Worst album of your favorite band/artist?

[Max Kuehnau]

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. 

Correct. Germans are portrayed as cranky and picky (I am). And I always analyse things (musically) before I then subsequently enjoy them (if I can, I'm currently relearning to enjoy things as were). BTW: everything Monty Python say about Germans is correct. Don't mention  the war.

[DTA]

Coheed & Cambria - No World For Tomorrow. I still like it quite a bit but this one feels the least inspired out of them.

[krands85]

I'm on a bit of a bad run with some of my favourite bands over recent years, with the fact that the latest album by a lot of them is probably my least favourite - or certainly one of my least favourite.

Haken - Vector
Tesseract - Sonder
Anathema - The Optimist
Leprous - Malina
Deftones - Gore
Symphony X - Underworld
Redemption - Long Night's Journey Into Day

Most of those are still enjoyable, but I just don't like them as much as previous work. Album length, change of vocalist and lack of real standout tracks are among some of the reasons for me not liking them as much I think.

[KevShmev]

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.

That would be bottom 3 for me, but there is a youthfulness and charm about the debut that is far more appealing than anything from Test for Echo, which sounds like an album by guys who are tired and a bit out of ideas.  I like the album, but it was the only Rush album the band ignored for the last 10 years of their touring lives for a reason.

[Crow]

Leprous - Malina

honk

[jjrock88]

Queensryche- DTC (just terrible)

Judas Priest- Nostradamus (it would be drastically better if it was condensed to a single album)

Rush- S&A (its ok, but pretty boring overall)

Dio- Angry Machines (just can't get into this one at all)

Kiss- Carnival of Souls (grungy isn't my thing and doesn't fit Kiss)

Van Halen - 3 (actually not bad but "How Many Say I" is probably the worst of the VH catalog)

[Stadler]

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.

That would be bottom 3 for me, but there is a youthfulness and charm about the debut that is far more appealing than anything from Test for Echo, which sounds like an album by guys who are tired and a bit out of ideas.  I like the album, but it was the only Rush album the band ignored for the last 10 years of their touring lives for a reason.

The lyrics are so good, though. 

[KevShmev]

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.

That would be bottom 3 for me, but there is a youthfulness and charm about the debut that is far more appealing than anything from Test for Echo, which sounds like an album by guys who are tired and a bit out of ideas.  I like the album, but it was the only Rush album the band ignored for the last 10 years of their touring lives for a reason.

The lyrics are so good, though.

They are mostly good (although Dog Years is obviously a bit of a WTF lyrically, and Driven is rather ordinary), but a far cry from what he was writing for most of the 80's and into the 90's.  I maintain that his lyrical peak was from 1980-1993.

[TAC]

You think Roll The Bones lyrically was good? last I checked, Presto was released in the 80's.

[KevShmev]

Roll the Bones and Presto are both loaded with lyrical gems: The Pass, Bravado, Dreamline, Available Light, Presto, Roll the Bones (ignore the rap if you don't like it, the lyrics to the normal part of the song are great), etc.

[jammindude]

Rush - Roll the Bones
DT - Systematic Chaos
Haken - Vector
Odd Logic - Penny for Your Thoughts
Pain of Salvation - Rock Salt I
Porcupine Tree - On the Sunday of Life
Fates Warning - FWX (yes...even moreso than Night on Brocken)
Iron Maiden - Virtual XI
Savatage - Fight for the Rock
Genesis - Invisible Touch
Led Zeppelin - In Through the Out Door (Coda is a bit more of a posthumous collection of B-sides than a proper "album" so I don't count that)
Pink Floyd - Ummagumma
Primus - Green Naugahyde
Queensryche - Dedicated to Chaos
Riverside - Wasteland (though the material was much better live)
Shadow Gallery - Shadow Gallery
Steven Wilson - To the Bone
Tool - Undertow (it's still excellent...just speaks to the strength of the other 3 albums)
Voivod - Rrroooaaarrr
IQ - (not including the PL albums) Dark Matter....but this is the hardest band to choose a "worst" from on my entire list.  It's all so amazing.

Looking back, it says quite a bit that IQ was by far the most difficult decision.   Every other band had an obvious slam dunk choice.  Either because it was outright terrible (DT, PT, QR), or because it was grossly outshined by the rest of the catalog (Tool, Haken)

[Stadler]

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.

That would be bottom 3 for me, but there is a youthfulness and charm about the debut that is far more appealing than anything from Test for Echo, which sounds like an album by guys who are tired and a bit out of ideas.  I like the album, but it was the only Rush album the band ignored for the last 10 years of their touring lives for a reason.

