The 411 Music Top 5 04.22.08: Top Comeback Albums

Posted by Blake Lauderback on 04.22.2008

Join all of us from the Music Zone as we welcome back the Top 5! In honor of the column's return, we will be tackling the Top 5 greatest comeback albums of all time!



Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to resurrect the once proud column, The Music Zone Top 5. It has been a while since this brilliant collection of thoughts and ideas has graced the pages of 411 Mania, and a return to the spot light is long over due.

My name is Blake Lauderback, and I will be your gracious host each week from here on out. Many of you may know me as the resident know it all (or musical snob, depending on who you ask) that answers your questions weekly for Ask 411 Music. For those of you that already get enough of my lunacy on Thursdays, never fear, this column will feature the rantings of many different Music Zone staff members, not just my own.

For those of you that have never had the pleasure (or seen the Top 5 versions in the other sections,) allow me to explain the general concept of this column. There will be a weekly meeting of the musical minds from the music zone in which we will all take a topic of my choosing (What can I say, I am drunk with power) and break it down into a Top 5 list.

Without further ado, let's get on with the show. In honor of the column's big return to glory, this weeks selected topic is…

The Top Five Comeback Albums of All-Time


Rob Samuels
[The Classic Record Review]

5. Beautiful World – by Take That - Ok, before you think "What the fuck is this guy smoking?" take a second to hear my argument. Take That were huge in the UK throughout the early nineties. When they split up in 1995 fans were devastated (I didn't give a shit). With the exception of Robbie Williams making a tit out of himself on a world-side scale, the rest of the band members fell into obscurity. In 2005 the four (minus Robbie) re-united to tour and in 2006 they released their first studio record in eleven years. Beautiful World was a huge success, going 8x Platinum in the UK alone. On top of this the record was a triumph musically - containing some damn catchy material. The success of Take That's reunion even inspired The Spice Girls to get back together – We can only thank god that that reunion didn't last.

4. Permanent Vacation – by Aerosmith - I got a lot of shit in my column for my positive review of Pump – the successful follow-up album to Permanent Vacation. I stand by the fact that Pump is a great album, it was hugely successful financially and helped re-invigorate the band. But it was Permanent Vacation that brought Aerosmith back into the limelight. Some will say that this and the follow up albums were manufactured and really not what Aerosmith were about. I can understand this argument, but you cannot deny the success these records brought the band and the effect it had on Aerosmith's career thereafter.

3. Brave New World – by Iron Maiden - The nineties were a bad time for Maiden. Bruce Dickinson was getting into his solo work and Maiden were floundering. A string of live records (some good, some bad) suggested change was afoot, and in 1993 Dickinson finally quit the band. His replacement was Wolfsbane's highly rated front man Blaze Bayley. Needless to say Bayley's tenure with Maiden was less than successful – the height of which was the simply abysmal Virtual XI. In early 2000 Brave New World was released and announced Maiden's return to the top-tier of the Heavy Metal world. The record featured the return of Dickinson (as well as Adrian Smith on guitar) and really breathed new life into the Maiden machine, with two more excellent studio albums and some great world tours following.

2. Back in Black – by AC/DC - I can only agree that this is a fantastic comeback album. Bon Scott's voice and charisma was what AC/DC was all about (along with Angus' guitar work) for the band to lose him, and still manage to come back with a fantastic album is a tribute to one of the greatest Rock ‘n' Roll bands in history. Although I find Johnson's vocals to be less inspired than Scott's you can't possibly deny the success he has had with the band.

1. Some Girls – by The Rolling Stones - Okay, I'll admit that the Stones have had there fair share of ‘comeback albums' and indeed every time they've released anything since 1989's ‘Steel Wheels' it has been heralded as a ‘brilliant comeback'. But Some Girls is a bit different, since Exile On Main Street the band had slowly fallen downhill and internal troubles meant the Stones had lost their direction. This all changed in 1978 with the release of Some Girls, which marked the bands return to their roots with some excellent stripped down Rock ‘n' Roll. It also put them back on top of the industry and really highlighted them as a true alternative to the Punk movement of the time. Some Girls is an astonishing album, and sold in huge numbers worldwide particularly in the States – where it became the bands best selling album to date. For all of their ‘comeback records' over the years this one is a true ‘Komeback Klassic'.

