Between 1970 and 1977, Altman banged out 10 movies.  10 great, incandescent movies.  
MASH, BREWSTER MC CLOUD, MC CABE & MRS. MILLER, IMAGES, THE LONG GOODBYE, THIEVES LIKE US, CALIFORNIA SPLIT, NASHVILLE, BUFFALO BILL AND THE INDIANS and THREE WOMEN.
After that, he just seemed to lose it.  He got it back occassionally but those 7 years between '70 and '77 was such a rich period.  
Even the uneven stuff like IMAGES and BUFFALO BILL contain incredible things.   
Altman isn't everybody's cup of tea but he sure was mine back in the 70's.