The Community
ROCK AND ROLL! => All Them Other Guys => Topic started by: Charger on February 18, 2026, 05:06:27 AM
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So time for a new Top 10 list..
This time we're going straight to the end.
FINAL ALBUMS from bands long forgotten or bands still hot even if their creative career has ended or bands that have gone quietly into the night.
Some bands might ofcourse make a comeback but lets try to keep focus on bands that most likely will not...so no Kiss. :P
I'm gonna kick this thing off with an album from a gentleman that is very much still doing albums and singing great even at the ripe age of 80.
But his name sake solo band ended life on top of their career when the man in question went on a year long party with some guys from Birmingham.
GILLAN - MAGIC
(https://www.33rpm.fi/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/R-6229665-1546622471-8487.jpeg.jpg)
Their first and last (studio) album with guitar wiz Janick Gers who brought new energy and drive into the band. He ofcourse few years later joined a small little band called Iron Maiden but that's another story.
I discovered Gillan quite late actually...only when Ian released his solo album of remade tracks called Gillan's Inn back in 2006. The track featured on that album was Bluesy Blue Sea which has a brilliant guitar....not even sure you can call it a riff...lets say part. But honestly there's not really a bad song on this album...even the Stevie Wonder cover works.
I think this line up could have been headed to great things but ofcourse things didn't work out as a one drunken night lead to other things.
The track I'm gonna pick from this album is Demon Driver, which has to be one of Gillan band's best tracks.
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Although I felt Magic wasn't as good as Glory Road, it's still a solid album and "Demon Driver" is a great bit of fun.
My first thought was to put in Grand Funk's Good Singin' Good Playin', but then I remembered they did some more albums after that, so it's not a final album. I'll give it a sort of honorable mention, as I think that one and Born to Die are two great records that deserve a listen or three.
For "last album" rules, I'll try to keep to bands that have more than one album released in mind, albums that are both first and last might belong in a list of their own. But that's my personal rule, I won't object if anyone listing puts in a one-album-wonder as a last album.
So now I think... ponder... consider... stare at my list of bands... and I'm struck at how many are still kicking along, these days!
And then there are those that did make a "last album" that I can't recommend. Yikes to those lads...
But then there's Faces, a solid band with a *definite* end to their career, and they went out with an album that hit the number one spot on sales, knocking out the big album from Led Zeppelin at the time, Houses of the Holy.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/34/Oohlala.jpg)
Faces - Ooh La La
With the magic of the YouTube, the whole album is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrCDCQTASBU&list=OLAK5uy_ntf6X9c67lnTIU_Ggy25lG2cUaG2_gorc&index=1&pp=8AUB
While Rod Stewart wasn't involved much with the composition process and slagged the album in the press upon its release, the work done still comes through. The other band members do more with the music and it's a rich album experience. The title track is also the closing track of the album, and it's a great number. It's been used in movies and commercials but it's best when it stands on its own, listened to with a drink in hand and a memory in mind.
The whole album is only around 30 mins, so it's a nice diversion for the day, if you carve out the half-hour to enjoy it. The songs are well-written, the band rocks steady, and it's got killer openers and closers with plenty of fun in between. For a final album, it sets a high mark.
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For "last album" rules, I'll try to keep to bands that have more than one album released in mind, albums that are both first and last might belong in a list of their own. But that's my personal rule, I won't object if anyone listing puts in a one-album-wonder as a last album.
This was something I was thinking about as well and I had full intention of writing about it but alas seemed to have slipped my mind...like so many things seem to do these days...
I was thinking that it would be better if there would be a like a 3 album minimum here...if band only released one or two albums it's kind of silly to put them up here....that might be a whole other list...
One that I was thinking ofcourse was The Devil You Know...and thought it would not be fair to include that...even if it is far superior to 13 it still isn't even Sabbath's last album...and 13 is but not in a million years could it be worthy of this listing.
Then a band like Witchburn who only released two albums...I was bit on the fence with that one as Bathed In Blood is a brilliant album but opted not to include that one either....
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Indeed, finding a band that had a run of good albums *and* actually ended their association *and* ended on a high note, well, that's going to be some detective work we'll have to do to find!
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Lordy I've only got 4 at the moment and 3 of those will be the top 3!
So I'll start with the 4th one I've thought of...
10 - Motorhead - Bad Magic
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fd/Mot%C3%B6rhead_-_Bad_Magic_%282015%29.jpg)
It's a solid final album, I like the first half and the Sympathy For the Devil cover was pretty good.