---

Dan Marsicano
[What The Hell Happened To…, News, Reviewer]


5. Californication: by Red Hot Chili Peppers - The mid-90's were probably the bleakest period for the funk metal band Red Hot Chili Peppers. 1995's One Hot Minute didn't sell as well as their previous albums and relations between new guitarist Dave Navarro and the band deteriorated. Former guitarist John Frusciante was near death from a drug addition that was eating him alive and the other band members started to sub come to the deadly temptation of heroin. Navarro left and Frusciante was brought back into the band. Songs would take a while to come out, but finally, in 1999, Californication was released and brought the band back into the spotlight. The album sold over 15 million copies worldwide and hits "Scar Tissue" and the title track would top the charts nationwide. Californication is the album that saved the band from obscurity and showed that they still had some life left in them.

4. Scenes From a Memory: by Dream Theater - 1997's Falling Into Infinity was a failed experiment for Dream Theater, with the progressive metal band toning their sound down and focusing on moody atmosphere more than technical prowess. New keyboardist Derek Sherinian was not fitting in with Dream Theater and their fan base was wavering. The band seemed to just drift by during this period. When Sherinian was replaced by keyboardist Jordan Rudess, the band suddenly turned back into the progressive metal band they were in the past. With 1999's Scenes From a Memory, the band produced their first concept album and sounded like the band of old. The story the album told was great, the musicianship was top-notch, and Rudess interacted with guitarist John Petrucci like they had been playing together for years. No wonder that fans of Dream Theater put Scenes From a Memory at the top, or near the top, of their favorite albums of the band's. Hell, some think of Scenes From a Memory as one of the greatest progressive metal albums of all time. That's not an easy feat and Dream Theater accomplished it with their comeback album.

3. Perfect Strangers: by Deep Purple - In April of 1984, the Mack II version of Deep Purple reunited. That meant Ian Gillian on the vocals, Richie Blackmore on the guitar, Ian Paice on drums, Roger Glover on bass, and Jon Lord on the keyboard/organ. Only a few months later, Perfect Strangers came out and brought the band back into the mainstream. The band still had that spark, that chemistry that made them into one of the most popular bands in the world back in the early 1970's. Even after an eight-year absence, it sounded like the band had never left. Each song is better than the next. You got the famous title track, the beautiful ballad "Wasted Sunsets," (Still waiting for you guys to play it live! C'mon!), and the fast pace closer "Hungry Daze." The line-up would only last another album or two, but it doesn't matter, because they were able to produce an album that could be named alongside Fireball, In Rock, and Machine Head as a classic Deep Purple album.

2. Back In Black: by AC/DC - The death of a band usually signals the end of a band, or at least, a different sound than they had before the death. When AC/DC lost Bon Scott to alcohol overdose on February 18th, 1980, the band had huge shoes to fill. Instead of packing it up and calling it quits, they immediately recruited ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson and recorded Back in Black. I don't think I need to explain how influential this album was in rock history. So, I will just simply say that this album is amazing and kicked the shit out of me the first time I heard it all the way though. You don't have this album? You aren't a real music fan, clear and simple. Back In Black is of my favorite albums of all time, without a shadow of a doubt.

1. Heaven and Hell: by Black Sabbath - This might be a controversial pick to some people, but then again, what would 411 Mania be without some controversy? In 1980, Black Sabbath was a shell of their former selves. After two commercial failures (1976's Terminal Ecstasy and 1978's Never Say Die), it seemed that the band was going the way of the pet rock. Ozzy left and Black Sabbath was faced with a tough choice to replace the icon. So how do you replace an icon? Find another icon, which the band did with Ronnie James Dio. Heaven and Hell brought Black Sabbath back to the top with metal fans around the world. The band was filled with energy and Dio's vocals were way better than Ozzy's (Sorry Ozzy fans, you know its true). The band sounded inspired again, especially at live shows, and the fans couldn't get enough. So, while some of you may question my #1 choice for top comeback album, I am proud to put Heaven and Hell at #1.

BTW, the title track is probably one of the most underrated metal songs of all time.

---

Patrick Robinson
[The 37th Chamber, The Hip-Hop Herald, Reviewer]

HONORABLE MENTION: Laugh Now, Cry Later by Ice Cube

5. 8 Diagramsby The Wu-Tang Clan - Last year saw the return of arguably one of the most successful hip-hop groups in history. 8 Diagrams, whilst not being a ‘perfect' album by any means, was still the first album the group had put out since 2001s Iron Flag. The album was also the first released since the passing of member Ol' Dirty Bastard back in 2004. Sadly, the album was hampered by internal dissatisfaction due to some members becoming unhappy with the way RZA was handling the project. Nevertheless, the album also saw the return of Cappadonna who had not been on their last project as well as brief glimpses of what made the Clan so popular in the first place.


