Rock groups that hit their commercial peak when their best work was behind them

I didn’t even think about Aerosmith, who I loved right up to Draw the Line, when they had the v.1 meltdown. Toys / Rocks was the peak for me…
 
Chicago at their artistic peak, 1970:

Chicago at approximately their commercial peak, 1982:
 
Chicago at their artistic peak, 1970:

Chicago at approximately their commercial peak, 1982:

Too soon @chuck ?

suicide-gun-to-head.gif

 
I think these bands would be considered

The Cure
Before Disintegration they had a not charted, 186, 193, 133, 180, 59, and 35

After Disintegration went to #12, they had a 2, 12, 16, 7, 16

Depeche Mode
Before Violator they had 192, 177, 51, 90, and 35
Violator went to #7.
after Violator they had a 1, 5, 8, 7, 3, 6 and a 5, probably can’t name a song from those albums.
 
Chicago at their artistic peak, 1970:

Chicago at approximately their commercial peak, 1982:

Too soon @chuck ?

suicide-gun-to-head.gif

I've said many times that newbs shouldn't mess with handguns.

Is Terry still alive with a good, old fashioned wheel gun instead of a 9mm? His .38 didn't get him but the 9mm did.

I actually didn't know any details. So it was a 9mm eh?

Yeah, probably.
 
Chicago at their artistic peak, 1970:

Chicago at approximately their commercial peak, 1982:

Too soon @chuck ?

suicide-gun-to-head.gif

I've said many times that newbs shouldn't mess with handguns.

Is Terry still alive with a good, old fashioned wheel gun instead of a 9mm? His .38 didn't get him but the 9mm did.

I actually didn't know any details. So it was a 9mm eh?

Yeah, probably.

He was fucking around with the roadies 9mm. The mag was empty but there was one still in the chamber and as a joke he put the thing to his head.
 
These are just off the top of my head. Not sure about the numbers and such

Aerosmith. I remember buying Permanent Vacation on a whim. Turned out to be I was onto something. Then Aerosmith became huge again.

Heart. I liked early Heart. Then it got really MTV-ized.

Sammy Hagar.

Cheap Trick. Granted their #1 song was it. They then went back to making not good albums.

Great suggestions. I never liked Aerosmith and still don't, but couldn't agree more that their peak period was pre 80s.

Heart owned the 80s big hair, power ballad genre. They weren't as prolific as Chicago (another candidate for this) or Foreigner, but better than both.

I hated them for it back then. Nowadays I even appreciate how good they were at that.

In reality the best thing either Wilson sister did after the 70s was when Anne joined Alice In Chains on the Sap EP.

Foreigner sucks
 
Cheap Trick. Granted their #1 song was it. They then went back to making not good albums.

These are just off the top of my head. Not sure about the numbers and such

Aerosmith. I remember buying Permanent Vacation on a whim. Turned out to be I was onto something. Then Aerosmith became huge again.

Heart. I liked early Heart. Then it got really MTV-ized.

Sammy Hagar.

Cheap Trick. Granted their #1 song was it. They then went back to making not good albums.

I think The Flame is Cheap Tricks only number one hit and they had to get an outside songwriter for it.

My first introduction to Cheap Trick was via MTV and their lame cover of “Don’t Be Cruel.” It wasn’t until years later that I heard “Surrender” and realized they were once something before being lame.

Never heard of “The Flame.” I’ve always assumed “Surrender” was the hit that carried that band.
 
Cheap Trick. Granted their #1 song was it. They then went back to making not good albums.

These are just off the top of my head. Not sure about the numbers and such

Aerosmith. I remember buying Permanent Vacation on a whim. Turned out to be I was onto something. Then Aerosmith became huge again.

Heart. I liked early Heart. Then it got really MTV-ized.

Sammy Hagar.

Cheap Trick. Granted their #1 song was it. They then went back to making not good albums.

I think The Flame is Cheap Tricks only number one hit and they had to get an outside songwriter for it.

My first introduction to Cheap Trick was via MTV and their lame cover of “Don’t Be Cruel.” It wasn’t until years later that I heard “Surrender” and realized they were once something before being lame.

Never heard of “The Flame.” I’ve always assumed “Surrender” was the hit that carried that band.

