Worst albums by well-known artists

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Worst albums by well-known artists

Unread post by Fretless »

Listening to Camel's 'Stationary Traveller' yesterday evening I started thinking - 'Well, it's not a bad album - but it just isn't Camel'. This story-driven record tells of a hopeless romance in cold-war Berlin and just feels like a half-hearted effort. It has it's moments but ....

Judge for yourself: CAMEL-Stationary Traveller

Image

So what are the other low points in the catalogue of your favourite artists?

Were they contractual obligation? Did half the band walk out after 'musical differences'? Was 3/4 of the recording budget used on recreational substances? Or was the artists just burnt-out, blocked or miserable?

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Re: Worst albums by well-known artists

Unread post by CN211276 »

These spring to mind.
Led Zep - Presence. Not long after Plant's accident and when Page got in to hard drugs.
Rush - Vapor Trails. First album following a long break after Peart's tragedys.
Queen - Hot Space. Freddy Mercury too much into the disco scene.
Bowie - Earthling. Trying to be too experimental.
Lou Reed - the one which is just noise, can't remember the title or if he wanted to complete a contract.
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Re: Worst albums by well-known artists

Unread post by Fretless »

Lou Reed was `Metal Machine Music'. Some people actually do like it. Funnily enough, Pat Metheny did something similar with 'Zero Tolerance For Silence' - an album of grating electric guitar noise.

I wasn't at all impressed with Rush's 'Vapor Trails' until the band did a complete re-mix / reissue of the whole album which made it quite enjoyable.

Bowie's 'Earthling' is a strange artefact pumped full of drum 'n bass rhythms. Trying too hard to stay ahead of the fashions and it didn't suit him.

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Re: Worst albums by well-known artists

Unread post by Mississippi Blind Child Assburn »

Vanilla Fudge - The Beat Goes On is a terrible album made to fulfill a label contract. Fill and narration taken direct from source.


Beatles -Let It Be after the relative complexity and george Martin effects of the previous "psych" lps, they go simple and stripped-down. Lackluster songs (Frazer & Debolt do a much better version of "Don't Let Me Down"). Shit, McCartney's "Ram" lp is better than this.

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Re: Worst albums by well-known artists

Unread post by Fretless »

'Let It Be' is not an album I have played a lot - although I've seen the film several times. Interesting to see the fab four playing together for the last time, including the famous rooftop concert. Even though the band was in meltdown at the time.

The Beatles Let It Be (Original 35mm Widescreen Theatre Print - Stereo Audio)

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Re: Worst albums by well-known artists

Unread post by Mississippi Blind Child Assburn »

Dylan - "Self Portrait"

As one critic put it, it sounds like Dylan is "parodying himself".

He sounds drunk on some tracks and sickeningly over-the-top country on others.
What we have here is country, folk and bad contemporary - and I'm talking BAD "The Boxer" contemporary.
Of the 4 sides, it start off not too shabby on side one.("Alberta" and , I believe "early Morning Rain" & "Sadie" are on there. Then it goes from worse to worser yet. An utterly slapped-together ,horrid version of "Like a Rolling Stone", "Belle Isle", "Wigwam" ,"Blue Moon".... "Self-Humiliation" ,it should be called.


Even so, I want it in my collection simply because its rather hard to find.

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Re: Worst albums by well-known artists

Unread post by Mississippi Blind Child Assburn »

DONOVAN "COSMIC WHEELS".

Yes, I know, Rate your Music" rates things like "7 Tease" and "Neutronica" as being much worse lps, but when "Cosmic Wheels" first came out, it truely shocked me at how purposely mainstream Donovan was becoming.

This was deffo his bad stage. (Later he pulled himself up by the ears with a good lp like "Beat Cafe" or the sublime "Sutras".)

"Intergallactic Laxative"??? Aye, its runny sharn.


This lp is worse than bad. Its atrocious.
Blind Chile would never reconsile himself to listening to such shit.
Blind Child would rather interfere with a goat.

This lp is unpatriotic, unChristian, homosexual (glam) and its like your grandma wot just shit herself (and you have to clean it up with nothing but a 4 inch square napkin.)

"Cosmic Wheels" stinks poo.

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Re: Worst albums by well-known artists

Unread post by Mississippi Blind Child Assburn »

Good title. I will give it that.

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Re: Worst albums by well-known artists

Unread post by Mississippi Blind Child Assburn »

BLACK SABBATH "Forbidden"

Rap Sabbath moreloikes. With terrible production to boot.

Even Iommi said this sucks camel bollox.


Its like a starved dog that cannot be helped anymore.
It should be put down.

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Re: Worst albums by well-known artists

Unread post by karatestu »

Aerosmith - Done with mirrors.

Mid 80's comeback with Joe Perry back in the band. Only song I liked was "my fist your face". Rest is garbage.
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