best album on Rolling Stone's list of 50 genuinely horrible albums by brilliant artists

alfred, brad - need your help here

Prince's "Chaos and Disorder" is actually GOOD - solid tunes, great guitar work, all well-performed. The lyrics aren't much, but they kind of leave these tracks feeling like a collection of sketches or demos for an abandoned album of great potential.

I can't say the rest are favorites, but there are keepers. Roughly in descending order of preference:

This Is England - The Clash
Little Digger - Liz Phair
Someday Never Comes - CCR
Sweet Hitch-Hiker - CCR
Good Friends - Joni Mitchell
The Impossible Dreamer - Joni Mitchell
(I actually don't think "Dog Eat Dog" is a bad album - not one I put on but I would say it's her best LP from the '80s.)
Light a Candle - Neil Young
No Money Down - Lou Reed
Mama's Got a Lover - Lou Reed
Tell It to Your Heart - Lou Reed
Athena - The Who
Eminence Front - The Who
Electron Blue - R.E.M.
Leaving New York - R.E.M.
Never Let Me Down - David Bowie
Nothing Fails - Madonna

*not one I would put on in its entirety anymore

Won't vote because I've either intentionally avoided or never bothered to check out most of these, but am quite curious to see the comments.

seems a bit misleading to put on a Mellencamp album from his manufactured era

i kinda always thought Fork in the Road was regarded as weird but not bad exactly, either way it seems like a strange pick for Neil who's surely made worse albums

never got the sense that american life was a particular bad album, was it?

down in the groove is one of the dylan albums that doesn't sound so bad when i randomly hear a track from it but maybe the whole experience is a daunting one

OutKast ‘Idlewild’ (2006)

^^ fucking bullshit

Liz Phair 'Liz Phair' (2003)

^^ fucking bullshit

I don't like Down in the Groove, but FWIW, "The Usual" and "Got Love If You Want It" were originally sequenced into it and it probably would've helped had he kept those in instead of, I dunno, "Silvio" or one of the other worst tracks.

Tonight is worse than Never Let Me Down. On the latter Bowie's clearly trying: playing instruments, writing almost every track, giving it direction. On the former it's the only time in his career he's putty in an outside producer's hands.

I love all of these

The Kinks ‘The Kinks Present A Soap Opera’ (1975)
George Harrison ‘Gone Troppo’ (1982)
The Velvet Underground ‘Squeeze’ (1973)

it's a long way from being their best, but I like most of Devo's Smooth Noodle Maps, particularly A Change Is Gonna Cum

Change by the Monkees is low-key but enjoyable

"Squeeze" isn't "genuinely horrible", it's just a bit dull and anonymous. "Friends" is a great track though.

Yes, and the Kinks have worse albums than "A Soap Opera".

I may not be a fan of Never Let Me Down but a lot of it's still something I can sit through pretty easily. Moreso with the Liz Phair album - not a favorite, but a lot of it's still catchy and far from "horrible."

Dog Eat Dog is great imo

Outlast Idlewild is good not bad

I don't hate Cut the Crap because "This is England" is still the only song I've ever heard from it.

Xpost It's weird and very minor for an Outkast album for obv reasons but it has some hams

Also if you were gonna put an Aerosmith album on there, it's Get a Grip, not Nine Lives.

GaG is mostly just ballads and the rockers suck except for Eat the Rich and Shut Up and Dance

Berlin's a worse album than Mistrial.

re: Idlewild, I don't remember it too well, but I never disliked it - since it's the soundtrack to what's more or less a period piece, the expectations were really different.

never got the sense that american life was a particular bad album, was it?

Took a closer look at it - it's a very weak album, but again still listenable for large parts of it. "Hollywood" is not a bad single (which fades out early, before the pedestrian rap) and neither is the 'Headcleanr Rock' mix of "Love Profusion." Also the video protesting Bush was commendable even if she caved immediately to the backlash.

Ditto on "This Is England"; CCR's "Someday Never Comes" also worth having. I've got those two albums, and maybe a couple more.

maybe you have to watch the tv production of A Soap Opera to fully appreciate it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8laVs0aMWw

it's funny because I always thought that Smooth Noodle Maps by Devo had a kind of 70s rock-opera vibe to it as well, like Hair or Godspell or something

I like Berlin, but I discovered it through the live interpretation at BAM (via the concert documentary).

Get a Grip is probably "too big to fail" for the purposes of this list. i like Livin on the Edge tbh though the rest i'm not into.

