Bubbler
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2004
- Messages
- 25,686
Interesting topic, but I'm a bit confused.
Do you mean a flashpoint for band/artist or a flashpoint in my own tastes? Works either way, I suppose.
Every band has its flashpoint, so I'll go with the most obvious and do the solo Beatles:
Ringo Starr -- Who knows? The minute he pondered a solo career? I don't really care for any of Starr's solo stuff. He never escaped the stereotype of being the harmless scamp.
George Harrison -- When Here Comes The Sun and Something were hits off of Abbey Road. It posited Harrison as an equal of Lennon-McCartney at a key time as he could then launch from the break-up into a solo career. Great things were expected, and I like solo George, but like his Beatles' songs, his solo career was uneven. Some of it is great, a lot of it ... meh.
John Lennon -- Lost Weekend era which led to dreck like Walls & Bridges and Whatever Gets You Through The Night. He never recovered. Double Fantasy was lauded as a comeback album, and I suppose some of it isn't bad, but I think his murder has made memories of that album much fonder than they deserve to be.
Paul McCartney -- I suppose some would argue that it was the minute he launched his solo career or Wings, but I think it's when he achieved fame with his 80s duets.
He was uneven as heck in the 70s, no doubt about it. I hate Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey with a passion. But he also mixed in some brilliance, and most often, just recorded a lot of good pop songs that aren't world-changing, but that are good, and have stood up.
That era basically ended when did Ebony & Ivory, The Girl Is Mine and Say, Say, Say. All popular songs, but none of them sound good today, and he never recovered relevance after they were hits.
Do you mean a flashpoint for band/artist or a flashpoint in my own tastes? Works either way, I suppose.
Every band has its flashpoint, so I'll go with the most obvious and do the solo Beatles:
Ringo Starr -- Who knows? The minute he pondered a solo career? I don't really care for any of Starr's solo stuff. He never escaped the stereotype of being the harmless scamp.
George Harrison -- When Here Comes The Sun and Something were hits off of Abbey Road. It posited Harrison as an equal of Lennon-McCartney at a key time as he could then launch from the break-up into a solo career. Great things were expected, and I like solo George, but like his Beatles' songs, his solo career was uneven. Some of it is great, a lot of it ... meh.
John Lennon -- Lost Weekend era which led to dreck like Walls & Bridges and Whatever Gets You Through The Night. He never recovered. Double Fantasy was lauded as a comeback album, and I suppose some of it isn't bad, but I think his murder has made memories of that album much fonder than they deserve to be.
Paul McCartney -- I suppose some would argue that it was the minute he launched his solo career or Wings, but I think it's when he achieved fame with his 80s duets.
He was uneven as heck in the 70s, no doubt about it. I hate Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey with a passion. But he also mixed in some brilliance, and most often, just recorded a lot of good pop songs that aren't world-changing, but that are good, and have stood up.
That era basically ended when did Ebony & Ivory, The Girl Is Mine and Say, Say, Say. All popular songs, but none of them sound good today, and he never recovered relevance after they were hits.
