Best and Worst Albums

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Best Album: Easter
Worst Album: Gung Ho

I mean my worst album selection has a lot to do with the fact that I haven't listened to any post-1990s Patti Smith, so it's arguably an arbitrary selection.


Then maybe you should have let someone who actually knows more about Patti Smith respond? Or chosen an album you've actually heard for "worst"?

Gung Ho is a great album. The follow-up, Trampin', is definitely inferior.
 
Well I really wanted to say Easter, because I love me some Easter.

But rest assured, I'm not the first person to have an iffy worst album for an artist. So... relax.
 
Best: Alligator
Worst: The National

Soundgarden
 
Then maybe you should have let someone who actually knows more about Patti Smith respond? Or chosen an album you've actually heard for "worst"?

Gung Ho is a great album. The follow-up, Trampin', is definitely inferior.

I consider myself as someone who knows, being I was a kid in the 70s buying her stuff on vinyl and going to shows, I consider Horses, her debut better that Easter

Horses came out of nowhere, unlike anything else at the time.

the worst?, a lot of her latter work, is sub-par, I stopped listening.



Soundgarden
 
Horses is definitely superior to Easter, which has some awesome peaks but doesn't have that revolutionary "wow" quality about it. Radio Ethiopia is also very inconsistent, but I certainly enjoy it a great deal.

I haven't gone any further into her discography than that.
 
Much of her late period has been received well by critics.

You should definitely check out Peace & Noise and Gung Ho. Perhaps the guest spots by Tom Verlaine and Michael Stipe on the latter are incentive enough?
 
Best - Quadrophenia. In my top five all-time. Manages to be one of the very few concept albums that has a great story but doesn't let its telling get in the way of the music (The Wall). Also quite a thrilling album and I'm sure I wouldn't have passed my driver's license had not listened to it before I did the test.

Worst - The Who Sell Out. I Can See For Miles is the only one that can compete with anything on Who's Next or Quadrophenia. There's a handful of other good tracks but thank god they decided to rock harder and move away from 60s pop-rock on later albums.

Outkast (but you can't pick Idlewild as the worst. that's too easy)
 
Worst - The Who Sell Out. I Can See For Miles is the only one that can compete with anything on Who's Next or Quadrophenia. There's a handful of other good tracks but thank god they decided to rock harder and move away from 60s pop-rock on later albums.

I take it you haven't heard Face Dances. :wink:
 
It's Hard isn't better than Sell Out either, though I think Athena and Eminence Front are both fantastic singles.

Does Endless Wire count? I was pleasantly surprised by that one, actually, and probably more consistent than the last two OG releases.
 
The Who Sell Out is a fucking blast, if a bit of a trifle in some ways. Face Dances is easily the worst I've heard.

Ditto to Laz re. Endless Wire. Remember really enjoying that one.
 
It's Hard isn't better than Sell Out either, though I think Athena and Eminence Front are both fantastic singles.

Does Endless Wire count? I was pleasantly surprised by that one, actually, and probably more consistent than the last two OG releases.

There are those who consider Sell Out their finest hour. I would not be one of those, but the Kenny Jones albums for me are far, far inferior to Sell Out.

And count me in on the Endless Wire love. That's a damn solid album.
 
I am one of those that would consider Sell Out their finest hour.

The Who lost their sense of humor somewhere after that. Pete became an artiste somewhere around Tommy and while they continued to make great music, Pete's sense of adventure died a little with Lifehouse. The Who By Numbers in particular is just so depressing and dull, it's insane when you consider where they were just 8 years prior.

Bear in mind, I ADORE Who's Next and Quadrophenia, but they aren't as charming, weird and catchy as the early stuff, and that's a bit of a shame.
 
Best Outkast: Aquemini, one of the best hip-hop albums ever.
Worst Outkast: Idlewild, of course, and then Speakerboxxx/Love Below. I enjoy plenty from the two, but I seldom want to listen to them back to back, and all Outkast albums prior to it have infinite replay value.

Talking Heads
 
My favorite talking heads album has always been more songs about buildings and food. I have heard and like remain in light and fear of music but I always choose their earliest work like the '77 album. Its edgier and more straightforward. But I agree with you, naked is pretty bad.
 
I've only heard thee Who albums. But it makes for good discussion and this thread will get boring if we leave it to people who've heard all the albums by the selected artist.
 
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Cute Irish Bono said:
My favorite talking heads album has always been more songs about buildings and food. I have heard and like remain in light and fear of music but I always choose their earliest work like the '77 album. Its edgier and more straightforward. But I agree with you, naked is pretty bad.

More songs... Is probably the only talking heads I've truly enjoyed.
 
Best Kraftwerk Album: Trans-Europe Express
Worst Kraftwerk Album: Kraftwerk (I have no use for the early stuff.)

The Replacements
 
Best: Pleased To Meet Me

Bob Stinson gets kicked out of band and Paul reveals himself to be more talented guitarist. Jim Dickinson producing in tribute to Big Star, Alex Chilton gets song named after him and guests on another, Memphis Horns, snappy nightclub snare, mini-Minneapolis hymn, and some rip-roaring ragers for old time's sake. Can't Hardly Wait puts every previous Mats song to shame. Their Exile on Main St minus the overambition.

Worst: Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash

A lot of fun. Legit debut. Little filler considering like 16 tracks. And I'm tempted to vote for Don't Tell A Soul because of its slick production and inconsistency. But it does have I'll Be You, Achin' To Be, Rock & Roll Ghost, Talent Show, We'll Inherit The Earth. And that kind of tops what Sorry Ma has to offer.


David Bowie
 
Best... Any one of Ziggy, Hunky Dory, Aladdin Sane, Low or Station to Station. If you put a gun to my head I'd pick Aladdin Sane, I think. Prettiest Soul, Spend the Night Together and Jean Genie aside, everything else is stellar.

Worst? Well I'm sure laz can guess :wink:

The Beatles!
 
The notion that any Eno-Bowie collab is worse than Tonight, Never Let Me Down, or ...hours is a joke.

Don't tempt us with the image of putting a gun to your head.
 
cobl04 said:
The Beatles!

Best: Tie between Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road.

Worst: Beatles for Sale, far weaker than any of the other early records and can't hold a candle to anything after it.

Beck
 
No Reply, Baby's In Black, and I'll Follow The Sun > anything before Beatles For Sale

Not a Hard Day's Night fan? There's a bunch of classics on that record.

Not to mention All My Loving.

I don't think I agree with you.

Beatles for Sale is worth purchase for the tracks you mentioned and Eight Days A Week, though.
 
I like A Hard Day's Night, but everything before Beatles For Sale is rather unsophisticated and I can't rate any of them higher than that album, I don't care how consistent or how many hits they have.
 
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