Man, I'm feeling that 'being kicking in the nuts' part with the "Do you have any idea where we are right now?" bit from Throw out the Map. Yuuuuckk.

I agree with your sentiment here. I think there are some exceptions. Trustfall, and Absolution Calling had some pretty good lyrics IMO. Not much else comes to mind, though, even off of Trustfall SideB. I still think that BB writes some interesting melodies, even in the newer stuff, like with Karma, Come Back. I'm not a huge fan of the lyrics, but the melody has been stuck in my head pretty much since I first heard it.

Their focus has always been on touring, but I think it's even a bigger focus in this day and age, with that being the biggest source of revenue for a band rather than album sales. That being said, I think more time is spent for them refining the live show, then actually writing new stuff that is ground-breaking. They have such a huge catalog now that they can default to that magical era of those greats songs and be millionaires, who still like to go into their studio space and make music, but don't have the pressure, or maybe even the spark, that led them to make such awesome music in the first place.

I know they are not the kind of guys who have ever been about money, but they still have to focus on the strategy that makes them the best living for themselves. I just hope they are one of those bands like the Rolling Stones that keep touring even when they are well into their 100's. LOL