The best "final albums" in rock history, according to Radio X

A new chart from Radio X. This time it focuses on “final albums.” “The history of rock is dotted with records that, willingly or not, end up closing out a journey,” the webzine notes in its introduction. “They're not always planned farewells: they often arrive amid internal rifts, changes of direction or tragic events. Yet precisely for that reason, many 'final albums' take on a particular weight, becoming a synthesis, a departure or a testament. Smiths' 'Strangeways, Here We Come' comes out when the band has already imploded: it remains a bleak record, shot through with sarcasm and melancholy, closed by an explicit farewell. Different is the case of 'In Utero' by Nirvana, which rejects the polish of 'Nevermind' in favor of an abrasive sound. For the Beatles the matter is more ambiguous: Let It Be comes out last, but it photographs a band already fallen apart. The sense of closure, though, is unmistakable, especially in Lennon's final farewell. 'Closer' by Joy Division also takes on a retrospective value: released after Ian Curtis's death, it remains one of the most intense documents of post-punk. Then there are farewells that become true artistic testaments. 'Blackstar' by David Bowie, released just days before his death, reinterprets his entire body of work in light of his illness. 'Grace' by Jeff Buckley, on the other hand, is a one-off: a single album, enough to build a legacy... In other cases, the ending coincides with a transformation or a dissolution: 'The Gift' by the Jam documents Paul Weller's detachment from the band's original format; 'Icky Thump' by the White Stripes arrives before their split; 'Never Mind The Bollocks' by the Sex Pistols remains a limit case, the sole album of an extremely brief career. Other examples, such as 'Electric Ladyland' by the Jimi Hendrix Experience or 'Collapse Into Now' by R.E.M., show instead artists already beyond their original format, in a phase of transition or conscious conclusion.”

So here is the list of the best "final albums" according to Radio X (full feature here).

1. The Smiths – "Strangeways, Here We Come"

2. Nirvana – "In Utero"

3. The Beatles – “Let It Be”

4. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Electric Ladyland”

5. Joy Division – "Closer"

6. David Bowie – "Blackstar"

7. The Stone Roses – “The Second Coming”

8. Oasis – "Dig Out Your Soul"

9. The Verve – “Forth”

10. Jeff Buckley – "Grace"

11. The Jam – “The Gift”

12. The White Stripes – “Icky Thump”

13. Sex Pistols – “Never Mind The Bollocks”

14. R.E.M. – "Collapse Into Now"

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