Albums that became heralded as masterpieces years after release

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by BryanA-HTX, Mar 17, 2017.

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  1. El Goodo

    El Goodo Member

    Location:
    Texas
    I guess we need a definition of masterpiece. When I was at school, hardly anyone cared for the Velvet Underground ... including me.

    A hundred years later, I think they're pretty great.

    I doubt that they've sold anything close to Justin Bieber though.
     
  2. Thievius

    Thievius Blue Oyster Cult-ist

    Location:
    Syracuse, NY
    Possibly The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway from Genesis. It received mixed reviews upon release, but it did receive at least some positive press, so I don't know if it qualifies.
     
  3. Mylene

    Mylene Senior Member

    Okay. When I was at school Lamb Lies Down on Broadway came out and, individually, we all believed it was a masterpiece on first listen, yet at the time it was totally outsold by Selling England by the Pound and diehard Genesis fans didn't like that the quintessential British band would do a concept album about a Latin American street kid in NYC. But, to these ears, it's still a masterpiece 45+ years later.
     
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  4. Having lived through the time, I beg to differ. Abbey Road was praised at the time as one of the Fabs finest albums. Now, that praise has gone up and down throughout the years but, generally, its considered one of the band's finest albums then and, by most folks, now.
     
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  5. Yes, you missed it. The critical reappraisal began back in the late 80's. It wasn't universally ridiculed but several big critics attacked it at the time.
     
  6. Forever Changes
     
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  7. Well you would be wrong except for you, of course, and a couple of other stragglers.
     
  8. Sammy Waslow

    Sammy Waslow Just watching the show

    Location:
    Ireland
    David Crosby: If I Could Only Remember My Name

    Solid sales and some good reviews at the time, but it's status has definitely grown over the years. I remember Mojo magazine featuring it as their Buried Treasure album back in the nineties, so they certainly didn't regard it as a universally recognised masterpiece then, feeling compelled to point readers in its direction.

    Bee Gees: Odessa

    Another example of an album highlighted by Mojo in their Buried Treasure column, Odessa was not critically acclaimed on its initial release, but is now regarded as a high water mark in the Bee Gees catalogue.
     
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  9. Raving Russell

    Raving Russell Forum Resident

    XTC: Skylarking.
     
  10. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Hated it " some of my friends also.
    You had to be there.
     
  11. HiFi Guy 008

    HiFi Guy 008 Forum Resident

    Location:
    New England
    Echo & The Bunnymen - Ocean Rain 1984

    Now widely lauded as one of the bands best, and the Bunnymen playing the entire album during one tour, including a symphony orchestra, it was not so after the original release. In 1984, the adverts claiming it was "The Greatest Album Ever Made" did less than endear listeners to the record.

    Here's just one review from Rolling Stone, calling them "silly rabbits."
    Ocean Rain

    And, just for irony, a review of a miserable performance of the 2011 Ocean Rain re-tour.
    Including a drunken insult to fellow Liverpudlians The Beatles.
    The Quietus | Features | Three Songs No Flash | Songs Not Learned Or Sung: Echo And The Bunnymen Bomb In Glasgow
     
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2017
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  12. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Folks went gaga for Band On The Run critics and the peoploids. Imp perverse that was my last McCartney album till Flaming Pie.
     
  13. Mylene

    Mylene Senior Member

    [​IMG]

    A notorious flop at the time of release now recognised as a five star classic.
     
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  14. Mylene

    Mylene Senior Member

    [​IMG]

    Considered career suicide on it's release now considered one of the greatest French language albums.
     
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  15. Mylene

    Mylene Senior Member

    [​IMG]

    say no more.
     
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  16. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Bit of Marc Almond in his appearance.
    Non stop Erotic Cabaret indeed.
     
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  17. Mylene

    Mylene Senior Member

    The album's like a Stray Cats album and Neu 2 played at the same time with primitive drum machine (and a real drummer) and string synthesiser.



    edit: They cut the truly mind boggling ending off that song. Let's just say it finishes with 30 seconds of hardcore punk.
     
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2017
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  18. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Interesting.
    What year ?
     
  19. Sordel

    Sordel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    Speaking of whom, I can remember buying Marc and the Mambas' Torment and Toreros on release. No one seemed to care about it at the time and it is not widely known today, but everyone who speaks of it at all today speaks of it in terms of a masterpiece:
    [​IMG]
     
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  20. Mylene

    Mylene Senior Member

    1982
     
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  21. Jackson

    Jackson Senior Member

    Location:
    MA, USA
    Yeah, i think like any warped masterpiece it went over most people's heads "mine included", still does going by some of the comments i'be come across on the forum.
     
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  22. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    He has a interesting 2 pages in the new 60s mag ( Keith Moon on the cover ) he reviews his favorite songs. Big Who coverage and Vivian Stanshall inside also...,Zappa poster.
     
  23. BobFan115

    BobFan115 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kentucky
    On the Beach by Neil Young. When I bought LPs in the 80s, I could always find a copy of this at the used record store. Critical estimation of it seemed to grow the longer it took for it to get a CD release.
     
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  24. Tanx

    Tanx Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Bowie's Diamond Dogs
     
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  25. Fender Relic

    Fender Relic Forum Resident

    Location:
    PennsylBama
    I never considered Van Morrison's Astral Weeks a masterpiece. In fact, I thought it was a lesser work than anything from Moondance thru Saint Dominic's. I'm not even sure how it was first received by the public but it's legend has seemed to snowball year after year rolling right into masterpiece land. I do like it better than when I first heard it 40 or so years ago and can understand it's mp status seeing as Van is one of the all-time greats.
     
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