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Good call with Motorhead!
I'm going to go ahead and drop this one:
Megadeth by Megadeth. Not their best ever, but as good a finale as one could hope for from a band that consistently put out new material throughout their lengthy career. If they put out another one in a few years I'll come back and edit this lol.
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^^^
I was thinking about Bad Magic but it didn't quite make the list...
Megadeth should have made the list but I forgot! Good thing you didn't Vyn! :D
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Well my number 2 then!
Here's an album that is most certainly a final album. Sadly so.
Back in 2018 the founder and lead singer and songwriter JILL JANUS died by suicide. She had some serious mental problems, fighting manic depression...
The band ofcourse is HUNTRESS and their catalogue only contains 3 albums. The First one Spell Eater was their best, their second Starbound Beast their worst and their final album Static was a return to form and a very very good album.
The band combined traditional heavy metal to Thrash metal to even death metal to Jill's occultistic lyrics.
This band had the potential to become something bigger I think, but sadly sometimes things just take a turn for the worst unexpectedly.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1c/HuntressStatic.png)
The song I'm gonna pick from the album is the fierce opening track called SORROW
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Up next, The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding. Released after his untimely demise, this would most assuredly not have been his last, otherwise. Iconic.
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Up next, The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding. Released after his untimely demise, this would most assuredly not have been his last, otherwise. Iconic.
It's amazing, I agree. And I think this list for me is going to be a matter of going down the list of artists gone too soon.
Like Tommy Bolin. He didn't know Private Eyes was going to be his last album, but it was. And it's a monster of a set.
(https://i.discogs.com/pcyGrlHp6P8BsH3JvGfCEriBpn8kAR14bCFdKpythcI/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:300/w:300/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTI1ODg2/NDMtMTUyNjM0NTAw/NS00MTM3LmpwZWc.jpeg)
Excellent writing and Bolin's guitar work is brain-melting, the guy's a true genius, that's for sure. There are some tracks that fit the bill to be categorized as mid-70s California-style Soft Rock, but I don't care. They're very well done and they play well off of Bolin's harder tracks.
Which takes me to the textured, fun, awesome, made-me-a-Bolin-fan-instantly centerpiece track of the album, Post Toastee:
It's always a good time to listen to Post Toastee, that's my opinion. The instrumental sections are pure gold. Enjoy and raise a glass to Mr. Tommy Bolin.
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Count down to - ironically - my number 9
Ozzy Osbourne - Patient Number 9
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/59/OzzyOsbournePatientNumber9.jpg)
I was pleasantly surprised when I first listened to this album, it was probably the best thing he'd done since the 90s, maybe even the 80s. Probably helped by all the guests he had on it and having a mix of song writers. Having said that there's still some filler in amongst the 13 songs.
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^^^
I was thinking about that one, but honestly I only like the songs with Tony and Zakk...the others do feel bit too fillery...but I'm glad it made the list though.
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Number 3: The Gift by The Jam. Sort of a continuing gear-shift for those guys, I think if they would have kept it together this album would be the marker for the start of a new era for them, rather than their last hurrah.
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Mutter, mutter, mutter... crosses The Jam off his list...!
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:banana:
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Another "gone too soon" for my list.
Janis Joplin - Pearl
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/61/Janis_Joplin-Pearl_%28album_cover%29.jpg)
She died during the recording of the album. The instrumental "Buried Alive in the Blues" was supposed to have her singing, but she never recorded her part, so the band did the track as a sort of "empty chair" memorial for Janis.
The opening track is my favorite, but the whole album is excellent.
Would have loved to have had more from Janis, but this is the last she did.
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Note... my top 3 picks will be posted regardless of someone else posting them! :D
Pick number 8
GZR - Ohmwork
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/49/Ohmwork.jpg)
I'm guessing that Geezer has to all intents and purposes, retired.
When released I wasn;t a big fan and didn't listen to it for ages. But a few years back I thought I'd give it another go and after a few listens the impenetrableness of the songs - to some extent - disappeared!!
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^^
Another one I was considering but Geezer did say in a recent interview that he's been writing material for a new album so I was thinking that MAYBE he'll do another one...might be wishful thinking though.
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Numero quatro: Adios Amigos! by the Ramones. An absolutely horrible album cover, with a surprisingly solid set of tracks inside. I liked this better than much of their previous stuff after Brain Drain.
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My 3rd one is a another final album because of the grim reaper.
