Most Overated Albums of All Time

[Mattceinicram]

Alright guys, we love to discuss albums that critics and fans have given acclaim too...but have they ever gotten it a bit wrong? What are some albums that may just not be as great as people claim them to be?

Personally, I think Thriller is one of these albums, I mean its a great album for sure, but to be as high on lists as it is? I rides on the success of Billie Jean and Beat it. However, it has some tracks that just aren't great such as Pretty Young Thing and The Girl is Mine. I mean I know it sold a crap ton of copies, but that doesn't make it a great album.

Another one would have to be John Lennon- Imagine...so high on critics list, but really has one incredible track, and alot of dull songs following it.

What's your guys take?

[Jirin]

It's public record on this forum the way I feel about Pink Floyd, Kanye West and The Police. It's hard though to separate out 'This album is overrated' from 'This is not the kind of album that I prefer'.

There are some albums that might be 'Overrated' because they were hyped so successfully on social media or because a lot of people identify them intrinsically with their childhoods, but most albums that are popular are popular because they are the perfect album for their audience.

It's true Thriller has some stinkers on it, but it has enough strong tracks to easily not notice them when you're listening through the album. Yes, 'The Girl Is Mine' is a skip track. But I don't think it diminishes Thriller the same way I don't think O-Bla-Di diminishes the White Album or Yellow Submarine diminishes Revolver.

I think now since you always have the skip button available to you, an album is equally good as the greatest subset of its tracks.

On a television note, Danielle Bradbery (Current contestant on the American voice). She's one of those technically competent, bland singers of the sort you may expect to be played on the speaker at a supermarket, but everybody reacts as if she's the greatest singer in the universe.

[HRS]

I don't feel apt to call anything overrated these days. I share the same opinion as Jirin. What I would like to say is that the publicity and hype created over a record might annoy me a lot, especially in the last couple of years; most recently, I found Daft Punk's nauseating.

[Kingoftonga]

The "overrated" question brings up the competing goals of many of the best-of lists incorporated into AM. For some people, "best albums" are the ones that have the best music, while others take historical influence and importance into account. I think most lists are probably somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.

I agree that Thriller, taken just as a piece of music, is probably ranked far higher on AM than I would put it on my own list. But in terms of historical importance, it might even be ranked a little too low; it's easily one of the most influential albums of all time.

Most of the albums in the upper echelon of the Top 3000 are ones where I understand why they're ranked so highly, even if I don't really agree with the ranking. But there are a few in the top 100 that honestly baffle me. Blue Lines seems way too high, but maybe that's because I live in America, where trip-hop was never as big a deal. Likewise, Transformer seems to be ranked far higher than its actual quality or influence would suggest; maybe that's because it's simply the consensus Lou Reed album that makes everybody's lists?

[Mindrocker]

Pink Floyd seconded.
Although I like a good portion of their music, they're without doubt the most overrated band of all time.

Also, Nick Drake. He may have been underrated in his time, but now is it's the complete opposite. I don't have anything against him, on the contrary, his 3 albums are in my collection and from to time I pull them out (particularly Five Leaves Left). And yet, I can totally understand why he was never succesfull while still alive. It's because his music is rather, uhh, unspectacular.

And while we're busy with slaughtering the holy cows, what about Dylan: Absolutely brilliant from 1963 to 1966. After that he had his moments of inspiration, but I always felt the worshipping of the man during his 50-year career is largely based on that rather short period in the mid-60s which happened a long time ago.

[Listyguy]

On this forum, there is one album I automatically think of whenever these kinds of discussions about overrated albums come up:

OK COMPUTER

[jamieW]

Interesting discussion, everyone. In most cases, I agree with Jirin that calling an artist "overrated" often just comes down to personal taste. An example for me personally would be Pavement. While I like some of their music, I've never understood the acclaim they receive. However, since I'm not a big fan of this type of music in general, it's not fair for me to call them overrated. I wonder if the label can be more fair when somebody loves a genre, yet feels that a particular artist of that genre is overrated? For example, my favorite music comes from the New Wave scene of the 1980s (The Cure, New Order, Depeche Mode, etc.). I like Echo and the Bunnymen, but not nearly as much as many of the other artists of the time. Does this mean, though, that I can call them overrated?

[DaveC]

It would be a boring world if everyone's taste was the same. Vive la différence.

As it happens I am a fan of Pink Floyd and OK Computer, but don't ask me what I think of Rumours or the tracks on Thriller except for the title track and the two great ones.

[Mattceinicram]

Interesting to see people's responses, especially since I feel OK Computer and Pink Floyd deserve all the respect it gets....another album I might throw out is "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here Comes the Sex Pistols"

[PlasticRam]

From AM Top 25 Pet Sounds and Nevermind cos they're so ridiculously high, and also, I didn't like Horses by Patti Smith at all.

