Drugs. What have been our greatest burn out tragedies?

[The Slider]

He was still writing music

[the hanging monkey]

Phil Lynott? Admittedly he did leave a decent amount of material and his best work was probably behind him but after a slightly sticky patch Thunder and Lightning was a return to form. Maybe he had a few more decent albums in him.

[Diamond Dog]

Yet 79 is way better than 77.

let's face it, they ran out of steam after 75, despite the slight Indian summer.
I love In Through The Out Door, but that is Plant and Jones - Page contributes very little.

Well, I wouldn't go that far - there are nights on the 77 tour (LA, for instance) where they make Knebworth sound like the under rehearsed rehash it really was. But the wave of new 75 shows that have appeared have put a whole new perspective on that tour from February onwards - they really were still on fire some nights, and capable of sheer brilliance.

Page's contribution to "ITTOD" was (at most) mimimal - which really accentuates our point that Jimmy had 'gone' after 76.

Just think though - if they had quit after "Physical Graffiti" and Earls Court, how much higher would their 'rep' be? Quite a thought, isn't it?

[The Slider]

He was still writing music

when he wasn't in bed for five years, yes.

Well he obviously got out of it (no pun intended) long enough to make his (admittedly lesser) contributions to Sunflower and Surf's Up.

[Diamond Dog]

So Brian had a creative burst over two albums and then dried up - forever.

Christ, even Queen made four great albums.....

[The Slider]

It does rather look as though our canine chum is right on this one.

[Diamond Dog]

but why did he dry up? here's a clue - take a look at the title of this thread.

Excuses. Load of old bollocks, from what I can see. Much eulogised, less analysed, for me.

[Diamond Dog]

Excuses. Load of old bollocks, from what I can see.

yes, he was faking all of that mental illness, wasn't he?

i despair.

Frequently.

[Snowdog]

brian wilson springs to mind.

You spring to mind. Especially post jolly.

[homeland66]

I always assumed that Wilson's "mental illness" came from not being able to make great music anymore, not the other way around. But what the hell do I know.....

[Charlie O.]

So Brian had a creative burst over two albums and then dried up - forever.

Christ, even Queen made four great albums.....

I'm not going to look it up, but Pet Sounds was something like the Beach Boys' 13th album inside of five years. And yes, there was a lot of chaff on most of the previous twelve, but if you filter that out there's gotta be at least 5 or 6 LPs' worth of genuinely great, innovative, influential stuff. And Brian was producing, arranging, and (except for lyrics) writing it all himself.

[Snarfyguy]

Most people won't have heard all of those albums
preceeding pet sounds, including me.

What does that have to do with anything?

[Snarfyguy]

Most people won't have heard all of those albums
preceeding pet sounds, including me.

What does that have to do with anything?

that it's hardly a benchmark, that ps was the 13th album

Of course, the number isn't important. What's at issue right here I thought was the sheer volume of great material he had under his belt by that point.

[The Slider]

but why did he dry up? here's a clue - take a look at the title of this thread.

So what you are suggesting then is that he has some weird type of drug-related mental illness that still allowed him to write three or four songs per album, but no more than that.
You do realise what bollocks that is, don't you?

He started to run out of ideas around the same time he went potty.
Whether one was a contributing factor to the other is something we will never know, but the fact that he continued and continues to write music after Smile indicates that his drug-abuse didn't burn him out.

Syd went mad from the drugs and went away. Forever.
That is a real case of the drugs denying us the benefit of any further work from the artist.

Brian went a bit mad and carried on.

That is not that same thing as far as I can see.

What you seem to be saying is that because Brian took drugs and went mad, his songs aren't quite as plentiful as they once were.
That doesn't really qualify him does it, even if it is true - and I again suggest that like with everyone else in this world - eventually inspiration runs low.

[The Modernist]

So Brian had a creative burst over two albums and then dried up - forever.

Christ, even Queen made four great albums.....

I'm not going to look it up, but Pet Sounds was something like the Beach Boys' 13th album inside of five years. And yes, there was a lot of chaff on most of the previous twelve, but if you filter that out there's gotta be at least 5 or 6 LPs' worth of genuinely great, innovative, influential stuff. And Brian was producing, arranging, and (except for lyrics) writing it all himself.

Well done Charlie. The voice of reason.

[Brian Wilson]

I went out of my mind for four reasons: My dad, LSD, Mike Love, and I couldn't figure out how to get SMiLE to fit onto a single LP.

[The Modernist]

but why did he dry up? here's a clue - take a look at the title of this thread.

So what you are suggesting then is that he has some weird type of drug-related mental illness that still allowed him to write three or four songs per album, but no more than that.
You do realise what bollocks that is, don't you?

He started to run out of ideas around the same time he went potty.
Whether one was a contributing factor to the other is something we will never know, but the fact that he continued and continues to write music after Smile indicates that his drug-abuse didn't burn him out.

Yes it is true that his musical ability wasn't destroyed by drugs in the manner of Barratt. but griff is fundamentally right in saying the acid contributed hugely to his mental breakdown. After this he continued to write good songs, but the ambition of his music was crushed. After Smile he would no longer play the same domineering role in the studio. He may have carried on, with long gaps, as a musician but he stopped being an auteur.

[Jon K]

I regret that coke took away SRVs best years, although at least he did clean up in time for us to catch some of him at his best.
Paul Kossoff. We can only guess at how good Free could have been if he had been on top of his game.They were pretty feckin good anyway.
Im never sure about Little Feat and Lowell.Was it the drugs that finished
him?I really like the later stuff anyway, so I dont know what would have happened, and how different they would have been.

Yeah totally agree with Kossof. Having seen the guy when he was just perfect and also when he was a shambling wreck I often wonder what Bad Company would have been like with him invloved. He was originally going to be involved but apparently turned up to a rehearsal out of it and blew his chances as Rodgers wanted a little more reliability.
I would also mention Tommy Bolin in the great guitarists burnt out list. Very like Kossoff in many ways in that no matter who they were playing with you always knew who was on guitar as they both had a very identifiable sound and style. Not even Clapton managed that

[Snarfyguy]

Most people won't have heard all of those albums
preceeding pet sounds, including me.

What does that have to do with anything?

that it's hardly a benchmark, that ps was the 13th album

Of course, the number isn't important. What's at issue right here I thought was the sheer volume of great material he had under his belt by that point.

and I was disputing the volume of great work in the albums upto Pet Sounds

I thought you just said you hadn't heard it.

[The Slider]

he had a complete breakdown which impaired his ability to function properly in everyday life, suffering chronic depression and recurring aural hallucinations, and therefore had neither the will nor the confidence to continue his musical career as he had beforehand. as has been said above, he churned out the lion's share of a dozen albums in five or six years up to 1966. after that, he wrote a few songs a year, if that.

before the breakdown, music was everything to him. afterwards, he all but retreated into his own little world for thirty years.

apart from when he didn't, and carried on writing music.

It is a weird old 'burn out' to be nominating as "the most significant" then - a sort of half-arsed burn out that allowed its victim to carry on writing music - but not too much of it.