That SNL sketch where they make fun of all the songs sounding alike was hilarious.

The LPs on this list I'm familiar with aren't "horrible" - they're just dull or underwhelming, whatever.

(Liz Phair's Funstyle is truly bad, but I guess they're not counting that as a "real" album...)

I don't remember the rest of American Life being quite as terrible as that title track, but nor do I recall any of it being particularly strong ("Hollywood," "Die Another Day"--meh). Mostly, I have an aversion to the rigid, icy vocal style she took on circa Music, which at least had some quality singles.

VH3 I don't think is quite as bad as its reputation indicates. VH hadn't been doing hard rawkin albums in years - the final Hagar album Balance is better for sure but stylistically it was very much old people rock.

Cherone just didn't fit vocally at all. Like he was trying to hard to sound like both Hagar and Roth

But Eddie sang on this one so...hmm yeah I'll allow it

I feel like "mediocre" would've been a more fitting word than "horrible"

kinda think for unlawful carnal knowledge is def bad not good, haven't heard balance but that one felt really stodgy and lacking energy. it got massive airplay tho, coming out when it did at the crest of pop metal/hard rock radio popularity right before the collapse.

Dog Eat Dog is great imo

I hadn't even noticed this one was on the list, I thought everyone liked this? or at least it wasn't generally regarded as a misstep like most the albums here?

Get a Grip is probably "too big to fail" for the purposes of this list. i like Livin on the Edge tbh though the rest i'm not into.

I remember going into a mall record store in Detroit some time in '93 and the clerk greeting me and pointing out, unprompted, where the new Aerosmith album was on display. It is weird to remember how huge they were still considered to be at that time.

I don't think Joni Mitchell's 80s albums in general get much love, but they all have at least a few keepers.

american life is one of madonna's best albums, way more involving than music and idk i think the title track rap is probably supposed to be funny

Get a Grip sold something like 20 million copies, it was everywhere. they marketed it incredibly well.

Apparently!

alicia silverstone probably got them a few million of those alone

It's Hard is the one that stands out here to me as "actually pretty good"

Mitchell's three '80s albums are good, none great (the next great one: Night Ride Home).

when I was 13 my mother bought me the Get a Grip tee shirt with the album cover of the cow with the pierced udder and the typical reactions from my classmates were either:

"ew"

or

"cool shirt, why are YOU wearing it?"

Oof, I love the Who, but there's only three songs off It's Hard that I would listen to. I kind of wish they had put out a 12" single as their ostensible farewell rather than a whole album - "Eminence Front" with "Athena" and "Cry If You Want" as the B-sides.

Two Virgins isn't a "genuinely horrible album" - it's an unremarkable field recording.

lol Raditude is sooooooooooooooooooooooo bad.

i think it was the last Weezer I ever bought

if you're wondering if i want you to
i don't want you to

probably w/weezer's inclusion here is they're closer to a bad band w/some good moments than a brilliant band with a bad album

*problem w/

80s Joni gets unfairly maligned for the stylistic experimentation imo; me, I think she falls into dud territory only when her lyrics veer into hectoring mode (“Sex Kills”), and I agree w Alfred that Night Ride Home is great

chalk mark in a rain storm is good too, “the beat of black wings” is A+++

I guess "Victim or the Crime" is the diamond in the mud of Built to Last.

Willie's <I>Countryman</I> is too obvious a choice for him. Yes, it's terrible and misguided that he put out a reggae album, but it's a joke of an album wherein he was fully in on the joke.

For his worst, I'd either go for <I>Songbird</I> (produced by Ryan Adams, includes one of the worst covers of fucking "Hallelujah" this side of Pentatonix's inexplicable Christmas version) or 1989's <I>A Horse Called Music</I> (produced like albums by Air Supply or Eric Carmen, and just completely wrong for Nelson).

Best on this list? Prince, for sure, but I'd also go to bat for Madonna and a few others. The album Phair released as a sort-of half-assed apology for the self-titled record (<I>Somebody's Miracle</I>) is actually a bad album.

Willie's Countryman is too obvious a choice for him. Yes, it's terrible and misguided that he put out a reggae album, but it's a joke of an album wherein he was fully in on the joke.

For his worst, I'd either go for Songbird (produced by Ryan Adams, includes one of the worst covers of fucking "Hallelujah" this side of Pentatonix's inexplicable Christmas version) or 1989's A Horse Called Music (produced like albums by Air Supply or Eric Carmen, and just completely wrong for Nelson).

