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S/D: Guaranteed career-killing words in record titles

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Inspired by the excellent Count Down: 100 albums you must *not* own..., and more specifically the mention of the long-forgotten Spin Doctors effort 'Turn the World Upside Down', are there certain words which, if included in album titles, prove deadlier than arsenic to the given artist's commercial and/or artistic success?

For example, the word 'Forever' seems particularly cursed (e.g. note sales-buggering or quality control nosediving impact of albums with this title from the Spice Girls, Wu-Tang Clan and Puff Daddy).
Similarly, including the word 'world' in the title of follow-ups to large-selling albums seems to be not such a bright idea (e.g. the aforementioned Spin Doctors album, Zingallamundi by Arrested Development, the presumably remembered by nobody album Mappa Mundi by Thousand Yard Stare, etc).

Any more examples out there?

― M Carty (mj_c), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 11:13 (twenty-two years ago)

"The Second Coming"

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 11:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Biggie's unfortunate 'Ready to Die'/'Life after Death' selection.

― M Carty (mj_c), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 11:25 (twenty-two years ago)

"beauty"

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 11:27 (twenty-two years ago)

(see: ABC, wossname from Dexy's, sure there must be others...)

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 11:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Self-titled albums that are not the debut.

― Siegbran (eofor), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 12:46 (twenty-two years ago)

"Victory" (the Jacksons spring to mind)

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 12:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Self-titled albums that are not the debut.

That really made me laugh. At least REM's Eponymous was an early compilation.

― Jez (Jez), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 13:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, but I can think of a few self titled not debuts that are fine...

Velvet Underground (the)
Orange Juice (the)
Beatles (white)
Portishead
Peter Gabriel (I'm guessing here)
Mutantes

and so on...

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 13:41 (twenty-two years ago)

"Aus der TV-Werbung"

― Siegbran (eofor), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 13:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Wasn't the last Sugarcubes album called "Here Today tomorrow next week"?

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 14:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Wasn't the last Sugarcubes album called "Here Today tomorrow next week"? H'mmm yes - synonymous with Forever, it could be argued.

― M Carty (mj_c), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 14:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Records with titles playing on the proximity between the words 'sax' and 'sex' can as a rule be discounted from any risk of quality music.

― M Carty (mj_c), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 14:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh go on...let Sparks off here - they're always done puns.

― Jez (Jez), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 15:45 (twenty-two years ago)

"Neither Fish Nor Flesh" (for B2D!)

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 15:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Colin Newman - Commercial Suicide

... cheeking tongues indeed

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 16:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Provisionally entitled the Singing Fish (or flesh)

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 16:16 (twenty-two years ago)

"Back" is a good one. Like Sly Stone's "Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I'm Back" and "Back on the Right Track" (as well as Slick Rick's "The Ruler's Back")...

― Douglas (Douglas), Tuesday, 16 March 2004 17:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Begging the fickle public to "Listen" = certain death:
Flock of Seagulls "Listen" (1983)
Club Nouveau "Listen to the Message" (1988)
George Michael "Listen Without Prejudice" (1990)
Collective Soul "Listen" (1997)

― briania, Wednesday, 17 March 2004 02:00 (twenty-two years ago)

haha yeah Metallica sure killed themselves off back in 1991.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 02:05 (twenty-two years ago)

I think 'upside down' may be as bad as 'world'. There were many components to the fall of ths spin doctors.

― Sym (shmuel), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 06:29 (twenty-two years ago)

re 'listen', wasn't the last Everly Brothers album (for a long time) called "Pass the Chicken and Listen"?

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 09:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Another "listen" is Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera's second solo album, "Now Listen." And who among us has heard his third?

― Dr Benway (dr benway), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 09:55 (twenty-two years ago)

or his second, even?

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 09:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, I owned it, and I never made it all the way through. The first one was quite good, though.

― Dr Benway (dr benway), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 10:10 (twenty-two years ago)


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