TOURNIQUET - Gazing At Medusa
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/83/Tourniquet_Gazing_at_Medusa.jpg)
The line up on this album is quite impressive. Ofcourse the band leader Ted Kirkpatrick on drums and bass, Megadeth legend Chris Poland on guitar and mr. Tim "Ripper" Owens on vocals.
And what a belter album. Classic heavy metal with some great Thrash elements thrown in.
It is very sad that few years after this album was released Ted sadly passed away....thus ending the band.
The track of choice here is called THE CRUSHING WEIGHT OF ETERNITY! Suberb guitar work here from Chris and Tim's vocals are incredible through out!
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I'm actually using this list to do some discovery of whatever happened to bands that used to be happenin'.
In a search for those that didn't dissipate, I looked up Mountain and found they did an album in 2007, called Masters of War. It's all covers of Bob Dylan songs - and it so far shows that Bob Dylan is an excellent songwriter, and his tunes lend themselves to a hard rock vein. It seems like Ozzy agreed, as well, as he's guest singing on the title track that opens up the album:
Leslie West was a guitarist who could play with the best, so he did, as one comment stated. Totally agree with it.
I'm still listening to the rest and am not yet done with it, but it's good stuff. The production style leans into modern blues-rock styles, so it won't sound like a metal album. As such, I think that gives Mountain the ability to go in any direction they choose with the material, and I'm finding that I like it. It's well worth a research listening effort, and if the first song is to your liking, you might just find yourself sticking around for the rest of it. I'm a third of the way through, but I plan to finish it up, it promises good stuff and hasn't missed on a track yet.
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I had never even heard of that Mountain release - lol, thanks for posting it!
Number 5: Witchfinder General's LP Resurrection was to be their, "big return," after 20 years or so, and it's pretty solid. Turned out to be their last hurrah. As with many of these bands, they could conceivably come out with something new but it's unlikely at this point.
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Hopefully I'll catchup with this later after a busy weekend
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Time for #4!
Doom legends Cathedral called it quits back in 2013 with a killer album called THE LAST SPIRE.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7d/Cathedral_The_Last_Spire_album_cover.jpg)
Their previous album was the bit more experimental Guessing Game that left a bunch of fans scratching their heads...me included...eventhough it contained some really great tracks some of it was bit out there venturing into the realm of psychedelic prog...
But The Last Spire was a return to form big time. Really heavy, really doomy and most importantly really good.
Both Gaz Jennings and Lee Dorrian did continue with other projects but for the past few years both have been silent. Sadly.
I don't know if Cathedral will ever return, probably not but I do hope for the possibility one day...maybe do a show or two..
They DID release a single song called Society's Pack With Satan last year, a nearly 30 minute long epic that was recorded during these album sessions but for obvious reasons didn't make it to the album.
The song I'll pick from the album is one called TOWER OF SILENCE which is about as CATHEDRAL as you can get!
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I can remember when the last Cathedral album came out
It made me feel sad that this would be the final time of hearing a full album from one of my favorite bands
Such an underrated band and some absolute great albums and songs
I think that the doom sound thing that they had came from a real respect for the bands that they liked from the best in the genre
Bands like Trouble, Candlemass and of course Black Sabbath, among others.
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Pick number 7
Black Sabbath - 13
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d6/Black_Sabbath_13.jpg)
Originally I was going to leave this off my list but with Vyn stealing one of mine and a couple of acts actually releasing new albums in recent months I had to promote it from honourable mention! However, I do actually like quite a lot of it and the only song I actively dislike is God Is Dead? This wouldn't make my top 10 Sabbath albums but it is several spots above the bottom!
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I had never even heard of that Mountain release - lol, thanks for posting it!
Number 5: Witchfinder General's LP Resurrection was to be their, "big return," after 20 years or so, and it's pretty solid. Turned out to be their last hurrah. As with many of these bands, they could conceivably come out with something new but it's unlikely at this point.
I'm able to finish off the album today, and it is solid, solid work. "Subterranean Homesick Blues" as a slowed-down hard rock cruncher I did not see coming, and it works amazingly well. I'm definitely acquiring this album. Mr. West knew how to interpret a song and make it his own, that's for sure.
After this, I'll need to hunt down my 4th entry for this list...
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My FIFTH (not fourth, lost count there!) find is The Hoople by Mott the Hoople.
(https://i.discogs.com/J9B89h2fh1RpSGxDCEUW80Db8qNqXddascMHeicWers/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:590/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE0OTYy/NzItMTcwNTQyMzE0/OC0yNTM4LmpwZWc.jpeg)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEM3T7kT4JI&list=OLAK5uy_k1LXrqJWWOPmBHW9NyF_yYaR3M6fp3WJ4&index=1&pp=8AUB for the YouTube album of the above.
