Biggest quality drop off in one album?

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What's the album which starts off best and drops down to utter shite by the end?

― Nick H, Wednesday, 27 August 2003 18:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Any advance on Beyonce? ("Crazy In Love" -> "Gift From Virgo")

― Nick H, Wednesday, 27 August 2003 18:30 (twenty-two years ago)

i dunno about "utter shite" but "under construction" sure does sputter out about midway

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 18:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Red Hot Chili Peppers' Blood Sugar Sex Magic is pretty good right through "Give It Away," but every single song after that is total shit. And they haven't recorded a listenable track since.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 18:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Odgen's Nut Gone Flake by Small Faces starts strong, but second half is bogged down in music hall concept album narration and other twee crap

Also, Goodie Mob Soul Food and Outkast Stankonia tail off pretty considerably towards the end (again, not utter shit or shite, though)

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 18:47 (twenty-two years ago)

all CDs over 12 tracks to thread.

― southern lights (southern lights), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 18:49 (twenty-two years ago)

>all CDs over 12 tracks to thread.

Except Agoraphobic Nosebleed's Frozen Corpse Stuffed With Dope.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 18:51 (twenty-two years ago)

I dunno, I find Blood Sugar Sex Magik to be the most solid-from-beginning-to-end album the Chilis ever did!

My answer to the thread question = Butter 08. Starts out hella strong, gets hella lame by the last couple tracks.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 18:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Stankonia? Piffle I say. Probably the only hip hop LP over 12 tracks in which every one is essential.
The last two tracks on Kraftwerk's Electric Cafe are pretty awful, and the only sign to that point that they weren't omnipotent, tho the musique nonstop/techno pop thing and the telephone call are utterly classic.

― Myron Kosloff, Wednesday, 27 August 2003 18:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Lou Reed's New York. It doesnt end up shite but the second side is considerably weaker.

― jed_e_3 (jed_e_3), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 19:02 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't dig the "any CD over 12 tracks" thing; almost all of my favorite albums ever have more (sometimes WAY more) than 12 tracks. Deltron 3030, The White Album, Midnight Marauders, The Reality of My Surroundings, Lovage, Stankonia, Ill Communication, Illadelph Halflife, Mark's Keyboard Repair, Sex Style...

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 19:06 (twenty-two years ago)

You guys seriously don't start to get a little bored with the last song on Stankonia (Stank Love or whatever it is)? I'm not ragging on the album as a whole, it's brilliant....

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 19:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Prefab Sprout's Steve McQueen. It was a while before I realised that the only tracks on it I could remember on it were the ones on side one (which are all great).

To a lesser extent, Meat Is Murder

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 19:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I disagree vis-a-vis Steve MCQueen, but only if "Moving the River" is on side two.

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 19:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually I love the way that "Stank Love" winds down the album, kinda like a post-shag cuddle.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 20:20 (twenty-two years ago)

"Tubular Bells", while cool for the first few minutes, pretty much wears out its welcome after three or four instruments have joined in, and is not to be redeemed by the album's subsequent contents.

― Nom De Plume (Nom De Plume), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 21:38 (twenty-two years ago)

future sound of london's "lifeforms". disc 1 is the most indescribably beautiful piece of musical lushness evah. disc 2 is OK.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 21:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, and I've still not got into Side Two of Hounds Of Love, but that's another story.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 22:14 (twenty-two years ago)

oooh hounds of love REALLY takes off on side 2 in my opinion! Fantastic!

― jed_e_3 (jed_e_3), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 22:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Love - Da Capo, but I take no credit for good aim

― Paul (scifisoul), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 22:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I like pretty much all of the Justin Timberlake CD except for the last song - the one Brian McKnight wrote, track 13 oddly enough.

― billstevejim, Wednesday, 27 August 2003 23:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm sure we did this before and found that most albums have a considerably stronger second side than first side.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 23:29 (twenty-two years ago)

The Verve, Urban Hymms. Great single and then a nose dive into sucksville.

― Chris Barrus (Chris Barrus), Thursday, 28 August 2003 04:53 (twenty-two years ago)

New Order has a history of this: Republic and Get Ready come to mind

― Fabrice (Fabfunk), Thursday, 28 August 2003 06:55 (twenty-two years ago)

'Happy Sad' by Tim Buckley: first 2 tracks Strange Feeling, Buzzin Fly are fantastic, after which it all goes a bit bleh

― bham, Thursday, 28 August 2003 07:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Nuclear Assault - Survive. I think this would be my all time favorite '80's hardcore-metal album if it weren't for that fucking piece of shit Led Zeppelin cover at the end.