4. 2001 by Dr. Dre - Seven years prior to this release, Dr. Dre released one of the most critically acclaimed albums in the history of the West Coast, The Chronic. Since then, Dre's Aftermath label had been struggling to get off the ground with lackluster compilation albums (not to mention the misguided album from The Firm) that were met with little commercial or critical success. Dre was also being criticized for losing his touch when it came to producing. This album is credited with largely bringing the West Coast back to the forefront of hip-hop during a time when East Coast artists were dominating the airwaves. Truly memorable production (even non-hip-hop fans I know recognize "The Next Episode" beat) backed by some outstanding appearances from Eminem, Xzibit and a rejuvenated Snoop Dogg the album reminded everybody why Dr. Dre was (and still is) one of the greatest producers of all time.


3. The Blueprint by Jay-Z - Let me start off by saying that I don't consider this album to be a classic like most people do. I enjoy it yes, and I agree that it is a damn fine album, but not a classic. Regardless, this album brought Jay-Z back from materialistic rap hell and showed us why we enjoyed his music in the first place. Gone were the tacky, radio-reaching beats, and instead we were treated to a wonderful blend of Soul and R&B with a revival in the sample-based production, largely thanks to Kanye West and Just Blaze, which had been reduced in recent years due to new copyright laws. The album successfully appealed to a mainstream audience whilst maintaining a degree of street credibility, a reminder of Jay's Reasonable Doubt days. Gone too were the lackluster guests from previous albums, with one notable exception of Eminem and his appearance on "Renegades". This album paved the way for Jay-Z to begin his dominance over the charts in both a critically and commercially successful way once more.


2. Mama Said Knock You Out by LL Cool J - To me, LL Cool J was one of my favorite rappers of the late 80s, early 90s because of his loud and energetic style. LL tended not to rap about money and women and his first two albums were examples of how he maintained a gritty sound, without coming off as a thug. However, Walking With A Panther saw LL turn to a more radio-friendly, commercial image in an appeal to find more success on the charts. Many criticized the album as being too materialistic and soft, a far cry from what he had displayed in terms of lyrical ability and content on his first two albums. About one and a half years later, all this changed with the release of Mama Said Knock You Out. The album saw LL return to his harder roots with a more forceful style in place along with a ‘back to basics' attitude of hip-hop party rocking. The album was not only critically acclaimed, but also commercially successful selling over 2 million copies in the US cementing his place in hip-hop history as one of the originators of the genre.


1. Stillmatic by Nas - Like Jay-Z's Blueprint album, I don't consider this to be a classic like many others do, but it's still a damn good album in it's own right. After the incredible Illmatic, many expected Nas to deliver music of the same quality on subsequent albums. Sadly, the follow up, It Was Written, wasn't as good, with a departure from the street narratives, and the emergence of more Mafioso rhymes which were the ‘in' style at the time. To make matters worse, 1999 saw Nas release two albums in the one year, both feeling rushed and unfocused with the latter, Nastradamus being widely regarded as Nas' worst album to date. After his feud with Jay-Z began to take off, and the diss song "Takeover" from Jay's Blueprint album circulating, Nas seemingly reinvented himself overnight. "Ether" is almost universally accepted as the best diss track of all time in hip-hop and with good reason. The track saw Nas return to his former lyrical glory and alongside this were memorable tracks such as "Got Urself A…" and "One Mic". "Rewind" is also one of the most creative tracks Nas has ever done, the entire story in the song, being told in reverse. It's because of Nas' ability to reinvent himself, and truly go back to what made him popular in the first place, that I consider Stillmatic to be the best comeback album of all time.

---

Dan Haggerty
[Fact or Fiction, The Mosh Pit, News Dude, Reviewer]


5. 5150– by Van Halen - Van Halen without Diamond Dave? Well that was just kooky talk. But when this hit it was the second coming of the band - This was huge at the time. Sure, there is a few pop throw away tunes, but overall Sammy brings it, while the VH's scorch and bruise through a rapid fire assault of rock. It's all in the deep cuts, and there is some gems hiding in here.


4. American Recordings– by Johnny Cash - The mother of all comebacks when you look at time in the business and the fact he did it more than once, this was a golden moment in the man in blacks golden years. Rick Rubin talked Cash into recording some modern songs as covers and mix in new material, but the hitch being Cash was to play them solo. Just him and his guitar. This folk inspired twist on the contemporary and the classical hit at the right time and made Johnny Cash a huge success - Again. Few artists stretch between so many generations as Johnny Cash did, and none came out of nowhere to recreate his career to reach that final generation.


