> >I think it really depends on where you come into the picture
> >with an artist's catalog.

I've been thinkiing for a while of starting a thread along these lines. I often
shrug when I read people making comments about how a certain artist just isn't
living up to his or her earlier work when I just don't hear the supposed
decline.

The most controversial such artist, of course, is McCartney. I can understand
that for someone who has been following his career in real time, the older stuff
starts to seem legendary. But for someone who came in late, the years that
separate "Ram" and "Flaming Pie" don't much matter. I maintain that if "Calico
Skies" were revealed to be an outtake from the White Album, people would hail it
as a lost masterpiece.

Another example for me is Squeeze. The first Squeeze album I ever bought was
"Some Fantastic Place," and I was absolutely blown away by it. Really a terrific
album, and the title track is one of my favorite songs of all time. I have
bought a few other Squeeze albums and haven't found any others that I like as
much. It baffles me why I almost never hear anyone mention that album at all.

Robert R. Berry