Critically Reviled Albums That You Actually Enjoy

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

...and don't feel the least bit guilty about. Let Go by Avril Lavigne rocks my world, OK? I don't give a shit who wrote the songs or whether she's a real punk or any of that jazz. If it feels good, do it, maaan...

― lovebug starski, Monday, 22 March 2004 11:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Was Avril's album reviled?

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 22 March 2004 12:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, I'd love it if someonw refreshed my memory and could point out examples of "recent" albums that were universally panned and considered shit by a majority of critics. Jacko's last album comes to mind, and even that had its defenders. Is anything truly "reviled" these days? Maybe in the U.K. more than U.S. Cuz it seems like when these threads come up people always say, "well, I like Trans" or "I kinda like that 30 year old Dylan album that people didn't like".

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 22 March 2004 12:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Liz Phair probably got the lowest marks of anything recently, though it is not without defenders.

― Sym (shmuel), Monday, 22 March 2004 12:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Nothing ever gets a good slagging in the music press these days, which is a shame.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Monday, 22 March 2004 12:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Limp Bizkit's last record?

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Monday, 22 March 2004 12:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, i just thought of that one too. I don't think i read anything good about the Bizkit album.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 22 March 2004 12:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Second Stone Roses album and various Sarah/Shinkansen albums.

― flowersdie (flowersdie), Monday, 22 March 2004 12:56 (twenty-two years ago)

haha, thee entirety of prog rock for me.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Monday, 22 March 2004 13:02 (twenty-two years ago)

I quite like the second Elastica album, which was reviled. Also the third Sleeper album, though it took me years to start liking it.

― Bunged Out (Jake Proudlock), Monday, 22 March 2004 13:20 (twenty-two years ago)

This Is Our Art (Soup Dragons)
Tubular Bells

― Jez (Jez), Monday, 22 March 2004 13:33 (twenty-two years ago)

maybe "generally reviled" works better. Scott Seward is right about the lack of critical consensus these days. Still, it takes GUTS to cop to Tubular Bells! We're talking non-ironic appreciation here, so later for the Klostermann-esque tongue-in-cheese mentions of Journey, etc. That said, I always thought "Oh Sherrie" was a great single.

― lovebug starski, Monday, 22 March 2004 13:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I loved Tubular Bells 2 for a while...before I liked music...it still enters my head sometimes.

― Ashamed IlXor, Monday, 22 March 2004 13:49 (twenty-two years ago)

That's funny, and it reminds me of a circa 1980 T shirt slogan: Heavy Metal: Better than Music! And I didn't know there WAS a TB2.

― lovebug starski, Monday, 22 March 2004 14:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Was Graham Coxon's first solo album critically reviled? If so, then that one.

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Monday, 22 March 2004 15:35 (twenty-two years ago)

"Tubular Bells" was certainly NOT critically reviled when it was released.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 22 March 2004 15:38 (twenty-two years ago)

all of them! people have shit taste in music.

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 22 March 2004 17:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Like Flies on Sherbert

― Colin Beckett (Colin Beckett), Monday, 22 March 2004 18:10 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.metacritic.com/music/

― The Huckle-Buck (Horace Mann), Monday, 22 March 2004 18:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I really love Like Flies on Sherbert, too...

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Monday, 22 March 2004 18:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Marcy Playground - Marcy Playground
the Black Crowes greatest hits

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 22 March 2004 18:31 (twenty-two years ago)

roxy music, flesh and blood. way better than manifesto, which a lot of people like for reasons i can't understand, and not as good as avalon, but you can hardly blame an album for that. "oh yeah," "over you" and "same old scene" are all great pop singles (not sure if they were all in fact singles, but they shoud've been), and i even dig the "in the midnight hour" cover.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Monday, 22 March 2004 18:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Everett True gave The Second Coming a glowing review. (It's a very underrated record IMO)

― Rob Branson, Monday, 22 March 2004 18:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Is anything truly "reviled" these days?

