The Worst Album of a Band.

Discussion in 'Other Music' started by Minus, May 5, 2014.

  1. #1
    Minus

    Minus ohai LPA Addicted VIP

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    Now, let me clear something up. Aside from albums like Meteora, just because an album is the worst of an artist's discography doesn't mean it's bad.

    Worst =/= Bad (mostly)

    You may listen to a band that you love across the board. Everything they've put out is great, no bad CDs from the group. But if you were to rank the albums in descending order from most favorite to least favorite, you could do it. There's one album that you like the least out of all the band's work.

    That album could be an 9.2 in a sea of 10s. It's great. But it's the worst they've put out.

    So with that cleared away, what is the worst album by a band you love (that's obviously not Linkin Park)? What do you find redeeming about that album? What makes it the worst? What's your favorite song from your favorite band's worst album? Go wild!

    I'll start.

    With Teeth by Nine Inch Nails.

    By all means, it's a great album. Stellar by most standards. Except when held in context with the rest of NIN's discography. Where each album strives to break ground and do something new and exciting, With Teeth was just kinda there. There are definitely some highlights on the record; All The Love In The World is probably one of my favorite NIN songs of all time.

    [youtube]kJ9qjWOmn9k[/youtube]

    If it was anyone other than NIN, With Teeth could be in the running for "best album by artist X of all time".

    But as it is, the album is by NIN and with such a stellar track record, WT falls a bit short. Love the album, but it's the worst NIN record.
     
  2. #2
    Gibs

    Gibs The Prog Nerd Über Member

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    The first album that comes to mind is Muse's The 2nd Law

    [​IMG]

    While being a decent album, it's all over the place in terms of consistency, you have a dubstep track following an orchestra rock track, and then a funk infused track after the dubstep track, and it just goes on.

    I applaud this album for it's experimental nature for the band, but when the album is taken in as a whole, it's an inconsistent mess. A lot of the tracks also way to blatantly show the influence for the particular track, Led Zeppelin (Supremacy), Queen (Panic Station, Survival), and U2 (Big Freeze). The album also contains outright boring tracks, such as Liquid State and Save Me. When this album is put up against Muse classics such as Origin of Symmetry and Absolution, it just pales in comparison.

    The best track by far, however, is Animals, one I rank among Muse's best.

    [video=youtube;tFG_5PBl2K8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFG_5PBl2K8[/video]
     
  3. #3
    Filip

    Filip god break down the door LPA Contributor

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    X&Y by Coldplay. It'sa good album, but when you put it next to the rest of the discography - it's too long, too many songs are alike, has too much filler... It's a 7 in a sea of 9's and 10's.
     
  4. #4
    Gibs

    Gibs The Prog Nerd Über Member

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    I've never even listened to X&Y in it's entirety. I downloaded it once, and turned it off after the first two songs, they were just so boring and generic.

    The only other songs I've heard off of X&Y is Fix You and Speed of Sound. Fix You is fantastic, Speed of Sound is just plain bad.
     
  5. #5
    TheRadiance

    TheRadiance Guardian

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    Coheed and Cambria - Year of The Black Rainbow

    This was the first album that Coheed wrote fully with Chris Pennie (he wasn't legally allowed to perform the drum parts on Good Apollo II) and his somewhat erratic style never fully fit in with Coheed in my opinion and then the band also recorded in a different studio with new producers and the mixing on the album is pretty questionable. Like the point of this thread, I don't think it's a bad album by any means. It's got really well written songs like Here We Are, Juggernaut, Made Out Of Nothing, and one of my favorite Coheed songs in World Of Lines but songs like When Skeletons Live just sound like demos and the CD doesn't hold up to the rest of their albums.

    [video=youtube;l82VECmgFsQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l82VECmgFsQ[/video]
     
    Last edited: May 5, 2014
  6. #6
    Filip

    Filip god break down the door LPA Contributor

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    Really? Square One is probably my favorite on the album.
     
  7. #7
    Erica

    Erica Meh LPA Über VIP

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    Year Zero- NIN

    Yeah thats right. I thought it was his worst effort writing wise. I didn't like the way vocals changed. There was almost a hip hop attitude too it which I didn't enjoy. The music had potential, at most. I respect that he was going for something different, but in this case it didn't work.
     
  8. #8
    Qwerty19

    Qwerty19 Well-Known Member

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    Adrenaline, by Deftones

    08102003.jpg

    In fact, I love this record. Its name couldn't be more accurate as it gives you such a big punch in the face, from beginning to end. While it isn't by any means the heaviest record ever, it has some of the dirtiest-sounding and angry stuff I've ever experienced in music.

    But it's a Deftones record you know, their first one actually. It's a great debut but it lacks a lot of the deeper more atmospheric elements found in the band's later music, which usually give them a special dimension in comparison to other bands. Also, while his screams were probably at their best at the time, Chino wasn't that skilled as a singer when Adrenaline was recorded. The guy has greatly improved with years.

    As far as my favorite song from it is concerned, it's probably "Engine No. 9" This one or "Bored". 2 classic songs.
     
    Last edited: May 5, 2014
  9. #9
    Abel

    Abel Chester Bennington saved my life.

