The results remind us all how even the best musicians around can make fatal mistakes and release some truly awful music.
Thanks for all your nominations and votes. If you think other readers missed any worthy entrants out, or if you disagree and want to defend one of the acts, let us know in the comments.
10. Green Day "21st Century Breakdown" (2009)
It was always going to be hard for Green Day to top the success of its wildly popular "American Idiot". Critics poked fun at the directionless storyline but most fans just wished it sounded better.
9. Megadeath "Risk" (1999)
Lars Ulrich once said Dave Mustaine should take more risks with his music. The result was Dave taking a risk, and a bunch of fans decided it sucked and that he should play it safe next time. The same could apply to his press strategy.
8. Iron Maiden "Virtual XI" (1998)
The final album to be recorded with singer Blaze Bayley. Allmusic put it best: "On the surface, there's nothing terribly wrong with the record, as it delivers all the crunching riffs and demonic horror of their best records. The problem is that there's nothing memorable about the hooks, riffs, or songs, and there's little visceral energy to the music or production. As a result, it sounds lifeless to all but the most devoted fan."
7. Linkin Park "A Thousand Suns" (2010)
This multi-concept album about nuclear warfare. Some critics loved the album, with one outlet going as far as saying it was the equivalent of Radiohead's "Kid A" (Ha! Not a chance!) but others called it over-indulgent, melodramatic and full of recycled ideas. Classic Linkin Park then! Trololol.
6. Lou Reed "Metal Machine Music" (1975)
Lou Reed deserves praise for his early career. Those Velvet Underground tracks are rad, but this is something completely different. It's a bunch of buzzing, wild, machine-driven art, and there's something commendable about that approach, but ultimately music has to sound good for a lot of people to enjoy it. Whether it's worse than his collaboration with Metallica is debatable.
5. Guns N' Roses "Chinese Democracy" (2008)
You'd expect the most expensive album ever produced to sound better than this. $13 million dollars and 14 years of production, and it still disappointed everyone. What do you expect when you indulge someone like Axl Rose for that long?
4. Chris Cornell "Scream" (2009)
Chris proved his worth as a vocalist with Soundgarden, but his pop collaboration with Timbaland was totally uncalled for. Some people liked it, but they probably weren't rock fans. Like Billboard said: "Sometimes it's good bizarre, other times it's bad bizarre."
3. Spinal Tap "Shark Sandwich" (1980)
"Sh-t sandwich," said one review. Alright, so it's a fake album by a fake band, but the reviews speak for themselves. Watch the classic Spinal Tap clip here to find out why this is their worst release.
2. Metallica & Lou Reed "Lulu" (2011)
We still can't get over how bad this was. You know, before that first sample came out, we at UG thought it could turn out to be something special. That was until the first demo came out with James Hetfield shouting something about being a table, and Lou Reed sound fifty times worse than even the harshest critic imagined. This should have been number one.
1. Aldous Snow "African Child" (2009)
Another fictional entry. Does this even count? Was Aldous Snow any good before his ill-fated release of "African Child"? Meh. It's funny, and your winner. Enjoy.
That's the end of our roundup of the worst releases by great bands. Did we miss anything? Who would you give a special mention for letting down their fans? Let us know in the comments.
Risk it a terrible album, but I still think Trust is a good song. Megadeth has released some shit albums and shit songs, but their worst doesn't compare to Metallica's worst. Even excluding Lulu, Load and Re-load are pretty poopy.
Trust isn't on Risk, it's on Cryptic Writings, which is a pretty good album. However, I wouldn't put Risk here. It's got good songs, really. Sure it doesn't really sound much like Megadeth. So that's why it's fair to have it here on the list.
St. Anger wasn't really that bad. Actually, if the sound quality wasn't so shitty, songs like Frantic would be quite memorable. Actually, they are, anyway. Lulu, on the other hand, was a failure on so many levels that it's almost impossible...
I actually think that it's their most recent decent album. They failed to bring back their old flame on Death Magnetic and mixed with the sound quality on that, made it a worse album for me. St. Anger has actually probably been their most creative and best album since Justice or black album.
What's really good about it is the lyrics and the music. They really capture the feeling of rage and depression that the band was going through. However, the production was awful. Lars' snare drum being the major gripe. The guitar sounds could have been a little more refined, and I felt the clean guitar parts could have been a little less...convoluted? Muddy? I don't know what to say, it just sounds like there's too much going on (Listen to the clean parts in "St. Anger" and "All Within My Hands" to see what I mean).
Another thing is James' vocals. He was mediocre at best, and it sounded like he was trying too hard to hit high notes, resulting in voice cracks and straining. If he was trying to do that, again, to highlight the panicked and angry tone of the album, then he shouldn't have. The lyrics and music were enough for that.
