Bad Albums/Music From Otherwise Great Artists

[Panfoot]

Chris Cornell - Scream
The lead singer of Soundgarden and Audioslave decided he wanted to make a pop album produced by Timbaland for...some reason? I'll admit I have a slight soft spot for it, but it is just a strange album that is musically all over the place and just does not play to Cornell's strengths at all. I think the real low-light of the album is the opening track, "Part of Me", which features the guy who wrote/sang such classics as "Black Hole Sun" and "Fell on Black Days" singing lyrics such as "Oh, that bitch ain't a part of me" over and over with generic electronic club beat. It was no surprise not long after this album that Soundgarden just reunited.

Jack White - Boarding House Reach
I honestly have no clue what the general consensus on this one is, but I personally found it to be a complete mess of half finished experiments that would better be left as bonus tracks on some career spanning box set in the future. I'm not opposed to artist trying out different genres, there aren't many Bowie albums I dislike after all, but this feels like just messing around just to mess around with no inspiration or ideas. Definitely bumped Jack White off my "must check out everything they release" fast.

Not to be the guy, but can we nominate Weezer's entire discography after the Green Album?

[WillieMorgan]

Not to be the guy, but can we nominate Weezer's entire discography after the Green Album?

Yeah, sure. It's only a bit of fun after all.

Virtual XI - Iron Maiden

This album was recorded at a real low point for Maiden. The 1990's hadn't been particularly kind to them but many of their problems had been internally caused within the band as much as anything else. Whilst it's true that they took a bit of a pounding popularity wise from the alternative rock scene, Maiden should have been big enough to come through that period relatively unscathed. This was the second album recorded with the singer Blaze Bayley and really showed both how 'out of his depth' he was and how much the group were missing both Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith. This is as low on ideas and inspiration as Maiden ever got. The incredibly repetitive nature of the songs was one indicator, there's a track here called 'The Angel And The Gambler' where the following lines are repeated no less than 22 times just to stretch the track out across 9+ tedious minutes:

Don't you think I'm a savior?
Don't you think I could save you?
Don't you think I could save your life?

Over and over again. Such repetition occurs throughout the album. The production is poor too, a common problem with modern Maiden albums and a consequence of Steve Harris being too prominent a figure in the production process and not having a clue how a modern rock album should sound sonically. The drums are so poor on this album that a part of me is convinced it isn't Nicko McBrain playing here, if it is he's playing WELL below his usual standards. Poor, repetitive songs, thin and tinny production and half arsed performances from normally much better musicians, that's Virtual XI for you.

[Javasaurus]

For me, it was REM's 13th studio album "Around the Sun."

For a band that had been on a roll since the early 80's, this was that album the caused me to stop paying attention to them. It was a let-down from the previous album – "Reveal" – which also happened to be a let-down from everything that came before it. To this day, I struggle to remember any of the tracks from Around the Sun. In fact, I never even bothered to keep up with that disc; and have no idea where it is now. That album seemed like the second one in a row where the band was struggling to reinvent themselves; with little success. I can only describe the album as dollar-bin material.

I literally never picked up an REM album after that.

Apparently the band was able to get their act together and produce two strong albums after Around the Sun; at which point they retired. But I haven't been able to bring myself to drop the money on those. Maybe I will at some point.

[Joker]

can we nominate Weezer's entire discography after the Green Album?

The White Album is genuinely good. I wish Weezer were one of those bands that put out way less records, but each one was great. The material is there, if you heavily edit the output.

Also, the Green album is highly overrated.

[Tugger]

As a long-time (and current) Madonna fan, I have to say, I can't remember the last time I played her "American Life" CD. Does nothing for me, and there are only two songs on it that I like, which I can remember by looking at the track listing. "Nothing Fails" and "Die Another Day".

"Die Another Day" was a James Bond theme, and is the only song that was able to crack the Top 10 on the pop charts.






Then, we have her latest, "Madame X". I had high hopes for this project. I wasn't expecting her to return to the pop charts with it, after all, when was the last time someone in their 60s hit the charts or got radio play with a new song? I just remember hearing about how different and unique the project is. The only song that I can even remember off of this album was the lead single, "Medellin".

