Yeah, I follow your logic, you certainly don't need to sell me on Jimmy's percussive mastery. But if Adore hadn't been made, I think I'd still see the band really tailing off at the end, maybe just one less data point to show a downward trend.

Oh, and FWIW, AMG seems to support your position on Van Halen (check out the stars.) I still see Van Halen III as my personal JTS point for them, though that doesn't provide much of a trend, either. (I happen to like the live album,and I don't think Balance was bad enough to signify jumping the shark.)

The guy who does most of the VH reviews seems like a real prick, by the way. It's funny when you can actually see the prickdom oozing out of the review text. I hate musical snobs.