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    The Truth Is... - Theory of a Deadman
    [​IMG]

    Yeah, that's right, I'm actually a Theory fan; I consider them my guilty pleasure. I liked their self-titled first album and loved Gasoline and Scars and Souvenirs (the latter is one of my all-time favorite albums actually), but The Truth Is... was bleh. I don't HATE it, but compared to the rest of TOAD's discography, it's really low on my list.

    However, the first four songs of the album and their bonus track "Does It Really Matter" are some of their best material, and "Head Above Water" is one of my all-time favorite songs. The rest of the material? Really underwhelming.
     
    Last edited: May 5, 2014
  10. #10
    Luke

    Luke Mind Your Manners. LPA Addicted VIP

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    Alice In Chains - S/T

    [​IMG]

    Had some great tracks but overall really disappointing. I guess anything that was gonna follow up Dirt was always gonna struggle, but honestly I just thought the band could have done so much better. It kills me that it was the last full length that featured Layne Staley.

    On a side note, I actually thought With Teeth and Year Zero by NIN were pretty good. Certainly not Trent's weakest efforts IMO.
     
  11. #11
    lime treacle

    lime treacle You are not alone Über Member

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    ^I love The Dog Record.

    ~

    [​IMG]

    Paramore – All We Know Is Falling (2005)

    Paramore's debut showcased the young band's sound, a consistent blend of alt rock, punk rock and pop rock, and despite an unfortunate lack of variety, it definitely carried potential for a debut. However, throughout the years, the band kept improving with each release. 2007's Riot! thus improved on the sound, along with some hits that brought bigger attention to the band. After the success of "Decode" which spawned the band a much bigger audience, Paramore released Brand New Eyes in 2009, perfecting their sound musically and lyrically. Following the departure of the Farro brothers, last year the now-trio blessed us with the band's best album so far. The eponymous Paramore was an inspired, creative, impressive even, endeavour which broke new ground for the band, an hour-long masterpiece I definitely recommend anyone to hear.
     
  12. #12
    Erica

    Erica Meh LPA Über VIP

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    I love With Teeth, I thought it was an amaxing record. Seemed like a natural step forward after The Fragile.

    Slayer- World Painted Blood: I bring this one up because its really lackluster and the new lead single seems to be in the same boring ass vein. Maybe time to throw in the towel guys.
     
  13. #13
    Disturbedthoughts

    Disturbedthoughts *Twitch*

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    I had to think about this one a bit, and I ended up at Toxicity by System of a Down. I suspect this is probably a VERY unpopular opinion but I have my reasons. :lol: I don't think it's a bad album by any means, I can't count how many times I have heard it in my life, but compared to the albums they would release later I don't feel like it holds up well. I'm a big fan of their more creative and experimental work and when compared to their other albums, Toxicity comes off like they were playing it really safe. I'm happy that it got popular, that is what I first heard by them, but I do think that they got a lot better. As for a favorite off of the album? Definitely ATWA.
     
  14. #14
    Brandon

    Brandon I was Ree's 100th follower on Twitter.

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    Mylo Xyloto is one that comes to mind. It just seems that whatever MX does, a different Coldplay album does better.
     
  15. #15
    $pvcxGhxztCasey

    $pvcxGhxztCasey meanwhile... LPA Addicted VIP

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    THANK YOU. I've been saying this for years. If it was by any other group, hands down, best in their discography probably. For NIN? Probably should have stuck with what you know and just finished Bleedthrough. Plus, he described it as an album full of songs that punch in the fucking face, buuuuuut... it wasn't. A few were, but it's so vanilla. Paint by numbers rock, for the most part.

    For the life of me I don't know why I forked over the money for the WT vinyl and The Hand That Feeds UK single, when it first came out. Funny that some of the remixes for the songs on that album ended up so much better than the original. Sometimes, though, that's the case for NIN. It's odd.
     
  16. #16
    Erica

    Erica Meh LPA Über VIP

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    What?! I won't argue that Toxicity is worse than SOAD, Hypnotize, and Mezmerize. But to say it's worse than Steal This Album is absurd. Steal this Album was a downright poor effort. It's not even one of these albums you can say "well it's the worst but still great." No, it's just a bad album lol.
     
  17. #17
    snowblue

    snowblue You know the blue snow?

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    My three favorite artists:

    Eminem: Relapse - Utterly shit. Really weird since the rest of his albums are truly godlike (exclude D12).

    Linkin Park: Living Things - Simply the weakest album. The second half is just not my cup of tea (exclude Powerless).

    Hollywood Undead: Notes From The Underground - Desperate attempt to go back to their roots which failed miserably.
     
    Last edited: May 6, 2014
  18. #18
    Filip

    Filip god break down the door LPA Contributor

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    [​IMG]

    I love that album.

    His best beat-wise (all hail Dre), and on top lyrically and conceptually. Only thing that still bothers me a bit is the accent.
     
  19. #19
    Qwerty19

    Qwerty19 Well-Known Member

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    On With Teeth, I've always prefered it over The Slip. It sounds more complete to me.
     
  20. #20
    Minus

    Minus ohai LPA Addicted VIP

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    It's a matter of opinion. I fuckin' loved Steal This Album. Some of my favorite songs by the band are on that disc.



    Look who can't read!
     

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