[Craig]

I thought loveless was overated and I think m b v is overated.

[John]

Like jirin said, it's tough to differentiate overrated vs. not my cup of tea. To be honest, anything that falls outside the norm of the mainstream could probably be considered overrated since it's being propped up by a small minority of people who listen to music. Maybe "Critical darling" is just a polite term for "overrated"?

[Jirin]

Like jirin said, it's tough to differentiate overrated vs. not my cup of tea. To be honest, anything that falls outside the norm of the mainstream could probably be considered overrated since it's being propped up by a small minority of people who listen to music. Maybe "Critical darling" is just a polite term for "overrated"?

I disagree with that. Quantity of appeal isn't the same as quality of appeal. And if something is popular now but won't be popular ten years from now, that means it's popular because listening to it has social value right now, not because of its musical merits.

Something that pleases a few people a lot is better than something that pleases a lot of people a little, or something that makes a lot of people think listening to it will make them more popular.

[John]

Mainstream was the wrong word, because I agree with you. When I think critical darling, I think of artists like Captain Beefhart, Joy Division, Zappa... niche, polarizing bands that tend to get propped up in history lists by critics. These are the bands that I think might be able to hold the overrated label. Not because I'm diminishing their music nor disregarding the fact that some people really love these bands, but that they are truly holding their place in history due to the opinions of a small number of people. When I think of best ever, I think of universal albums that reached a large number of people at some point. This doesn't mean that they were all over the radio or MTV, or even that it sold a lot of records. Just that over the course of the album's life it's been listened to and universally accepted as a great record. That might be a slap in the face to the art, but even in the art world the top pieces of all time are ones that are universally accepted as great.

[Jonathon]

I come across as a raging hypocrite saying this, as it's my #3 of the 00s, but I think the idea of Funeral is the most overrated album of all-time. While it has a handful of great songs, and several very good ones, the idea of it outrank Joy Division's Closer, David Bowie's Low, and several other albums that it clearly borrowed from, rubs me the wrong way.

Now there are several albums above Funeral that rest on past innovation, such as Nirvana's Nevermind, and the Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks. But those albums to me are represented changes i the direction of not just music, but pop culture.

If Funeral was outside of the top 50, I think I could bare it, but when I look at the all time list and see it ranked over Remain in Light, Kind of Blue, and Closer, my stomach turns.

[John]

I don't know, every artist borrowed somewhat. Innovation is just a part of the recipe that goes into creating a classic album, and sometimes artists just perfect a genre in a single album or meld a bunch of genres to create a perfect album. I don't think Funeral is overrated at all. The Arcade Fire have their own unique sound despite being influenced by several bands and I feel that sound is fully realized on Funeral.

[Jonathon]

*shrug* It wouldn't be overrated if most people agreed with me. That's what makes an album overrated usually, everyone loving it, and someone else thinking it's not quite all that and a bag of skittles.

You can probably make an "overrated" argument for almost every album in the top 100, with some equally deserving (some would argue more deserving) similar album. This is just the one I happened to pick. Massive Attack's Blue Lines was another one I was going to go with.

[John]

I guess the main reason that I don't consider Funeral overrated is that I can't think of another album released in the past 20 years that has been universally acclaimed like it has. That's the argument I'm trying to make- If a small minority is saying that an album is overrated it probably isn't. If a small minority is propping up an album that most people don't like or are at least indifferent to, then it probably is overrated. Not that we really need a definition of overrated... listen to the music and see if you like it I guess, but if there was to be a definition, that would be my choice.

Plus, it's always fun to talk about these kinds of things. This kind of discussion has been gone for a long time on these boards, I think mostly because people think that it's unproductive and mean-spirited, but I miss it. Musicheads are supposed to have passionate debates about nonsense.

[Jonathon]

I guess the main reason that I don't consider Funeral overrated is that I can't think of another album released in the past 20 years that has been universally acclaimed like it has. That's the argument I'm trying to make- If a small minority is saying that an album is overrated it probably isn't. If a small minority is propping up an album that most people don't like or are at least indifferent to, then it probably is overrated. Not that we really need a definition of overrated... listen to the music and see if you like it I guess, but if there was to be a definition, that would be my choice.

Plus, it's always fun to talk about these kinds of things. This kind of discussion has been gone for a long time on these boards, I think mostly because people think that it's unproductive and mean-spirited, but I miss it. Musicheads are supposed to have passionate debates about nonsense.

OK Computer? Nevermind?