In my opinion, St. Anger is a good album, but you have to be in the right mood for it.
Or maybe because St.Anger isn't that bad of an album, it's just bad for metallica. If it was released by some lesser known band it would probably have been well recieved.
Just like how Chinese Democracy wasn't an Appetite clone and old GnR fans were superbutthurt. It would have been a good album by any other band, in fact it's a good GnR album if you think of it as an overproduced-Use Your Illusion III
This may be an unpopular opinion but I actually liked "Lulu" and I consider some of Metallica's best work, right up there with Kill 'em All. I don't really like metal though, so that may explain it.
Not as cool as you, man. Your stunning portentousness exudes from your pores.
If I may elaborate - pompously looking down your nose with an insolent impudence, judging other people with brevity based on the music they listen to, is one of the most alluring traits my mind can grasp.
Man, i have got to get your number. You are a riot! Maybe you can teach me where to find all them big, fancy words so i can sound smarter. Oh, and maybe you can teach me how to be just as judgemental of a person's opinion, but at the same time, act like i'm all high and mighty and above everyone elses thoughts. This'll be fun! That number please...
I agree. People don't respect other people's opinions. Music is all about taste and there's no such thing as "bad music." Music can be considered bad if there are many people that hate it (Justin Bieber for example). But still it doesn't make it objectively bad. There are people that like it. It's all about taste, nothing else. And I'm trying to respect everybody's work because I know they want to do it more than anything. For somebody reading books/playing soccer/maths is as entertaining as for me is playing the guitar/listening to music. And I respect it because what can you do to it if you like it.
Yeah, I agree. I'm not fan of radio pop. But I still kind of respect the artists. So my point is: It's OK if you don't like it but it doesn't make the music objectively bad. And yeah, IMO radio stations ruin songs when they overplay them. And yeah, I think mainstream pop pretty much sucks and every song sounds the same but I try not to talk crap about them (especially in the comments section). I just don't listen to it if I don't like it. And some of the Justin Bieber etc. hate is just jumping on the bandwagon. Also people who say that "pop music" sucks have no idea about what pop is. It's as wide genre as rock or metal. There are lots of rock/metal bands that suck IMO and I can't stand their music. And there is pop music that I like. For example Michael Jackson is great. You can't say that one genre sucks. There are always good and not so good bands, no matter what genre.
Scream did have some good tracks, The Title track (and the Doctor Rosen Remix of it), Enemy, Never Far Away (original and rock version), As Hope and Promise Fade/Two Drink Minimum, Lost Cause (Bonus Track - should have been on the album)
How do you consider it their best work, among with kill em all, - if you don't like metal ? You consider it some of their best stuff next to something you don't like..
I like "Lulu" mainly for the lyrics and Lou Reed's singing. I like "Kill 'em All" for it's guitar tone and the aggressive speed of songs like "Whiplash". Also, I'm a huge fan of punk and I can see a lot of the influence from bands like Discharge and the Misfits on that album.
I like some of it, but for the most part I can't get into a lot of it. I don't enjoy long, technical lead guitar parts and the way a lot of metal fans act has put me off of it. Punk and hardcore have all of the parts of metal I like and none that I don't and from my experience the fans are a lot more fun to be around.
I actually kind of liked Lulu, as well. Metallica's best work? Probably not. But it was interesting and different. Seems like most people weren't willing to accept "different" over "more of the same." Which is usually what you see with most metal fans.
Calm down, the OP obviously just got a little mixed up with his words.
What he actually meant to say was not 'Lulu' but 'The Call of Ktulu', in other words he loves 'Ride the Lightning' and considers it some of Metallica's best work.
Here is how i put it. Of the earlier albums, meaning Killing through youthanasia, my fav is so far, so good...so what. Of the Middle Age Megadeth, Cryptic Writings through World needs a hero, my fav is Risk. Of the new incarnation my fav is united abominations
I don't care what any of you think; Chinese Democracy is a great album, and I wasn't disappointed by it.
I'd bet that most people who voted it up here never gave it a fair chance, if they even listened to it at all. Most people write it off immediately because "it doesn't have Slash" or the rest of the original band, some people judge it with the time and money it took to release in mind(sidenote: Axl had most of those songs done for years , but the record label kept making him rework them), but have you ever listened to it with no biases or preconceived notions? If you still don't like it after that, fine, but most people who give it a fair shot see it as a collection of songs that are decent or better, with a few tracks that probably could have been left off (or at least not reworked a thousand times).
By the way, the song they put up here is a great choice from that album, and I bet most people here haven't heard it. I don't see how you can like the stuff like November Rain from the Use Your Illusion albums and not like Street of Dreams.
