it was so laughable when I saw some cheap Fleetwood biography special (one which was so cheap they didn't use any band interviews dating past the Tango In The Night era and used soundalike "Don't Stop" music and nothing else) and they had this chart historian there who was all "Tusk didn't even go to #1, it was a bad album" basically. The worst part is when he even said that "Mirage was a rebound from the awful Tusk" and I have never met one FM fan who has ever thought that. Mirage was a #1 and Tusk wasn't because Mirage was a safe mainstream album meant to appeal to the widest possible audience. This guy lives by his chart positions and thinks that's the measure of how good an album is or isn't and that's utter BS.

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

Sometimes I think the example is kind of insulting, like "the Cure's best album since Bloodflowers." Really? Best out of two? High praise indeed.

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

That's sad, but predictable. A wading-pool-deep examination of FLEETWOOD MAC would basically mean give a quick nod to anything before '75 and don't spend any time on anything that didn't top the charts with big smash hits. Too bad. TUSK is their masterpiece.... well OK it's really Buckingham's production masterpiece but whatever. Phenomenal album whereas they could have just put out "Rumours Part Two" and coasted.

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

I thought "Tango in the Night" was their last good one.

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Say You Will would've been better if trimmed down a bit. Perfect example IMO of an album that got bogged down for being too long. Tusk's length was justified, SYW was about six songs too long.

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

I'd go more with YIELD than VITALOGY when it comes to this subject and the generally held belief by a lot of fans....not for me however!

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

Totally agree. It would've been considered one of the best CDs that year if they didn't stock it with 18 tracks. I would've scrapped 6 songs as well - leaving 12 solid songs which overall is a deep album.

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

[QUOTE=Coral;9347084]Totally agree. I would've scrapped 6 songs as well - QUOTE]

Which six out of interest?
Mine would be:

Red Rover (Indulgent nonsense).
Come (Ditto)
Illume (Dull)

and probably three other Nicks ones, but I can't recall them offhand as they are so forgettable.

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

Wow

Love all the fleetwood mac chat. I saw that same fake music special (I think it was on the Bio channel last month) and they blatantly said Rumours was the musical high point and they never would approach the same - and while it may be a commercial high point - Tusk, Tango, and Say You Will kicked ass.

I too would have trimmed a few songs from Say You Will

1. Smile at You (overproduced, could have been great but one of the few times I think Buckingham ruined a Stevie Nicks Song)
2. Destiny Rules (UGH - her voice could NOT sound any more nasally)
3. Say You Will (blatant attempt at pop commercialism complete with children singing the final chorus)
4. Come (simply not my cup of tea and not a fleetwood mac song - were Christine still in the band she would have fought against this being in the record I am sure)
5. What's the World Coming to (um... no - Murrow Turning over - intelligent political rock song - this one, fluff)
6. Bleed to Love Her (we had it on the dance - no need for the repeat)

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

Weezer hasn't had a good album since Pinkerton

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

[QUOTE=Mhepburn20;9347442]Wow
and while it may be a commercial high point - Tusk, Tango, and Say You Will kicked ass.
QUOTE]

I am listening to Mirage and remembering that there are still some very good tracks on that too...most of them in fact. Prefer the others to Mirage but it's still good.

Any thoughts on The Mask - or Time? I actually really like the Time album

Here's a link to another recently active FM thread here in Aust.

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum....cfm?t=1166491

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

sadly I have to agree. The latest did have some good tracks but ultimately fell short

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

While I love Midnite Vultures, I think Sea Change was Beck's best and the one I'm still waiting for him to top, or even equal.

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

Yep.

A BIG one of these is with Bob Dylan and 'Blood On The Tracks'.

You see "Dylan's best work since 'Blood On The Tracks'" variants on a bunch of his releases since that masterpiece.

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

I can see that from a consumer/radio hits perspective, but as a fan I think "best since Yield" is more applicable.

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

RHCP- Blood Sugar Sex Magik (although I prefer Mother's Milk myself)
Sonic Youth- Daydream Nation/Goo
Nine Inch Nails- Downward Spiral
AC/DC- Back in Black
Public Enemy- Fear of a Black Planet
for Tom Petty I've got to go Wildflowers, a much better album than Full Moon Fever IMO.

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

Ick, Sea Change puts me to sleep every time (and not in a good way). I don't think I've ever made it the whole way through.

Mutations, on the other hand, is all kinds of awesome... :up:

Re: "the best album since _____" syndrome
 

Oh, and Radiohead's would be "OK Computer". I don't think they'll ever top that critically, at least not for awhile.