Yes, another Rolling Stone list. Some obvious inclusions, a few less so. I think I would go with Preservation Act 2 by The Kinks or Some Time in NYC by John and Yoko. What would be your choices?
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/horrible-albums-by-brilliant-artists-1234672895/
Glad Lou Reed’s Mistrial got some recognition for the stinker that it is.
Dylan’s Under A Red Sky is way worse than Down In The Groove.
I kinda quite like Down in the Groove, don’t play it much though. Self Portrait would be the obvious clanger despite recent revisionism. Personally Saved does nothing for me, even if my parents bought it me for Christmas that year.
Saved has Pressing On, now a gospel standard. In The Garden, Solid Rock.
A stinker has to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
As horrid as Mistrial is, the VU’s Squeeze is much, much, worse. Rightly at Number Two.
I thought for years that Mistrial was some kind of mystical name, and only realised a few years ago it was a trial gone wrong . I’ve never heard it either I don’t think
Your life will be fuller if you don’t hear it.
Latest Record Project? 🤭
It made the list Personally I think there are worse Van albums even if some of it is definitely garbage.
Serious question, which ones are worse?
Ooop, I didn’t see that it’s already on the RS list.
Hmmm… struggling with the idea of Weezer as a “brilliant artist”
Roll with the Punches? The Prophet Speaks?
But the next one, the supposedly skiffle one has got some stonking reviews, without even resorting to “return to form”. All cover versions, mind……
The new skiffle one has good some good reviews. I am slightly tempted.
When will you learn Steve?
If you’re struggling with Weezer, can I raise you Kiss?
I think this is a pretty entertaining list, and I’m glad to see Rolling Stone having to describe Kiss as a brilliant artist. They picked the right album mind, Music From The Elder is hilarious.
Great to see Exile so high on the list.
😉
I want to kiss you all over?
He’d have to take his gloves off for that
Anything thing by the greatly overrated David Bowie.
You love him? That’s good. Just my humble opinion.
How is he a “brilliant artist” then?
It’s his mime performances of course, whereas the records are all tripe. The way he makes his hands into a pair of glasses. Astonishing! And then creates the illusion of someone snogging him. Mind blowing!
That man-walking-into -the-wind routine was pretty wild…
Especially when he “walked” into and got trapped behind the pane of glass
Had to break it, as I recall
A bit of a low blow there, M
….oh, wait until you see the carpet
Oooooh, you are awful….
If you are the singer performer, you’ve got to have an act when the band are playing. Even mime helps.
He could have gone round fiddling with the amps.
Bored Mime Turnz Knob-Kurious #1 c/w Black-eyed Zig Prostrate (John Peel Session recording)..
OK, c’mon, mime is money!
Well a lot of those artists actually only had their brilliant moments, and a whole lot of mediocre moments. Take your pick.
There’s also those artists who like to switch styles regularly and drastically and, for the unwary, disappointment is a feature not a bug. I really like melodic tunesmith Euros Childs, but every other record he does is experimental stuff.
I approach his career as I do Star Trek movies – every second one is a joy.
Julian Cope has recorded great and approachable material, but reserves the right to go off one one whenever.
If only these guys would adopt the Iain Banks/ Iain M. Banks school of helpful nomenclature to help us navigate their works..
I knew R.E.M. would be on this with Around The Sun. I still maintain it is a great album & nowhere near their worst!
I’d add I Am Easy To Find by The National to this though. Awful album by an otherwise great band IMHO.
Another ATS defender here.
I’ve only heard one of those albums so I don’t believe I can comment.
As they mention U2 I’ll put forward Passengers. Not a side project as all 4 band members took part. What of the words’ soundtracks to imaginary films’ does not smack of self-indulgence and creative drought. It’s a bit ambient, there’s Howie B doing something, and if nothing else you can always write about how Elvis Ate America. Utterly inconsequential -only two tracks are worth the time of day, the Pavarotti-bothering Miss Sarajevo which is not quite as good as Freddie and Cabelle’s Barcelona and absolutely hilarious when the fat one finally comes in half-way through. Your Blue Room is quite nice, but overall it shows how lazy acts could always go ambient in the nineties in the absence of having written any new songs.
