Bad Albums by your favorite artists

[cjefferys]

The Idiot is a great album. I agree that Cheap Trick was a victim of changing times though.

[Mr.Marion]

Cheap Trick's "All Shook Up (1980) and "One on One" (1982). Both albums have a couple of good songs, but those stick out like sore thumbs among the novelty songs and the shouters. That's really too bad, because Cheap Trick's first 4 studio albums skilfully and wittily walked the line between heavy metal and power pop. On some albums, the power pop came through more heavily ("In Color", "Heaven Tonight"). But, sadly, on "All Shook Up" and "One on One", Cheap Trick seemed to have lost their sense of melody and had Robin Zander (usually a good singer) screaming at the top of his lungs. Those 2 albums coincided with Trick's commercial decline. It was only the huge hit, "The Flame" that saved them in 1987.

It was really disappointing to hear Trick devolve from a band where "every song on the album is good" to "good thing for cassette tapes so I can skip all the duds on the album".

I think Cheap Trick was more a victim of the changing times. Mostly the new wave movement, which I think started with Iggy Pop's the Idiot

[ZMOQ]

Cheap Trick's "All Shook Up (1980) and "One on One" (1982). Both albums have a couple of good songs, but those stick out like sore thumbs among the novelty songs and the shouters. That's really too bad, because Cheap Trick's first 4 studio albums skilfully and wittily walked the line between heavy metal and power pop. On some albums, the power pop came through more heavily ("In Color", "Heaven Tonight"). But, sadly, on "All Shook Up" and "One on One", Cheap Trick seemed to have lost their sense of melody and had Robin Zander (usually a good singer) screaming at the top of his lungs. Those 2 albums coincided with Trick's commercial decline. It was only the huge hit, "The Flame" that saved them in 1987.

It was really disappointing to hear Trick devolve from a band where "every song on the album is good" to "good thing for cassette tapes so I can skip all the duds on the album".

[4NDR01D]

"Land Speed Record" by Husker Du is pretty unlistenable. A live album that is worse than bad bootleg quality and since it's their first album you don't even know the songs yet.

[nvmbrsdoom5]

I listen to loads of stuff that's pre-1980! Other than the metal and new wave stuff I love, most of the music I listen to is mostly from the 1954-1979 years.

As for Celtic Frost's "Cold Lake"......man that's still a hotly debated/discussed topic in the scene. To the point where it's become a frame of reference anytime a heavy band releases a controversial album. "Ut oh, I think this band just pulled a 'Cold Lake'!" LOL I think there was definitely some redeemable material on that album but the lyrics and much of the vocal delivery (along with their image) was what really sank that record for most folks.

And in regards to "Emotional Rescue", I think it's not an awful record, but it's not one I find myself returning to very often, if ever. It hasn't aged well compared to "Tattoo You", in my opinion. There's a lot of folks who also detested "Undercover" but I think that record overall holds up better than "Emotional Rescue" nowadays.

[Nostalgiabuff]

Does anybody here ever listen to anything pre 1980 ?

pretty much all I listen too, other than new material but artists from that era

[Mr.Marion]

"Cut the Crap" isn't a very well regarded Clash album. It didn't help that Mick Jones wasn't involved.

No it didnt. The Clash certainly left with a whimper.

Did anyone get the Rolling Stones Emotional Rescue? I think it was after Some Girls but before Tattoo u, so 1981ish. Was it that bad that my Walter White looking co-worker would throw it out his car window?

[cjefferys]

"Cut the Crap" isn't a very well regarded Clash album. It didn't help that Mick Jones wasn't involved.

[cjefferys]

Im a HUGE Bathory fan and he put out some stinkers after the first 4 albums in the 90's.

I'm a big fan too, but I think "Hammerheart" was the last album that I really liked throughout.

Really I don't like anything after "Seasons in the Abyss" but that's just me...

That's the last Slayer album that I really got into. I've liked some of their songs after that, but not whole albums.

KISS power pop? Maybe I need to hear that album.

There are some really catchy songs on "Unmasked". Paul could write some good power pop songs.

Does anybody here ever listen to anything pre 1980 ?

Sure, I love a lot of 60's and 70's stuff (I'm a huge Beatles and Zeppelin fan for example) but I guess since my teenage years took place in the 80's I feel closer to the music of that era.

[Mikey]

Does anybody here ever listen to anything pre 1980 ?

[acrovader]

Never a fan of Iron Maiden's 'Killers'. I'm on the fence with 'Somewhere in Time'. Not crazy about some of their 90's stuff.

[acrovader]

Dynasty and Unmasked are guilty pleasures of mine. Unmasked has some great songs on it that I would personally classify as very good power pop.

KISS power pop? Maybe I need to hear that album.

[Spawn67]

Oh yea I should add SLAYER's "Diabolus in Musica" to the pile of stinkers. Can't stand that album and there attempt to be "modern" at the time. Really I don't like anything after "Seasons in the Abyss" but that's just me...

[Spawn67]

Yup how could I forget "Cold Lake". I was and still am a huge Hellhammer and Celtic Frost fan. When that came out I was like Huh? A friend of mine asked Tom about that album a couple years ago at a Triptikon show and he just shook his head looked to the ground and kept walking.
Also about 4 years I found a original copy of Cold Lake for .75 cents in a used bin at a record store. I said what the hell. Me and my friend were like ok its been 20 years or so let's see if it's as bad as we remember it. We put it on and couldn't get past the 3rd song...
Whats funny about the "Cherry Orchards" video is how we all know Tom as being a serious guy and it's funny to see a serious guy try to be "cool and happy".
Yea I love Infernal Majesty's "None shall Defy" album and I put it on a regular basis. However everything thing the did after that I couldn't get into.
Im a HUGE Bathory fan and he put out some stinkers after the first 4 albums in the 90's.

[cjefferys]

Ha, I remember watching the premiere of the "Cherry Orchards" video on MTV Headbangers Ball and thinking "Holy crap, what happened to Tom!". You're right, the strictly glam metal fans wouldn't have liked this album either, mostly due to Tom's vocals. But as I liked both genres of metal, the album worked for me.

Oh man, I forgot about Infernal Majesty, good Canadian metal band! I haven't heard "None Shall Defy" in years but I did buy it when it came out and remember really liking it. I'll have to dig it up and give it a listen again!