Speaking of bad decisions, Kiss' attempt to become Serious Artists on The Elder was a serious misstep. Roger Daltrey has said that It's Hard should never have been released. Neil Young's Everybody's Rockin' actually got him sued by his record label.
According to Young, Geffen "told me they wanted me to play rock 'n' roll, and told me I didn't sound like Neil Young (on Trans). So I gave them Everybody's Rockin' and said, 'This is a rock 'n' roll album by Neil Young after someone tells him what to do; this is exactly what you said you wanted.' And we got way into it.”
Personnel changes affected The Romantics' Strictly Personal, RHCP's One Hot Minute, and the Velvet Underground's Squeeze (essentially a Doug Yule solo album). Lackluster songwriting and performances are evident on these albums as well as CCR's Mardi Gras, Bowie's Never Let Me Down, and Iggy's Party. Can't blame drugs for that last one: Iggy was on drugs for his best albums and his worst ones! (Just kidding, Stinky and I both love Party.)
Record labels and producers also get blamed. Even though fans love The La's and The Smiths, their respective frontmen were unhappy with the sound of their debuts. Damon Albarn hates Blur's first album, and Al Jourgenson loathes Ministry's debut. Johnny Ramone was unhappy with the choice of Graham Gouldman as producer for Pleasant Dreams, but da bruddas wanted the airwaves.
Plenty of great songs on this compilation, regardless of what the artists thought. "There She Goes" is flawless, and Joe Walsh's "In The City" was miles ahead of most of The Long Run. "Eminence Front" was a hit, and "We Want The Airwaves" should have been one.
Greetings from M.I.U.: it's Disowned & Derided, Volume 2!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.mediafire.com/file/3lebo4muf2t1hl5/Disowned+&+Derided+v2.zip/file
Damn! Did I have corn for dinner? LOL you got'm gooood compilations kemosabe, you and that little pip squirt friend of yours...the loveable Stinky Le Pew--Pepe's brother from another mother. You REALLLLLY did it this time ha ha ha
ReplyDeleteMy pip squirt friend and I thank you from the bottom of our bottoms.
DeleteYou gotta figure that even a great album can have a stinker so I guess there is the same chance for a great tune on a shitty album, no matter what excuse the band is slinging. Thanks for these, Jonder & Stinky, this is top-notch FUN!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are exactly right. Some great tunes here, and some entire albums of good stuff despite whatever bad feelings the artists might have toward them. CCR's Mardi Gras (for example) is uneven. Each of the three members wrote and sang his own songs, but the John Fogerty songs are great ones. John himself said, "I figured that Creedence made six albums. Let me count... the first one, Bayou Country, Green River, Willy and the Poor Boys, Cosmo's Factory, Pendulum... yeah, six. I wouldn’t even count Mardi Gras and neither would anybody else."
DeleteAddle-brained and proud of it! This certainly sounds like an exercise in punishment and that cover is haunting. Thanks team Jon-Ky!
ReplyDeleteActually, the concept (in my eyes) was to compile a collection of songs that hang together as a whole. Misunderstood songs. The only track on this compilation I don't like is from KISS' The Elder, which made the cut because it's such a departure for the band. The challenge was to slip it in where it couldn't hurt--because everything around it is so strong. I've listened to this compilation a lot more than I usually listen to them!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of departures--Eminence Front has Pete Townsend singing lead with The Who, and a simple but catchy guitar lick. The video has Daltrey playing guitar. I never understood why great frontmen like Mick Jagger and Roger Daltrey insist on strapping on a guitar when they have a world-class guitarists to their left! In Jagger's case he's automatically the THIRD best guitarist on the stage. Just as I don't see why Tarrantino keeps placing himself in scenes with the world's best actors! But I digress--deriding the ARTISTS isn't the point here. These songs are a lot of fun! C'mon in the derision is fine. - Stinky