It would be better if they had linked to the studio version of the song, seeing as how that's what they're talking about -- the album, not the live performances.
But it does sound like Guns N' Roses. Like it or not, that band is GN'R now, and they have been for years. However, beside that point, half of the stuff on here sounds closer to a lot of the ideas Axl brought into the Use Your Illusion albums than anything else in the band's catalog.
It sounds nothing like Appetite For Destruction, sure, but neither did Lies, Use Your Illusion, or "The Spaghetti Incident?". I think that UYI is the perfect bridge between the sound of AFD and Chinese Democracy.
However, again, beside that point, if you're listening to it expecting it to sound like the original GN'R, that's one of those prejudices that I was talking about. You don't listen to x , expecting it to sound like y .
well you're completely right in saying that I went in with a pre decided judgement, but i was also looking forward to seeing what Axl had with (or too) the GnR name and style, and to be perfectly honest: I didn't like it.. not as a GnR album and not as any other kind of album..
It funny how if a band loses original members through death, people still love the band. But if they lose members through disagreements, fights, etc., then people trot out the "it's not even the same band" arguments. The result is the same though; it's not (technically) the same guys.
I realize there are exceptions, like those who say Metallica was never the same after Cliff died, but you get my point. Lynyrd Skynyrd still tours and people go out to see them, even though only one guy remains from the original line-up. I don't ever recall anyone saying, "oh that's not Lynyrd Skynyrd anymore", or throwing as much hatred toward that band.
A lot of people point at the G'n'R vitriol being directed at Axl because he's kind of a Richard. Perhaps if he were a nicer guy, everyone would accept the new line-up better?
Guns N' Roses = Axl Rose. There are no other original members than him (and by original members I mean AFD members). And really, you expect a band have their sound. Like when Metallica released Load and Reload, people didn't like them because they didn't sound what people thought Metallica sounded like. Same with Lulu and St Anger. If those albums were released by some new band, they might be better in people's mind. A band should always do something new on their albums but still not completely lose their sound.
I hate when people defend chinese democracy, you sound like a half wit GnR fan boy. That album is terrible. GnR is now terrible. Stop comparing one of the greatest rock bands in history with this new axle and buds show. Axle wrote almost none of the best songs from GnR (most were Izzy actually), and (big shocker here), he still can't write a good song.
Actually, Axl Rose had part in writing almost all of their material (including most of their best material). Izzy wrote some great ones by himself, but the majority of their material was written by Izzy and Axl together/collaboratively, before being further developed by the whole band.
Axl Rose was (and still is) a great lyricist and songwriter, but I don't think anyone claims that he was the sole entity behind any Guns N' Roses material, aside from the bare bones of November Rain and Estranged. They were one of those bands that, while everyone in the band is/was great at what they do, they were so much better together than they could have been on their own. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, if you will.
You could not be more wrong. I've been a GNR fan for 25 years, and I liked the Chinese Democracy album. If they'd tried re-writing AFD everytime they put out a new release, they would fail.
Yes, Izzy did a lot of the writing on the AFD album which just listed the writing credits as "Guns N Roses", but on the UYI albums all contributors were listed and Axl wrote just as much, if not more of those albums than Izzy did.
Appettite for Destruction is good. Use Your Illusion I & II are good. Chinese Democracy is good. They are all very different, but they are all good.
Amen sir, I am a huge Guns Fan and right now it's probably my favorite album by them, the solos alone are excellent. So many great moments on that album but no one is willing to give it a chance, their loss.
Yup it was decent. The only problem I had was some overuse of auto tune that went into robot territory. Sure his voice might not be what it was, but that live performance of street of dreams sounds better than the auto tuned album version.
Still once you get past that, there are some good songs on there.
I'm not completely sure that there was any auto-tune on that album, and if there was, it was likely used purposefully as a vocal effect.
Axl Rose is what you would call a perfectionist, and he wouldn't take a bad vocal track and manipulate it until the pitches were right; he would do it over and over until he got it right.
The only real problems I had with it, aside from a couple songs that I just don't like, was the overuse of the synthesizers and drum filters, etc. (i.e., overproduction - which according to Axl, was mainly the fault of the record company for making him add to the songs and rework them so many times).
I listened to it 5 times. Once when i got it, I HATED it. The next year i gave it a chance, still hated it. The third time was on a dare, got through 4 songs. the fourth time i listened completely just to analyze how buckethead could put some great riffs down. the fifth time was just the only time ienjoyed it. it took me 4 years to like this album, so i say it pretty much sucks
Yeah, I had the "old timer" philosophy of "it's not the original band so it has to suck!" before and its poor sales didn't help sway me, but I think the new GN'R has some great talent (personalities and attitudes are something else entirely). Like, I used to disown the little-known "other Aerosmith(s)" from 1979-1984, but when I gave it a chance I realized Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay were still really great guitarists with a unique style.
