Q magazines "15 Albums Where Great Rock Acts Lost The Plot" (poll)

Trying to be like The Beatles how exactly? By putting out an album of all original material? Aftermath is a great album that stands on it's own merits.

 

It was Ray disappearing almost completely up his own ****. A truly awful album that belongs on this list, IMHO.

 

No, by gradually abandoning blues, RnB and rock 'n' roll for... Pop.

Which one?

 

I always just put it down to experimenting. They were already moving towards more rock than blues with their preceding singles, so Aftermath was just a natural progression. And one of the tracks, "High And Dry", is a precursor to the country blues style that would appear two years later on Beggars Banquet.

I agree that Between The Buttons is a big let down though. The worst of the BJ era albums.

Sorry, the UK version. I never listen to the U.S version.

 

Pink Floyd’s Momentary Lapse for me. Although they didn’t so much lose the plot as lose their songwriter and ideas man.

 

Well apart from a few good songs, I don't think they were suited to that more pop orientated direction and to me, they came across as sounding rather clunky and tinny. What you hear on Buttons, I hear all across Aftermath already.

Even though I consider the UK albums to be "the real thing", I only listen to the US (compiled) version because it opens with the killer "Paint It Black", concentrates on the better songs and "Goin' Home" works much better as a long closing "jam".

 

Clash should be the winner here. Lou Reed’s assault was an intentional f-u.

 

Fair enough. Each to our own I suppose. Much of Buttons to me sounds half-hearted and unfinished. I think the songs on Aftermath are considerably stronger, albeit with some thin sounding guitar parts.

I do think the UK version is a touch overlong and could have done without "Think", "It's Not Easy", and "Take It Or Leave It".

 

Satanic Majesties and Hot Space are both albums I loved straightaway and have never tired of. Monster is a fine album. I enjoy Trans and Self Portrait though not the whole albums. The rest I haven't heard except Cut the Crap, which is crap. But it's slightly redeemed by This Is England and isn't a proper Clash album anyway. Not without Mick Jones.

 

Trans is much more appreiated now that everybody knows what it's about-- problem was that nobody knew at the time, and Neil wasn't talking.

Preservation #2 has maybe five great songs, like its predecessor-- Trouble is of course that it's a double album.

 

Stones, Clash and Lou.

 

Pink Floyd and Queen
Both terrible albums that veered too far away to even be respected by fans of the bands

 

Trans is great no plot losing there.
For me St. Anger, Cut the Crap and Satanic Majesties fit best with The Elder 4th.

 

Give me a break! Their Satanic Majesties and Monster are great!

The Clash album is terrible though and even Joe Strummer admitted to it.

 

Do you like Trick of the Tail or not? The implication is you do not think highly of it.

 

I couldn't disagree more. Between The Buttons is my favorite Stones album and Aftermath isn't far behind. I also think Mother's Little Helper is one of the great singles of the 60's. To each their own. I also love the song Think. Chris Farlowe does a great cover as well. My favorite Stones era is by far 1965-1969.

 

What a weird list. Monster? Batman? Seriously?

I can’t vote because all the albums I’ve heard I like or at least respect (e.g. Metal Machine Muisc). The others I’d just be selecting on the basis of reputation, which doesn’t seem right - particularly as almost all seem to have their advocates.

 

Around The Sun is really the only one where they "lost the plot".

 

I'm with you, but must take you up re Low : it was the critics, not so much his audience who suggested it was a poor album. Interviews with or info about huge long term Bowie fans who would go on to be influential and successful musicians themselves, suggest it was loved by at least a lot of his fans. Ian Curtis, Peter Murphy and Gary Numan for example, all loved Low in 1977 and had been following Bowie since 1972. Joy Division even initially named themselves after arguably its most un Bowie-like song.

Even the next year's Heroes, the song, arguably its accompanying album's MOST Bowie-like, most commercial song, was trashed by critics at the time, in NME, by Charlie Gillett: "weary... his time has been and gone".

Lodger was I think a disappointment to some of his audience, but Low and Heroes, not so much. It was the critics, not the audience, who got it wrong, as is so often the case, because so many of them lacked what true, deep music lovers have: empathy.. foresight.. devotion of time and attention.. etc.

 

I voted for The Clash and Michael Jackson. I never liked him (except for some of his Motown/Jackson 5 years) and I thought "Invincible" was even worse than what came before.
The Clash MK III was terrible.
Every other album, well, some of them are tired (like Blondie's), some are controversial/misunderstood but they all have something interesting in one way or another. I love "Monster", I like "Self Portrait". I'm totally down with "Metal Machine Music" Oh, there's only one album I don't know at all in the bunch : Kiss.

 

My rankings
1. Rolling Stones Satanic Majesties - 3.5/5. Surely no Pepper, Piper, Experienced, Baxter’s, Forever Changes, etc of the era but still pretty good. 2000 man, she’s a rainbow, Gomper are strong. Some others (...See what happens, on with the show, are misses). Not nearly as bad as it’s rep, it’s actually pretty good and the sessions bootlegs are even better. Recommended

2. Dylan - self portrait. 2.5/5 It’s funny because I was at an all time Dylan lull when I first heard this (~2003ish). This unbelievably disjointed album actually shows more range in Dylan than most, plus it has some of his awesome country cotton. It could be a real hit though...I’d make a single album, remove the Isle of Wight tracks which I don’t care for at all (the mighty Quinn gets some praise, I’m just not a fan), I’d remove blue moon, the boxer, woogie boogie and take a message to Mary. Without these you’d have an excellent country record pretty much bookended with 2 psych gems in Horses and Wigwam. My edits at least a 4/5. The parts are much better than the sum...

3. Kinks - preservation act 2. A high 3.5/5, I actually enjoy this one. It’s a big improvement over Act 1. I think He’s evil is a classic, I dig oh where is love, scum of the earth, mirror of love, when a solution comes the bonus track slum kids. The announcements are funny. I don’t think it’s bad in any way. It’s just not great. Well I gues Rays production sucks but that was normal...I think all his produced albums couldda been better with him partnering there...

4. Lou Reed Metal Machine Music. 0.5 stars. Boring mess. I think Two Virgins is far more radical- Lennon was much bigger and at a commercial peak, etc (and while it’s better it’s basically equally bad, but supposed to be bad-self de-mythologizing Lennon). Funny I heard a mashup of Metal Machine Music and maybe Enos excellent Music for Airports that was fantastic once...

5-7. I don’t know the Queen/Kiss or Blondie Albums

8. TRANS is decent 3/5. Computer Age is awesome so maybe I overrate for that. Nothing is awful. I like the vocoder-Young voice. Imperfect but better than it’s rep

The rest are just weak...

 

I've heard exactly one of these efforts, Satanic Majesties, and it is NOT a case of losing the plot.

 

I only have 4 of these in my collection

Kinks – Preservation Act 2
Michael Jackson – Invincible
Queen – Hot Space
Prince – Batman

If I had to pick one to remove from the list, it would be Prince.

Darryl

 

The worst thing about Blondie's Hunter is the album cover.

A Momentary Lapse Of Reason has dated poorly, but it's not all bad.