Thought that was ok actually, can’t confirm but I think it might be better than any of their recent albums
I loved Miss Sarajevo, and can’t abide U2 generally. The bit when Pavarotti comes in is ace
I just think it’s really funny, they are all motoring gently along in an ambient/downtempo way with Bono doing his breathy murmur vocals and then – boom – Straight Outta Milan comes the big guy. Now that’s what I call singing.
I am not a huge U2 fan (used to be), but I think Miss Sarajevo is extraordinary and quite moving, not hilarious at all
Stopped reading once the article claimed The Clash had hits. Divvies.
I suppose if you’re not counting Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Plus the others.
That’s incredibly revisionist – “hits” indeed. They released plenty of singles and most of them charted at the low end for about a week. They didn’t even have “radio hits” either if I remember right
Didn’t SISOSIG? get to No 1 in the UK on the back of that Levis ad?
IIRC, Rock the Casbah was also pretty successful
You guys! We’re in the ironic post-discussion era on this topic. (No, No, No, Gerry Rafferty is just pining for the fjords! etc).
Obviously Ver Clash had about the expected amount of chart success you’d expect from a punky/new wave era guitar band that (as was the style among the better acts of the time) liked to test its own fan base by flirting with different genres, made some very odd single choices and, for a period, had an incontinent release schedule (oddly similar to the way acts drop multiple random singles and e.p.s online today, funnily enough)..
You and your irrepressibly irreverent iconoclasm!
Surely “incontinent release schedule ” is an oxymoron?
Yes, ewww indeed.
Sounds a lot like The Clash’s reputation is sinking with time. I always saw them as a rock band with a stylist (see Sex Pistols). Interesting the bands that become anathema compared to the ones that maintain or even become more appreciated.
This is why The Damned rool…
They had 4 UK top 20 singles before big posthumous hits. London Calling and Bank Robber almost making top 10. They were nowhere near as big as, say, The Jam in the UK, never going on TOTP didn’t help. They were beginning to sell a lot of records in the US (Casbah top 10) when they split. Cut the Crap shouldn’t count as it’s not really The Clash. Same applies even more so to the album Squeeze which is The Velvet Underground in name only and is now effectively removed from the official discography
This is what happens when you refuse to go on ToTP – Legs and Co. interpret Bankrobber through the medium of dance:
But they did a video for that song…they spent nearly five quid on it!
They wuz robbed
Joe Strummer refused to appear on TOTP with The Clash but thought it was okay to appear with Black Grape singing a song about the England football team. https://youtu.be/HD6M80y_ShY
One of my favourite things about Joe Strummer: he actually grew up a bit over time, and eventually seemed to get over himself. There’s hope for us all.
This is the right answer.
He grew up faster than you think. Interviewed in the summer of 1988 when The Story of the Clash came out, Joe seemed to have got over himself pretty well and was even able to speak philosophically about the Cut the Crap debacle less than three years earlier.
If you’re in any doubt about Bernie Rhodes, read the Wiki page on CTC. Sheesh.
I like Devos Smooth Noodle Maps album. i`ve got it on cassette!
Iron Maiden’s Blaze Bayley albums The X Factor and Virtual XI qualify.
Not truly horrible, but really not very good
I still think Virus with Blaze Bayley (IIRC it was the lead single for the Best of The Beast so not on any of these albums) is a great song & one I still dig out regularly (just wish it was on Spotify!)
Disagree with Ye making the list (and at number one, no less).
It’s not Kanye’s best, but nor is it his worst. Jesus Is King is far far worse than either this, or indeed Donda.
Moreover, Ye needs to be seen in its proper context as the centrepiece of a trilogy of Kanye produced albums released in the same two week period, along with Kids See Ghosts and the outstanding Daytona by Pusha T.
Daytona, in particular, contains some of Kanye’s best production work of the last decade. It was received as such at the time, and remains highly regarded. There is absolutely no way that this period can be described as the start of his “artistic collapse”. In fact, Daytona is something of an Indian Summer, and both Ye and KSG contain some great tracks (Ghost Town is excellent).
What they really mean is that Kanye’s personal conduct began to come under greater scrutiny around this period (and rightly so), although you could equally argue his head had been wobbling since 808s and Heartbreak. Frankly think the lyrics were always risible, but no one seemed to pay attention to them until about 5 years back.