The lyrics are so good, though.

They are mostly good (although Dog Years is obviously a bit of a WTF lyrically, and Driven is rather ordinary), but a far cry from what he was writing for most of the 80's and into the 90's.  I maintain that his lyrical peak was from 1980-1993.

Did I misunderstand? I thought the original comment was about the debut album, with Rutsey.   And I was being a little tongue in cheek about the lyrics on that album.  Well, a lot tongue in cheek.  All tongue, to be honest.

[KevShmev]

Haha, okay.

The lyrics to the Rush debut are to be taken with a grain of salt since Geddy had to write them on the fly since Rutsey threw his away on the day they were set to start recording. 

[The Walrus]

Haha, okay.

The lyrics to the Rush debut are to be taken with a grain of salt since Geddy had to write them on the fly since Rutsey threw his away on the day they were set to start recording.

Is that true?? That's cool!

[pg1067]

Haha, okay.

The lyrics to the Rush debut are to be taken with a grain of salt since Geddy had to write them on the fly since Rutsey threw his away on the day they were set to start recording.

Is that true?? That's cool!

''

I've never heard that.  In this interview -- https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rushs-alex-lifeson-on-40-years-of-2112-it-was-our-protest-album-177351/ -- Lifeson said, "Around the first record, John Rutsey, our original drummer, was the lyricist, but for some weird reason, he didn’t want to use his lyrics on all these songs that we had his lyrics on when we went into the studio.  It was really strange; he was a very, very odd guy sometimes.  So Geddy and I put together the lyrics."

I wonder if there are pre-recording live versions of any of the songs with the original Rutsey lyrics.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Haha, okay.

The lyrics to the Rush debut are to be taken with a grain of salt since Geddy had to write them on the fly since Rutsey threw his away on the day they were set to start recording.

Is that true?? That's cool!

''

I've never heard that.  In this interview -- https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rushs-alex-lifeson-on-40-years-of-2112-it-was-our-protest-album-177351/ -- Lifeson said, "Around the first record, John Rutsey, our original drummer, was the lyricist, but for some weird reason, he didn’t want to use his lyrics on all these songs that we had his lyrics on when we went into the studio.  It was really strange; he was a very, very odd guy sometimes.  So Geddy and I put together the lyrics."

I wonder if there are pre-recording live versions of any of the songs with the original Rutsey lyrics.

If I'm not mistaken, the lyrics to Garden Road are John Rutsey's. I cant confirm this, but I seem to remember someone mentioning that at one point. Perhaps over at Rushisaband?

[ThatOneGuy2112]

The Mars Volta - Octahedron
To me, their weakest and least remarkable release. Not bad by a long shot, but it's essentially an entire album in the vein of their "single" or "ballad" tracks off of their other albums.

David Bowie - Never Let Me Down
At least Tonight had some catchy songs, this album was generally a boring slog.

Dream Theater - The Astonishing
I've expressed my distaste for this album too many times than I care to count, but it's just too long and too uninteresting both instrumentally and conceptually.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - "Luciferian Towers"
As a big defender of Asunder, Sweet, this one was a bit of a let down. Just sounds like Godspeed going through the motions.

King Crimson - Three of a Perfect Pair
A less interesting version of the previous two albums. Not a bad album, but Fripp has clearly done better, even in this phase of the band's career.

Yes - Heaven & Earth
I can't even remember half of what I listened to here. Just sleep-inducing soft prog.

Agalloch - The Serpent & The Sphere
This came across as fairly generic folk metal as far as Agalloch goes. Some of the songs just drag on and on and with little pay off.

[LCArenas]

• Dream Theater-When Dream and Day Unite. It actually has some incredible songs. If it had JLB on vocals and I&W's production, BC&SL would take this spot.
• Metallica-St. Anger. I see Lulu as more of a Lou Reed album or even a separate project within itself. Again, this album has its pearls. I can't talk about it without talking about how good the fan made 2015 version sounds instead, but the overlong repetitive meaningless songs, the Murky C tuning and the infamous Lars Trash Can buries this album to the ground.
• Anathema-Serenades. I'm more of a fan of their post-Eternity sound, so there's that. This isn't as enticing as Silent Enigma nor as original as Crestfallen and Pentecost III. My favorite song is J'ai fait une promesse, and it's even sung by a guest vocalist! This was the main proof these guys weren't playing in the right genre.
• Alter Bridge - The Last Hero. Man I wish there wasn't a last place for AB's discography, but there has to be. AB III was more hit-or-miss but it had incredible moments all throughout, moments that I couldn't really find in TLH save for maybe Writing on the Wall. It still kicks ass, it's just that the other albums have way more repeat value.