Following Huckle-Buck's lead, here's the Meta-Critic bottom ten:

Phil Collins Testify (Score 31)
Juliana Hatfield Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure (33)
Limp Bizkit Results May Vary (33)
Master P Gameface (35)
Enya A Day Without Rain (35)
Rod Stewart It Had to Be You...The Great American Songbook (37)
Puddle of Mudd Life on Display (37)
Run DMC Crown Royal (38)
Mariah Carey Charm Bracelet (38)
Liz Phair Liz Phair (38)

Rule of thumb: rating lower than the Jennifer Love Hewitt album="reviled"

― brian patrick (brian patrick), Monday, 22 March 2004 19:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Mariah Carey Charm Bracelet (38)

I liked Mariah's cover of "Bringin' on the Heartbreak."

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 22 March 2004 19:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Juliana's Pony had its moments.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 22 March 2004 19:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Be Here Now

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Monday, 22 March 2004 19:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Gin Blossoms -- New Miserable Experience
Best Kissers In the Word -- Be Here Now
anything by the Eagles

― devon (popmatters devon), Monday, 22 March 2004 21:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Oops, I mean Best Kissers, Been There

― devon (popmatters devon), Monday, 22 March 2004 21:01 (twenty-two years ago)

if you think Klosterman secretly hates the stuff he writes glowing things about you're very mistaken.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 04:15 (twenty-two years ago)

and Liz Phair finished top 40 in Pazz & Jop, which at the very least makes it "mixed," reception-wise. though the bad reviews were very bad indeed.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 04:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Iron Maiden - No Prayer for the Dying.

This shit is so bad that it is good. "Bring you daughter... to the slaughter..."

Iron Maiden became a better band at the moment they stopped being serious.

― Elvis is Dead, Tuesday, 23 March 2004 05:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Haha, Chingy all the way, motherfuckers.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 05:27 (twenty-two years ago)

The fuck? Escape and Departure are really good solid pop-rock albums, with some well-executed fusion leanings on Departure. Not earth-shattering or anything but they are good albums. Sure, they're kind of drippy but so're a lot of things, including lots of acclaimed pop-rock. Are they critically reviled? I enjoy them. A nice memory from the last Thanksgiving was being in my cousins' car driving to Aurora with both of them blasting and wailing along to "Dont' Stop Believin'". Also, singing along to "Open Arms" in the car with my sister.

Apparently Monster is reviled. I liked it the last time I listened.

DJ Spooky seems to get a lot of hate. I really like Modern Mantra.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 05:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey, is Drukqs critically reviled? I love it.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 06:05 (twenty-two years ago)

I quite like the second Elastica album, which was reviled.

I do to, but it was by no means universally panned:

http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/elastica/menace/

― no opinion, Tuesday, 23 March 2004 06:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Robin Trower, 'Bridge of Sighs.' I myself can point out all its flaws. But I've almost always had a copy in my collection since I was 12.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 08:52 (twenty-two years ago)

"Metal Machine Music", tho a lot of people appreciate 25 years later. First four Queen LPs. Selexct portions of Yes, ELP, Styx and Billy Joel, esp his (fantastic!) "Attila" LP, thanks to Steven Erlewine and "Boy Howdy", who compared it to the legendary Sir Lord Baltimore. First LP by the execrable Motley Crue. Dunno what the consensus opinion of Ace of Base's The Sign was.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 09:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I quite like Stone Temple Pilots. Especially Tiny Music. (Then again I just checked Allmusic.com and they wuv'em.)

― jesus nathalie (nathalie), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 09:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Trouble is, unless we've read thirty reviews how do we know what was universally reviled?

― Bunged Out (Jake Proudlock), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 09:55 (twenty-two years ago)

First LP by the execrable Motley Crue.

who are the revilers of that one? everyone i know who's heard it, motley and non-motley fans alike, consider it absolutely fab.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 15:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, I like MMM too. The Yes albums I like (I've never heard anything post-Close to the Edge) seem to enjoy pretty good critical reception. I don't think the same is true of Styx, whose Classics comp is kind of fun.

