The walk-off HR

Thought of this as I was enjoying some favorites of 2008. Acts who should have quit after recording this song:

"Never Miss a Beat" - Kaiser Chiefs
"Stay Positive" - The Hold Steady
"Miles Davis and the Cool" - The Gaslight Anthem
"Paper Planes" - M.I.A.
"The Ballad of Love and Hate" - Avett Brothers
"You Can't Hold the Hand of a Rock & Roll Man" - Okkervil River
"Fake Plastic Trees" - Radiohead
"Waiting for the Great Leap Forward" - Billy Bragg
"Alex Chilton" - The Replacements
"Thirteen" - Big Star
"Heaven Up Here" - Echo & the Bunnymen
"Complete Control" - The Clash

Bear in mind, I'm not arguing the artists will not/have not done anything worthwhile after the song in question, they just nailed it, and had they walked away after recording that song, who could blame 'em?

Interesting, but perfection can also be improved upon - the DFA remix of "Paper Planes" for example - FANTABULOUS.

Also "Never Stop" or many titles from Porcupine reach the same heights IMO (Ripeness!).

How's about:
"Shadow Cabinet" - The Church
"Little Brother (Electric)" - Grizzly Bear
"Pink Turns to Blue" - Hu-Du
"Dig Me Out" - Sleater-Kinney
"Third Uncle" - Eno
"How to Bring a Blush to the Snow" - Cocteaus
"White Elephant" - Volcano Suns
"Do You Love Me?" - Nick Cave+
"Something Against You" - Pixies
"FM" - The Slits
"Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio
"Man Should Surrender" - Pailhead (well I guess they did walk away, and with only an EP no less, and boy did they ever leave me wanting to hear more - fuckers)

Not a song, but I've said on here before that the Violent Femmes should've retired after the first album.

I never think of the Paper Planes thing so much as a "song"--I think of it more as a rhythmically compromised woman talking over the Clash. When it comes on, I always say to the radio, "Quiet, woman, I'm trying to hear me some Clash."



Post Edited (12-05-08 17:30)

I said this better.

I coined it.

Motherfucker.

Dunno, STEVE, I think Dennis Eckersley coined the term back in 1988 (after giving up Kirk Gibson's "walk-off HR" to end game 1 of that year's World Series).

I could be wrong.

albert belle coined it when hannah storm came into the locker room to interview tribe after tough WS Braves lost.

You mean Joey Belle?

Weird Albert Belle stat that sticks in my head: he's the only player to hit 50 or more home runs and 50 or more doubles in the same season (50 HRs and 52 2Bs in 1995, with a 143 game schedule due to the '94-'95 strike)...