Too true dewitt. I passed it off at the start, waited until it was in the bargain bins before picking it up.
As a long time Gunners fan I'm not afraid to say that I love the album. Sure it's not classic Guns n Roses, but once you get over the realisation that it's more Axl Rose's solo album than anything else it's an awesome rock album.
I totatlly agree! IMO, Oceania was a great Smashing Pumpkins album even though Corgan remained the only original member. Same goes for Chinese Democracy, again in IMO.
Caution: Axl Rose is posting under the name: "dewitt." Dude, teasing... Chinese Democracy wasn't THAT bad, but there was no way it would ever live up to the hype that preceded its release. Slash's post-GnR releases were certainly much better... I have no idea who wrote all of the songs, but I know I've practically "worn-out" my copy of his 2010 "Slash" album...Freaking Iggy Pop on that last song is killer! "...we're all gonna die, so let's get high..." Good post...
I hate it how a lot of Chinese Democracy-fanboys automatically assume that most haters never gave it a fair chance. "Most people who give it a fair shot see it as a collection of songs that are decent or better"; How the hell do you know that?!
I watched that documentary, and despite gaining some more respect for Metallica's position at the time, and understanding why they wrote the music that they did, I still don't like that it,
I gave the whole album a listen about a few times. Some tracks are pretty well done and I did catch myself headbanging a little and some of the tunes were catchy. No, it did not sound like a classic, fast paced Metallica album we all fell in love with before, But I still enjoyed the heavy riffing and power chords. It's not my favorite by them, but I did like it.
"This multi-concept album about nuclear warfare. Some critics loved the album, with one outlet going as far as saying it was the equivalent of Radiohead's "Kid A" (Ha! Not a chance!) but others called it over-indulgent, melodramatic and full of recycled ideas. Classic Linkin Park then! Trololol."
Okay, UG, I will work for you guys for free. Please. In fact, I'll pay you in pictures of hot women. Anything to not have anymore BRILLIANT writing like this passage. I mean, good god. Who seriously puts "trololol" in an article, or in ANYTHING that's supposed to represent a site or, in this case, the users of a site? I'll excuse the "ha, not a chance" bit because, while informal and very opinionated, it's basically how we'd all feel after reading that, but that last bit is just atrocious.
Pretty good list otherwise. I'm not sure why a fictitious entry is even allowed (honorable mention, maybe?), because we don't even know if he truly was a... well... great band?
But oh well. It's still pretty funny that it got first.
Totally true. UG really crossed the line with that one. UG has to realize that they need to maintain an image. Expressing their users opinions is one thing, but expressing your own (especially in such a bitter way) is a fantastic way to lose credibility with actual, signed artists.
Maybe that's why they aren't putting up as many interviews...
And it doesn't matter who wrote the actual article, because whoever it was speaks on behalf of the site, whether they like it or not.
I'm amazed that not one person has brought up "Angles" by The Strokes. Other honorable mentions for me are:
Antipop - Primus
Cosmic Egg - Wolfmother
Oceania - Smashing Pumpkins
Congratulations - MGMT
Bossa Nova - Pixies
About Angles, I loved it the first time I heard it. The more I listened to it, though, the more it slowly got worse and worse. I still love a few songs, but it's not a complete album. It's fairly messy and stale.
As a really really die hard Primus fan, this album is the only album where I only like one or two songs. I don't hate it but Claypool himself said that he wasnt even trying when he made that album.
Yeah I agree. But lists like these are biased for the bands that are most talked about on this website "Iron Maiden, Metallica, Green Day, Rage Against the Machine, etc."
Whoever wrote this article seemed to be kinda trolling the whole time.. too much of their own opinion in presenting it =/ And it backfires because they are all according to this list "great bands"
and just for my own 2 cents
I actually love A Thousand Suns and 21st Century Breakdown because they are so different. Those bands decided to branch out and do something they had never done before. I don't care how popular it was or wasn't, or that it sounded nothing like what they were famous for, but they went for it. That's rock 'n roll.
i never actually heard anything off Lulu until i clicked on the track in this article and holy shit it sounds like going to an open mic and hearing some terrible band play an awful original song
I don't get all the ate for A Thousand Suns. I think it's the most interesting album they've ever done. I had given up on LP after Minutes To Midnight, which I found to be boring and unimpressive. Oh well, to each his own, I guess.