Also Pat Metheny's Zero Tolerance for Silence seems unpopular with jazz critics. I like it.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 18:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Every review I read of Good Charlotte's second album was a two-star. I'd give it five. There's other albums I think people underrated that I enjoy, but this is the only one I consider reviled. (Even Chocolate Starfish got a 7 in Spin from Xgau)

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 19:09 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

total system failure is one of her best albums.

what's a meta critic. critics are bad enough

― ronny longjohns (ronny longjohns), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 03:18 (twenty years ago)

monster!!

― petesmith (plsmith), Tuesday, 16 August 2005 03:34 (twenty years ago)

ten months pass...

IS ROBIN TROWER NOIZE?

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 09:44 (nineteen years ago)

"No, really."
http://www.law.uoregon.edu/org/cla/wiggum.gif

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 09:46 (nineteen years ago)

"Dylan" is pretty much reviled, but I love it.

― Officer Pupp (Officer Pupp), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 11:38 (nineteen years ago)

Alice Cooper - Pretties For You.
Now it seems to be undergoing something of a critical renaissance, but I always loved it, I tells ya!

― eyesteel (eyesteel), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 11:40 (nineteen years ago)

I love Cake. I love all their albums, and I don't care who knows it.

― A Giant Mechanical Ant (The Giant Mechanical Ant), Tuesday, 4 July 2006 12:08 (nineteen years ago)

Skipping 17 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Yeah Gaucho has its own thread of consensual praise.

― Baaderonixx immer wieder (baaderonixx), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 14:14 (nineteen years ago)

Stone Roses - Second Coming.
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf600/f655/f65553hxdrb.jpg

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 14:16 (nineteen years ago)

Electric Six - Fire
Adam Green - Gemstones
Scritti Politti - Provision

― hank (hank s), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 14:27 (nineteen years ago)

Catherine Wheel - Wishville

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 15:28 (nineteen years ago)

Seconding Soto's endorsement of Empire Burlesque, also:

Bowie's Tonight
Toto IV

I will defend these two via fistfight, if necessary.

― Thomas Inskeep (submeat), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 15:37 (nineteen years ago)

I am really enjoying the new Frank Black Album Fastman Raiderman, and it is getting slagged pretty good by the critics.

― Jim Reckling (Jim Reckling), Wednesday, 5 July 2006 23:07 (nineteen years ago)

Thompson Twins: "Quick Step And Sidekick".

One of all time top 50 favourite albums, and yet I have still yet to see a positive review, either from back then or a retrospective one.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 6 July 2006 00:17 (nineteen years ago)

Dave Matthews Band - Under the Table and Dreaming
Fatboy Slim - Palookaville

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 6 July 2006 00:34 (nineteen years ago)

Yes "Talk"

Now I'll ritually kill myself to restore the honor of the forum.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Thursday, 6 July 2006 00:59 (nineteen years ago)

"Second Coming" by the Stone Roses definitely.

Pavement's "Terror Twilight", although I'm not sure if the critics hated it as much as the fans did.

― J-rock (Julien Sandiford), Thursday, 6 July 2006 01:18 (nineteen years ago)

I like Second Coming a lot more than I like the first Stone Roses album.

― js (honestengine), Thursday, 6 July 2006 01:27 (nineteen years ago)

End of The Century.

― mike a (mike a), Thursday, 6 July 2006 20:18 (nineteen years ago)

Bowie's Tonight
Toto IV

I like both of those, but I don't know whether a multi-Grammy-winning album such as "IV" could count as "critically reviled". Sure, you don't need to be a critics favourite to dominate the Grammys, but the albums that do still usually aren't universally hated by critics. In the case of Toto, most of their output will also receive a fair share of praise in the kind of magazines that appeal to musicians rather than fans.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 6 July 2006 21:49 (nineteen years ago)

I'm just thinking in terms of rockcrits, Geir, and in that sphere, it's definitely reviled. (Xgau to thread!)