I want you to want me and Dream Police were big hits.

Surrender got little if any airplay though easily their best tune.

 
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These are just off the top of my head. Not sure about the numbers and such

Aerosmith. I remember buying Permanent Vacation on a whim. Turned out to be I was onto something. Then Aerosmith became huge again.

Heart. I liked early Heart. Then it got really MTV-ized.

Sammy Hagar.

Cheap Trick. Granted their #1 song was it. They then went back to making not good albums.

Great suggestions. I never liked Aerosmith and still don't, but couldn't agree more that their peak period was pre 80s.

Heart owned the 80s big hair, power ballad genre. They weren't as prolific as Chicago (another candidate for this) or Foreigner, but better than both.

I hated them for it back then. Nowadays I even appreciate how good they were at that.

In reality the best thing either Wilson sister did after the 70s was when Anne joined Alice In Chains on the Sap EP.

Foreigner sucks

That goes without saying. But they were big players in the 80s power ballad genre.
 
Cheap Trick. Granted their #1 song was it. They then went back to making not good albums.

These are just off the top of my head. Not sure about the numbers and such

Aerosmith. I remember buying Permanent Vacation on a whim. Turned out to be I was onto something. Then Aerosmith became huge again.

Heart. I liked early Heart. Then it got really MTV-ized.

Sammy Hagar.

Cheap Trick. Granted their #1 song was it. They then went back to making not good albums.

I think The Flame is Cheap Tricks only number one hit and they had to get an outside songwriter for it.

My first introduction to Cheap Trick was via MTV and their lame cover of “Don’t Be Cruel.” It wasn’t until years later that I heard “Surrender” and realized they were once something before being lame.

Never heard of “The Flame.” I’ve always assumed “Surrender” was the hit that carried that band.

I want you to want me.

Surrender got little if any airplay.

I’m too young to know that. I was a kid when they made their lame attempt to grab my generation’s attention via MTV music videos with “Don’t Be Cruel.” It just made them look old and lame. It would have served them better to re-lease “Surrender” with the band wearing flannel shirts and donning ZZ Top beards. It worked with Aerosmith. I thought “Sweet Emotion” was a hot new track when I first saw that video, on MTV, in the 90’s.

Classic Rock radio is where I was introduced to less lame, non-cover band Cheap Trick. “Surrender” and “I Want You to Want Me” seem to be the only songs in the regular rotation. I also know of “Dream Police” via pop culture osmosis. Probably from some TV commercial or from “The Simpsons.”

 
Cheap Trick. Granted their #1 song was it. They then went back to making not good albums.

These are just off the top of my head. Not sure about the numbers and such

Aerosmith. I remember buying Permanent Vacation on a whim. Turned out to be I was onto something. Then Aerosmith became huge again.

Heart. I liked early Heart. Then it got really MTV-ized.

Sammy Hagar.

Cheap Trick. Granted their #1 song was it. They then went back to making not good albums.

I think The Flame is Cheap Tricks only number one hit and they had to get an outside songwriter for it.

My first introduction to Cheap Trick was via MTV and their lame cover of “Don’t Be Cruel.” It wasn’t until years later that I heard “Surrender” and realized they were once something before being lame.

Never heard of “The Flame.” I’ve always assumed “Surrender” was the hit that carried that band.

I want you to want me.

Surrender got little if any airplay.

I’m too young to know that. I was a kid when they made their lame attempt to grab my generation’s attention via MTV music videos with “Don’t Be Cruel.” It just made them look old and lame. It would have served them better to re-lease “Surrender” with the band wearing flannel shirts and donning ZZ Top beards. It worked with Aerosmith. I thought “Sweet Emotion” was a hot new track when I first saw that video, on MTV, in the 90’s.

Classic Rock radio is where I was introduced to less lame, non-cover band Cheap Trick. “Surrender” and “I Want You to Want Me” seem to be the only songs in the regular rotation. I also know of “Dream Police” via pop culture osmosis. Probably from some TV commercial or from “The Simpsons.”

My intro to Cheap Trick was buying Live at Budokon at Tower Records on the Ave in the late 90s. I was looking for Beastie Boys samples.

This next song is the first song on our new album.
 
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