Bands that have NEVER jumped the shark

[lapislzi]

I'll start.

The Clash NEVER jumped the shark. Strummer was cool until the day he died.

Same with the Ramones.

Course I ain't nothin but an old punk.

[LynneSin]

1. I don't think Led Zeppelin quite got there

I mean, they were revving up the motorbike with "In Through the Out Door", but with Bonham's death the jump was never made.

[lapislzi]

5. Agreed.

Even Plant solo is something to behold.

[Elidor]

20. I beg to differ

Zep's whole career was all about jumping the shark. They excelled at jumping the shark. And whether you mean real sharks or just "red snappers," the Zeppelin knew how to handle a fish, nudge-nudge, wink-wink. :evilgrin:

[ALago1]

33. Heh heh

Nice! I caught the ref. :)

[truthbetold]

2. Nirvana.

Always loved the Nirvana.
I sometimes still cry about Kurt.

[Aristus]

3. Concrete Blonde.

Still rockin', still f***in' brilliant!

[Magrittes Pipe]

4. "Cut the Crap?"

Come on, that was a TERRIBLE album.

[Fenris]

24. Yes. Yes it was.

[HEyHEY]

44. We talked about this the other day - how CTC sucked n/t

[Screaming Lord Byron]

79. Yup. Sucked like a Dyson.

[neuvocat]

6. The Fixx

They just went away...

[Dookus]

50. alas...

they didn't go away. They're playing at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in a couple weeks. The same venue that annually hosts Tiffany, Sha-na-na, Herman's Hermits and Starship. The Fixx has joined the ranks of Laughlin-level performers.

[ProfessorGAC]

67. They're Still Around

All of them (except for Mark Brown) live in New York now and they are still playing small venues.

They're one of my top three favorites all-time. Brilliant lyrics, with 4 great players and an excellent singer (who also plays piano and guitar) creating widely diverse and textured music.

I love those guys.
The Professor

[Burma Jones]

7. Talking Heads n/t

[Dogmudgeon]

8. Radiohead

Started great, got better.

--bkl

[sus]

61. i second and third that.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

80. Fourth.

[sundog]

9. Talking Heads

Dissolved before they got caught in the undertow...

Also 10,000 Maniacs, short life, pulled out while they were still on top...

[sendero]

28. I'm a huge Head fan...

... but IMHO they should have hung it up before doing "Naked". Mediocre at best.

Of course, the really classic works are the 3 that Eno contributed to. But Speaking in Tongues is pretty good too...

[sundog]

29. Yeah, but they were smart enough

to pull out before the situation got too bad...

[bushwakker]

10. Air Supply

They blazed their own path to the very end. One word my friends - integrity.

[My Pet Goat]

22. LOL...

Nice writing! :D

[bushwakker]

57. It was from the heart my friend

[Dudley_DUright]

11. Stevie Ray Vaughan

and Double Trouble. After kicking his drug habit, he was poised for taking guitar playing to a whole different level. Now we will never know how good he could have become. :-(

[derby378]

75. I still miss SRV sometimes

Sad that some of the greatest guitar players ever - Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, Randy Rhoads - had to die so soon.

Then again, when asked who his guitar hero was, Stevie Ray proudly mentioned his brother, Jimmie.

I still remember when the helicopter crash was first announced. The DJ for the late Q102 in Dallas stated that one of three prominent guitarists (Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, and SRV) was on the chopper at the time, but at first he didn't know which one. Lots of tension waiting for the other shoe to drop.

[sundog]

12. And of course Bob Marley & the Wailers, but that's immortal ...

-

[Forkboy]

13. here's some

NoMeansNo
Michael Gira/The Swans/Angels of Light
The Melvins
Ministry
The Ex

[vi5]

16. MINISTRY!?!?!?!?!?

Good Lord, are you kidding me? Ministry has given me more than one mind blowing live concert experience, and Al Jourgenson is the man.

But Filth Pig was a horrid album. And the fact that their first album (With Sympathy) was a synth pop atrocity throws the whole concept of jumping the shark into disarray. What happens when you jump the shark on your first album?

[Forkboy]

18. Filth Pig has grown on me tons since it came out

Everyone was expecting Psalm 69 part 2.I respect them even more for going in a complete opposite direction.The heaviness and sludginess is right up my musical alley now though.

You got me on With Sympathy though :)

[XNASA]

72. What's the matter with 'With Sympathy'?

It's not exactly in line with what the band does now, but it's certainly not an atrocity. Even though a lot of the tattooed and pierced fans of the band hate WS, for the most, it holds up well.

