Bands that were good and got better.
 

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (later stuff is better than early stuff and also better than The Birthday Party)
Nick Lowe (last two albums have been his best)
Captain Beefheart (last two albums were his best)

Shora
why?

Yeah, I think Beefheart got better as well.
Venetian Snares keeps getting better.
Brainiac
XBXRX
Scissor Girls
Slowdive
Secret Chiefs 3

I dunno, probably a lot, I just woke up and can't think.

I was about to say "brainiac", but there are so many great songs in wach album it's hard to decide which one is better(not just production-wise)..and electro shock for president, not sure it's theire best output...maaaah!
oh well, they're great either the case.

Discounting that EP, I think each full length was better than the one before it at least.

big black. i like atomizer better than SAF but they both are better than the lungs ep and their other early material
the clash for a bit, then got a bit worse.
THE BEATLES
the boredoms
lightning bolt

Radiohead.

Fugazi.

I'd say Zu, even.

sonic youth?
weak first ep, then weaker confusion is sex, than good bad moon rising and 'katharsis' with evol ;)

I really really need to check out Atomizer. I can't find it anywhere though. :(

*coughs*

Haha confusion is sex is probably their best album.

the 1st ep is great. and CIS and BMR are whats known as "Mary Poppins" albums

ie-practiclly perfect in every way

Even though it's a good album, everyone here sucks the dick of BMR.

Also ATL. That one's another one thats overrated by fans.

I don't suck BMR's dick.

I do suck ATL's dick though.

Well, actually, I just lick its taint and milk its prostate.

John Coltrane just got better and better. His first bebop recordings were pretty cool but his music just evolved into this powerful beast. His compositions got more and more freeform and complex.

Time Of Orchids. Their first records were alright but not very matured. Then starting from Sarcast While, their sound just became more refined and I guess matured hah.

JANDEK.

I've never thought of Jandek to be good and got better, he's always just had different phases of styles

True, I just like his later period stuff a lot more.

what he said! (especially brainiac, electro shock for pres is thier best by far)


also;
the flying luttenbachers
to live and shave in la
sunn o)))
neurosis
sun city girls
fugazi (the arguement makes thier other albums sound like boring post hardcore)


uhh, theres prolly more. kinda tired right now.

I assume you're kiddin'.



Polvo !!!
Unwound.

QOTSA!

Bright Eyes.

"A Collection Of Songs Written And Recorded 1995-1997" was a hideous debut, way too long, poorly produced, horribly performed. Even the CD reads 'if he was bright, he'd have released an EP'. Luckily the album that followed WAS listenable, and the one after that was better, and so on and so forth. I can't think of a band that gets this noticeably better by each album.

Examples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJfgyQveUP0 (third album)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbdNpnBw--Y (fifth album)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzLAqenI0tU (seventh album)

nirvana (in utero poos over nevermind and bleach)
nick drake (although his three albums were all perfect)
joy division
jimi hendrix


uhoh. spot the pattern in this list...

Yes I agree with Unwound.

I'd have to say The Doors aswell.

Big Star
Kraftwerk
Minutemen
Modest Mouse (though eventually got worse after TM&A)
Prince
The Replacements

Free Kitten :D

I do think Sonic Youth has gotten remarkably better over time. Everyone has their preferences, and a lot of people like the early stuff more, but there's no doubt they've become more capable, creative, and prolific as time goes on. The first few CDs they didn't even really know how to play guitar.

I also second Radiohead.

Actually, I think he kind of plateaued at Lifted. He's shifted styles and gotten better musicians/production, but the actual music isn't a whole lot better now than it was five years ago. That's not to say there's a whole lot of room for improvement, though. He set the bar pretty high very early.

I love Bad Moon Rising, but they did get a hell of a lot better with Evol.

Yup, true

seconded

nirvana
sonic youth (they started out good, got better and better up until daydream and then leveled off for a bit and then started making shit records like washing machine and jetset and then got good again and then they annihilated themselves with nyc ghosts + flowers and then they got good again on nurse and then they annihilated themselves again with rather ripped.)


RUN ON SENTENCE ALERT

I can only think of Nirvana, but that has been said.

First, I need to assume that nicfit was referring to the band/rapper why? and not simply asking a fragment of a question. In which case I fully agree because that new record is lightyears away from Elephant Eyelash.
And I'd also like to throw Parts & Labor out there.

My Bloody Valentine. Even with Dave they were good (nothing too original, but still more than just "listenable"), then Bilinda came on board and they started to get more toward the "classic" MBV sound, then they got the sound and we know that story.

At The Drive-In. Their 1st EP (Hell Paso) was good but unpolished and a little off. After a few line-up changes, 1 album and 2 more EPs, they did In/Casino/Out which was great and sounded different from the early material and was shifting more toward Vaya and Relationship of command, which are both stellar. Then, they went away.

Blonde Redhead. Not going to go into much detail here. They were good, then better, then better still, then a little worse, then amazing, then really really good. Who knows what's in store next.

the beatles started off decent and they were great by the time they put out the white album

the rolling stones (they eventually got shitty though)
led zeppelin

Loop - "16 Dreams/Head On" was a great single in 1986, and "A Gilded Eternity" is a monster of an album.
The Birthday Party -Is there a better final 12" EP than "Mutiny!"?