3. Heaven And Hell – by Black Sabbath - The album so good Sabbath Mk II would choose it as the groups name for the current reunion tour and new album. As part of the end of the 70's, Sabbath joined many iconic bands who fell apart. With the last albums doing poorly, the band getting blown away on tour by their opening act (a hot new band called Van Halen), and drug/alcohol/personal issues finally reaching critical mass - Ozzy was out and Sabbath as we knew it was done.

Enter Dio, a re-energized band, and Heaven and Hell would signal a virtual reset of the band. New sound for a new decade for a new era of heavy metal, Sabbath storming the gates of the kingdom they started to proudly reclaiming ownership for several more years.


2. Back in Black – by AC/DC - For once, critical opinion coincides with popular vote at the music store. Everyone thought the band would be over, and add to that the decline in hard rock with the surge of punk at the end of the 70's and things were bleak. AC/DC never even missed a beat, and put out the album they were working on at Bon Scott's death (with some change in content like lyrics out of respect). Enter Brian Johnson as master of ceremonies, a band fired up to prove themselves, and a dark smashing album of unstoppable rhythms that embed deep, thanks to the passion injected into the grooves. The hits just doesn't stop, and the deep cuts should have made the radio as well. AC/DC's comeback album is widely regarded as their best album, and it doesn't get any better than that.

1. Painkiller– by Judas Priest - On man this album is totally bad ass. Judas Priest before Painkiller was Priest of the late 80's, at that was a sad parody of a metal band. One that still drank to much commercialism and tried to target an increasingly younger and dumber listening base. Sorry, I love Priest but the band of the late 80's sucked. It is almost criminal what they did to themselves after the absolutely divine and immortal 70's share of their catalog. But somewhere before 1990 the finally got it... They figured out that they were a fucking heavy metal band and it was time for them to storm the metal kingdom, to rape and pillage the heathen and faithful alike. Enter Painkiller and that is what they did. Judas Priest came back with one of the heaviest, fastest, mind shredding assaults ever produced.

Sure, we got a few fist pumping anthems, but who cared when your cranium was banging at 256 beats permanent. I'm not sure if we got twin leads or double barreled discharges of napalm. The title track destroys whole city blocks, "Metal Meltdown" kicks your ass just for looking at it. "Nightcrawler" will scar you with "A touch of Evil". And "One shot At Glory" will make you climb a roof top to pump your fist at passing traffic. Oh yea, true and verily, this is the mother of all comebacks. Bow down to the Priest!

---

Seán Reid
[From Across The Pond]

5. Volta – by Bjork - Despite releasing albums that where greeted by mass critical acclaim, Bjork never really made it back into the mainstream with them like she did with her first two records, and didn't have a single as massive as "It's All So Quiet". Then last year, after teaming up with super-producer Timbaland, she unleashed this upon the world. Suddenly, everyone that wasn't an arts student cared about Bjork again, and "Earth Intruders" became a hit on dance floors across the globe. While I feel the record has nothing on Homogenic (And I don't any album will, I would easily give it the title of greatest album of all time), Volta made the world care about her again.

4. With Teeth – by Nine Inch Nails - Five years after The Fragile, Trent sorted his personal demons out and came back with album number 5, which saw him revert back to the old, synth heavy Nine Inch Nails. It was a great return for Reznor, and it was good to see that didn't try to create another Fragile. Easily one of the highlights of music in 2005.

3. Always Outnumbered Never Outgunned – by The Prodigy -
When "This Babies Got a Temper" came out as a single in 2002, the dance world was worried. This was what The Prodigy where going to sound like after the brilliant Fat of The Land? Thank God then that head man Liam Howlett decided to send the other members home and make a new record alone. Rather than trying to focus on lyrical content, Howlett went back to what The Prodigy where all about; those dirty, sleazy beats. The critics may have crapped all over it, but the dance world loved it, and they where the only ones who mattered, because they where the ones everyone knew would "get it".

2. Californication – by Red Hot Chili Peppers -

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this; not only was this The Chili Peppers greatest record, it is also their last good one. There is something absolutely magical about this record that has not been captured on either By The Way or . But this isn't about those records; it is about the sheer greatness of Californication. With John back on guitar, this record was everything the Chili Peppers where all about. It displayed a band that where focused, could write amazing tunes, but most importantly, could ROCK. An awesome record, which every music lover should own.