If they want to include 2018 Kanye on a list of musical heel turns (let’s be real: he’s on this list because of the MAGA hat) then fair enough. But to suggest “he’s never made music less vital than this” is plainly incorrect, both in terms of the quality of his 2018 output and the lows he would hit shortly thereafter.
Ye is at #1 ?!? It’s only his best album, at least the way its sound palette (what they used to call “production”, I believe) #wild?iwasabsolutelyfurious
Black Skinhead, Blood On The Leaves, and many more.
Thank God I didn’t waste any team actually reading that list.
You’re thinking of Yeezus. Ye is a couple of albums later.
You are correct. Seems I posted that entire, er, post before my eyes had finished scanning to the end of the word.
I’ll be over here on the silly step.
The Clash – Cut The Crap. Is there reappraisal redemption there?
This Is England – good start …
We Are The Clash – not truly awful
North and South – I like it
and … no, I’ve overstretched myself.
Two extraneous words in this Bernie Rhodes vanity project
McCartney’s nadir album must surely be a toss-up between Press to Play and Off The Ground, as Give My Regards… at least has the wonderful No More Lonely Nights.
Domino by Squeeze is widely agreed, by public and band alike, to be their worst.
Oh, yes. Domino was so bad, I took it back to HMV.
Red Rose Speedway is a bit rubbish
It’s not “horrible”, I like about half of it a lot and the double LP version is interesting
I was at the launch “party” for Domino. It was like a wake.
Bad Lieutenant – Never Cry Another Tear. This was the prototype for Hooky-less New Order. Lead single Sink Or Swim was bearable, but the album was a turd that wouldn’t flush.
A couple of years later, Gillian was back and so were New Order PLC.
Having Gone Troppo by George Harrison at no 19 is a travesty. Most people probably haven’t heard it and it sold nothing but it’s nowhere near his worst.
It’s got some good songs!
If they wanted a George album then Extra Texture or 33/3 are far worse
33 1/3 is excellent. Agree about ET and would also like to to add Dark Horse and Sometime in England to the discussion.
I quite like some of Dark Horse, the songs are good it’s just his voice is gone..
Somewhere in England is a bit of a stinker as well though I agree
An album that I’ve always meant to acquire is the one that’s just called “George Harrison” from 1979.
What is the panel’s opinion on this particular platter: good ‘un or stinker?
It’s brilliant. A favourite of mine and, I recall, Locust’s. Beautiful, laid back summery vibe. My favourite solo Beatles album.
Good un, in his top 3 or 4 I would say
I don’t think they’ve actually listened to Prince’s Chaos And Disorder. It’s a remarkably consistent album, crammed with full-on rock. The only track that doesn’t fit in is the very wonderful Dinner With Dolores.
If you are looking for a horrible Prince album, you are spoiled for choice. How about The Rainbow Children or N.E.W.S? Hands up who’s listened to Xpectation all the way through!
The new skiffle one has good some good reviews. I am slightly tempted.
The list clearly is wrong as it has missed Trout Mask Replica. Some regard it as Beefheart’s Magnum Opus but it is most certainly not. Heard a couple of tracks come up on a playlist the other day – truly unlistenable.
A fork in the road is nowhere near the worst Neil Young album.
@SteveT
Sounds like you’re having second thoughts
I did listen to NEWS on my all the Prince lockdown odyssey- definitely one of his worst
The Rainbow Children is a great album musically, just hampered by the subject matter and the tedious segues/interludes.
N,E.W.S. isa solid funk record.
I quite like N.E.W.S. and Xpectation. This is going to sound a bit silly, but I think you should approach the Prince discography in the same way that you approach Zappa’s: accept that there going to be detours and indulgences along the way, but that these will usually be pretty decent records.
I like Chaos and Disorder too. The Prince album that leaves me a bit cold is Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic.
Yep. He was trying waaay too hard on that one – all the guest artists etc.
I maintain Psychoderelict is a fairly good CD, if moderately icky in subject matter given some things we might know about the private lives of some of its participants.
Certainly far from a total embarrasment, not horrible by any measure. Other opinions available but are nonetheless quantifiably and factually wrong.
