Farewell albums or albums that sound like they are saying goodbye

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What are your favourites? Were they 'deliberate' farewells? What albums sound like this to you?

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 16:11 (twenty-three years ago)

The Spice Girls - "Goodbye"!

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 16:12 (twenty-three years ago)

Abbey Road.

― christoff (christoff), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 17:04 (twenty-three years ago)

The Reivers - Pop Beloved

Their final record, made after being dropped by Capitol. They knew it was over and the record exudes the lethargy of a band who put so much into 'making it' that they truly have no idea of what to do next with their lives. "Keep Me Guessing" is up there on my all-time favorite songs list.

keith

― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 17:28 (twenty-three years ago)

Camper Van Beethoven, Key Lime Pie.

― hstencil, Wednesday, 16 October 2002 17:40 (twenty-three years ago)

My personal favorite is Odessey & Oracle by the Zombies.

― Aaron W., Wednesday, 16 October 2002 17:57 (twenty-three years ago)

Nick Drake, Pink Moon.

― Mike Appelstein (mike a), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 18:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Set You Free by Chisel.

― ^Diego^ (dhadis), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 18:21 (twenty-three years ago)

Strangeways, even though they didn't mean it.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 18:21 (twenty-three years ago)

"Thank You For The Music"

― Siegbran (eofor), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 18:22 (twenty-three years ago)

Goodbye Cream
The Last Waltz

Disintegration
Wish
Wild Mood Swings
Bloodflowers

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 18:28 (twenty-three years ago)

This is Hardcore, We Love Life and I'm sure the next 2 as well.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 18:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Jawbox, "My Scrapbook of Fatal Accidents"

― Underclocked, Wednesday, 16 October 2002 20:13 (twenty-three years ago)

"Thankyou For The Music" came out 5 yrs before the band split though. Actually The Visitors totally qualifies for the final track alone.

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 20:17 (twenty-three years ago)

Neutral Milk Hotel, "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea"

― Ian Johnson (orion), Wednesday, 16 October 2002 20:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Abbey Road

― Jez (Jez), Thursday, 17 October 2002 10:23 (twenty-three years ago)

NMH is on hiatus.

― Jonathan Williams (ex machina), Thursday, 17 October 2002 11:41 (twenty-three years ago)

"closer", what else?

― michael wells (michael w.), Thursday, 17 October 2002 12:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Dave225's Cure answer is most worthy. :-)

The Reivers

This is as good a place as any to note that "Things Don't Change" is probably my personal 'lost utterly unknown and truly grand' song of the eighties, of all time.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 17 October 2002 15:08 (twenty-three years ago)

Nobody prob'ly cares 'bout this one, but Heatmiser's Mic City Sons.

― wl (wl), Thursday, 17 October 2002 15:21 (twenty-three years ago)

Pink Floyd, The Final Cut.

― Phil (phil), Thursday, 17 October 2002 17:01 (twenty-three years ago)

'Vauxhall and I'. Which is one of those records that not only sounds like it's saying goodbye, but should have been goodbye.

Probably there's a lot of records that sound like farewells, because albums are often deliberately sequenced this way, i.e. with the grand finale last song. Therefore, no matter at which point a band splits up, the last song on their last album will have a good chance of sounding deliberately final.

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Thursday, 17 October 2002 17:13 (twenty-three years ago)

In Utero

― M Matos (M Matos), Thursday, 17 October 2002 17:17 (twenty-three years ago)

Go ahead and shoot me down but might i suggest Jeff Buckley's Grace?

― christoff (christoff), Thursday, 17 October 2002 17:28 (twenty-three years ago)

Therefore, no matter at which point a band splits up, the last song on their last album will have a good chance of sounding deliberately final.

To follow on from my own point, I'd argue that the final song on the last five Beatles albums could have signified the end. Some more than others, but still:

'Tomorrow never knows' (would've been a great one).
'A Day in the Life' (sounds like one).
'Goodnight' (it would have been a bit cheap and flippant, but it works).
'Get Back' (for its sense of nostalgia).
'The End' (for title and sentimentality).

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Thursday, 17 October 2002 17:41 (twenty-three years ago)

Patti Smith-Wave

Well, farewell for awhile, at least.

― Arthur (Arthur), Thursday, 17 October 2002 19:59 (twenty-three years ago)

Charlie Rich - Feel like going home.
Sums up the disappointment of a life lived but not fulfilled.

― James Ball, Friday, 18 October 2002 13:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Gene Ammons 'Goodbye'.

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 18 October 2002 15:07 (twenty-three years ago)

four years pass...

Judy Henske and Jerry Yester Farewell Aldabaran.
What a confounding record. I search for a thread on it and didn't find one. It fits in here, too, I guess. The ring-modulated vocals on the title track are really freaky.

― Trip Maker, Thursday, 4 October 2007 16:52 (eighteen years ago)

The Cure haha.

This Is Hardcore seconded.

Also, Moz's Your Arsenal had an air of finality about it, and I don't half wish he'd packed it in then as well.

― CharlieNo4, Thursday, 4 October 2007 16:54 (eighteen years ago)

The Czars - Goodbye

― Mr. Hal Jam, Thursday, 4 October 2007 17:06 (eighteen years ago)

certainly warren zevon's the wind takes the prize in this category. (and he was already halfway there with the album before that, my ride's here).

― fact checking cuz, Thursday, 4 October 2007 17:46 (eighteen years ago)

Black Sabbath "Never Say Die"

― Bill Magill, Thursday, 4 October 2007 18:01 (eighteen years ago)

The Who By Numbers. No, it wasn't their last, but it was originally intended to be at the time. And it sounds like it more than any of their other "last" albums (Who Are You, It's Hard).

― Sara Sara Sara, Thursday, 4 October 2007 20:09 (eighteen years ago)

Replacements--All Shook Down
Big Star--Third
Fugazi--The Argument

― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 4 October 2007 20:33 (eighteen years ago)

Saturday Night, Sunday Morning by the Stranglers

― Alex in NYC, Thursday, 4 October 2007 21:38 (eighteen years ago)

Thin White Rope- The One That Got Away (in such a very sad way)
Talk Talk- Laughing Stock (in such a very ecstatic way)

trips, is that YesterHenske album available on cd these days? I hope to hear that someday...

― Jon Lewis, Thursday, 4 October 2007 21:55 (eighteen years ago)

Yes, it is on CD. There is a thread I found for it that I revived, just a little down the new answers page. Radioactive reissued it. It does have some bad songs but has some really great ones, too.

― Trip Maker, Thursday, 4 October 2007 22:01 (eighteen years ago)

Ah, Radioactive. So probably easy to find used. They are kaput now due to crooksiness, yes?

― Jon Lewis, Thursday, 4 October 2007 22:10 (eighteen years ago)

"Abbey Road" is an obvious winner here. Personally I'd like to add "Synchroniticity" though - the best album Sting has ever been involved with.

― Geir Hongro, Saturday, 6 October 2007 17:43 (eighteen years ago)

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