Best on this list? Prince, for sure, but I'd also go to bat for Madonna and a few others. The album Phair released as a sort-of half-assed apology for the self-titled record (Somebody's Miracle) is actually a bad album.

Willie's Countryman is too obvious a choice for him. Yes, it's terrible and misguided that he put out a reggae album, but it's a joke of an album wherein he was fully in on the joke.

For his worst, I'd either go for Songbird (produced by Ryan Adams, includes one of the worst covers of "Hallelujah" this side of Pentatonix's inexplicable Christmas version) or 1989's A Horse Called Music (produced like albums by Air Supply or Eric Carmen, and just completely wrong for Nelson).

Best on this list? Prince, for sure, but I'd also go to bat for Madonna and a few others. The album Phair released as a sort-of half-assed apology for the self-titled record (Somebody's Miracle) is actually a bad album.

yes

Jesus. Sorry for the triple-post. WiFi hiccuped.

Is Phair’s new one even any good? The songs I heard sure weren’t…

I recall not liking the lead single at all, so I honestly never listened to the album...

FWIW, by the time I got into the Who, they were purely a nostalgia act, albeit an amazingly good one (this was circa 2000/2001 when Zak Starkey had settled into the drum seat and breathed new life into the band, just as Townshend had said many times). None of their "new" songs did anything for me and they really seemed to fade over time, especially after Entwistle died, but I was surprised that Who turned out to be a good record. Not a towering masterpiece or anything, but fitting for a very old pair of men and much better than what I could ever hope for when it seemed like the well had completely dried up.

2000 was arguably the last-best time to see the Who live. They were really on fire, and longtime fans said those shows were as good as their ‘75-‘76 tours. But I say “arguably” because the 2006 show I saw was really stunning. At least 1/3rd of the show was new material, and the Endless Wire songs sounded so much better live (apart from, weirdly enough, the album’s best song, “Mike Post Theme”). (There was also a weird irony in the Who doing more new songs on that tour than the Pixies and Sonic Youth had been doing on their tours around that time.) I actually think Endless Wire is more consistent than WHO, but suffers from indifferent production. And while you can count on Pete delivering a few arena-ready anthems he seems to write in his sleep, those two records have some stone classics (“Mike Post Theme,” “Tea & Theater,” “Rockin’ In Rage,” “She Rocked My World”). Frustratingly, though, the most recent Who tours have no recent material — I dunno if it’s because of Townshend’s unwillingness to rehearse it with the band/orchestra, or the fact that audiences stream for the exits when something unfamiliar is played (as happened when I saw them do “A Quick One, While He’s Away” in 2015).

as happened when I saw them do “A Quick One, While He’s Away” in 2015

disgusting savages

I saw the Who first in 1989 with some free tickets from my uncle (rip) who was working the tour. Got to use his hotel room as they moved on that night. We got to go to the stage that afternoon at old Busch Stadium as they were setting up. Amazing day but the concert was really like a Vegas road show as it was like a 20 piece band. Eh…

Second time I saw them was when they did the Quadrophenia reunion tour and they had a smaller group and Pete was again playing electric. Zak Starkey and Entwistle were both amazing. The Ox had a couple features in that show and he was ridiculously good. It was quite good.

TIL The Who have a song called "Mike Post Theme"(!)

Behind NYPD Blue Eyes

Long Live Rockford

Law & Odorono

The closest thing to a definitive release of the 2000 shows is probably the DVD of the Teenage Cancer Trust benefit at Royal Albert Hall: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Who_%26_Special_Guests:_Live_at_the_Royal_Albert_Hall

I wish they dropped one or two of the guest stars, but to be fair, it's a benefit show and was expected. Otherwise, the four-song set at the 9/11 benefit is great too - IIRC Entwistle said they were very aware how dismal their performances were at past televised benefits like Live Aid, so they really made the effort to step up. (One big reason why I put off going to see the Who was how underwhelming they sounded at the Super Bowl and the Hurricane Sandy benefit.)

I liked that Peter Skellern song upthread, but the melody line reminded me of "I've Written a Letter to Daddy" from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNwzfjNkz-0

I've seen the Who twice: once in 1982, on a triple bill with John Mellencamp and Jehtro Tull (!). They were . . . OK. Uninspired but competent. Not nearly as good as the Stones, who had played the same venue a year earlier. Clearly, something vital had been lost when Keith died.