REM’s Around the Sun is, at the very least, one half of a terrific record, and features what I think was among their highest charting UK singles, its opener Leaving New York. Yeah.. really “horrible” eh? I’m sure there are more to take issue with but I didn’t finish it all.
They might as well have called this list: “Some Random Bullshit We Pulled Out of Our Ass in 5 Minutes to fill up Some Dead Space.”
Reveal and Accelerate are both worse than Around the Sun
Maybe, but Psychoderelict is unlistenable.
But both, like ATS, have some outstanding songs.
Yes they do. Not great albums but none of R.E.M belong in that list, they’ve never made an absolute stinker
I have 17 of those albums, I didn’t read what RS had to say about them but none of the 17 I would rate higher than 5/10.
You are wrong @SteveT, Shakey’s ‘Fork In The Road’ is definitely his worst album but then again it’s far superior to anything Bowie put out IMHO.
It’s not worse than the one he recorded in the phone box with all that crackly shit nor is it worse than landing on water.
@SteveT
Neil liked the phone box sound so much that he seems to have brought it out on the road on his last (ever?) European tour and used it to record the virtually unlistenable Flowers and Noise. Bizarre album as he and the band were absolutely brilliant when I saw them in Kilkenny
Reactor isn’t too wonderful
Reactor is magnificent compared to ‘Fork In The Road’, it still gets played in Harkonnen Towers @dai.
The phone box album was a bit left field but there was a clean version oh an about 7 5” singles on white vinyl also containing the album tracks. Aye I’ve got it @SteveT.
@Jaygee, Flowers and Noise unlistenable? I love that album. Better than anything that David Jones fella ever released.
A friend who owned a record shop refused to sell me Neil Young’s Arc despite me wanting it.
“You’ll thank me later”
He was right, but the first 2 CDs in the 3CD set were quite good.
That’s Weld. Excellent, but I prefer Rust Bucket
Yes, Rust Bucket is Shakey’s finest live album.
Thanks @dai, I meant Weld.
As it is Rolling Stone, they don’t listen to Ian Dury: “4000 Week Holiday” was awful.
Eye-an Dooory? Isn’t he Briddish?
Anyone care to confess to an actual love for one of these albums? I will: Dog Eat Dog. Sure, it sounds horribly dated now but it’s Joni – the songs are great and it’s not the most egregious example of ’80s production values spoiling an otherwise good album.
If you want to argue it’s her worst album, you’ve got a case; but to call it “horrible”? Naah, I’m not having that.
I’ve already fessed up to loving Chaos And Disorder.
🙂
I like that the list goes a bit deep. I’m a big fan of both Queen and Sabbath, but even I don’t own the records they’re listing for those two.
I haven’t bought any non-Freddie Queen, and as for Sabbath, I gave up after The Eternal Idol. I’m surprised that Forbidden got the nod as a friend of mine who had kept the faith told me that Cross Purposes was the worst one. He used to shudder when he mentioned it. And this is someone who has King Diamond albums.
19 are from the dire and another four from 1990-1993.
The dire, the decade that never starts giving.
Pink Floyd’s “Ummagumma”.
Their other double album is worse, isn’t it? I’ve never heard it.
The Endless River? I quite like it. Ummagumma’s awful (except Granchester Meadows).
(I’m pretending I didn’t realise that you were referring to The Wall. I’m not really sure why. Smartarsedness, I suppose. Do forgive me.)
The Endless River is that bad it makes me want to listen to Roger Waters
I think the only bad track on it is the one with lyrics, ‘Louder Than Words’.
Hi Gary…
I fall into that small set of iconoclasts that would rather listen to Ummagumma than The Wall or The Endless River or the two post-Waters PF albums. I think it’s only sentiment and the Richard Wright situation that stops me from jettisoning Endless River to the charity shop: every time I listen to it I am reminded how dull it is.
Crazy talk. Mind you, I can’t be doing with The Division Bell, so we do have that in common. If we ever have a “Pink Floyd party” round at your place, with top quality food and drink provided by the host, Granchester Meadows will have to be on repeat.
Should it ever happen, I wouldn’t be so reductive. I would happily play anything from Piper to Animals – I might even be persuaded to play The W*ll if my guests were keen enough.
Top class nibbles and tinctures, of course…