Worst album of your favorite band/artist?

[Snow Dog]

To piggyback from the “Worst song...” thread, what about albums? Which set collections of songs are so bad in your view that hearing them once was one time too many? Or is decent but just the weakest release in an otherwise strong catalog. Might be some interesting choices here.

To start:
Rush - Caress of Steel, Signals
Dream Theater - Black Clouds...
Threshold - Extinct Instinct
Pagan’s Mind - God’s Equation
Evergrey - Monday Morning Apocalypse through Glorious Collision
Fireflight - Innova

[MirrorMask]

Iron Maiden - No Prayer for the Dying or Virtual XI
Dream Theater - When Dream and Day Unite I guess
Savatage - Fight for the Rock
Helloween - Chameleon
Metallica - St. Anger

[Stadler]

Rush:  Grace Under Pressure

So bad it warrants it's own post, undiluted by other bands' messes.  I actually don't usually put it at last on my Rush album rankings (probably Rush or Test For Echo) but for the time, and given what surrounds it, it's a dreadful misstep. 

[pg1067]

Rush - Roll the Bones
Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
Fates Warning - FWX
Iron Maiden - No Prayer for the Dying
Metallica - Load (I say this with recognition that what came after might be worse, but this was the album that killed a juggernaut)
Judas Priest - Turbo or Nostradamus
Yes - Big Generator or Talk
Triumph - The Sport of Kings

[Stadler]

Kiss:  Crazy Nights
Deep Purple:  Come Taste The Band
DT: WDADU (if that's too obvious, then The Astonishing)
Genesis: the first one (if that's too obvious, then... not sure, probably Calling All Stations)
Yes: Open Your Eyes
Marillion: This Strange Engine (though Somewhere Else is frighteningly close).

[SoundscapeMN]

Marillion - Somewhere Else or Sounds That Can't Be Made (splitting hairs)
Kevin Gilbert - The Kaviar Sessions
Fates Warning - Darkness in a Different Light
Rush - Snakes and Arrows
King's X - Black Like Sunday
Genesis - From Genesis to Revelation
Yes - Union or Heaven and Earth (splitting hairs)
Dream Theater - The Astonishing
Pain of Salvation - Road Salt 1
The Dear Hunter - Migrant
dredg - Chuckles & Mr. Squeezy
Ours - Ballet the Boxer I or New Age Heroine II (splitting hairs)
Pink Floyd - The Endless River

[The Walrus]

Rush:  Test For Echo

So bad it warrants it's own post, undiluted by other bands' messes.  I actually don't usually put it at last on my Rush album rankings (probably Vapor Trails or Hold Your Fire) but for the time, and given what surrounds it, it's a dreadful misstep.

agreed

[Max Kuehnau]

DT: everything apart from ADTOE and DT12 (TA is executed rather well, so it's exempt)
Yes: Union and probably TFTO (although I may turn out to like these too at some point, who knows)
Toto: Toto XIV (unfortunate, because the songs are great as ever, the drumming ruins it)
Steely Dan: Everything Must Go, Can't Buy A Thrill and Countdown To Ecstasy (same as with Toto)

that's all I can think of now, some of my other favourite artists didn't release an album I don't like (Kraftwerk and Sade, among others)
Edit: some other ones that came to mind just now:

Muse: Showbiz and Origin Of Symmetry (again, I may like these at some point)
Genesis: probably Tresspass (not a bad album IMHO, just one I rarely listen to)
Kate Bush: every album after The Sensual World (she lost her power as a singer by then, especially painfully evident on her live album that came out fairly recently. It hurts.)

[Stadler]

Marillion - Somewhere Else or Sounds That Can't Be Made (splitting hairs)
Kevin Gilbert - The Kaviar Sessions
Fates Warning - Darkness in a Different Light
Rush - Snakes and Arrows
King's X - Black Like Sunday
Genesis - From Genesis to Revelation
Yes - Union or Heaven and Earth (splitting hairs)
Dream Theater - The Astonishing
Pain of Salvation - Road Salt 1
The Dear Hunter - Migrant
dredg - Chuckles & Mr. Squeezy
Ours - Ballet the Boxer I or New Age Heroine II (splitting hairs)
Pink Floyd - The Endless River

I actually like Onion, but I forgot Heaven And Earth.  That's abysmally disappointing.

[Buddyhunter1]

DT: everything apart from ADTOE and DT12 (TA is executed rather well, so it's exempt)

You dislike every Dream Theater album except for two or three, yet they're one of your favorite bands?