The second time was about 10 years ago when they were touring Quadrophenia. It was purely a nostalgia act, and not a particularly good one. Tellingly, the highlights were the appearances by Keith and John via video footage.

Uuuuhg God bless Johnny boy but I saw him get boed off stage 1982 Boulder Colorado the buffs football field cougar Jethro Tull The who it was brutal and although I'm no fan I did not boo it was boulder half the people were three sheets to the wind

— SoopNova (@SoopNova) April 12, 2021

Yes, that was the show LOL

Clearly, something vital had been lost when Keith died.

No question, but their 1979 tour -- their first with Kenney Jones -- was met with universal praise. It wasn't until 1981 or so that "they shouldn't have gone on without Moon" became a mantra among fans.

Opening acts had a rough go of it on the '82 tour. Townshend asked the B-52s to open in Orlando but sadly, and not surprisingly, Who fans of that era weren't into it. The Clash got booed at the Shea Stadium gig (which you can faintly hear in the original "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" video), and other acts didn't last more than 25 minutes (I think T-Bone Burnett was one of these).

The second time was about 10 years ago when they were touring Quadrophenia. It was purely a nostalgia act, and not a particularly good one. Tellingly, the highlights were the appearances by Keith and John via video footage.

I saw that tour at Madison Square Garden, and it was the first time seeing them where I thought to myself, "Hm...they seem...old."

Last year's show was enjoyable because they embraced their age and were really comfortable with it. When Pete missed a note he even feigned some hilarious confusion for a moment.

They probably had the material for a good album in 1982, but the problem was splitting it between the Who and Pete's solo career. Otherwise, "The Sea Refuses No River," "Slit Skirts," "Athena" (or "Teresa"), "Eminence Front," "Cry If You Want," "Face Dances, Pt.2" and the B-side "Dance It Away" were all released in 1982 and were all solid cuts, IMHO. I'd add "Somebody Saved Me" but I much prefer the Who outtake from Face Dances (it should've been included on that album IMHO).

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

RS still pushing Allman bros as brilliant artists lol

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Lol what

the Allman Brothers were amazing fyi

otm

Agreed. Even decades later, long after their last enduring hits, the line-up with Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks was on-stage arguably every bit as great as the original.

Brothers of the Road is not that hot. It is their worst studio album.

Check that Live at the Warner Theater for a taste of what late model ABB sounded like on a good night.

Feel like should have included a Snoop album, like there's no way that one he did for No Limit could be any good.

xp That first reunion (1978-1982?) should never have happened, but I'm glad they gave it another shot many years later.

Feel like should have included a Snoop album, like there's no way that one he did for No Limit could be any good.

― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, March 16, 2023 9:06 PM

oh friend, which one???

(terrible results btw, pantera sux)

Lol what

― hootenanny-soundtracking clusterfucks about milking cows (Neanderthal), Friday, 17 March 2023 00:27 (nine hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

You weren't one of the Pantera voters?

Hell no, I voted "Idlewild"

is that Pantera album before Phil Anselmo or was he on it?

also why are they picking on a random Stephanie Mills album lol

lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GKHEVHPLZI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZY3RPaSCkc

also why are they picking on a random Stephanie Mills album lol

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown),

srsly

who voted Union. show yourself

they certainly wouldn't include her on any best of lists xpost

That is pre-Anselmo Pantera.

Most Pantera fans will only ride for Power Metal cos he's on that one and it's more Priesty.

This is Pantera doing Foreigner rock

I wonder what that Paul McCarthy album sounds like.

the Metal Magic stuff just posted reminds me of UFO

also why are they picking on a random Stephanie Mills album lol

You know they misspelled Stephen Stills, right?

I know the thread authors are not responsible, since they are usually copying and pasting from another source, but why do 'worst ever' lists always have so many odd misspellings? Is it an intentional way to avoid getting swarmed by superfans? The Q - The Worst 50 Albums Ever poll featured nonexistent artists like "Mariah Cary", "Tim Machine", "Ace of Bass", "Fishspooner", and (still cannot believe this one) "Terence Trent Diabolical"; not to mention an imaginary album from Kula Shaker called "Peanuts, Pigs & Astronauts".

Halfway there but for you at 9:46 17 Mar 23

also why are they picking on a random Stephanie Mills album lol
You know they misspelled Stephen Stills, right?

no

Didn’t even notice that! Copied the list from Reddit I think.

If they ever make a Velvet Goldmine type film about 80s electro-pop Tim Machine would be a good name for the main character.