Released in 1974, it was the last studio album from Mott the Hoople, followed by an epic live album (which is even better with the 2CD remastered reissue) and then the departure of Ian Hunter. Once Hunter left, the rest of the band performed as just "Mott" and made two albums that were... ugh... let's just say they were in tune and damn them with faint praise, all right?
But no faint praise for Mott the Hoople proper, with Ian Hunter writing most of their songs and an excellent rhythm section in Buffin Griffin on drums and Overend Watts on bass - seriously overlooked, those two - and solid guitar work from Mick Ralphs on most of their records and Ariel Bender on the last one. Keys are also well-done, in their various incarnations. But their early albums had issues with consistency, often failing to deliver in the studio what they were doing live. This album, The Hoople, I think does the trick and gets very close to their live magic. (Seriously, that Mott the Hoople Live 30th anniversary reissue is some gold to grab!)
While The Faces' album is more a straight-ahead rock effort, The Hoople features the glam side of British rock from the early-mid 70s. Excellent musicianship and it's got a harder edge on most songs, but can still deliver a well-done ballad like "Trudi's Song" that doesn't feel overwrought. Most of the songs on it are good rockers, and it's a fun listen, making this list quite the voyage of discovery for me thus far.
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Number 6: You're All Living in Cuckooland by Budgie. Another one of those "We're back after 20 years!" releases, and it is directly aimed at their original fanbase. Well done for some Welsh guys with four teeth among them :)
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I can remember when the last Cathedral album came out
It made me feel sad that this would be the final time of hearing a full album from one of my favorite bands
Such an underrated band and some absolute great albums and songs
I think that the doom sound thing that they had came from a real respect for the bands that they liked from the best in the genre
Bands like Trouble, Candlemass and of course Black Sabbath, among others.
Indeed. I always feel like Cathedral should have been way bigger than they were. But then again Doom metal has never really been for the masses.
I think out of all the doom bands Cathedral had the most variety in their sound. They surely weren't afraid the push the envelope and experiment.
Lee and Gaz have always been very open about their admiration to doom bands that came before and it surely played a role in their sound. Hell Gaz was even playing with a Gibson SG almost all the time.
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Working through Locomotiv GT's A Fiúk A Kocsmába Mentek from 2002. If you like Hungarian "gramps with amps" rock and roll, it's a decent swan song from the lads in LGT, who broke up after one of their members passed away a few years later. Some tracks are skippable, but there are some nice tunes for people who make noise when they sit down. :) "Megjött Moszkvából A Csomag" (The Package Arrived from Moscow) was the best one so far, and this has been a fun exploration thus far, but I'm only going to have this be an honorable mention.
For those interested in listening, a YT link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7DomjKCkr9fL_vxebJiIeu3bLZzJgzAC
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Onwards to pick number 5.
Here's a band that is no more, but the lead singer carried out a very succesful (even more so than the band) solo career.
They started to gain some serious attraction with their 3rd album but the fourth broke the bank and became something of an instant classic and is nowadays considered a bench mark album for Industrial/horror metal.
I'm ofcourse talking about WHITE ZOMBIE and their album ASTRO CREEP 2000
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a5/WhiteZombie-AstroCreep2000.jpg)
This is filled with gems this album. Electric Head pt 1 and 2, Super CHARGER Heaven, Creature Of The Wheel, Blur The Technicolor, I Zombie and ofcourse the Blade Runner inspired classic More Human Than Human.
They embarked on a hugely successful tour after the release but tensions between Rob and his then girlfriend and bass player Sean Yseult rose high and eventually the band disbanded with Rob and drummer John Tempesta carrying on to form Rob's solo band.
This album still remains as one of those best albums of the mid 90s...time when traditional Heavy Metal was at it's all time low.
The song to choose from the album is ofcourse gonna be a track called Super CHARGER Heaven! Why not!?
And lets go with an energetic live version from 1995!
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Just finished listening to Jimi Hendrix' Electric Ladyland. It meets the criteria for this list, but I'm not adding it in because it's a sprawling mess. Half of it should have been cut. I'd make it a single album, with the following tracklist:
Side A:
1. Crosstown Traffic - 2:25
2. Long Hot Summer Night - 3:21
3. Voodoo Chile - 14:50
Side B:
1. Come On (Part 1) - 4:04
2. House Burning Down - 4:26
3. All Along the Watchtower - 3:54
4. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - 5:06
That's under 20 mins/side, the engineer will be happy with those. The rest of the stuff is for the 30th anniversary boxed set remastered signed guitar pick release.