― Thomas Inskeep (submeat), Thursday, 6 July 2006 21:55 (nineteen years ago)

Is REM's Monster critically reviled? Aphex Twin's Drukqs? If so, those. Otherwise the only ones I can think of with no major critical backers are Journey's Escape and Departure and Styx's Pieces of Eight. Even Jane's Addiction gets props from Jim deRogatis. I'm not sure if Metal Machine Music counts for anything. Ooh, also I like some schlock-classical that gets sneered at by the academy like Pachelbel's Canon. I know at least a couple snobs sneer at Rodrigo's "Concierto di Aranjuez" but I'm not sure what its general critical standing is. Barely any new music gets really reviled these days, does it?

― Sundar (sundar), Thursday, 6 July 2006 22:13 (nineteen years ago)

haha I just noticed that I posted almost the exact same post two years ago.

― Sundar (sundar), Thursday, 6 July 2006 22:14 (nineteen years ago)

For a list of critics list containing "Escape", look at: http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/A538.htm

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 6 July 2006 22:25 (nineteen years ago)

one year passes...

awwww juliana's pony suffered universal panning according to metacritic?

i'll jump in and campaign for that one then

― Charlie Howard, Monday, 30 July 2007 16:59 (eighteen years ago)

STP - Tiny Music

― billstevejim, Monday, 30 July 2007 17:03 (eighteen years ago)

Sabbath-Never Say Die

I've always loved this one. Most people seem to hate it, even the members of the band. I think it's great.

― Bill Magill, Monday, 30 July 2007 17:28 (eighteen years ago)

i like the first half of never say die very much,and i'm convinced the title song is one of the great lost power-pop singles. you'll find others on this board who like that one too, as of course you would with any album you can name.

― fact checking cuz, Monday, 30 July 2007 19:20 (eighteen years ago)

eighteen years pass...

actually enjoying Swans “The Burning world”

― Modollno Kahn (Boring, Maryland), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 20:52 (two months ago)

The Burning World is a great album.

― Instead of create and send out, it pull back and consume (unperson), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 20:57 (two months ago)

I remember getting into it around the same time as Julian Cope's My Nation Underground which in some ways is its unlikely twin.

― you can see me from westbury white horse, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 21:20 (two months ago)

xp Yeah never got the hate for that one.

― Kim Kimberly, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 21:22 (two months ago)

not so much revulsion as indifference, but i adore the album 'manifesto' by roxy music

― flopson, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 21:23 (two months ago)

Manifesto's one of their best!

― The Luda of Suburbia (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 21:29 (two months ago)

Roxy's attempt to make an L.A. studio rock album with disco overtones.

― The Luda of Suburbia (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 21:29 (two months ago)

First side is fantastic beginning to end, the second has its moments.

― Kim Kimberly, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 21:32 (two months ago)

"Cry Cry Cry" is in the running for the worst song Ferry ever wrote, yeah.

― The Luda of Suburbia (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 21:38 (two months ago)

i’ve been listening to Roxy’s 72-75 stretch of albums for 35 years and have never ventured past “Stranded”, need to rectify that

― Modollno Kahn (Boring, Maryland), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 21:39 (two months ago)

er, Siren

― Modollno Kahn (Boring, Maryland), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 21:39 (two months ago)

think of the Velvets after Cale left. Flesh + Blood is their weakest but shored up by excellent singles.

