Surprised no one’s mentioned Lulu yet. That’s easily the worst album i’ve heard. I’d have to think about another nine, but that one’s certainly up there.
Surprised no one’s mentioned Lulu yet. That’s easily the worst album i’ve heard. I’d have to think about another nine, but that one’s certainly up there.
That was the first one I put up, actually. Peligro banned “St. Anger” so that made it rather easy to put Lulu at the top of my list.
Here’s a couple albums that sprang to mind:
Serj Tankain - Elect The Dead
I was wondering what was gonna happen after System Of A Down went on hiatus after the masterpiece that was Mesmerize/Hypnotize. The lead single off of Serj’s solo debut sounded like a diet version of SOAD. The rest is almost as bad as SOAD’s Toxicity.
Nightwish - Angels Fall First
After the debacle that was Ozzfest '05 we hit up Amoeba the next day and one of my friends puts on this. God what a pile of crap! The last track just went on forever and the other 3 of us in the car were glad when it was over.
Alright time to give it a go. Think I’ve got ten that will cut the mustard in terms of awfulness:
- Bill Laswell - Imaginary Cuba
Good intentions I’m sure but he just doesn’t pull it off. Sounds so ordinary. Like one of those two bit world music albums you can pick up in bookstores. Pretty awful and tedious to sit through.
- John Zorn - Locus Solus
Complete jazz noise wank. A pile of shit from an artist I have massive respect for and who generally delivers on all fronts. Imagine giving a bunch of drunk geezers some wind instruments and a mixing desk and telling them to “go fucking crazy” for an hour or so. Then record the whole thing and try and pass it off to the first arthouse sucker that walks by. Probably the most irritating album ever made.
- Voivod - The Outer Limits
Fuck me! I’ll never buy another Voivod album for as long as I live thanks to this. I think I threw it down the stairs the first time I attempted to listen to it. I like their 80’s stuff, although I’m not a huge fan.
- The Rolling Stones - Tattoo You
They had been going downhill for a few years before this, but Tattoo You is the sound of the Stones officially sucking.
- Butthole Surfers - Weird Revolution
Sorry Peligro, I’m going to have to borrow this from your list. It sucks so badly I just cannot leave it off the list. And I think what you previously wrote about it sums it up perfectly, so I’ll say no more.
- XTC - White Music
I love their later material, but this - the second album in their catalogue - is just annoying, attention seeking, pop punk rubbish. I literally can’t get past the halfway mark without turning off the stereo.
- Iggy Pop - Blah, Blah Blah
This is the one with Real Wild Child on it. A new low for the one time Godfather of punk. So far removed from what he was doing at the beginning of his solo career it may as well be from another planet. I hated this when I bought it back in 1988 and I hate it now.
- Bad Brains - Into The Future
What the fuck are you doing?!?!!? Stop it. Stop it now before somebody gets hurt. A big ugly brown stain on the reputation of this once great band.
- Chris Cornell - Scream
Chris. What did we do to you? Why are you so angry with us? We are your fans. Your music was once so great. What’s going on Chris? You can talk about it. We’re here for you. Tell us what on your mind. We’re here to help.
Excuse me, I have to vomit…
- David Bowie - Never Let Me Down
Ta da!!!
- Dream Theater-Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. I’m a big fan, but I never listen to this one. I just wasn’t too impressed with it. It’s too long and nothing stands out. I like their first album more than this one. There I said it.
Dream Theater are the Nickelback of prog metal. Shame on you.
System Of A Down went on hiatus after the masterpiece that was Mesmerize/Hypnotize…The rest is almost as bad as SOAD’s Toxicity.
I’ll take toxicity over mesmerize/hypnotize any day of the week. Thought both albums together weren’t as strong as toxicity.
One more for my list. Not a big fan of Battle of Los Angeles by ratm.
Late,
grmpysmrf
[reply]
- Dream Theater-Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. I’m a big fan, but I never listen to this one. I just wasn’t too impressed with it. It’s too long and nothing stands out. I like their first album more than this one. There I said it.
Dream Theater are the Nickelback of prog metal. Shame on you.[/reply]
Progmetal is the Nickelback of metal.
No one’s mentioned it yet, so let me bring up “Strays” from Jane’s Addiction. Reunion albums are already a dicey prospect, but that thing was dismal. The early Jane’s stuff is a really distinctive sounding blend of Led Zepplin and Bauhaus. “Strays” is totally generic buttrock. I heard the last one is better, but couldn’t be bothered to check it out.
Also, I know the popular answer for Bowie is “Never Let Me Down,” but to be honest there isn’t anything on there that I think is unlistenable. It’s bland and forgettable for the most part (I do enjoy a few tracks on it), but I don’t outright hate anything on it. For my money, the worst Bowie album is “Tonight.” That one starts with a classic single, and then drops to the depths of his awful cover of “God Only Knows.”
If I were to throw out one (or two) more albums, I thought the first two albums (and EP) from TV on the Radio were exceptional works. Taking influence from a wide range of sources and creating something really unique. And the last two albums (“Dear Science” and “Nine Types of Light”) were dull, and could have been made by dozens of other similar bands. I guess they aren’t bad, but I’m really let down by the lack of imagination they’ve displayed.