My search for pick 6 continues...
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Found a good one, and again it's a British band breaking up in the early 70s. This one is 1973, and the band is Free, and the album is Heartbreaker:
(https://i.discogs.com/WG2JjM5Cr6MNKi2BYlqSVrwAMg19zvIA6yHQUsKY-lg/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTEzNDg4/MzctMTQ3ODYzNDE5/OS02NDQzLmpwZWc.jpeg)
Listening to the album, it's clear just how influential it was for its day and even into today. The title track is a blueprint for Deep Purple's "Mistreated" and other tracks on the album like "Common Mortal Man" and "Easy on My Soul" resonate with the Morse-era Purple product. It's also got Paul Rodgers on vocals, and *everybody* wanted to have him in their band at some point in time in the 70s.
It's a shame that their brilliant guitarist, Paul Kossuth, wasn't able to play on every track due to his Quaalude addiction, which was a major factor contributing to the band's breaking up. Kossuth would get cleaned up for his Back Street Crawler band, but the drugs had already taken their toll and he passed away soon after due to the damage done.
Heartbreaker is a solid early 70s hard rock album with a sharp edge on it, I am enjoying it a lot.
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For my 6th pick we'll go back to 1987.
1986 was a turbulent year for Warlock, the band gained more and more attraction and that meant moving to the US...that caused a split as some members did not want to leave Germany...so they quit and americans Tommy Bolan and Tommy Henkriksen joined the band. They started working on a new album and it would become their most succesfull yet, but at the same time their former manager Peter Zimmerman sued the band for the name and actually ended up winning over Doro Pesch and thus effectively ending the band.
The final album was called TRIUMPH AND AGONY and it is probably their best one.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/51/Warlock_-_Triumph_and_Agony.jpg)
No real weak songs on this one...and it spawned timeless classics like the anthem All We Are and rockers like Three Minute Warning, I Rule The Ruins and East Meets West.
After this one Doro moved on and started a very successful solo career and has solidified her place in metal history as the Metal Queen.
The song I'll choose from the album is my favourite track and it is I RULE THE RUINS!
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I have a top 3, plus the 4 I've already posted... I'm struggling to fill the last 3 positions, well at least with solid albums if not good.
I shall continue to search for the elusive good final album!!!
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Still looking for my 7-10. I have found that there are some sad ends to once great bands... and then some pretty OK ends to once great bands, but nothing to put on a top 10 list like I'm going to listen to it again. Mountain's and Free's albums are the best discoveries I've made, they are solid work, so I'm looking for more on their level. Mott the Hoople, Janis Joplin, Faces, Tommy Bolin, all of those I do like.
Found Commander Cody's last album and it's a fun mix of party rock, the kind of stuff I wanna hear when I'm in a club having a good time. It's titled "Dopers, Drunks, and Everyday Losers". Good times with that one.
Also found out that, along with the Stones having a new album this year, the Black Crowes' latest comes out on Friday, March 13th. The three pre-release tracks from it are strong, I am very much looking ahead to that one - but it also means they're not done makin' records, so my search goes on.
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Number 7: Thin Lizzy's Thunder and Lightning. A hard hitting collection of songs made even harder by the inclusion of fretboard wiz John Sykes. I had high hopes for the next one, I liked the harder edge sound they put down on this record. Of course, that was not to be.
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Number 7.
No one knew at the time in 2015 that this would become the Band's final album. It was their first one since the death of lead guitarist and song writer Jeff Hanneman.
Yes ofcourse we're talking about SLAYER here.
REPENTLESS
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1f/SlayerRepentless.png)
People had some doubts about the album, but the doubts were mainly lifted as soon as the album came out. It WAS Slayer through and through.
Maybe not their strongest album but certainly not their weakest either. Songs like the title track, Vices, Cast The First Stone, Atrocity Vendor and Piano Wire (the only track written by Hanneman) are all brilliant tunes.
During the Repentless tour the band even talked about doing another album in various interviews, but then in January of 2018 a shell shocker of news came out. The band was embarking on a FAREWELL tour. It seemed that Tom Araya was done. He had severe pains in his neck and back and wanted to retire. So the band called it quits in 2019. I was lucky enough to catch them on that tour and they were rather excellent.
Ofcourse since then they have played a show here and a show there, but both King and Araya have stated that no new music will ever come out of Slayer again. So Repentless remains their last hurrah..