I might be the only person in the world who likes Chinese Democracy, I feel it gets a lot of hate because it isn't a Slash GNR Record, Buckethead, Robin Finck, and Bumblefoot have their own styles, it's like comparing apples to oranges , and for the record I think Axl is a complete douche. and it's pretty impossible to make another record on the levels of Appitite. I like the Industrial tinge to it.
as for St. Anger, the riffs on that album are solid, and when they are that solid I tend to block out the lo-fi drums sound. as for no solos, there are plenty of great metal songs without solos, look up Tool or SOAD. I feel like half the hate comes from people who jumped on the st. anger hate bandwagon. If the riff from some kind of monster or sweet amber doesn't get you pumped, I don't think you really like Heavy music. Also I think Megadeth > Metallica, so totally not a fanboy.
While i don´t mind the drums on that album (i actually started digging it, gives the album a kind of aggresive sound) i personally thought that the song structures tend to fail. There´s some cool riffs and melodies on the album but a lot of the songs are imo a lot longer than they had to be. Just a lot of rather pointless copypasting and borderline confusing songstructures.
Metal Machine Music might be bad in terms of popularity but it did open the floodgates of a new genre called "noise". Even thought most of us dont like the album it is incredibly important for those who like noise.
Also, chinese Democracy is not a bad album and if he had released it under a new band name or as a solo album, the album would have gotten far more praise.
Metal Machine Music was nothing more than Lou trying to stick it to his label. Please don't give it any more credibility than that, it didn't open any floodgates for anything.
Chinese Democracy.....geez. as a Guns fan, i tried to like that album. listened to it 10 times and, awful, just awful. If Axl had "most" of those songs written years before, it just shows the songs were not very good to begin with. if 14 years of re-tweeking these songs couldn`t make them good, nothing ever would. Spaghetti Incident could`ve been on this list too, just sayin.`
Risk and Virtual XI, really? Did anyone actually listen to the albums? :p
I know that Virtual XI features the dreadful Angel and the gambler, but also cool songs like the educated fool, lightning strikes twice, como estais amigos and The Clansman. Risk is just plain good, defineately a change in direction, but it still features some pretty damn solid songs. Seven, Wanderlust, Prince of Darkness, Time: the end, Ecstacy, The Doctor is Calling and so on. Just my opinion ofcourse, but very surprised to see these two albums featured.
I think Risk is a good album. It just doesn't sound like Megadeth. So that makes it a bad Megadeth album. If it was released as a Dave Mustaine solo album people probably wouldn't hate on it so much. The Doctor is Calling is one of my favorite songs.
yep, the clansman alone should disqualify it from the list cos it's a brilliant song. makes me wanna go out in a kilt and start slicing people's heads off with a claymore
I expect nothing less than you morons at UG to vote Chinese Democracy to be on this list. The musicianship on this record is outstanding. I'm a massive fan of Slash and original GNR; they are the reason I picked up the guitar. But in all truthfulness it is a blessing Slash wasn't on this record because the intricacy of the guitar work isn't something he could have duplicated. You bandwagoners who never gave that record a real chance make me sick to my stomach. Do yourselves a huge favor: take your ears out of your ass, forget that the name GNR is on the cover, and give it an honest listen. If you are a true guitar player you can at the very least appreciate the guitar work on this album.
Oh, and not to mention you guys didn't add the album version which sounds completely different than that crappy live version. I saw him recently and I can tell you his voice sounds much better live these days.
I expect nothing less than a moronic 12 year old like yourself to like an album that is so chock full of crappy shallow, pedantic, and uninspired music. I streamed the whole album when it came out, and didn't like one song. And the guitar work is shit and you know it. So just because it sounds more technical than Slash it's better? Please get over yourself. Slash became the one of the greatest guitar players in the world in the late 80's by not being a technical guitar wanker who just slams his face into his strings. He actually "wrote" good music. Something this whole album lacks.
Listen here you feeble minded piece of dog turd. Stop putting words in my mouth and listen to what I am saying. Here's some perspective for you: 1) Slash is my all time favorite guitarist. 2) In no way do I award one guitarist prominence over another for technical skill. I find guitarists like Michael Angelo Batio impressive, but boring. Chinese Democracy showcases guitar work filled with soul AND superior technical ability. Here are some examples: (it's funny as I listen to all the songs to show you..I'm having a hard time picking because there are so few that are mainly technically proficient. Literally ALL I can find is solos full of heart stopping soul.
I agree people are just judging cause of the name not the music. This is a ****ing awesome album. And to those who dont know Buckethead co wrote lots of the songs.
Lulu definetly earned its spot. You have to remeber though that Lulu is a Lou Reed album featuring Metallica, not the other way around. Even though it was terrible I still respect Metallica for doing it. Not that many bands would go that far out of their genre.