― Johnny Badlees (crispssssss), Thursday, 28 August 2003 07:56 (twenty-two years ago)

The Isley Brother's "Get Into Something". It begins with four really great soul tunes, then descends into syrupy mush.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 28 August 2003 08:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Daft Punk - Discovery... six or so tracks of utter brilliance then it all goes a bit wrong.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 28 August 2003 08:31 (twenty-two years ago)

'So Tough' about midway
'Ill Communication' after about track 6
'Blue Lines' - terrible 'Hymn of the Big Wheel'. Maybe hard to follow 'Sympathy' tho'.

CDs have definitely made this worse - so few bands bother to structure or sequence the albums adequately. Allowing listener the skip button=self-fulfilling prophecy.

― Henry K M (Enrique), Thursday, 28 August 2003 09:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, and I should also mention Massive Attack's "Protection". The first track is one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, but the rest of the record is quite mediocre, and it ends with that awful Doors cover.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Friday, 29 August 2003 10:24 (twenty-two years ago)

There's a great EP in the first disc of 4 Hero's Two Pages.

― Barima (Barima), Friday, 29 August 2003 10:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, Radiohead - Amnesiac, about three or four tracks in, although it does pick up massively again at the end.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 29 August 2003 10:32 (twenty-two years ago)

"OK Computer" would have been an obvious contender hadn't it been for the last three tracks.

Other than that one, I don't know, really. "The Joshua Tree", maybe, except the first track "Bullet The Blue Sky" is on Side 1. Also "Automatic For The People" loses the grip midway, to regain its strength towards the end.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 29 August 2003 11:17 (twenty-two years ago)

You make it sound like a Dungeons & Dragons character.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 29 August 2003 11:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Burzum "Filosofem" (the first four tracks are phenomenal but that 25 minute minimalist synth drone essentially makes this a 30 minute EP)

― Siegbran (eofor), Friday, 29 August 2003 11:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Manic Street Preachers' Generation Terrorists really drops off half way through.

― person#0 (person#0), Friday, 29 August 2003 12:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, Brighten The Corners by Pavement owns this thread.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 29 August 2003 12:08 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

"Red Hot Chili Peppers' Blood Sugar Sex Magic is pretty good right through "Give It Away," but every single song after that is total shit. And they haven't recorded a listenable track since."

Complete BS.

― GLC, Saturday, 6 August 2005 05:16 (twenty years ago)

I nominate Cheap Trick's first album. First 3 songs rule, rest of the album kinda meh.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Saturday, 6 August 2005 16:18 (twenty years ago)

It's extremely difficult (at least for me) to distinguish this phenomenon from mere "too much of the same." Have you tried pressing the random option and listening to said suspect album unsequenced?

― EmVee, Saturday, 6 August 2005 17:34 (twenty years ago)

"I nominate Cheap Trick's first album. First 3 songs rule, rest of the album kinda meh. "

Oh Candy is meh? I am shocked, shocked!

The first Roxy Music album defines this thread.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Saturday, 6 August 2005 17:47 (twenty years ago)

The Joshua Tree seconded. Also, Dandy Warhols Come Down definitely.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Saturday, 6 August 2005 18:00 (twenty years ago)

I disagree. "One Tree Hill" and "Mothers of the Disappeared" are two of my favorite U2 songs. The atmosphere on both songs is quite evocative. Like with some of the songs on The Unforgettable, Eno, Lanois and the boys seem to be in some kind of synchronous meld--one big band, not producers and band.

― heart's content, Saturday, 6 August 2005 19:09 (twenty years ago)

"Oh Candy is meh? I am shocked, shocked!"

No, I do like that song, but it's the only one I particularly like after the first 3, so the second half is definitely a big drop off.

Agree on the 1st Roxy Music album too.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Saturday, 6 August 2005 19:47 (twenty years ago)

"No, I do like that song, but it's the only one I particularly like after the first 3, so the second half is definitely a big drop off."

Taxman Mr. Thief is meh? I am shocked, shocked! :-)

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Saturday, 6 August 2005 20:47 (twenty years ago)

I can't say that I've listened to the second side of Girlfriend by Matthew Sweet more than once or twice. Perhaps I haven't been patient enough, or perhaps Side A is really that much better..

― Bong Boy (sgertz), Saturday, 6 August 2005 22:44 (twenty years ago)

The first Roxy Music album defines this thread.

Whoa!

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Saturday, 6 August 2005 22:56 (twenty years ago)

The Jungle Brothers, _J. Beez Wit The Remedy_. Anybody have any idea what's up with the last half or so of that album? It's just astonishingly bad.

I think the first Cheap Trick album is solid from start to finish. there's a reason why the two sides of the LP were labeled "Side 1" and "Side A". Try just listening to the second half some time, pretend it's an EP.

― t. fiend (t. fiend), Sunday, 7 August 2005 01:41 (twenty years ago)

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