In no particular order…(I’m sorry I couldn’t pick an order, and yes I had to include MM and Ministry so I’d have 10 albums)…
Orgy - ‘Punk Static Paranoia’
The first album was really solid, second was not as good but a decent follow up. ‘Punk Static Paranoia’ however took a horrible turn with lack of the cool programming/electronics, nu metal elements entering the picture, and awful garage rock production value that doesn’t suit this band at all. No wonder they disappeared for years after…
Skinny Puppy - Mythmaker
Since reuniting after several years the material is drastically different, but I always find some stuff I like in it. This album however just turned me off completely and I can’t quite pinpoint why…Kudos for trying new things though. Also I will say the tour for this one was good.
Skinny Puppy - VIVIsectVI
This is an odd one on my list, because it’s considered a classic by most fans, but it never clicked with me. I like “Harsh Stone White” and “Testure” but overall I think the production kills the album it’s just too much pointless white noise obscuring decent synth lines…also sounds badly dated to me in a way the others do not…
Metallica - ‘LuLu’
Not a big fan of this band to begin with but I know they’ve done some amazing stuff. This one though, WHAT THE FUCK?!?
Pink Anvil - ‘New Years Eve Party’
I actually really loved their debut ‘Halloween Party’. It really clicked with me at a weird time and it’s got a place in my heart. The follow up is truly bad though. Some good ideas but the production and execution is so weak and I don’t even think it was mastered…it’s a really low volume throughout. I’ve got to upload it so you guys can hear it…
Fantomas - ‘Suspended Animation’
I love ‘The Director’s Cut’ but it seems that pretension took hold on this release. The :30 songs thing is cool for The Locust and Melt Banana but for Fantomas it gets old quick because I know they are capable of much more…
Jesu - 'Conqueror
This band I think started out strong (or maybe I was really stoned and had more of an attention span…) with ‘Heartache’ EP, the self-titled, and ‘Silver’ EP but with ‘Conqueror’ they lost me because the “pop vocal” element became over the top cheesy and emo-ish. Never followed them after that…
Ministry - Rio Grande Blood
This was the point where the emerging thrash metal style, cheesy lyrics/vocals, overt politics and crappy drum programming really took over Ministry’s sound and I lost interest. “Palestina”, “Yellow Cake” and “Khyber Pass” (minus the lyrics) get credit, but they couldn’t redeem it and like most albums on my list it also is badly produced compared to prior releases.
Marilyn Manson - ‘EAT ME, DRINK ME’
He’s never done an album before or since that failed to grab me like this one. Bad production, excessive guitar solos, sounds rushed and missing something, and the theme was not executed as well as it could have I felt. I really can’t listen to it the whole way or even much of the way through. It’s a shame because I think with more time and care it could have been pretty good…
Wolf Eyes - ‘Always Wrong’
TRIED to like this because I like all their “albums proper” but it just deviates too far from what I love about them, which is those big sub beats and the awesome noise with buried vocals and hints of rock music ideas bubbling underneath. This one is more piercing and atonal than any other in a way that is just headache-enducing rather than enjoyable. Also the awesome thumping drum machine is replaced with real drums that sound like they were mic’d by an SM58 and run through a Boss DS-1 pedal. In other words, like shit…The production is far off from the other stuff (this seems to be a recurring theme in my list) and there is little to redeem the album. They may have been trying to prove to the harsh noise heads that they were a real noise band, but at the end of the day the thing I like about them is they’re NOT a real noise band. They have beats, a hint of structure, and some rock elements. That’s what makes them awesome! If I want pure harsh noise give me a good Merzbow album (NOTE - this guy would also be on my list had he not released so much and so many of them duds that it’s pointless to pinpoint one)
BTW I completely and utterly agree on the hate you feel toward Riot City Blues (eeewck…even the title is foul smelling and cliche). For me Screamadelica and Vanishing Point are essential listening for fans of any genre. You’re serious about music? Then check out those two albums. But RCB is cringe inducing retro rawk bullshit. Trying to be all rock’n’roll chic and just ending up sounding embarrassing. All that hand clappy “c’mon…we’re gonna have us some good time rock’n’roll” while wearing dark sunglasses is sickening. WTF? This is just fucking shit.
I remember a few years ago, reading a review onRCB which summed it up perfectly. The reviewer fucking loathed it of course, but he loathed it so satirically and so eloquently…it was beautiful. I hope Bobby G read it and was embarrassed.
On a side note, did you know RCB sold so badly in Australia that it was withdrawn from sale? I have a friend who works at JB HiFi who told me that. Guy was a big Scream fan too…
Also, can I add two albums from bands I like to the “horrible” list?
[b]The Stooges - The Weirdness
Duran Duran - Thank You[/b]
Yes. I like Duran Duran. Deal with it!