[Max Kuehnau]

DT: everything apart from ADTOE and DT12 (TA is executed rather well, so it's exempt)

You dislike every Dream Theater album except for two or three, yet they're one of your favorite bands?

not every aspect of these albums, but I don't listen to the MP era ones nearly as often as the other ones. (FII is my least favourite of the MP era though) Hope this will clarify some things.

[Snow Dog]

Rush:  Grace Under Pressure

So bad it warrants it's own post, undiluted by other bands' messes.  I actually don't usually put it at last on my Rush album rankings (probably Caress of Steel or Snakes and Arrows) but for the time, and given what surrounds it, it's a dreadful misstep.

Meanwhile, Grace Under Pressure is one of my favorite synth era albums along with Power Windows. It’s not perfect, but it’s still strong in my book. I’d say the same thing you did about Signals, though. Apart from Subdivisions and Losing It, it’s largely forgettable for me. And, like Kattelox, I changed the albums in your parentheses to reflect my own opinion. I totally skipped Snakes and Arrows in my list above. I’ve railed on that one here several times in the past, so I’ll spare it this time.

[KevShmev]

Rush - Test for Echo (that was easy)

For other favorites:

Porcupine Tree - On the Sunday of Life
Neal Morse - Lifeline
Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
Pink Floyd - Ummagumma (studio disc only)
Devin Townsend - Physicist
The Flower Kings - The Sum of No Evil

[The Walrus]

Meanwhile, Grace Under Pressure is one of my favorite synth era albums along with Power Windows. It’s not perfect, but it’s still strong in my book. I’d say the same thing you did about Signals, though. Apart from Subdivisions and Losing It, it’s largely forgettable for me. And, like Kattelox, I changed the albums in your parentheses to reflect my own opinion. I totally skipped Snakes and Arrows in my list above. I’ve railed on that one here several times in the past, so I’ll spare it this time.

What are you talking about? Those were his words!

[Stadler]

TO put p/g in perspective, I LOVE Signals and really like Power Windows (side two is a drag though), so while I've (slightly) warmed to p/g over time, it's still SUCH a letdown from Signals.   

My top Rush albums rotate, but from a pool of AFTK, Hemispheres, MP, Signals, and Presto.   I really like parts of Caress Of Steel (Fountain is excellent, as is Bastille Day, though I could do without Lakeside Park and I Think I'm Going Bald, despite it's origins).

[Max Kuehnau]

Rush:  Grace Under Pressure

So bad it warrants it's own post, undiluted by other bands' messes.  I actually don't usually put it at last on my Rush album rankings (probably Rush or Test For Echo) but for the time, and given what surrounds it, it's a dreadful misstep.

strangely enough, I like some of Neil's lyrics and some (or probably even most) of the songwriting on 80s Rush albums, Grace Under Pressure included (another band of which I love every album, not necessarily Neil's drumming in every case but everything else)
Manhattan Project is another one of these great Neil lyrics IMHO

[Snow Dog]

Meanwhile, Grace Under Pressure is one of my favorite synth era albums along with Power Windows. It’s not perfect, but it’s still strong in my book. I’d say the same thing you did about Signals, though. Apart from Subdivisions and Losing It, it’s largely forgettable for me. And, like Kattelox, I changed the albums in your parentheses to reflect my own opinion. I totally skipped Snakes and Arrows in my list above. I’ve railed on that one here several times in the past, so I’ll spare it this time.

What are you talking about? Those were his words!

Oops. My bad. Missed that his post was quoted, which of course is always verbatim and impossible to alter.

[King Postwhore]

All you fools that have posted their Rush album forgot the self titled.  Sorry but all the other albums are better than that.  I never listen to it and I'm a Rush nut.

[TAC]

All you fools that have posted their Rush album forgot the self titled.  Sorry but all the other albums are better than that.  I never listen to it and I'm a Rush nut.

The first Rush album is pretty damn good. I'm surprised you feel that way.

[King Postwhore]

I'm bored by it.  It's unlistenable in my book now. 

[Adami]

Pain Of Salvation - Road Salts.
Metallica - Death Magnetic
 

[Max Kuehnau]

I'm bored by it.  It's unlistenable in my book now.

I call it their "Greta Van Fleet" album

[TAC]

I'm bored by it.  It's unlistenable in my book now.

But you're not bored by Power Windows? Test For Echo? Caress Of Steel? Snakes & Arrows?

[King Postwhore]

Nope, nope, nope & nope.

[hefdaddy42]

I like Test for Echo.

[bosk1]

DT: everything apart from ADTOE and DT12 (TA is executed rather well, so it's exempt)

You dislike every Dream Theater album except for two or three, yet they're one of your favorite bands?

Yeah, count me among those who don't get it either. 