The problem with that disc is, it didn't really reflect the band well at the time. Anyone who has been to a Ministry show in the early 80's knows that the band was a lot heavier than WS would indicate.

[derby378]

76. I think Jourgensen himself renounced WITH SYMPATHY

But a lot of artists do the same thing with their own stuff. Charlie Chaplin burned a lot of his outtakes because he didn't want to burden the world with his mistakes, and H.P. Lovecraft destroyed much of his earlier writings because he thought they were juvenile or substandard. These things happen.

[XNASA]

92. So what. Al's now renouncing Paul Barker.

Does that render everything he did with Barker crap?

Of course not.

Actually, I'm rather proud of 'With Sympathy'. I still meet people to this day who tell me that it's one of those touchstone type of records for them. Check this out.

http://www.prongs.org/ministry/interviews/roberts

[vi5]

90. Well yeah, that's the thing....the record wasn't reflective...

If With Sympathy had been released as a Depeche Mode record I would have loved it. But like you said, if you were even peripherally aware of Ministry at the time you knew that With Sympathy was a complete grab at the mainstream, obviously forced on them by the record company.

[XNASA]

93. That's the popular theory, that it was forced on them by Arista....

But that's only one factor. Check this out.

http://www.prongs.org/ministry/interviews/roberts

[Forkboy]

95. One has to take With Sympathy as a non Ministry album

It's not a bad album at all actually,but unfortunately it's so different from everything else (except Twitch,which I love) that it's hard to see the same band as being behind it.

But I'd listen to With Sympathy a million times before I'd ever listen to anything on the radio :)

[XNASA]

101. I'm actually of the opinion that WS is the only real Ministry album....

And that the rest of the albums are really Al Jourgensen albums.

At least WS was performed by the original core members of the band, more or less. It may be watered down, and it might not be a good effort, but.....let's face it......Ministry is Al now. The current line-up has changed almost completely since even the next most recent album.

Some of the really early stuff, unreleased songs only available as downloads, etc., are quite good. It's obvious that there is a real 'band' in there someplace.

[Forkboy]

102. yeah,but you're biased

:D

You're right though.It's all Al's show now...which is fine by me.But I understand your point.

And yes,some of those unreleased tracks are really cool :)

[XNASA]

104. Just representin', that's all.

I deserve my props. LOL!!!

[Forkboy]

106. That you do

Heck,you're my brush with greatness :D

[chicagojoe]

107. I totally agree.

I've been going to Ministry shows from practically gig one, and they were always better than that album.

[RetroLounge]

117. With Sympathy?

I just bought that in a pile of old vinyl the other day.

Al's pic on the record sleeve inside is a hoot!

Looks like he could have been in Duran Duran...

RL

[vi5]

14. I'm an old punk and those choices are both BS...

For the record the Clash is easily one of my top 5 favorite bands ever. But Cut The Crap really was not very good. Luckily they didn't continue on after that, but still.

And pretty much every Ramones album past Halfway To Sanity was pure crapola as well.

The only punk bands that never jumped the shark are the ones that only put out one or two albums and then either imploded or exploded.

[Magrittes Pipe]

25. The Fall never jumped the shark.

MES may have drank the shark, but he didn't jump it.

I'm not sure he's even aware there was a shark. And if he didn't drink it, he punched it. Or fucked it. I mean, he may have "jumped the shark" in the sense that "to jump" means "to violently ambush" or "to fuck."

Don't get me wrong, the Fall have made some shitty records over the past quarter century. But no shark jumping occurred.

[mitchum]

27. I saw The Fall SUCK the shark a couple of months ago...

on their "Let's Soak The States Tour" Horrible. A non-ranting Mark E Smith fronting a band of bozos playing generic midtempo punk. If I had actually paid to witness that debacle, I would have demanded that the greasy-haired sot return my money.

[Magrittes Pipe]

51. Yes, and then he would've taken a piss at you.

[masshole]

31. no way

Ever hear of The Jam? They called it quits just as they were becoming noticed here in the US. No "implosion" either, Paul Weller simply had enough and walked away.

[69KV]

35. Yeah I was going to say

The Ramones lost me with "Pleasant Dreams" and everything after. Early stuff is great though.

[HuckleB]

43. Ya, sure, you betcha.

Dude, you're not old, and you're no punk.

Chill out!

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lapislzi]

65. Strummer morphed to the Mescaleros

and stayed cool IMO.