[Rodneyontheblock]

I agree completely with what was said about Nick Drake, Pavement and even Loveless which does have some great tracks. As far as Pavement is concerned I do sometimes fancy the lofi genre at times as Guided by Voices, Magnetic Fields and Apples in Stereo rank amongst my all time faves. I have such a blast listening to the critically panned Velocity of Sound yet I absolutely cringe when listening to their Elephant 6 bandmates NMH. I also think both Beck and Liz Phair have released terrific albums yet their most critically acclaimed, which were both decent in my opinion, had some hits, some misses but were far from flawless. We should do a poll FIRST of the MOST OVERRATED BANDS OR ALBUMS OF ALL TIME, and whomever ranks amongst the TOP 250 or so will be INELEGIBLE when we rank the MOST UNDERRATED BANDS OR ALBUMS OF ALL TIME.

[John]

I guess the main reason that I don't consider Funeral overrated is that I can't think of another album released in the past 20 years that has been universally acclaimed like it has. That's the argument I'm trying to make- If a small minority is saying that an album is overrated it probably isn't. If a small minority is propping up an album that most people don't like or are at least indifferent to, then it probably is overrated. Not that we really need a definition of overrated... listen to the music and see if you like it I guess, but if there was to be a definition, that would be my choice.

Plus, it's always fun to talk about these kinds of things. This kind of discussion has been gone for a long time on these boards, I think mostly because people think that it's unproductive and mean-spirited, but I miss it. Musicheads are supposed to have passionate debates about nonsense.

OK Computer? Nevermind?

Nevermind is older than 20 years, OK Computer almost is!

[Jonathon]

Jesus...Nevermind IS older than 20 years. That makes me feel old.

[whuntva]

When I saw this post, I was instantly hearkened back to this brilliant blog entry. I don't REALLY agree with him though. I personally think Achtung Baby isn't as good as everyone says it is.

Here's the post. Laconic: Horses by Patti Smith is his verdict. Great read.
http://indiemoines.com/2010/10/05/slaug ... ords-ever/

[Moonbeam]

Horses is amazing. It's so appropriate that the collective sausage-fest of male music criticism would wield the "overrated" axe at one of the very few highly-acclaimed female records.

[Mattceinicram]

I didn't agree with that article at all, and I love Horses!

[whuntva]

Yeah, I'm with you. Horses isn't a bad album, I really like it. I only posted the article because it reminded me of this.

I thought Achtung Baby was overrated. Some of the songs on their own are catchy, but the album as a whole sounds uneven to me. I don't understand it's appeal, but it is by no means a bad album. That's my two cents.

[Jirin]

No other album has the raw emotional energy of Horses.

[Mattceinicram]

One album that intrigues me in a discussion like this is Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band. At an initial listen it kinda sounds like utter crap. However I feel as you begin to listen to it more it makes sense and presents itself as masterpiece. Now this is what the professional critics say, and I knew that about the album before even listening. Now when we hear it and it starts growing on us, is it because it really is a masterpiece, or is it actually as crappy as the first listen seemed and we just have preconceived notions from critics that it will start sounding amazing? And does this preconceived notion idea happen with other albums we listen too?

[PlasticRam]

One album that intrigues me in a discussion like this is Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band. At an initial listen it kinda sounds like utter crap. However I feel as you begin to listen to it more it makes sense and presents itself as masterpiece. Now this is what the professional critics say, and I knew that about the album before even listening. Now when we hear it and it starts growing on us, is it because it really is a masterpiece, or is it actually as crappy as the first listen seemed and we just have preconceived notions from critics that it will start sounding amazing? And does this preconceived notion idea happen with other albums we listen too?

For me the crappiness of it is what makes it good, it created the whole genre of sounding crappy.

Piero Scaruffi thinks it's the greatest album of all time, and he makes some sense idk.

http://www.scaruffi.com/vol1/beefhear.html

But I can definitely see your point about critics just saying stuff and people just taking their word so idk.

[John]

One album that intrigues me in a discussion like this is Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band. At an initial listen it kinda sounds like utter crap. However I feel as you begin to listen to it more it makes sense and presents itself as masterpiece. Now this is what the professional critics say, and I knew that about the album before even listening. Now when we hear it and it starts growing on us, is it because it really is a masterpiece, or is it actually as crappy as the first listen seemed and we just have preconceived notions from critics that it will start sounding amazing? And does this preconceived notion idea happen with other albums we listen too?

Yeah, I mentioned Cptn. Beefheart earlier and how Trout Mask Replica fits my idea of overrated. It's an album who's acclaim is almost completely driven by a minority of critics giving it high marks. Again, I'm not bashing the album, it just fits the mold perfectly for what I consider an overrated album.

[Rodneyontheblock]

You want overrated look to who came in at #1 on last months 1980s poll. In fact he was highly influenced my Mr. Beefheart but I'd listen to the worst recordings of Beefheart's career over anything Waits put out. Ironic Rod Stewart covered one of his songs. Two artists that could not be further on each end of the spectrum yet I'd still pick the Donald Duck cover over Cookie Monster's (trading in his mirror for the bottle;)