I'm not even a huge Linkin Park fan, but I honestly believe that A Thousand Suns is their best album by far. It's the only album that sounds like they attempted to make something different and that doesn't focus around whiny personal lyrics
The whole album is whiny personal lyrics "god bless us everyone?" are you kidding me? Linkin park has the same problem as everyone else who has an album in this list. They are nothing but a bunch of bitchy millionaires who write uninspired crap because they have no hardships in their life anymore. Do I buy another lambo or a ferrari this year? hmmmm, rough decisions being rich.
not sure about green day but Linkin Park is great dude ( plz dont an argue about that i dont understand real music because i listen to lots of artists from Bob Marley to As i Lay Dying :L
green day is a great artist too. by your avatar and screen name, i'd guess you like metal. if its personal taste thats fine, but they are an incredibly ambitious rock band, something that don't seem to be around anymore. the music is well written and catchy and they are insane live. and as the other comment, i listen to a wide range of music, from the beatles to metallica, so i am a legimate music fan, not some fanboy
21st centurary for real?? id personally consider that one of the best, yes i know it had some shite songs but the good ones weigh out the bad ones, if u guys were gonna do green day, id say dookie but thats just me i guess
no, they aren't. they have a few decent, catchy songs, but they are a mediocre band. if you think Green Day is a great band, then you don't know the meaning of the word "great".
don't question my intelligence you little prick. green day are an incredibly ambitious rock band who have incredibly well written songs and have sustained popularity for more than 20 years. go **** yourself you dumb mother****er
jesus, you're avatar name is little boy. you sure as hell are acting like one. or do you like little boys. yeahhh thats probably it,you're probably a pedophile
I don't think Lulu should be there (not because I enjoy it) but because I think it was more of a side project than a real Metallica album. I accept they wanted to try a different thing and they did.
Virtual XI, well, I love it. It has really great songs. Different too, but really good. It's not the same without Dickinson, but Bailey has his own signature voice and makes this record really unique.
A Thousand Suns and 21st Century Breakdown were amazing albums if ur too lazy to listen to new stuff or ur stuck in 10 year ago its ur problem not the album problem
Chinese Democracy is an amazing album if you take it purely for what it is and ignore the "it's not real GnR" take and the expectations that were impossible for anything to live up to. Risk isn't that bad an album either, just completely un-Megadeth. And seriously, African Child? I'm getting tired of every list having a joke at the end.
The "A thousand suns" album by Linkin Park was the worst album I have ever heard. There was 2 okish songs on the album, and the rest consisted of crappy songs, ambient noise, and speeches.
-Risk may not be the thrashy album Megadeth is known for but it is a great album.
-I guess i am "hardcore" Maiden fan because i like Virtual XI? i dont think so. i do think that i appreciate good maiden regardless.
-Listened to chinese democracy 5 time since it came out. each time was a different experience. still hate it all the same.
What the hell, i loved Virtual XI. i mean yeah, blaze was no bruce by any means, but futereal, lightnings strikes twice, the clansman, and angel and the gambler were all great songs in my opinion. If anything, The X factor (the other blaze album) was much worse than virtual.
Instead of jokey not-real albums by not-real bands, I'd have included the Clash's "Cut The Crap", RHCP's "One Hot Minute", The Velvet Underground's "Squeeze", or Gang Of Four's "Hard" instead.
Yeah UG could do the same thing when it comes to make treads related to top 10 of artists and such. Like seriously, its okay that mustaine screws up a lot, but UG screwed up a shitload more of times than him....
You're first comment sounded a lot more intelligent than your second. It just screams "self righteous" douche, i say that while agreeing with the point you are trying to make btw.
Ouch some serious hate on Lou Reed!!! I knew Lulu was going to be on the list, figured it would be number one thought. Not too sure how I feel about the fictional bands as I always saw stuff like Spinal Tap as a HUGE spoof/mockery.
Highlight of this thread is buddy using all the big words to sound smart, its the internet man nobody cares so stop trying so hard and dont feed the trolls, it makes life sooo much easier.
yeah honestly, 21st Century Breakdown is a great record. its really the first time green day used piano and string arrangements to full effect. the lyrics are great as always and the guitars are just as punchy and fast as usual. its just different. i mean yeah it was never gonna outdo American idiot, but it hardly belongs on this list
Im sorry but I LOVED Chinese Democracy. I do agree that maybe it should be under Axl Rose not Gn R but cmon Buckethead did a hell of a job on this album and i think Axl is a genius besides his craziness, just my opinion.
Buckethead contributed some amazing guitar work on this album, as he does on most everything he puts out. Sadly, the Slash fan boys will do anything to put it down, resorting to the usual "he doesn't play with feeling" excuse, which couldn't be more untrue. Their loss really.