And I love the Ramones. Every last dumbass 2-minute song. Still mourning Joey :(

[KittyWampus]

15. Butthole Surfers.....

The Grateful Dead

and of course,

Neil Young

:)

[asthmaticeog]

109. Sorry man, the Surfers jumped big-time

when they put out crap records containing contrived attempts at radio hits in the mid-'90s, and crash-landed when they sued Touch and Go records almost out of existence for the "right" to renege on their non-exclusive distro and hand -- for free -- their entire back-catalog to Capitol in perpetuity; a lawsuit which compromised the structure of independent-label contracts for all time to follow. A disgusting "I got mine" attitude that backfired anyway - they get WAY less money per unit now, and Capitol hasn't exactly worked the old stuff, so they're not selling any more to make up for it.

[bbernardini]

17. Frank Zappa, Kevin Gilbert, Mike Keneally, Stuart Davis

'Nuff said.

[Drifter]

73. Hello Frank Zappa ....

Cheers
Drifter

[AlCzervik]

19. The Sex Pistols

Talking Heads and The pretenders.

[HuckleB]

45. Sex Pistols jumped the shark from day one.

That's what they were all about@@@@@@

[HornBuckler]

21. Here Are A Few

Bob Dylan
Paul Simon
Clutch
Ween
Gwar
Deicide
The Cramps
I Would Say Devo As Well, But Lately I've Been Reconsidering

[ALago1]

34. Dylan had a rough patch...

...but clearly revived himself with "Blood on the Tracks"

He then again almost jumped the shark during his fundie Christian era but again revived himself with "Time Out of Mind"

[asthmaticeog]

110. Ween and Devo

IMO, Ween jumped when they eschewed their own sense of humor for 14-minute guitar solos and jam-band song structures. Ever been to one of their early shows when it was just Dean & Gene and a DAT player? Those shows were brilliant. I saw them on their last tour and could barely stay awake. Their bizarre and clever humor was the whole damn point to me, and you're not being funny when you're dicking around on guitar for two hours. They seem to think they're Zappa; I think they're mistaken.

IMO again, Devo jumped shortly after "Oh No It's Devo." Beginning with the "Dr. Detroit" theme, there's not a single Devo tune worth listening to. Which bums me out, as I've been a HUGE Devo-head since Junior High.

W/R/T Deicide: it's impossible for Glen Benton to jump the shark without serious reconstructive facial sugery!

[MrSlayer]

23. Slayer, last band standing of the Big 4 from the 80's Extreme Metal scene.

Metallica sold out in 91, Megadeth sold out in 92, Anthrax jumped on State of Euphoria (1988) but didn't attempt to truly sell out until just recently. Slayer continues to write as they see fit. Blazing Riffs, Dark Themes and Uncompromising Aggression, no radio friendly pap. After 21 years they are still the gold standard of Thrash Metal.

[Zomby Woof]

40. have to agree

Slayer prevailed. Always great, but once "Reign In Blood" cemented their rep, they never let up.

[Forkboy]

121. They came close to jumping the shark

with thier punk covers album.

Fortunately they came back strong after that.

[sir_captain]

26. The Beatles

pretty much everything they ever did was fantastic

[HuckleB]

46. Puh-----------leaaaaaaaazzzzzzzzzzzee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The WHite ALbum is a big mofo joke.

[sir_captain]

54. Beg to disagree

"Dear Prudence," "Happiness is a Warm Gun," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Blackbird," "I Will," "Julia," "Sexy Sadie," etc are hardly a "big mofo joke." Is is their best album? Hardly... but that's not saying much...

[HuckleB]

84. Keep begging.

No one would have ever heard any of those songs, driving them into everyone's subconscious and fooling minds into thinking they're worthy of recording, if the band wasn't already so big.

[sir_captain]

94. Uh huh

your "argument" is obviously a matter of personal preference, and as such, is utterly meaningless.

[HuckleB]

98. Really?

Wow! And your's is something different? Berry, berry interesting.

[sir_captain]

103. No, of course not

but, as such, there doesn't seem to be much point in continuing the discussion, does there, unless you have something actually constructive to add...

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

118. I'm with you, Sir Captain. White Album was brilliant!

[johnnie]

59. The "White Album" is one of my favorites

There might be some so-so songs on it, but all in all it is a great collections of some classic material.
Happiness is a warm gun, Long Long Long, Savoy Truffle, Revolution...the list goes on for me.
I don't think the Beatles ever jumped, I think the respectively got off the ski's before they were forced to jump.

[HuckleB]

85. I'm sorry to hear that.

:)

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

119. Awesome picture of John from the Hamburg days, Johnnie. :)

[Screaming Lord Byron]

81. If by that you mean 'classic recording' then I agree.

[HuckleB]

86. Well, it is a "classic" self-indulgent, over-the-hill recording.

No doubt about that.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

88. it's a "classic" self-indulgent, over-the-hill work of staggering genius.

