Reply #54: I tend to agree, although

[last_texas_dem]

the stink didn't really set in until their 1985 "comeback" album when it started to seem like they recorded exclusively power ballads. Ironically, the mid- to late-eighties were their most commercially successful and creatively unsuccessful years.

I agree with you about the early albums, though, especially Dreamboat Annie. It's one of my all-time favorites. On that note, they have improved quite substantially on their most recent album. It's a return to their older sound w/o being sounding too forcedly retro, and it's quite good.