Have to say that I liked American Life.

Having only listened to 30 second snippets of songs on Madame X, I wouldn't touch it with someone else's barge pole. Not one single song I wanted to listen to in full. Even past duds like Bedtime Stories & Hard Candy had some decent tracks on.

[PaulBullion]

Very sorry.

But.

Exhibit A:



The first minute is bearable, if uninspired... then the chipmunk background vocals start.

[Javasaurus]

The first minute is bearable, if uninspired... then the chipmunk background vocals start.

I see what you mean. There were a few moments there where I would have sworn that a children's choir was doing the background vocals.

[Panfoot]

The White Album is genuinely good. I wish Weezer were one of those bands that put out way less records, but each one was great. The material is there, if you heavily edit the output.

Also, the Green album is highly overrated.

The White album was such a good bright spot in what looked like was a trend in Weezer albums getting good again(I don't love "Everything Will Be Alright in the End" but it's waaay better than crap like Raditude)...and then they thoroughly debunked that thought with the Black Album, which I think may be my least favorite thing they have ever released(even worse than "Make Believe"). That album sounds like exactly what it is, a middle aged white guy attempting to make the kind of music he keeps seeing on the billboard charts that all the kids are into, and turned out exactly how you would expect. I will agree about the Green Album, it's fine but kind of a pale shadow of the Blue Album, mostly just the last consistent release they had until the White Album.

Oh, and it's real fun to listen to "Back to the Shack" and then "Zombie Bastards", I'm sure in the next 5 years we'll get another about face song when they decide they want to do rock again for an album or two.

[WillieMorgan]

Down On The Upside - Soundgarden

This is a funny one as I'm not sure whether this is genuinely below par music or just my own bias talking. I'm not a big fan of 1990's alternative rock but of course there were exceptions. You'll always get some standout music. A couple of good examples of that are the previous two Soundgarden albums 'Badmotorfinger' and 'Superunknown' (I used to own 'Louder Than Love' as well but can barely remember it as it's been so long since I actually listened to it). Imagine my disappointment upon hearing this on it's release. It was a bit more experimental than the previous two albums, an artistic quality that I genuinely don't mind as long as the results are still pleasing but this just wasn't. The three singles from this album are pretty damn good ('Pretty Noose, Burden In My Hand' and 'Blow Up The Outside World') the rest of it was very forgettable frankly.

This came out at roughly the same time as Metallica's 'Load'. Both albums left me scratching my head at the state of rock music in 1996. Or maybe it's just my own prejudice talking. Who knows? I do know I'll never be a fan of these records.

[numberthirty]

Down On The Upside - Soundgarden

This is a funny one as I'm not sure whether this is genuinely below par music or just my own bias talking. I'm not a big fan of 1990's alternative rock but of course there were exceptions. You'll always get some standout music. A couple of good examples of that are the previous two Soundgarden albums 'Badmotorfinger' and 'Superunknown' (I used to own 'Louder Than Love' as well but can barely remember it as it's been so long since I actually listened to it). Imagine my disappointment upon hearing this on it's release. It was a bit more experimental than the previous two albums, an artistic quality that I genuinely don't mind as long as the results are still pleasing but this just wasn't. The three singles from this album are pretty damn good ('Pretty Noose, Burden In My Hand' and 'Blow Up The Outside World') the rest of it was very forgettable frankly.

This came out at roughly the same time as Metallica's 'Load'. Both albums left me scratching my head at the state of rock music in 1996. Or maybe it's just my own prejudice talking. Who knows? I do know I'll never be a fan of these records.

That period of Metallica always seemed like a very particular thing, to me.

Not so much representative of the time as it was that the band really, really seemed to like mid-period Corrosion Of Conformity.

[WillieMorgan]

That period of Metallica always seemed like a very particular thing, to me.

Not so much representative of the time as it was that the band really, really seemed to like mid-period Corrosion Of Conformity.

