You get the feeling some bands knew when they'd had their run and ended it tastefully?

Your favorite documents from when bands knew when to quit...

I suppose the obvious example is Songs About Fucking.

They were right, that was the perfect time to go out and on a high too.

Unwound Leaves Turn Inside You

Rush, Moving Pictures

Oh, wait.

The first one that came to me was Death's "The Sound of Perseverance". A good send off.

Arab on Radar's Yahwey or the Highway was last and great. If that Running for Asthma came after that album, it would be an even better sendoff.

Khanate probably couldn't have done much more and ended on a pretty high note.

Pure Health by Early Lines is really good.

Fugazi, The Argument
Sleater-Kinney, The Woods
Black Flag, In My Head (though I know some will say they jumped the shark long before this, I love this album)
Nation of Ulysses, Plays Pretty For Baby
Pixies, Trompe Le Monde
The Rock*A*Teens, Sweet Bird of Youth
Jawbox, self-titled

If we are talking situations in which the band knows they are breaking up by the time the album is released, then freaking Over and Out, man.

Christopher J. McGarvey wrote:Unwound Leaves Turn Inside You

Seriously? Hate that record, wish they'd stopped after "Challenge".


in response, though...

Fugazi - The argument
Embrace - Embrace
Minor Threat - Salad Days EP
(doesn't it seem that Ian has a good feel for a groups shelf life?)
Sleep - Dopesmoker/Jerusalem
Crass - 10 Notes on a Summers Day

I know there's more, but that's a good start.

Cows, Sorry in Pig Minor. Might be their best album, and it's their last one.