And when I say great, I don't mean pretty good or solid, I mean when you heard it for the first time you were like "Yo, this is so hot my ears are melting! X is a Genius!"

This post is inspired by all the post where folks allow certain artist to rest on their laurels and force themselves to praise tracks that they otherwise wouldn't give the time of day but for it being released by a once great act.

I use the term "last great work" because you can mention either a song or album.

Please add artist for discussion.


**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

obviously, he made albums afterwards that were all over the map.
some good, some exceptional, some mediocre. some bad.

and every album has at least one gem.



but the last genius album was sign of the times.

with "I Could Never Be Your Man".

**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

prince has genius songs scattered all through
his catalogue past his golden era.


>
>**********
>"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees
>to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

"dreamin' about you" was on emancipation, whatever year that was.
"black sweat" was on 3121, which came out in 2005, i think.


"dreaming about you" was definitely genius level.
"black sweat" may be, but idunno. i wouldn't argue with anybody that said it wasn't.




he's made other fantastic records.
but genius is a strong word.

so in terms of surefire, genius material,
"dreamin' about you was the last one.

and don't get much radio play these days, I am not familiar with most of his post Symbol album works. Spotify doesn't even have these tracks listed.


**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

this is FIRE

-------------------------------
If life is stupendous one cannot also demand that it should be easy. - Robert Musil

-----
Check me out, say hi...
Visit our soul/jazz/funk internet radio station, Blue-in-Green:RADIO: http://www.blueingreenradio.com/
https://www.mixcloud.com/Blue_in_Green_Sessions/
http://soundcloud.com/user305437292

I think Prince is one of those artists who has a problem opposite to what's described in the OP...
yeah, he's released some bubu, but I feel like a lot of the stuff he drops would be "brilliant" if it came from someone else, like a newer or less legendary artist, or maybe someone who's just had less of a complicated reputation...but no matter what Prince does, for some people, if it was made later in his career it CAN'T be great.

**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

Nm

Agreed, and in terms of a single, "From the Bottom of My Heart". Tho it sounded dated, it was a great song IMO.

------------------
reflect.

___________

Back again for the first time.

oh shit. i already answered this before lol

You were right both times...

respect,
bc

"my old boy from the Point but I'm from Southwest..."

"Are you really ready to carry some weight?,
Are you ready to design your fate?" -Kelvin Mercer

**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

>
>**********
>"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees
>to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

as well.

“So back we go to these questions — friendship, character… ethics.”

Overall it's not as brilliant and as cutting edge as Fear of a Black Planet, but it's got some great moments.

<--- Me when my head hits the pillow

I'm not sure which album by Public Enemy I like cause their first four albums were pretty dope but each one has about the equal amount of songs I don't like as well.

https://tinyurl.com/y4ba6hog

---------
"We in here talking about later career Prince records
& your fool ass is cruising around in a time machine
trying to collect props for a couple of sociopathic degenerates" - s.blak

Thoroughly dope.

************************************************************

It was kind of a one off (there was an album, but it was othewise pretty unmemorable I think), but this tune WENT... especially live.

_______________________________

))<>((
forever.

...

_______________________________

))<>((
forever.

**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

the last thing they did - hard to believe this was 8 years ago

I'm still pissed they never made this available as a physical copy on cd or vinyl cause this was truly dope and waaaaay better than "Grind Date" (which was just okay to me but not as dope as everyone says it is); even "Bionix" was better than "Grind Date" but "Are You In" was what I wanted from De La Soul when they first went indi, I hope they just continue to take from that and supply more dopeness on their upcoming album in 2013.

https://tinyurl.com/y4ba6hog

---------
"We in here talking about later career Prince records
& your fool ass is cruising around in a time machine
trying to collect props for a couple of sociopathic degenerates" - s.blak

>even "Bionix" was better than "Grind Date"

id be pretty surprised if you could find anyone who cosigns this

Where is your god now?