The song I'll choose is the title track because...well it's bloody rocks! And this music video is pretty damn good too! Hell it has DANNY TREJO in it!! Not to mention Tom looks like an evil Santa after spending a decade or two in HELL!
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Number 7: Thin Lizzy's Thunder and Lightning. A hard hitting collection of songs made even harder by the inclusion of fretboard wiz John Sykes. I had high hopes for the next one, I liked the harder edge sound they put down on this record. Of course, that was not to be.
I was gonna look up Thin Lizzy's last album today and this convinces me to pursue that path.
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Alright we are at the top 3 now.
So
at number 8 we have PANTERA and REINVENTING THE STEEL
(https://i.discogs.com/CE3znNVKkwFFaCrRRt8vf7dVixgcKzweNenJaVEqn3g/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:595/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTcyMzc1/Ni0xNzYyNjU5NTM1/LTY3MTIuanBlZw.jpeg)
Another album that most certainly was not supposed to be a final album, but things in the band started to get very strained...and in the end it was the Abbott brothers versus Phil and Rex and things just started to fall apart quickly...
Phil and Rex went on to relaunch DOWN with a suberb album Down II and the Abbott brothers went onto to form Damageplan.
And ofcourse in 2004 on December 8th something totally unimagineable happened and Dimebag was shot and killed on stage...
Ofcourse Phil and Rex along with Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante have resurrected Pantera but there is very little chance they'll release new music, it's just a celebration live project.
Reinventing The Steel is my second favourite Pantera album just after Cowboys From Hell. It's a great swan song for one of the most influential bands of the 90s. Frankly I am not a massive Pantera fan but Cowboys, this one and Vulgar Display Of Power are all pretty darn good albums and no one can deny that Dimebag Darrell was one hell of a guitarist!
The track I'm gonna go with here is the one that mentions both Black Sabbath and Slayer! Now how could that be a bad song!?!?
GODDAMN ELECTRIC this one!
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I'm going to skip ahead to my 3rd pick, and should I discover suitable albums for positions 4-6 I'll post them later!
Pick number 3
The Stranglers - Dark Matters
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ed/The_Stranglers_-_Dark_Matters.png)
While The Stranglers are still active - touring and festivals - on the release of this album in Sept 2021 it was suggested that it would be the bands last album. Only JJ from the original lineup was still in the band with Jet and Dave both now deceased. But if this is their final release it's a pretty decent effort to go out on!
It's possible they'll record again with the current line up but it seems unlikely.
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Number 8: Monotheist from Celtic Frost. I think this disk stands tall among not only their earlier material but in the metal genre in general. It's a really dark set of songs that all sound like they were written at different times by different people rather than as a contiguous whole. To me, that works as a strength in this case; rather than sounding disjointed, it sounds eclectic while being tied together with the darkness of it all.
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I'm going to skip ahead to my 3rd pick, and should I discover suitable albums for positions 4-6 I'll post them later!
Pick number 3
The Stranglers - Dark Matters
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ed/The_Stranglers_-_Dark_Matters.png)
While The Stranglers are still active - touring and festivals - on the release of this album in Sept 2021 it was suggested that it would be the bands last album. Only JJ from the original lineup was still in the band with Jet and Dave both now deceased. But if this is their final release it's a pretty decent effort to go out on!
It's possible they'll record again with the current line up but it seems unlikely.
Excellent call on that album, KDC. If The Stranglers don't do another album, that one is a wonderful final statement.
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Pick number 2
Iced Earth - Incorruptible
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a3/Iced_Earth_Incorruptible_Artwork.jpg)
Released June 2017 - it really doesn't seem that long ago! - I guess the guys could in theory reform at some point, but Jon Schafer is I believe concentrating on other projects.
This was a real return to form after a couple of middling albums, a shame it appears to be their last.
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^^^
Still haven't gotten that one....might have to.
At number 9 it's another band that most certainly was not suppose to end that suddenly.
JON OLIVA's PAIN and the album is FESTIVAL
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273249cc5804175c1372ed4a9f6)
The lead guitarist and a very close personal friend of Jon Matt LaPorte suddenly passed away in April of 2011, just a year after the release of the album.
Jon did do few already arranged live shows with Bill Hudson on lead guitar and there were even talks about continuing the band but then Jon had a nasty fall injuring his back and neck and Jon putting his focus then on the return of Savatage JOP was put to rest.
The band was brilliant from start to finish...all the 4 albums are very different yet very Jon. There were pieces of Jon's later brother Criss music on every single album...