100%.

[HuckleB]

97. Staggering, indeed.

[mvd]

30. In my opinion

Many bands that people say jumped the shark just changed their styles, and nothing more - those people just don't like the new styles. So my list would be long and include R.E.M., U2, The Corrs, Pearl Jam, and I have to add the Beatles. :-)

[69KV]

36. you're right

Changing styles is jumping the shark to some.

U2: Lost me from "Achtung Baby" on.
REM: Spotty to begin with IMHO.

The Beatles never ever jumped the shark. :)

[mvd]

38. Have loved R.E.M from the beginning, and..

it seems U2 can experiment all they want and I'll love it. And All You Can't Leave Behind is a fave of mine.

[HuckleB]

87. Changing styles doesn't mean they did it well.

None of the bands you mention would have gotten a listen in their "new styles" if they weren't already a big name commodity.

[mvd]

113. Oh, I disagree with that

Their styles went more pop, except in the case of U2 and the Beatles. But it's good pop. As I have said a lot here, just more radio-friendly isn't always bad. That's my opinion and I'm sticking with it. :-) U2 maybe wouldn't have gotten super popularity if they started with Achtung Baby, but they would have derserved it. And the Beatles expanded their sound while keeping the key elements of melody.

[frylock]

32. jane's..

they got in, got out, recorded some kick-ass chunes.

[Enraged_Ape]

37. The Go-Gos

Their 2001 album "God Bless the Go-Gos" was terrific. Their sound had not changed an iota. It was like two decades had just vanished.

Plus, their classic "Vacation" is featured prominently (and humorously) in Fahrenheit 9-11. How cool is that?

[SmileyBoy]

39. Bad Religion, Syatem Of A Down, Tool.

And more that I can't think of.

[HootieMcBoob]

41. The Clash might have jumped the shark a little bit

I love The Clash they're one of my favorite bands ever but I always thought that "Rock the Casbah" was a little jump the sharkey.

[Djinn]

42. Sellnig out for a Jag commercial

didn't help their credibility much

[Sufi Marmot]

47. My avatar... n/t

[Bridget Burke]

60. I agree.

Most of Richard Thompson's recorded output--with or without Linda--is very fine.

I've seen a couple of solo acoustic sets--excellent, of course. Only once did I see him with a full band & they transcended.

[LastKnight]

48. maybe im an idiot... but whats 'jumped the shark' mean?

is it akin to selling out? or maybe its just getting lame? i donno... somone let me in on it lol.

-LK

[fudge stripe cookays]

70. "Jump the Shark"

means getting lame, yes.

Those of us who were youngsters in the 70s remember the namesake of the saying very well, but those of you who were younger won't know it well.

Happy Days started off as such a great show-- awesome throwback to the 50s, great music, but as the seasons wore on, it got a little bit more ridiculous. The episode that killed Happy Days, most people agree, was where Fonzie water skiied, then jumped over a shark enclosure.

That, my friend, is "jumping the shark." Look here:
http://www.jumptheshark.com

FSC

[Swamp Rat]

49. Tom Zé

Frank Zappa X Captain Beefheart cubed dividido por Portugües=Tom Zé

http://www.tomze.com.br/

[chicagojoe]

52. MOTORHEAD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[WindRavenX]

53. Springsteen, U2

Bruce and Bono are gods. GODS!!! :D

[Earth_First]

55. Phish

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

56. The Police

!

[HuckleB]

99. You know, they almost made it.

Then they released the horror known as "Dont' Stand So Close To Me '86."

We'll never know why.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

100. Thats's true - I forgot about that! Damn!!!

:puke:

[blindpig]

58. King Crimson, the definition of artistic integrity n/t

[Squeech]

63. Hogwash

Even Fripp admits that the reason for Beat and TOAPP was that Ornery Mothers Records wouldn't agree to release Discipline without a three record contract.

And I can't get excited about anything I've heard from the '90s version of the band. I've long since stopped trying.

Of course, I'm a loony: Lizard is my favorite KC (sometimes).

On edit: I'm disturbed to discover that there is no longer anybody whose records I'll buy unheard. All my former heroes-- Fred Frith, Richard Thompson, Peter Blegvad, Joni Mitchell, Mike Keneally-- have jumped the shark at some point.

I'd part with years of life to find some new music I could fall in love with.

[bbernardini]

64. You're right, you are a loony!

Respectfully spoken, of course. The double trio from the 90s made some of the most glorious noise known to mankind. They could kick the crap out of Limp Bizkit, and every other band that sounds like them and thinks they're really HARD.