~Austin

http://austintayeshus.blogspot.com
http://www.last.fm/user/Austintayeshus
http://twitter.com/Austintayeshus

"And when I say great, I don't mean pretty good or solid, I mean when you heard it for the first time you were like "Yo, this is so hot my ears are melting! X is a Genius!""

theres only 2 songs on bionix that fit that for me - trying people & watch out.
grind date was a serious concerted effort of an LP for me tho, and more or less great all the way through.

>
>**********
>"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees
>to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

******************************************
Falcons, Braves, Bulldogs and Hawks

Geto Boys, Poison Clan, UGK, Eightball & MJG, OutKast, Goodie Mob

**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

.

************************************************************

dying for new material

@GetoutTheroom
http://getouttheroom.podomatic.com
******************************************
https://twitter.com/Jayric

...agreed, and was better than the last Tribe LP imo...

Integrity is the Cornerstone of Artistry...

“So back we go to these questions — friendship, character… ethics.”

**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

-----
Check me out, say hi...
Visit our soul/jazz/funk internet radio station, Blue-in-Green:RADIO: http://www.blueingreenradio.com/
https://www.mixcloud.com/Blue_in_Green_Sessions/
http://soundcloud.com/user305437292

“So back we go to these questions — friendship, character… ethics.”

according to a moderator of this site anyway (never mind what sleepy brown says about it)

if she wants to talk about it

~Austin

http://austintayeshus.blogspot.com
http://www.last.fm/user/Austintayeshus
http://twitter.com/Austintayeshus

******************************************
Falcons, Braves, Bulldogs and Hawks

Geto Boys, Poison Clan, UGK, Eightball & MJG, OutKast, Goodie Mob

.

************************************************************

Super banger that should have been on Big Boi's 1st album. Lookin for ya was pretty good too.

_________________
When you control a man's thinking, you don't have to worry about his actions.
-Carter G. Woodson

THIS^^^^.
Tragedy that wasn't on an official project.
when they did that outkast song bracket on twitter I was hoping that song would be included. It's a banger.

respect,
bc

"my old boy from the Point but I'm from Southwest..."

"Are you really ready to carry some weight?,
Are you ready to design your fate?" -Kelvin Mercer

**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

------------------------------

50+ FREE Mixes on www.DJR-Tistic.com!

Twitter and Instagram - @DJ_RTistic

>
>**********
>"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees
>to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

--

"You can't beat white people. You can only knock them out."

**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

McCartney's last one was 2005's CHAOS & CREATION IN THE BACKYARD, which was produced by Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. Most fully conceived McCartney project in over 2 decades. Much darker than usual for him. Great songwriting top to bottom. He plays almost all of the instruments. Only flaw IMO is a weak closing song (save for the cool hidden instrumental track after it).

If this doesn't meet your standard of greatness, I'd go back to TUG OF WAR from '82, which was his first album after Lennon's death, his first re-teaming with George Martin (besides the Live and Let Die single), and one of the first times in his solo career that he focused with the intensity that he had in The Beatles. It takes a little while to get past the 80s vibe, but once you do, it has everything you could want out of a McCartney record. Also it features one of the best songs he's ever written in his entire career, which is HERE TODAY.

Lennon's last great album was IMAGINE in '71. Miss with DOUBLE FANTASY, even though it has some great songs.

----

>McCartney's last one was 2005's CHAOS & CREATION IN THE
>BACKYARD, which was produced by Radiohead producer Nigel
>Godrich. Most fully conceived McCartney project in over 2
>decades. Much darker than usual for him. Great songwriting
>top to bottom. He plays almost all of the instruments. Only
>flaw IMO is a weak closing song (save for the cool hidden
>instrumental track after it).
>
>If this doesn't meet your standard of greatness, I'd go back
>to TUG OF WAR from '82, which was his first album after
>Lennon's death, his first re-teaming with George Martin
>(besides the Live and Let Die single), and one of the first
>times in his solo career that he focused with the intensity
>that he had in The Beatles. It takes a little while to get
>past the 80s vibe, but once you do, it has everything you
>could want out of a McCartney record. Also it features one of
>the best songs he's ever written in his entire career, which
>is HERE TODAY.
>
>Lennon's last great album was IMAGINE in '71. Miss with
>DOUBLE FANTASY, even though it has some great songs.
>
>
>

I said there are some great songs on Double Fantasy, and Watching the Wheels is one of them. I'd put in the top five solo Lennon songs. Overall that's far from a "great" album though. First of all, half of it is mediocre Yoko songs. Second of all, the other half is mediocre Lennon songs, save for Watching the Wheels, Beautiful Boy, and I'm Losing You. Starting Over is alright. It got mediocre reviews when it came out and was more notable for the fact that Lennon was at least trying to make a comeback than it was for the music.