WTF 21st century breakdown was a great album, come on It even won a grammy for best rock album. I would agree that the singles chosen were not the best, but the album itself is solid. I honestly liked 16 of the 17 legitimate tracks the album had. If that isn't good , i don't know what is
grammy aside, that was a great rock record. people just expect great bands to churn out the same stuff they always do. thats probably why this is on here
I'm a big Cornell fanboy but Scream wasn't all that bad, it was a mostly well written album with horrible production. The songs performed acoustically are marvelous. There are some shitty ones for sure (Watch Out and Part Of Me, ugh) but overall it isn't all that bad. I think he had good reasons for doing it too, he had always loved R&B and was influenced by stuff like that, he just had children and wanted something they could listen to and like, and he always changes his style with every record. I'm not a fan of it I don't hold it against him.
Well, it includes their biggest hit so I wouldn't say it's the worst album by them. The Elder is their worst album if you ask the band and I think their opinion is what matters the most. If they feel like they failed, then they really failed.
solid point... can't argue that. I can forgive a lot to bands that have done albums that aren't very good or "experimental." But I believe that you cross a line when you a band makes ****ing disco songs. At least the other albums were still Rock/Metal.
Yes, I got your point. And I have to agree. Dynasty was the album where they changed their style to more pop and it wasn't pure rock any more. It was kind of the album where they lost their balls. Kiss is a rock band, not a disco band. And "I Was Made for Loving You" is soooo overplayed song.
Yeah, I'm not saying it's a bad album. It just was the album where their downhill started. I mean, the song isn't that bad, it isn't just what you would expect from rock band Kiss. It's a disco song and pretty good and very catchy. Just overplayed. And the solo could be a bit longer.
I might get hate for this, but I don't care; In Through the Out Door and Presence, Led Zeppelin. Zeppelin are probably my favorite band, but those albums as a whole just make me cringe. Whomever introduced Jimmy Page to reverb should be shot.
presence yes, in through the out door no, just because of Fool In the Rain and South Bound Suarez, the drumming in fool in the rain alone makes up for the rest of the album. but presence sucks.
Having listened to the Virtual XI several times (because I really wanted to enjoy the album, big Maiden fan) I can confidently say that the album is terrible and it's place on this list is just...
Virtual XI?! Of course, more hate directed at Blaze just for not being Bruce. Nobody who voted for it bothered to give the album even half a listen. Not the greatest masterpiece you'll ever hear, but definitely the best and most consistent record Maiden put out in the 90s, and by FAR the best thing on this list.
Yeah, I did, and I saw a few others. Not a good album, but VH doesn't seem as popular on UG as the rest of the bands on the list, number 1 notwithstanding, so I doubt many people on here heard it, or thought of it immediately. They aren't missing much.
I'm sick of the hate Chinese Democracy gets. Worst thing is, there are probably people putting it down and they never even heard it before. But I guess its cool to hate it and go with the crowd. You had to know they (Axl) wasn't going to release another Appetite for Destruction. I think that is what many people were expecting. You had to know it was going to sound roughly similar to what you got with the record. There are hints of stuff on it that sound a bit like the Use You Illusion records. It was going to be very diverse and musically advanced than the basic rock song. I very much liked the album. I'm glad Axl put it out and if no one else is going to enjoy than I am.
Agree... "...my lifestyle determines my deathstyle..." Then repeat it 10 times. Yick. I had never felt so let down by a band. It was even worse then when KISS came out with that gawd-awful disco song ("...do do do dah do dah do do do, do dah do dah do dah do...") At least Ace threw in a decent solo. I remember waiting for St Anger and finally getting it. I sat down, threw the video disc in the laptop and listened in horror. I thought, "Wow, my computer speakers suck. It makes this sound awful." I tried headphones and it was actually worse. I thought, "Well, this must be the rough-cut, behind-the-scenes, making-of version. The music CD will be the real thing." Nope. I'm one of three people in the world who actually liked "Load" and "Re-Load." Kirk finally learned some new licks and adopted a bluesy style. His prior concert extended solos were kind of boring to me. I thought the blues style gave his playing a little more soul. Of course, Kirk's worst playing is better than anything I have ever done and will probably ever do. And, he made more money today than I will make in my lifetime. I'm okay with that. But, St Anger still sucked. Ha!
My generation is zero, I never made it as a working class hero! 21st century breakdown! (Did I really just see someone mention Presence by Zeppelin? Which contains their best song ever, Achilles Last Stand)?
I like Chinese Democracy and most people who reviewed it thought it was good. I think the problem was not being able to live up to the hype and although I liked it, 13 years should really have produced something better.
Chinese Democracy is ****ing amazing! My dad hated Axl Rose until we both went to see Guns N' Roses live in November of 2011. Now my dad has a totally new view on him. If Axl is so terrible now, why would my dad enjoy him more now then in his "prime"?