― The Luda of Suburbia (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 21:40 (two months ago)

I've never heard the two after Siren either but you at least gotta get Avalon, it's not the Roxys as you know them but its easily as good as their classic albums

― frogbs, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 21:44 (two months ago)

as for me I enjoy the last 3 Gentle Giant albums quite a bit, they're pretty good for what they are and I actually think they were onto something pretty great on Civilian. actually pretty analogous to Can's last three (before Rite Time), in both cases I think they'd be rated a lot higher if not for the baggage of the band name

― frogbs, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 21:48 (two months ago)

I like every Can album

― you can see me from westbury white horse, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 21:58 (two months ago)

Devo's Shout! is another one, I totally understand all the hate it gets but it's got this British Invasion meets New Wave vibe to it that I find pretty unique, some of the songs like "The 4th Dimension" are actually really great, but yeah it's def their worst album to that point

― frogbs, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 22:05 (two months ago)

Brothers in Arms is this for me, partly nostalgic associations but I love the soundof it - I probably listen to it once or twice a month and still actively enjoy/appreciate it

Possibly not reviled but these days I find much to enjoy in Momentary Lapse of Reason

Nothing shameful about post-Eno Roxy!

― Cod:Shellfish (emsworth), Wednesday, 7 January 2026 22:11 (two months ago)

Merci by Magma is another pick, I think if they'd went with a different opening track its reputation would be much different. Side 2 of that album is some of my favorite Magma music period

― frogbs, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 22:16 (two months ago)

I like every Floyd album

(AMLoR is a buddy of Chris Rea's On the Beach, same sun-heated winsome twangy balearic landscapes, of course I love it)

― you can see me from westbury white horse, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 22:18 (two months ago)

there are like 500 albums i can contribute to this thread is the thing

― you can see me from westbury white horse, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 22:18 (two months ago)

and the dire straits album that gets the worst ink, on every street, is my favourite of theirs

― you can see me from westbury white horse, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 22:19 (two months ago)

Seconding Never Say Die from upthread, which I have listened to over the years way more than any other Sabbath album.

Same with Don't Tell a Soul by the Replacements. And Provision by Scritti Politti.

― henry s, Wednesday, 7 January 2026 23:58 (two months ago)

I love The Division Bell, does that count?

Oh, and Celtic Frost's [Cold Lake

― Paul Ponzi, Thursday, 8 January 2026 00:03 (two months ago)

I like Gilmour-era Floyd more than late Rogers-era Floyd tbqph and that includes "The Wall"-- and my favourite songs on "The Wall" are the ones Gilmour co-wrote

― ron zertnert (flamboyant goon tie included), Thursday, 8 January 2026 00:20 (two months ago)

Kiss - (Music From) The Elder was certainly critically reviled and still seems to be considered a joke at best, I've always loved it though. Even that Mr Blackwell song.

― I walked with a nimby (Matt #2), Thursday, 8 January 2026 00:31 (two months ago)

Waters Floyd after a certain point kept trying to deliberately make Major Statements and Momentary Lapse was just nice middle aged art pop a la Gabriel’s So

― Modollno Kahn (Boring, Maryland), Thursday, 8 January 2026 03:23 (two months ago)

Yes! Sometimes my brain playback starts humming “On The Turning Away” and I have to remind myself that it’s Gilmour, not Gabriel.

And I just did some googling about this era of Floyd and I think a large part of my affection for it is my loathing for Waters’ nastiness, like wow. “David Gilmour… is a blessing and an inspiration,” is what a better Roger would’ve said about all this

― ron zertnert (flamboyant goon tie included), Thursday, 8 January 2026 04:44 (two months ago)

Scarlett Johansson - Anywhere I Lay My Head

― corrs unplugged, Thursday, 8 January 2026 07:50 (two months ago)

Devo's Shout! is another one, I totally understand all the hate it gets but it's got this British Invasion meets New Wave vibe to it that I find pretty unique, some of the songs like "The 4th Dimension" are actually really great, but yeah it's def their worst album to that point
― frogbs, Wednesday, January 7, 2026 5:05 PM (two days ago)

Ha! I just discovered that the #1 song played (by # of plays) on 10 yrs of my radio show was Shout, by Devo.

― christopher.ivan, Friday, 9 January 2026 18:21 (two months ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.