Not a great album though.

Outside of a weak opener and a weak closer, CHAOS is an extremely well-crafted album. The craftsmanship is impeccable and there are plenty of gems that stand up with McCartney's best material. Lot of inspired ideas going on there, especially production-wise. Maybe no song as good as Watching the Wheels, but overall I stand by the statement that it's a very strong album. Not a masterpiece by any means, but a very good album from a guy pushing 70 whose creativity still shits on most of today's acts. (For further evidence of this, see ELECTRIC ARGUMENTS, the album he put out under the name The Fireman in 2008.)

The duduk solo on the break of Jenny Wren is alone better than 90% of Lennon's post-Beatles career.

----

to be comparing forty years of McCartney post-Beatle work to about four or so of Lennon's when he was actually active and/or alive.

Secondly Paul hasn't really recorded an album that has mattered to the overall rock & roll cannon since John was killed and Watching The Wheels is better than any song Paul recorded in the subsequent thirty years.

Ain't nobody going to a McCartney show to hear a cut from his 'Produced By Nigel Goodrich of Beck & Radiohead Fame!' album.

Play 'Hey Jude' & 'Band On The Run' please, thanks Macca!

>Secondly Paul hasn't really recorded an album that has
>mattered to the overall rock & roll cannon since John was
>killed and Watching The Wheels is better than any song Paul
>recorded in the subsequent thirty years.
>
>Ain't nobody going to a McCartney show to hear a cut from his
>'Produced By Nigel Goodrich of Beck & Radiohead Fame!' album.
>
>Play 'Hey Jude' & 'Band On The Run' please, thanks Macca!

Not just McCartney, but how many bands in general who had their primes in the mid/late 60s were still putting out albums that "mattered to the overall rock & roll cannon" after Lennon died in late 1980?

By the time the 70s were winding down, most of the dudes from that era were done making their "important" shit. How many classic 80s/90s/00s albums do The Stones or The Who or Led Zeppelin or The Band or have? A few good ones, sure, but not many, if any, that really matter like you're talking about.

You can argue Dylan has done great work during that time, but even still, none of it "matters" remotely close to his prime mid-60s material. To use your example, people also ain't trying to go to a Dylan show and hear shit from Modern Times, even though Modern Times is a great album.

And honestly, I'd take McCartney's post-Beatles catalog over Lennon's even if you only took the years during which Lennon was alive. McCartney, Ram, Red Rose Speedway, Band on the Run, Venus & Mars, Back to the Egg, McCartney II + other stray singles and strong album cuts on lesser albums >> Imagine & Plastic Ono Band IMO. I know you ain't trying to hear that shit though...

----

**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

The video too

******************************************
Falcons, Braves, Bulldogs and Hawks

Geto Boys, Poison Clan, UGK, Eightball & MJG, OutKast, Goodie Mob

fuck you.

**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

That's the one song I like the most by 50 Cent, but "I Get Money" is a dope joint too but just cause of the beat more than the lyrics.

https://tinyurl.com/y4ba6hog

---------
"We in here talking about later career Prince records
& your fool ass is cruising around in a time machine
trying to collect props for a couple of sociopathic degenerates" - s.blak

.

------------------
reflect.

**********
"naive as the dry leaves on the ground looking past the trees to the blue sky asking 'why me?'" -Blu

-----
Check me out, say hi...
Visit our soul/jazz/funk internet radio station, Blue-in-Green:RADIO: http://www.blueingreenradio.com/
https://www.mixcloud.com/Blue_in_Green_Sessions/
http://soundcloud.com/user305437292