The song I'm gonna go with from the album is called DEATH RIDES A BLACK HORSE which is a frase soldiers used about the enemy. Jon also dedicates this song to the Troops.
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Found my #7...
The Sisters of Mercy - Vision Thing
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ce/The_Sisters_of_Mercy_-_Vision_Thing_cover.jpg)
The band hasn't made an album since this released in 1990, and Andrew Eldritch seems pretty set on not ever making another album. So this is their last album. In terms of Goth Rock, it's great. First off, the band denies being a Goth band, so you know it's top-notch Goth stuff. :D Top tracks for me are Doctor Jeep, Detonation Boulevard, and More.
If you don't like Goth, this ain't for you. If you do, it's required listening.
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Pick no. 1
Rush - Clockwork Angels
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/Rush_Clockwork_Angels_artwork.png)
No surprises here. The final album from Rush released in 2012. A return to their rock-prog heyday, and knocking it out of the park. Not sure they thought it was their final album as they toured for quite some time after its release. And now their drummer and lyricist has passed I doubt it could be the same.
Fans are hoping that the current touring line up might record a new album, but it wouldn't be until the end of their 2027 dates and its not like the band themselves are openly discussed it. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a live CD/DVD if things go well.
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@Zs
I like goth, not that familiar with The Sisters of Mercy though. I did wonder about adding Siouxsie and the Banshees to my list but then I would have to listen to it first... which would mean buying it or something! The Rapture came out in 1995 so I don't think they're active anymore!
Bauhaus might be another choice but I only know 1 song by them...
But if I only know one song it's a doozy!!
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My last couple may not happen - I am currently at a loss to come up with "good quality" final albums, that I like. I mean, my musical palette is diverse, but the depth therein varies greatly. So, discovering something from a genre I';m not all that familiar with would require more listening time than reasonably fits with the unspoken cadence of these lists. Lou Rawls is great, but finding, listening to critically, and determining how I feel about his last album would take a lot of time, since I never listened to it before, for example. If something comes to mind soon, I'll post it, but I think at this juncture I'm out of juice.
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^^
I thought this would have been harder for me too but actually I got few left out! ;D
So my final pick.
This is another album that most certainly was their last. Too many bands on this list ended prematurely because of the grim reaper. This is no different.
TYPE O NEGATIVE and their waay too aptly entitled DEAD AGAIN
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/fi/0/0f/Dead_again.jpg)
Sometime before the writing of this album there was a rumor that Peter Steele had passed away, which ofcourse turned out to be false and Peter thought it was funny so he wrote a song about it called Dead Again. Little did he guess that little over 3 years later he would actually pass away!
This is hands down my favourite Type O album. I can't call myself a big Type O Negative fan but some of their stuff is excellent....some again very boring. But nothing boring about this album. This all in all is among their faster albums and doesn't have so much of those ultra slow songs. They keep it on the rockier side here which is great.
The band was on top notch condition here which makes it even more sad that this ended up being their final outing.
This one goes out to Peter Steele and the track I'll go with is my favourite one and it's called THE PROFIT OF DOOM!
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My last couple may not happen - I am currently at a loss to come up with "good quality" final albums, that I like. I mean, my musical palette is diverse, but the depth therein varies greatly. So, discovering something from a genre I';m not all that familiar with would require more listening time than reasonably fits with the unspoken cadence of these lists. Lou Rawls is great, but finding, listening to critically, and determining how I feel about his last album would take a lot of time, since I never listened to it before, for example. If something comes to mind soon, I'll post it, but I think at this juncture I'm out of juice.
This is where I am regarding the list. The Sisters of Mercy was discovering that the guy ain't making more records, so I got one. Bolin and Joplin I had. The rest of my picks were exploratory, and, yes, there's some wading through bad stuff that just isn't quality enough to put on a list. Unlike a sports league, I don't want to fill a slot to keep it from going empty.
And that last album of Rawls' is a modern gospel album with too much synth and trap drumming for my liking. I like better his work with The Pilgrim Travelers...
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Some albums I'm familiar with, but *not* going to include...
The Beatles - Abbey Road... John's not on Side 2, and "Sun King" drives me up the wall. The jam at the end has energy, but it's all over the place and even when I was a kid, I thought it was at best a set of puzzle pieces shoved together at the last minute and made to fit with a hammer and scissors.
Led Zeppelin - In Through the Out Door... It's OK as an album, but I'm just not listening to it as an album anymore. It has not worn well with time the way Janis Joplin's album did.