1. Send Away The Tigers – by The Manic Street Preachers - Ten years after This is My Truth, Tell Me Yours, it seemed like all was lost for The Manic Street Preachers. Outside of their extremely loyal fan base, both the critics and general public began to forget about them.2001's Know Your Enemy and 2004's Lifeblood where sub-par Manic Street Preachers and it sounded like the Welsh trio where all but done. Enter last years Send Away The Tigers, which was a brilliant return to form, ranked up there with This is My Truth… and The Holy Bible in terms of greatness. Tracks such as "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" and "Autumn Song" became festival anthems overnight. People will always look to older albums to judge a good comeback record, but this right here is easily the top of the pile, and it doesn't need to stand the test of time to prove it either.

---

Blake Lauderback
[Ask 411 Music, Reviewer]

HONORABLE MENTION: American Idiot by Green Day, John Barleycorn Must Die by Traffic, The Rising by Bruce Springsteen, Double Fantasy by John Lennon, Cloud 9 by George Harrison, American Recordings by Johnny Cash, Beggar's Banquet by The Rolling Stones, Perfect Strangers by Deep Purple, Weezer (The Green Album) by Weezer, Time Out of Mind by Bob Dylan

5. All That You Can't Leave Behind – by U2 - The twentieth century ended on a pretty big slump for U2 with the band on a slip and slide after the success with of Achtung Baby in 1991. The two follow ups, Zooropa and Pop, were not well accepted by critics or fans. It looked like Bono and the boys were headed for a major downturn in their career. Then out of nowhere came All That You Can't Leave Behind and talk switched from "Wow these guys are washed up!" to "These guys are the greatest rock band in the world!" Smash hit singles like "Beautiful Day," "Stuck in a Moment That You Can't Get Out Of," "Walk On," and "Elevation" sky rocketed these guys right back into the public consciousness.

4. Slowhand – by Eric Clapton - After spending years battling his addictions, Clapton was having difficulty finding the success that once followed him everywhere he went. Then, he released 1977's Slowhand that featured some of what would turn out to be his signature songs, including "Cocaine," "Wonderful Tonight," and "Lay Down Sally." With out this powerful return to glory, Clapton might not have been able to sustain the brilliant career that he has, thus depriving the world of many years worth of great music.

3. Permanent Vacation – by Aerosmith - This album marks the return of Aerosmith to the mainstream, fresh off the heels of their collaboration with Run DMC. The band made great use of this album and their newfound fan base from the videos heavy rotation to launch themselves back to superstardom. "Rag Doll" and "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" would go on to become signature songs for 80's era Aerosmith, and the band ran with the momentum, shelling out a great run of albums including Pump and Nine Lives

2. Californication – by The Red Hot Chili Peppers - The argument against this being a great comeback album is that its predecessor, One Hot Minute, actually sold very well, but it was not very highly regarded by the fans, or for that matter the band itself. Dave Navarro was given his walking papers shortly after its release. Californication is the first album after the return of guitar player John Frusciante, and his presence made all of the difference. Not only did Californication continue their financial success, but it put the band back on track creatively, and they are still riding that wave of greatness to this day. Plenty of can't miss tracks including "The Other Side" and the title track.

1. Back in Black – by AC/DC - There is a storied history of bands continuing on after the death of a member. Metallica endured after losing a founding member in a bus crash, The Who pushed on without Keith Moon (and now John Entwistle,) and Lynyrd Skynyrd still performs despite losing almost the entire band at once. Other bands pack it in altogether after such a tragic loss, such as Led Zeppelin, who decided against replacing John Bonham in order to continue. Few bands can claim though, that they not only survived the hard times and moved on, but did so in a year and came out just as strong, if not stronger.

Back in Black is the debut of Brian Johnson who took over for the late, great Bon Scott on the mic. The band comes out fighting with the first track, "Hell's Bells," and never stopped swinging. Many bands that had suffered such a loss would have been tempted to break their form and record a touching tribute album, but not AC/DC. Instead they chose to dance with the one that brought them, sticking to their traditional form of down-and-dirty rock and roll. The album still plays as almost a greatest hits record eighteen years later with tracks like "Back in Black," "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution," and "You Shook Me All Night Long."

---

Well, if we had to take a winner, I'd say that AC/DC's Back in Black would be number one, coming in on a total of four lists. Californication from the Red Hot Chili Peppers comes sliding in at number two with three nods.

A big thank you to all of the writers that contributed this week. Let's hope that this is the start of another brilliant chapter in the history of the Music Zone Top 5.

Thank you for reading, see you all back next week!