[Buddyhunter1]

Dream Theater - The Astonishing
I've expressed my distaste for this album too many times than I care to count, but it's just too long and too uninteresting both instrumentally and conceptually.

Agalloch - The Serpent & The Sphere
This came across as fairly generic folk metal as far as Agalloch goes. Some of the songs just drag on and on and with little pay off.

Agreed on both of these.

[senecadawg2]

The ones that immediately come to mind:

Anathema - The Optimist
Agalloch - The Serpent and the Sphere
Dream Theater - Dream Theater
Rush - Snakes and Arrows
Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan
Tool - 10,000 Days
Porcupine Tree - On a Sunday...
Steven Wilson as a solo artist - To the Bone
Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

[ProfessorPeart]

Rush - Hold Your Fire
Opeth - Heritage
Iron Maiden - No Prayer For The Dying
Yes - Tales, Open Your Eyes
DT - A Dramatic Turn Of Events, The Astonishing

That's off the top of my head.

[JLa]

Dream Theater - The Astonishing
I just can't get into the story, and the music has too many mid-tempo, ballad-ish tracks to my liking.

Porcupine Tree - On the Sunday of Life
Ok, so it has "Nine Cats" and "Radioactive Toy". The rest of it sounds like a overly long acid trip. Drugs are bad, mmmmkay?

Opeth - Heritage onwards
Oh, Mikael... why.

Pain of Salvation - Be
Another concept album with a weird story and non-interesting music. Iter Impius is nice.

Transatlantic - The Whirlwind
Can't remember anything from this one! Absolutely adore SMPTe and BAF, so this one was quite the letdown.

Think that's it, if we're only talking about favorite bands / artists.

[SoundscapeMN]

^agree on everyone of those except Be. Although The Whirlwind or Kaleidoscope?..I just find they are more less The Flower Kings with different names. SMPTe and BAF however are absolute classics. Lightining-in-a-bottle theory..I wish they'd made 1 more record just after BAF.

[Max Kuehnau]

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

I had to chuckle. Good on you mate. Seriously.

[The Walrus]

  Win!

[Anxiety35]

Dream Theater - The Astonishing
Ozzy Osbourne - Black Rain
Metallica - St. Anger
Alice in Chains - self titled
Corrosion of Conformity - Eye for an Eye
Pantera - Reinventing the Steel

[Crow]

Tool - Fear Inoculum

[Zook]

Iced Earth - Dystopia

And I'm about to buy it a third time because I'm an album completist when it comes to this band, but sold it the first time because I was so disappointed with it, and when I bought it a second time, it didn't have the sticker...

[jingle.boy]

DT - The Astonishing.  Hands down the easiest pick.

Now... forgetting that "worst" is relative, and doesn't necessarily mean "bad" or "disliked".  Also, I'm limiting my "favorite" bands with more than 5 albums, and those whom I own the entire discography.

Zeppelin - Presence
Rush - Caress of Steel
Iron Maiden - Blaze albums (with No Prayer hot on their heels)
Symphony X - s/t
Spock's Beard - Noise Floor
Evergrey - Monday Morning Apocalypse
Threshold - Wounded Land
Pink Floyd - oh, where to start ... Ummagumma is as good an answer.  But basically, anything pre-Meddle

I like Test for Echo.

[Tomislav95]

DT - Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Iron Maiden - Fear of the Dark
Mastodon - Remission
Leprous - Coal
Riverside - Rapid Eye Movement
Dire Straits - On Every Street
Brand New - Your Favorite Weapons
Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit
Woods of Ypres - Woods III
The Smiths - The Smiths

[King Postwhore]

Damn Chad, I like Noise Floor a ton. For SB it would be the self titled. Not bad but lowest of all the Beards for me.

[KevShmev]

I think Noise Floor and the self-titled album are the two least best for sure, but nothing on Noise Floor is as great as With Your Kiss (one of my favorite songs of the NDV-led era), so I will give the self-titled the nod on the strength alone of that song. 

[ReaperKK]

Dredg - chuckles and mr squeezy. I wanted to like the album so badly but it felt so different from their other albums. I know the history behind the record but they still released it as a dredg album so it gets my vote.

[ytserush]

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.

So am I. That's a great album (as are all of them.)

[Max Kuehnau]

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.

So am I. That's a great album (as are all of them.)

that's probably true, but imagine Neil Peart on it though, how much better that would have been.