That's a cool song, for sure. Leave U2 out of it.

I was going to post that a while ago, but when I thought about it I realized that "The Top" is not that good.
Pornography IMO is a masterpiece and is the best album by The Cure.

The Cure's best run of albums is The Head on The Door, Kiss Me^3, and Disintegration.

The Top kind of fucks things up.

Agree w/ The Top, everything else around it is great. Maybe if they would've replaced some of it's weaker songs with the non-album singles of that era off of Japanese Whispers EP, then it could be a contender.

Except that "The Top" sucked. I blame it on the drugs. A silly, stupid album.

High five dude. "Pornography" blew my teenage mind and they never, ever equaled it, despite all the millennial love for "The Head On The Door" and related shit.

What are you guys talking about? The Top is a wierd drugged out masterpiece. How can an album with Shake Dog Shake, Birdmad Girl, The Caterpillar, Dressing Up, Bananafishbones and Piggy In The Mirror be considered bad?

IMO Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me is the one that messes up the 80's run.

So true...

Dave Mason's version of "All Along the Watchtower" is superior to both Dylan's and Hendrix's versions.

Without George Martin's production "The Beatles" would have faded into oblivion after their first album (and I'm a *huge* Beatles fan).

Ringo Starr is one of the best drummers in rock history.

Before Joe Walsh joined "The Eagles" they were just another average country-rock band.

David Bowie ceased to be relevant with the release of "Diamond Dogs."

"Tales from Topographic Oceans" is a *good* album.

Jill Sobule is a highly underrated singer/songwriter.

I am a huge fan of The Beatles but Lennon's songs such as "I Am The Walrus, A Day In The Life, For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite" and the other "weird" ones are just Dylan lite.

It's best if The Top is treated as a Robert Smith solo album.

In bizarro world, maybe.

No, in the real world, both QotSA and Tool just beat the same thing on the head over and over, never innovating, deviating or progressing beyond their first album. What they do, they do well, but that is all they do, and they're stuck in a tired rut.

posting five popular and successful albums in a row as evidence of the "best" period in an artist's career is hardly a "bold statement" about music.

Example:

2112
Farewell to Kings
Hemispheres
Permanent Waves
Moving Pictures

is hardly controversial.

Hold Your Fire
Presto
Roll The Bones
Counterparts
Test For Echo

would be fairly bold in light of their better output.

Interesting. You may have something there. In fact, the very first Beatles album I owned, because it was the only one I could afford, was an album of George Martin instrumentals of Beatles tunes. It might have been an alternate soundtrack of A HARD DAY'S NIGHT without the songs. We're talking 50 years ago.

My initial post was that one band's best 5 consecutive albums were better than any other band's 5 consecutive albums. Which was a bold statement.

I didn't mean for this thread to devolve into people rattling off their favorite 5 consecutive albums from random bands.

Well, since I included The Top and most people seem to hate that one, I guess you could consider that somewhat bold.

Uh. No.

"pussy band"?? Wow.

They have near perfect pop song structure.

I said that 3 pages ago except I don't equivocate. And Black Crowes.

Not a bold statement anymore.

Fold Your Hands was only half of a good album...too much forced democracy.
After that, B&S kind of disappeared up their own ass (although the Books EP is fantastic).

P.S. You forgot Storytelling, but so did everyone else.

I'm not talking structure, but aesthetics. Their sound doesn't have the weight of their words.

Fold Your Hands is a great album and dismissed by early B&S fans as the start of the evolution into a different sounding band. That different sounding band is not "in their own ass" but a better version of the band. (I do agree that Talk About Love is a letdown but I think even they know that.)

Regardless, this is a tangential topic that I had no plans of carrying forward. I just think they are a brilliant band. As for their "sound", I wouldn't call Nick Drake a pussy either - listen to Hazey Jane II and then listen to a B&S album.

Agreed. And they are honestly still getting better.

Journal for Plague Lovers
Postcards from a Young Man
Rewind the Film
Futurology

That's a great four album run!

Journey is the greatest American rock band.

I don't know why music has to be "heavy" or "weighty" to match profound or meaningful lyrics. I would argue it definitely need not. Think about all of the powerful folk music.