In no particular order…(I’m sorry I couldn’t pick an order, and yes I had to include MM and Ministry so I’d have 10 albums)…
Metallica - ‘LuLu’
Not a big fan of this band to begin with but I know they’ve done some amazing stuff. This one though, WHAT THE FUCK?!?
Jesu - 'Conqueror
This band I think started out strong (or maybe I was really stoned and had more of an attention span…) with ‘Heartache’ EP, the self-titled, and ‘Silver’ EP but with ‘Conqueror’ they lost me because the “pop vocal” element became over the top cheesy and emo-ish. Never followed them after that…
Ministry - Rio Grande Blood
This was the point where the emerging thrash metal style, cheesy lyrics/vocals, overt politics and crappy drum programming really took over Ministry’s sound and I lost interest. “Palestina”, “Yellow Cake” and “Khyber Pass” (minus the lyrics) get credit, but they couldn’t redeem it and like most albums on my list it also is badly produced compared to prior releases.
I’m agreeing to a point on all three of those. Even though I don’t really dislike any of them, I can see the point you are trying to make. Lulu starts out horrid but redeems itself three quarters of the way through.
For Skinny Puppy however, a couple of years ago I made a Favourite 100 Albums list for some other forum I post on. ViVisectVi , for me, came in at number 44.
So…disagree with you.
There’s no need to justify lovin’ Duran Duran, Dude. They’re awesome. They might be the first band I was consciously into (in like the 4th grade).
Then you are my internet brother.
The first Duran Duran album is one of the greatest debuts of all time. It’s like a catchier Roxy Music (also one of my favourite bands).
Duran Duran’s comeback track, Ordinary World, was great, especially the way it’s used in the film Layer Cake, as some guy gets the kicking of his life and then gets a pot of steaming hot tea poured all over him.
Marilyn Manson - The Golden Age of Grotesque
What a piece of shit. Generic “beats”, lifeless and generic loud guitars, and a total lack of dynamics. Aside from the title track and “Spade” every song pretty much sounds the same and they all suck. The shitty music doesn’t fit the imagery either. It’s over produced and is completely lacking in the edginess and anger it is trying to convey in part because of the production.
I remember first getting this album, putting it on, and when it ended I sat there like, “What the fuck?”. First time one of his albums did nothing for me. It’s emotionless, predictable, trash. It’s what people who have never heard Marilyn Manson would expect the band to sound like.
The lyrics are shit too. Trying too hard to be shocking and weird. The guy is wearing Mickey Mouse ears, for the love of fuck. I don’t care what the “deeper meaning” behind it is. Because at the end of the day it’s still a grown man wearing Mickey Mouse ears and make-up. Sometimes things simply are what they seem.
Just… kill me… please…
The music tries too hard to be heavy and because of this it suffers from being repetitive, lacking in dynamics, and being formulaic (being overproduced only adds to the lack of range and emotion on the album):
• Intro - bombastic, big beat/drums, loud guitars
• Verse 1
• Manson sometimes does a cringe worthy “rap” vocal performance during verses
• Horrible lyrics*
• Chorus 1 w/ loud guitars and Manson screaming something dumb that he thinks is clever
• Verse 2 (see. Verse 1)
• Chorus 2 (see. Chorus 1)
• Chorus 3 (see. Chorus 2)
• Outro (see. Intro)
• Wash, rinse, repeat. Use CD as frisbee or coaster or break it and slit your wrists with it in hopes you bleed out and forget you ever heard this juvenile bowl of fuck.
Oh, and the DVD that came with it, “Doppelherz”, is so unintentionally hilarious. It’s Manson drunkenly rambling over the intro from the album on repeat and making dumb puns over some “artsy” and “shocking” bullshit imagery for like 30 minutes. Take a look and have a laugh: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SaRq1KGNLQ
*Such lyrical gems as:
“This is the black collar song! Put it in your middle finger and sing along! Use your fist and not your mouth!”
“I like a big car, cuz I’m a big star! I make a big rock and roll hit!”
“Haters call me bitch, call me faggot, call me whitey. But I am something you will never be!”
“This isn’t music and we’re not a band! We’re five middle fingers on a motherfucking hand!”
So edgy… and that’s just the tip of the shit-lyric iceberg from this album. It’s full of cringe worthy nonsense.
yea after 2001’s holy wood manson’s output is kinda shit.
well, actually even holy wood album was fucking boring.
The 90s stuff will always be gold. Holy Wood sounds like them shedding away their classic sound and going with something more generic (disposable teens, fight song).
I agree, Golden Age is horrible. EMDM was good. HEOL was ok. BV is good.
I believe Peligro’s rules insisted on no Manson/Ministry conversation. However…
yea after 2001’s holy wood manson’s output is kinda shit.
well, actually even holy wood album was fucking boring.
This is totally true.
Bullshit it’s true. Holy Wood is excellent. Then he became a fucking drunken, pussywhipped, moron. That album has balls and heart. It’s basically ACSS and MA’s lovechild.
Wow,another MM thread…because the Born Villan,Larry King and Paris Jackson ones just weren’t enough…
Goddamn…