Below-par efforts by great artists that would be great by any other standard

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Inspired by the fact that I now have my own copy of "Emancipation" by Prince, which definitely falls into this category.

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 12:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Dylan 80s

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 12:20 (twenty-two years ago)

"The Rising"

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 12:21 (twenty-two years ago)

metal machine music

― Tad (llamasfur), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 12:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Prince 90s

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 12:23 (twenty-two years ago)

"my shit is worth more than most people's pearls" -- lou reed

(15 years ago i would have said Elvis Costello, but then in the nineties he released all of those really dire records that sucked by any standard.)

― Tad (llamasfur), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 12:23 (twenty-two years ago)

aphex twin - druqks

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 12:48 (twenty-two years ago)

tortoise - tnt or even standards
most fall records from the mid-80's on
yo la tengo - i can hear the heart beating as one

― j fail (cenotaph), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 12:52 (twenty-two years ago)

is this desire - pj harvey

not the last album though, which would be shit by anyone's standards

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:00 (twenty-two years ago)

not the last album though, which would be shit by anyone's standards

Amen. But for some reason it made every crit's list that year since it was a "return to rawk."

― Vic (Vic), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Brighter Than a Thousand Suns by Killing Joke.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:21 (twenty-two years ago)

The last four Darkthrone records.

― Siegbran (eofor), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:33 (twenty-two years ago)

just saw George Jones live

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:40 (twenty-two years ago)

"Congratulations. You've just bought our worst record." -

Elvis Costello's liner notes to the Goodbye Cruel World Rykodisc re-issue.

― Brandon Gentry (Brandon Gentry), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Despite being universally acknowledged as crap, both Unmasked and Music from The Elder by Kiss have select tracks on them that are worth listening to....however few and far between they might be.

Incidentally, there is simply FAR too much Kiss hatred on ILM these days.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 14:08 (twenty-two years ago)

we (the british) don't care enough abt kiss alex. ''get with the program'' or something ;-)

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 14:10 (twenty-two years ago)

My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult - _Sexplosion_

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 14:11 (twenty-two years ago)

b-b-b-b-b-but what about the magnifisexy "Mystery Babylon"?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 14:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Wu Tang Forever
Portishead (self titled album)
Rakim--Don't Sweat the Technique

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 14:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I love Don't Sweat the Technique

― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 14:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Eerie line from Don't Sweat...(circa '92)

"Cause it ain't no way I'm going back to war
when I don't know who or what I'm fighting for
So I wait for terrorists to attack
Every time a truck backfires I fire back
I look for shelter when a plane is over me
Remember Pearl Harbor? New York could be over, G
Kamikaze, strapped with bombs"

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 14:48 (twenty-two years ago)

it's the Uncool file for me, but I'll say it anyway: Cornershop's Handcream for a Generation

― Neudonymz, Tuesday, 8 April 2003 14:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Elvis Costello's Get Happy, though he's been lowering his par since his first three albums.

Spiritualized - Let It Come Down
Sloan - Navy Blues

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 15:04 (twenty-two years ago)

b-b-b-b-b-but what about the magnifisexy "Mystery Babylon"?

It's not a bad album per se, but coming on the heels of _Confessions Of A Knife_ does it no favors. These days, the only songs I remember off of it are "Sexplosion" and "Sex On Wheelz". (Well, I remember "Leathersex" too but I like to pretend I don't.)

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 15:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Not so fast Mr. Noodles. I think quite a few people would consider Get Happy to be Costello's finest work.

― theodore fogelsanger, Tuesday, 8 April 2003 16:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Sea Change & Midnight Vultures both

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 16:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Prince roolz this thread.

― J (Jay), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 16:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Prince roolz every thread.

― Neudonym, Tuesday, 8 April 2003 16:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, I don't know about Get Happy. I think it's brilliant.

― Brandon Gentry (Brandon Gentry), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 17:19 (twenty-two years ago)

"Yo Bum Rush The Show" and "Apocalypse '91....The Enemy Strikes Black".

― Nick H, Tuesday, 8 April 2003 21:41 (twenty-two years ago)

"And Then There Were Three" by Genesis

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 21:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Btw. I would say that "Spike" and "Brutal Youth" are terribly underrated albums. To me, they are up there with the best of his 77-82 output.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 21:47 (twenty-two years ago)

sly and the family stone : small talk

an excellent groove record overlooked due to the previous three records being FUCKING MINDBLOWING groove records.

― Dr. Annabel Lies (Michael Kelly), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 22:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Pixies' Bossanova.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 22:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Neil Young's Trans. at least the six megasynth songs. I almost wish that version of him could have split off and made more albums in that style.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 22:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Get Happy-last record bought by many Elvis fans
End of the Century-last record bought by many Ramones fans
Adventure-not often listened to by Television fans

Anti-epiphany all

― SplendidMullet (iamamonkey), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 22:57 (twenty-two years ago)

TRANS!!!

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 00:36 (twenty-two years ago)

U2, "Pop"
Japan, "Adolescent Sex"
ABC, "Beauty Stab"

Yes, I'm biased. Heavily. Anyway, I love those albums, even though I think they're not as good as the artists' other releases.

Thus ends a decree directly from the Rock & Pop Guide According to Dee (i.e. Me).

― Dee the Lurker (Dee the Lurker), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Yep. I'll second Aphex Twin - Druqks. The tracks on the previous two singles were light years ahead of this random electronic doodling and yet... still pretty good.
How about
Julian Cope - My Nation Underground
Momus - Timelord
Pizzicato 5 - The Fifth Release from Matador

― Kim Tortoise, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 08:10 (twenty-two years ago)

''metal machine music''

er...this is a one off in the lou reed discog tad?

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 08:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Miles Davis - Sketches Of Spain
Rolling Stones - Tattoo You
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
Queen - Jazz
Husker Du - Candy Apple Gray

― Davlo (Davlo), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 21:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Physical Graffiti =Not below par! its very par...erm? I like it anyway

― SplendidMullet (iamamonkey), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 21:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Neil Young's Broken Arrow is solid and has some great songs on it ("Big Time," "Music Arcade," esp.), but takes to its odd three-long-ones opening and sub-bootleg quality Jimmy Webb cover at the end it totally got written off as Just Another Crazy Horse album. Which is especially wrong since its the only one where Neil mixed his little wittle folk vocals over the loud Crazy Horse backings. It's the least "rock" album they've done together without actually turning down the instruments.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 21:46 (twenty-two years ago)

i'll second wu tang forever. on the nyc hip hop tip, nas' it was written. i don't know if either qualifies as "great," but they both have their moments.

also, i really liked some of the later beatnuts lp's, but people seem to deem them far inferior to their first ep.

― s>c>, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 21:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Btw. I would say that "Spike" and "Brutal Youth" are terribly underrated albums.

i'd agree with Geir, half-way, this time.
'm not so hot 'bout 'Brutal Youth, but 'Spike' is a rather marvellously confused&confusing rekkid. as is 'Mighty LIke A Rose', come to think of it.

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 22:42 (twenty-two years ago)

"Brutal Youth" includes "London's Brilliant Parade", which is one of my all-time favourite Costello moments.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 22:51 (twenty-two years ago)

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