Heaven and Hell - The Devil You Know... never got into it, I wish Dehumanizer was their last studio album, that was a total banger.
Blue Oyster Cult - The Symbol Remains... might not be their last album and it was a dud.
It's hard to find albums that are both good *and* a final issue.
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I'm adding a few honorable mentions here.
DIO- MASTER OF THE MOON
This pained me a little to leave out, but honestly it's not among the band's finest releases, eventhough One More For The Road, Shivers and The Eyes are suberb tracks, there also are a couple I'm not that keen on like The Man Who Would Be King and the Title track. The Devil You Know is far superior album.
CIRCLE II CIRCLE - REIGN OF TERROR
This on the other hand A SUBERB album, BUT Zak never officially called CIIC quits. The band just kind of disbanded after record label problems and money issues...and ofcourse the whole SAVATAGE reunion thing...but once Savatage ends who knows...Zak might bring this one back...atleast I would love it if he did...ofcourse the guitar player Bill Hudson is now with DORO.
BENEDICTUM - OBEY
This too a brilliant album and it was gonna be on my list BUT then I got news from Veronica Freeman that she is interested in bringing the band back...haven't heard anything from the guitarist Pete Wells yet but there sure is buzzing going on around this so that's why I left it out.
RAINBOW - STRANGER IN US ALL
Not nearly as good obviously as the DIO-era stuff but it does have some good songs and Doogie White sure blows Joey Lynn Turner out of the water vocally. But not something I'd consider a GREAT album by any means.
SOLITUDE AETURNUS - ALONE
SUBERB album BUT the band did get back together two years ago and eventhough there have been no word out on a possibility of a new album they are doing some shows again next summer so I have my hopes up for a mighty return of the DOOOM legends so I dared not include this one.
Feel free to pick one though if you need to complete your lists! :D
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I got my #8, and it's a doozie:
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a1/DEVO_SFE.jpeg)
Devo - Something for Everybody
This came out in 2010, after a 14-year gap from their previous release. I'm trying it out now and it's a banger! Yes, it's 80's throwback synth-pop, but it's Devo doing it! The tracks are all listenable, danceable and have a great energy to them. So tick the box by "great album" - I want to play this again many a time.
As for "last album", well, it took Devo 14 years to get around to this and since then, it's only been live albums and outtakes from these sessions. 16 years later, I don't think they're making another album. This is an example of why I keep digging to get to 10 albums. The pain of digging through dreck is worth it when I hit a gem of an album like this one. Fun as hell and takes the edge off of typing up technical documentation for a major financial firm.
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I did consider Master of the Moon... but I haven't listened to it in forever.
One album I have since thought about but only know maybe half of it, and one of those songs I no longer like, is
The Police - Synchronicity
The tracks I do know are pretty good... Every Breath You Take aside
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I had a crash it seems that took out my post for #9, which was Right Move by The Chambers Brothers
(https://i.discogs.com/6BcJjXxPUeAE333F1NpsFXfZxzZ4lUA2c1kwGusMr6k/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTY1ODMw/NTMtMTQyMzMyMDAz/Ny0zMDAzLmpwZWc.jpeg)
It's a funky album, and the band didn't know at the time that it would be their last effort, but a label change and other bands' recruiting basically ended The Chambers Bros. in 1975. Of note on this album is the drumming of "Bigfoot" Brailey, who would go to Parliament the next year and help compose "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof of the Sucker)". One of the best drummers in the biz, Mr. Brailey, and his work is great on this platter.
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And I have my final entry:
(https://i.discogs.com/vHE8sUQTFtkm2uOu_75xiwnpOYoxz-1yScEXTHKlMeI/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:572/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE4NzA3/NzMtMTI2MTg3MDkz/My5qcGVn.jpeg)
Rory Gallagher - Fresh Evidence
Gallagher's health was quite poor during the recording of this album, but he still pushed through and made a record that might be rather mid for his body of work, but really stands out as a strong album in its own right. It's been quite underappreciated because it was done in the shadow of greater things and because his death shortly after recording meant it didn't get support in touring or airplay. Radio doesn't play dead artists that haven't been massively popular, simple as that.
But Gallagher's sound, style, and passion for blues-based rock is still here and it's yet another fun discovery for me. I had stayed away because I had heard bad things about it, but after clawing through all the other subpar final albums, I decided those naysayers were rubbish and I'd give my guitar hero his due. I'm glad I did, as this was a great listen.
Glad for this list activity, as it's opened up my ears to some sounds I wouldn't have otherwise heard. :pub: