Albums that are one of the artist's worst, but contain one of their best songs

Now that I actually have the album, I know it's better than I expected. Still Drinking Again from Frank Sinatra's The World We Knew has got to be one of his best performances at least from the 1960's and towers over the rest of the album.

 

I like Knocked Out Loaded. Good album, overly criticized, you'd think it was Empire Burlesque the way people trash it undeservedly.

 

I love Dear Prudence also!

 

Great example!

 

right but how good would it be without Brownsville girl? It basically props up the album

 

sweet hitch hiker...CCR....horrible album great song

 

Not his worst but Space Oddity by David Bowie. I like the album, but no song there is near the quality of that masterpiece.

 

George Harrison: Gone Troppo -- "That's the Way it Goes"

 

The Cure - Wild Mood Swings - "Jupiter Crash" (and Mint Car - I've always loved that song)
The Tragically Hip - We Are The Same - "Morning Moon" (an unbelievably disappointing album containing one of my favourite songs)
Neil Young - Everybody's Rockin' - "Wonderin'"

 

Stone Rose / Second Coming - Love Spreads

 

Leaving New York from REM's Around the Sun.

 

Doors - Soft Parade contains Touch Me, one of their most infectious tracks. The rest of the album can go hang.

 

Personally I'm a big fan of Fear Of The Dark. Don't get why it's so disliked. The title track is one of their greatest songs, yes, but I'm also a big fan of Afraid To Shoot Strangers, Be Quick And Be Dead and Judas Be My Guide among others.

 

AC/DC's The Razors Edge isn't that great but does contain Thunderstruck, one of their most iconic songs.

 

Babe, I'm on Fire - Nocturama - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

 

I've always thought that Genesis's self-titled 1983 album was a massive step-down in quality ("Abacab" was their last good album IMHO), but "Taking It All Too Hard" is a great song that would've blended in well on their earlier '80s / late '70s albums.

 

John Lennon Mind Games

 

Beach boys Smiley Smile has Good Vibrations and Heroes And Villains

 

But that album is otherwise great. Those two songs are the highlights, obviously, but the other songs aren't bad either? Because I'm sure that album is overall pretty good.

 

"Tell It To Your Heart", one of Lou Reed's loveliest ballads, from Mistrial. I like that album, but many see it as a low point.

 

I don't think so. It flopped commercially and the Beach Boys weren't very fond of it. The other songs sound like demos made by guys whod lost their way and their credibility. They got their act together after that but Smiley Smile was a dud

 

This seems to be more subjective than an album that is 'objectively bad'. Music is afterall subjective.

And just because it flopped commercially doesn't mean it's bad. A lot of good albums have flopped. The same thing with the band, just because they don't like it doesn't mean its a bad album.

Now it could be a bad album, I don't know, but I've never heard that's the case.

 

Haven't listened to it yet but if the Elton John thread is to be believed, Blue Moves is a terrible album but it does feature the beautiful "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word."

 

Sgt Pepper has "A Day in the Life".

 

Gentle Giant - The Missing Piece - Memories of old days (this track is like nothing else on the album)
Yes - Drama - Machine Messiah (when I heard this I first thought they don't need Anderson - then after listening to the rest that maybe they did after all!!)
New Order - Movement - Dreams Never End - (excellent, lively opening track ..but the rest of it…)
Bruce Springsteen - Human Touch - Human Touch (one of my favourite Springsteen tracks which totally eclipses the rest of the album IMHO)

Not saying the above albums are bad but some of my least favourites from artists that I like/love