Anyhow, I'll throw out a couple that haven't been done yet.

Queensryche:  Dedicated To Chaos.  Just...what were they thinking?  I might also include Q2K as an album I don't really care for, outside of a couple of songs.  They definitely had some misfires on most of the other post-HITNF Tate albums, but there was still plenty to like on most of them. 

Def Leppard:
-Adrenalize:  At the time, there were enough songs I thought were decent that I didn't hate it.  But it definitely raised some red flags.  And in retrospect, it is now easy to see it as the beginning of a big decline for me.  And going forward, they slipped from being my favorite band. 
-Slang:  Looking back, I can kinda see what they were going for.  But this album was a total miss. 
-X:  I felt that Euphoria was a complete return to form.  The fans demanded that the band get back to what they do best, and it is pretty clear that the band heard the message loud and clear, even if Euphoria may not have been quite near the height of the band's golden age.  X stayed in that general sonic territory, but was just bland and totally forgettable. 

I don't really count Yeah!, since it is a covers album.  And although Sparkle Lounge wasn't great, I get what they were going for, and it was an experiment that yielded some fun songs.  Unfortunately, I never got around to getting the s/t album from 2015, so I can't comment on that one.

[Max Kuehnau]

DT: everything apart from ADTOE and DT12 (TA is executed rather well, so it's exempt)

You dislike every Dream Theater album except for two or three, yet they're one of your favorite bands?

Yeah, count me among those who don't get it either. 

Anyhow, I'll throw out a couple that haven't been done yet.

Queensryche:  Dedicated To Chaos.  Just...what were they thinking?  I might also include Q2K as an album I don't really care for, outside of a couple of songs.  They definitely had some misfires on most of the other post-HITNF Tate albums, but there was still plenty to like on most of them. 

Def Leppard:
-Adrenalize:  At the time, there were enough songs I thought were decent that I didn't hate it.  But it definitely raised some red flags.  And in retrospect, it is now easy to see it as the beginning of a big decline for me.  And going forward, they slipped from being my favorite band. 
-Slang:  Looking back, I can kinda see what they were going for.  But this album was a total miss. 
-X:  I felt that Euphoria was a complete return to form.  The fans demanded that the band get back to what they do best, and it is pretty clear that the band heard the message loud and clear, even if Euphoria may not have been quite near the height of the band's golden age.  X stayed in that general sonic territory, but was just bland and totally forgettable. 

I don't really count Yeah!, since it is a covers album.  And although Sparkle Lounge wasn't great, I get what they were going for, and it was an experiment that yielded some fun songs.  Unfortunately, I never got around to getting the s/t album from 2015, so I can't comment on that one.

I've listened to the s/t one when I visited friends some time ago and all I can remember is that I like the earlier ones quite a bit more (up to and including Hysteria), I don't think anyone missed anything by not listening to s/t Def Leppard. I don't own it to this day either bosk, like you.

[OpenYourEyes311]

Metallica - St. Anger
Dream Theater - Black Clouds and Silver Linings
Neal Morse - Momentum
“Weird Al” Yankovic - Mandatory Fun or Polka Party
Green Day - Warning
311 - Soundsystem

[pg1067]

All you fools that have posted their Rush album forgot the self titled.  Sorry but all the other albums are better than that.  I never listen to it and I'm a Rush nut.

The first Rush album is pretty damn good. I'm surprised you feel that way.

Meh...

Working Man deserves every bit of praise it gets, but it goes downhill from there.

Finding My Way and What You're Doing are no better than good (although there are some great live versions of FMW).

In the Mood is kischy and fun, but it's certainly nothing great.

The rest of the album is pretty forgettable.  Need Some Love's only saving grace is that it's only 2:16.  Take a Friend is pretty dumb.  I can barely remember what Here Again and Before and After sound like, although I recall that one or the other is a monotonous blues dirge.

But I'd take the s/t on a loop for days over Roll the Bones (and most of GUP, side 2 of PoW and most of HYF).

DT: everything apart from ADTOE and DT12 (TA is executed rather well, so it's exempt)

You dislike every Dream Theater album except for two or three, yet they're one of your favorite bands?

not every aspect of these albums, but I don't listen to the MP era ones nearly as often as the other ones. (FII is my least favourite of the MP era though) Hope this will clarify some things.

Still not following.  The thread asks for the worst album by your favorite band, and you're saying that 11 of 14 DT albums are its worst.  I suppose that could mean that you think ADTOE and DT12 are the best and everything else comes next in no particular order, but I'm not sure that's what you meant.

[bosk1]

DT: everything apart from ADTOE and DT12 (TA is executed rather well, so it's exempt)

You dislike every Dream Theater album except for two or three, yet they're one of your favorite bands?

