You know the zombie band. They've been making albums for 20 years and haven't been good for ten. There was one album that they should have stopped with, but for some reason they didn't. Frankly every band every falls into this category, and to prove it, I'll start with...
The Beatles - Abbey Road (1969)
What we'll miss: "Let It Be," "Get Back."
Okay this is a no-brainer. The Beatles started working on Let It Be, abandoned it, made Abbey Road, and then came back to Let It Be. They should have just, er, let it be.
Metallica - Master of Puppets (1986)
What we'll miss: "One," "Enter Sandman," that live album with the orchestra.
If Metallica's studio output was limited to their first three albums, they'd be legends today. Hell, if they'd all died in that bus crash, their place in the music pantheon would be assured, because we all know dead artists are better. (Just so we're clear on this, I don't wish anyone dead.) Instead, they slogged on, sold out, and helped saturate the 90s with crappy music. Puppets is the logical exit point for this band. They'd been progressing steadily for their first three albums, and they hit their high water-mark here.
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (1975)
What we'll miss: "Comfortably Numb*," "Hey You," maybe "High Hopes."
This is probably the most contentious one on the list, because The Wall is so very famous. Unfortunately, the best part about The Wall was the live act, because without it, the album is just a 2-hour whinge. Wish You Were Here is a tribute to their former bandmate and better days in general, starting off with a lyrical nod to "Remember a Day" and concluding with a musical nod to "See Emily Play," two of their early songs. What better way to ride out? *We'd actually still have "Comfortably Numb," it would just be a David Gilmour solo song with different lyrics.
AC/DC - Back in Black (1980)
What we'd miss - "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)," "Thunderstruck."
Somewhere, surely, there's an alternate universe where this band decided to honor Bon Scott's memory by finishing the album they'd just started writing when he died, and then called it a day. This is the second-biggest-selling album of all time! You're never going to top that.
Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)
What we'd miss - "Fear of the Dark."
See, they'd re-form in 2000 for Brave New World et seq. But Maiden without Adrian Smith isn't very good, and Maiden without Bruce is IMINO - Iron Maiden In Name Only.
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti (1975)
What we'd miss: "Achilles Last Stand," "Nobody's Fault but Mine," "Fool in the Rain."
Do I even have to explain this one?
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