Mojo's "Unloved" albums

Sometime In New York City is a great LP. If you ignore the "jam" disc. Which I have actually thrown out from my version. "Sisters O Sisters" is an amazing song and it's just Beatle fans latent racism that stops it being widely regarded as a classic.

 

You could've hung six sloppy live versions of foxy lady around the tour de force Machine Gun and it would still be a must have album in my view.

 

Got only love for this:

 

Yes, what exactly is wrong with that album?

 

BOG has not traditionally been held in high regard by critics as they (rightly) identified it as something of a stop-gap, contract filling record, which was hastily put together and it in no way scales the sky heights reached by the three previous Experience studio albums. It's lacklustre, muddled and downright sloppy in places. It feels like a dress rehearsal of plainly unfinished or sketchy songs......apart from the barnstorming performance of Machine Gun, of course, which I guess is the track to which you are referring here?

I know many Hendrix diehard fans like BOG though but don't they usually have everything anyway and love all the shows from this period? I think the "Machine Gun" (album) released by EHllc recently is a better document anyway.

 

I love Black and Blue.

Wild Life is a top 3 McCartney album for me.

Sometime in NYC is flawed, but I love most of it, and would take it over Mind Games any day.

 

I haven't heard all these albums but as a list of albums by major artists that have been critically reviled over the years, it's seems fair enough. I know some of these have been critically rehabilitated and some have always been liked by some fans, but that's not really what the list is about. Apart from the Curtis Mayfield album, I don't know why that's on there.

 

Some great albums in this list..

LA Light Album, Hot Space and Black and Blue are very near my top albums by those artists!

 

Yes, Machine Gun is the standout track. Tbh, it's over-long and not always compelling but I find the guitar playing at the end absolutely extraordinary and worth the price of admission.

I struggle to recall the rest of the album: when I listen, I only pay attention to one track, really.

Contractual obligation it may have been but it's interesting and valuable as a portrait of an artist on the cusp of a new phase of his career (even though that phase was never to happen).

 

I don't quite understand what Black and Blue is doing on this list. I love it (LOVE it-in my top 10 Stones records), but I also was never under the impression that it is anywhere close to being the Stones' least liked LP. Surely Dirty Work, Undercover or even Emotional Rescue (which I also love) would have made more sense? Strange pick.

Beyond that, I love In Through the Out Door and I can tolerate the John and Paul albums.

 

Trans by Neil Young is not only the shizz, it's one of the man's best records.

 

Band Of Gypsys and Black And Blue. Great albums, and should not be on this list (imo).

 

Queen - Hot Space / is a good, well thought through, well produced album. This record also marks their last musical evolution before steering the ship back to familiar territory.
Led Zep - ITTOD / a heroic effort brought together by JPJ and Plant, as the other half of the band were near non-existent, consumed by their vices.

 

Yes, though not because of their worth as albums, but because I don't think they're generally considered to be 'unloved albums' by their respective artists - Hendrix didn't make enough albums (when he was alive) to be considered for this list anyway.

 

I love The Final Cut, so that's my number one choice. When I was in school, I had Animals and The Final Cut on a 90 minute tape (Home Taping Is Killing Music, kids), which I played constantly.
I also voted for Hot Space (Body Language is hideous, but there's plenty to enjoy elsewhere) and In Through the Out Door, which I always liked. In fact, I'm pretty sure that was my favourite Led Zeppelin album for a while when I was in my teens.
Two potential also rans would be the David Bowie and Lou Reed albums, though I didn't vote for either. I liked Earthling at the time, and got to see a small theatre show on that tour, but I've not listened to the album much since. Likewise, I liked The Raven (full length version) when it was released, but I've not heard it in ages.

 

It’s a really interesting article. I’m going to have to get myself a copy of Cut The Crap now.
I have 3 off the list; 2 get frequent plays, the other never. Thumbs up for The Final Cut and In Through The Out Door. The one I can’t warm to is the Beach Boys release.

 

Wild Life, Black and Blue, and Songs From the Capeman were the three that jumped out.

 

Emprire Burlesque has some decent songwriting in places - the production really hobbled it coupled with Dylan sounding pretty bored on half the vocal tracks. If you listen to Tight Connection at the Supper Club shows, it suddenly comes alive as a song - free from the pretty cronic "80's Rock" sound that they were trying to go for.

 

I really like trans...often put sample and hold in mixes to confuse people

 

I am the one who likes Hard Nose The Highway. It has a unique kind of melancholy vibe even though it's not meant to.

 

I like Trans and In Through The Out Door

 

What's wrong with Earthling? (Apart from the cover.)

 

I own (and love!) Band Of Gypsys, Wildlife, In Through The Out Door, Black And Blue, The Final Cut. Those are simply essential in my collection!

I also own (and enjoy), Empire Burlesque, Hot Space, Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants, Sometime in New York City, Trans and Songs from the Capeman.

 

There is a great book called Lost In The Grooves that covers many of these unloved albums from big names as well as some albums far off the beaten path, a fascinating read that will make you spend lots of money on albums you didn't know you needed

https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Grooves-Scrams-Capricious-Missed/dp/0415969980/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

 

I have Cut the Crap, Earthling, Empire Burlesque and Capeman, as well. Now that I think about it. The first is fact mainly horrible, but "This is England" is a great song. I do like the other three records.