Possibly. It just snacked of opportunism to me. Metallica had defined themselves as trailblazers up until that point. Now they were just trying to follow the market trends. I genuinely wouldn't have minded that if the music was great. I'm definitely not expecting them to record a variation on 'Master Of Puppets' over and over again, but it was just limp, uninspiring and, oh God, please learn how to self edit your own albums. They really don't need to be quite that long winded especially when most of the songs are pretty indistinguishable from each other. You could eliminate at least half a dozen songs from 'Load' and the album would benefit from that, not suffer.

Then they gave us 'St Anger'. More bandwagon hopping, this time trying to ride the coattails of nu-metal. Apparently they managed to record that album in a biscuit tin .

[WillieMorgan]

I'm on a roll now. Then the world decided to spew Van Halen III in my general direction. Oh God, Van Halen III.

I absolutely love Van Halen. They are well up there as one of my favourite US bands. This messy, unfocused affair was almost impossible to sit all the way through. Another record that's over an hour long and really doesn't need to be. There are certain things I expect from a Van Halen album. Eddie on lead vocals is not one of those things. Embarrassing. I actually had tickets to see the band on the tour supporting this album in Birmingham. The gig ended up being cancelled. The official explanation was a problem with Alex Van Halen but I'm convinced that was just a smokescreen to hide poor ticket sales.

This is another example of a band trying to 'fit in' with the rock scene back then. You're Van Halen for f--ks sake. You don't need to jump on any bandwagons.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I'm on a roll now. Then the world decided to spew Van Halen III in my general direction. Oh God, Van Halen III.

I absolutely love Van Halen. They are well up there as one of my favourite US bands. This messy, unfocused affair was almost impossible to sit all the way through. Another record that's over an hour long and really doesn't need to be. There are certain things I expect from a Van Halen album. Eddie on lead vocals is not one of those things. Embarrassing. I actually had tickets to see the band on the tour supporting this album in Birmingham. The gig ended up being cancelled. The official explanation was a problem with Alex Van Halen but I'm convinced that was just a smokescreen to hide poor ticket sales.

This is another example of a band trying to 'fit in' with the rock scene back then. You're Van Halen for f--ks sake. You don't need to jump on any bandwagons.

How was Van Halen received after David Lee Roth was replaced by Sammy Hagar?

[WillieMorgan]

How was Van Halen received after David Lee Roth was replaced by Sammy Hagar?

Do you mean here in the UK? They were very well received actually. The split from David Lee Roth seemed to make VH more popular over here if anything. 'Why Can't This Be Love?' went Top 10 and those Hagar era albums were well regarded. So were the first few solo Roth albums come to think about it. It seemed like every kid in my school had a copy of 'Skyscraper'. If you mean to me personally then pretty much the same. Van Hagar coincided with my teenage/early 20's classic rock years and are very fondly remembered. It was a VH with a different focus certainly, with more keyboards and radio friendly songs and lyrics, but there's no disputing the quality of them. I still love albums like '5150' and the aforementioned 'Skyscraper'.

The absolute gold standard for Van Halen are the first six Roth era albums. They are essential listening for any classic rock fan in my opinion. Van Hagar was a very worthy successor though. Good days.

[ed2962]

Possibly. It just snacked of opportunism to me. Metallica had defined themselves as trailblazers up until that point. Now they were just trying to follow the market trends. I genuinely wouldn't have minded that if the music was great. I'm definitely not expecting them to record a variation on 'Master Of Puppets' over and over again, but it was just limp, uninspiring and, oh God, please learn how to self edit your own albums. They really don't need to be quite that long winded especially when most of the songs are pretty indistinguishable from each other. You could eliminate at least half a dozen songs from 'Load' and the album would benefit from that, not suffer.

Then they gave us 'St Anger'. More bandwagon hopping, this time trying to ride the coattails of nu-metal. Apparently they managed to record that album in a biscuit tin .

I think the intention was supposed to be a "back to basics" thing. But yeah, I'll always find it funny that at least production wise, they spent a lot of money trying to sound like they have no money.