[Squeech]

69. Being better than Limp Bizkit isn't such a high bar, is it?

Larks' Tongues in Aspic came out before the guys in Limp Bizkit, and Tool and Pavement and whoever all else, were born-- and still stomps all over them. Ditto Red, and (most of the time) Starless and Bible Black. And the Great Deceiver box proves that they could do it live on stage, every night.

Thrak sounds to me like Primus did another special project with Trey Anastasio, and got the least obnoxious guy from Oasis to sing it. I do like the Thrakattak improv record, but on the whole, I felt like there were two guys too many in that band, and several songs too few.

Ya wanna know how big a loony I am? Read the liner notes in Great Deceiver. Note the fellow Fripp refers to as clueless. I swear on a stack of black bibles, that's me.

[ProfessorGAC]

68. Sssssssssssssssssssssssssss!

Those three albums were works of art. Beat is the best King Crimson album EVER!!!! Yeah, i said it. And i bought my first Crimson album in 1972! A pox on you for dissing that period of the band!
The Professor

[blindpig]

83. different strokes I guess

I've been a Crimson fan since the beginning and like their later work just fine. Saw the double trio in Atlanta and it was as fine a show as the Starless/Bible Black show in what, 75'. With talent like Fripp, Beleu, Brufford & Levin whats not to like?

[lapislzi]

66. Yeah, right...they COULDN'T jump the shark

they would have collapsed under the weight of their own egos.

[blindpig]

78. egos & artists

I don't really give a flip about an artist's personality or quirks unless they're some kind of winger. Seems like a number of my favorites like Beefheart, Fripp & Zappa are sumbitches in the studio. If that's what it takes so be it.

[sus]

62. SLEATER-KINNEY!

[GOPisEvil]

71. They RAWK!

:headbang:

[mrboba1]

74. U2 and Nirvana

[69KV]

123. In Utero?

That was beyond jumping the shark. That was intentional self-parody.

[derby378]

77. Shane MacGowan

Even when the Pogues jumped the shark, Shane kept the faith, bless his tortured soul. There are times I wanna give the man a big hug if I ever see him.

Along with the Chieftains, the Dubliners, the Clancy Brothers, Tommy Makem, and Robbie O'Connell, Shane has definitely earned his place in Irish music.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

82. The Go-Betweens.

They've never even seen the shark.

[Mike Daniels]

89. Roxy Music and Van Morrison

Both had a patchy album or two but I don't think they ever lost their essence.

Roxy closed off with Avalon and Morrison (while not racking up big sales numbers) remains pretty consistant to this day.

[MissMillie]

91. Crowded House

good stuff.

[HuckleB]

96. Reality: Every Great Artist "Jumps The Shark." It's inevitable.

It's the result of stretching oneself, of experimenting. Believe me, they all jumped more than their share of sharks long before they became well known, so it's nothing to be ashamed of, in most cases.

[Runcible Spoon]

105. Red hot chili peppers!

nt

[LincolnMcGrath]

108. Nelson

I cant live without your love and affection..........

[D-Notice]

111. Here's some

My Bloody Valentine
Sonic Youth
Jesus & Mary Chain
Blur
Beastie Boys

[XNASA]

112. Really? Blur? Don't you think...........

....they jumped when Coxon left?

I mean, how can a band lose a Graham Coxon and not jump? Maybe they jumped someplace other than over a shark. Through a ring of fire perhaps?

Seriously, I love all the bands that you mention. Especially Blur.

[D-Notice]

126. No!

I really like Think Tank - completely different to their other stuff

[Khephra]

125. I'll cast another vote for Sonic Youth

There's some experimental work that I can't stand to listen to that much, but I don't consider that jumping the shark.

[Rabrrrrrr]

114. Rush, Floyd, Zappa, Zep, Kraftwerk, Einsturzende Neubauten

and quite a few more.

And, just to be fair, we have to include N'Stink, New Kids On The Block, Beyonce, and Brittney, just because they - and all their pop corporate industrialized ubermarketed crap kinfolk - start off their careers well on the other side of the shark tank to begin with.

[Forkboy]

122. Einsturzende Neubauten

GREAT CHOICE...GREAT BAND!!!!

[69KV]

124. Rush jumped the shark

on their second album when they went Ayn Rand on us.

[POed_Ex_Repub]

115. Megadeth

They'd still be cranking out albums if Mustane didn't have nerve damage.

[TroubleMan]

116. The Isley Brothers

Different genre from what you guys/gals were discussing, but they've never put out weak material.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

120. Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The Byrds.