Quit comparing it to his prime. Just because he is a little older and uses a different style now is no reason to criticize him. Leave him alone. He does an excellent job and I can guarantee if original GNR never existed and Axl came out with the same album you would be happy.
Highlights...
Megadeth - Risk - Prince of Darkness
Iron Maiden - Virtual XI - The Clansman
Gn'R - Chinese Democracy - Not their worst album and not as bad as everyone says.
Agree with the GNR comment - The Spaghetti Incident was their worst album and I'm amazed it doesn't appear on this list. As it didn't make the top 10, I'd bet it was in the top 20.
I'm really not a fan of A Thousand Suns at all, but I remember reading the article that compared it to Kid A. There was no mention about the quality of the albums. The guy who wrote it compared it in the way that it was a sudden drastic change for their respective bands' sounds that widely divided the fanbase. I'd say that's a very valid point to make.
Warning by Green Day was waaay ****ing worse than 21st Century Breakdown. I wouldn't pay for Warning at all (got it free when I bought 21st Century Breakdown)
sure, chinese democracy isn't GNR's best album by any means, infact its probably their worst, but one of the worst albums of all time HELL NO!!! also you cant say that chris cornell is worthy of being on this list, his voice is golden!
Fuck Guns & Roses!! that band stopped existing a while ago. Why did you guys keep throwing shit to metallica? LULU wasnt a metallica record for god sake. i mean get over it.
A lot of people are talking about Chinese Democracy. Bottom line: Regardless of whether one thinks an album is great, good, okay, bad, or terrible, fans always seem to be lost during a lineup change. Aerosmith were HUGE in the late 1970's until Joe Perry left and later Brad Whitford. People just didn't buy albums or concert tickets because it wasn't the same band. They had great guitarists, but they weren't Joe and Brad. KISS had the same situation in the 80's too. People just don't like change when it comes to bands. It doesn't matter how skilled the members are, it's WHO they are by name that seems to turn people away.
In my opinion, the winners are :
Queen - Hot Space
David Bowie - Let's dance
Led Zeppelin - In through the out door
The Cult - Ceremony
Yes - Open your eyes
I agree with Chinese Democracy being on the list. That album sounds awful, the songs are depressing, it doesn't sound like GNR at all, there are 1000 layers of each instruments and it sounds forced. Terrible.
People need to learn that Virtual XI and Chinese Democracy actually aren't that bad just because they sounded different from their other material. Virtual XI had some great tracks like Lightning Strikes Twice and The Clansman (classic), and the Blaze albums had a lot of elements that would carry over to Maiden's post-reunion albums.
This is probably already said, but aldous snow isn't fictional, well.. he is, but the songs arent
It's a band called Infant Sorrow, which russel brand is the singer of. they even performed live at some point.
Chinese Democracy was nt a bad album at all! Not worth the wait, sure. But it wasn't bad. I don't really like half the bands on here, but the albums that are called aren't classed bad by fans anyway.... troll article? They were right about Thousand Suns though. lol
1.) It's a Lou Reed & Metallica album. Not a Metallica and Lou Reed Album.
2.) Metallica had nothing to do with writing the lyrics. James just sang backing tracks while thinking he is a table.
3.) Metallica was just the backing band as the music was composed by Reed and Metallica. End of Story.
This list is bullshit. 21st Century Breakdown is ****ing great. People are *******s, and apparently UG doesn't yet understand how subjective the interpretation of music is. Idiots.
the clansman is a ****ing awesome song if you've never heard it do yourself the tremendous favour of hearing it ,having virtual XI there makes the person who compiledthe list look like a tit
Obviously I am a fan, But only "twooo metallers" say that Risk is a bad album. Anyone with an ear can tell you that wanderlust is an awesome song. A lot of good music on that album, but because it's not RIP #2 it sucks.
First of all, 21st Century Breakdown is a great album but people have their heads up their asses and can't accept it up. Second, and most importantly, it's MegaDETH. Why do I come here anymore?
That "shit sandwich" line in Spinal Tap is possibly my favourite from the movie, just because how unexpected and blunt it is. You can see them trying not to laugh when he says it
1, 3and 8 are a complete waste of space. What about 3. Celtic Frost - Cold Lake, 8. Scorpions - Scorpions - Eye II Eye, 2. Kiss - Dynasty and 1. Lulu, EASILY!!!
21st Century Breakdown was ****ing praised! It was an amazing album! So wasn't A Thousand Suns. D:< Holy ****ing shit, the people who write these articles are idiots.
There wouldn't be one teenie bopper on this forum /website that even gave lulu the time of day. All too ready to accept popular opinion, rather than listen to the album and approach it from an objective perpective.
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( plz dont an argue about that i dont understand real music because i listen to lots of artists from Bob Marley to As i Lay Dying :L 
Haha.