Yeah, count me among those who don't get it either. 

Anyhow, I'll throw out a couple that haven't been done yet.

Queensryche:  Dedicated To Chaos.  Just...what were they thinking?  I might also include Q2K as an album I don't really care for, outside of a couple of songs.  They definitely had some misfires on most of the other post-HITNF Tate albums, but there was still plenty to like on most of them. 

Def Leppard:
-Adrenalize:  At the time, there were enough songs I thought were decent that I didn't hate it.  But it definitely raised some red flags.  And in retrospect, it is now easy to see it as the beginning of a big decline for me.  And going forward, they slipped from being my favorite band. 
-Slang:  Looking back, I can kinda see what they were going for.  But this album was a total miss. 
-X:  I felt that Euphoria was a complete return to form.  The fans demanded that the band get back to what they do best, and it is pretty clear that the band heard the message loud and clear, even if Euphoria may not have been quite near the height of the band's golden age.  X stayed in that general sonic territory, but was just bland and totally forgettable. 

I don't really count Yeah!, since it is a covers album.  And although Sparkle Lounge wasn't great, I get what they were going for, and it was an experiment that yielded some fun songs.  Unfortunately, I never got around to getting the s/t album from 2015, so I can't comment on that one.

I've listened to the s/t one when I visited friends some time ago and all I can remember is that I like the earlier ones quite a bit more (up to and including Hysteria), I don't think anyone missed anything by not listening to s/t Def Leppard. I don't own it to this day either bosk, like you.

Listening to it now.  So far, it's not bad.  Hard to say where I'd rank it, since I'm only a few songs in on my first listen ever.  But based on what I'm hearing so far, even if it ends up not ranking very high, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't put it among a list of "worst." 

[Max Kuehnau]

OK, so: DT is one of my favourite bands. I own all the albums. ADTOE and DT12 are ones I listen to regularly. All the other albums have aspects that I don't enjoy. Do I not like all of these albums? No and I still listen to these,though not regularly. I really don't like FII and I almost never listen to FII. What I will say is that I'm not a fan of MP's drumming at all, but I mostly like the songwriting (although not on FII and not Take The Time). That's all for now (and in case anyone is interested, I updated my post with Muse, Genesis and Kate Bush. I'll elaborate if you want.)

[Ninjabait]

Dream Theater: When Dream and Day Unite
Diablo Swing Orchestra: The Butcher's Ballroom (still good tho)
Muse: Drones
iamthemorning: All of them are 5/5 tbh soooo Miscellany? I guess?
Ne Obliviscaris: Citadel (still good tho)
Taylor Swift: Self-titled
Haken: Vector
Epica: The Quantum Enigma
Ayreon: Either The Final Experiment or Actual Fantasy
The Dear Hunter: Migrant or maybe one of the color EPs

DT: everything apart from ADTOE and DT12 (TA is executed rather well, so it's exempt)

You dislike every Dream Theater album except for two or three, yet they're one of your favorite bands?

Honestly that could be the Dream Theater fanbase motto.

[Max Kuehnau]

Dream Theater: When Dream and Day Unite
Diablo Swing Orchestra: The Butcher's Ballroom (still good tho)
Muse: Drones
iamthemorning: All of them are 5/5 tbh soooo Miscellany? I guess?
Ne Obliviscaris: Citadel (still good tho)
Taylor Swift: Self-titled
Haken: Vector
Epica: The Quantum Enigma
Ayreon: Either The Final Experiment or Actual Fantasy
The Dear Hunter: Migrant or maybe one of the color EPs

DT: everything apart from ADTOE and DT12 (TA is executed rather well, so it's exempt)

You dislike every Dream Theater album except for two or three, yet they're one of your favorite bands?

Honestly that could be the Dream Theater fanbase motto.

I would agree (also in that: Who hates bands more than their own fans? No one. Quite the dichotomy isn't it? Same as with Star Wars apparently) and that is a side effect of being turned into more and more demanding fans over time. I'm sure that happened with DT fans over time too. I certainly can say it was like that in my case. (I know I'm not innocent in that regard.) I do try to enjoy what I'm given. Sadly it doesn't always work.

[bosk1]

I do try to enjoy what I'm given. Sadly it doesn't always work.

And as I recall, you are German, right?  Which means that you sound like you hate everything, even if you don't. 

[The Walrus]

I do try to enjoy what I'm given. Sadly it doesn't always work.

And as I recall, you are German, right?  Which means that you sound like you hate everything, even if you don't. 

  Reminds me of that Dana Carvey bit about Germans who say nice things