Albums that let you down

[Erik Rupp]

While reading the Great Sage's comments on Black Ice I got to thinking about albums that have let me down over the years.

Albums where I expected something better than was delivered, or something significantly different - to the point where I found that what was actually released was disappointing.

Albums like...

Iron Maiden - Fear of the Dark (A couple really good songs, but the rest was completely uninspired and not up to their usual standards)
Iron Maiden - The X Factor (With a new singer coming in I thought for sure they'd come up with a killer album. They didn't.)

KISS - Crazy Nights

Judas Priest - Turbo
Judas Priest - Nostradamus (OK, I wasn't sure what to expect with this one, but I at least expected a good album. IMO, it's not.)

AC/DC - Ballbreaker
AC/DC - Stiff Upper Lip

Those are some of the albums that disappointed me.

What are some of the albums that left you disappointed?

[Erik Rupp]

I guess I should also list

KISS - Psycho Circus

I don't think it's bad, but it's fairly mediocre, and not at all what I was hoping for.

[Black Diamond]

AC/DC - For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) (besides the titletrack and one or two numbers, nothing that really got my interest)
AC/DC - The Razor's Edge (after the first 5 songs, nothing good)
AC/DC - Stiff Upper Lip (same as For Those About To Rock)
AC/DC - Black Ice (really below the expectations I had)

Alice Cooper - Dirty Diamonds (expected better from the Coop' in 2005, which is why I was disappointed)

Kiss - Lick It Up (some good songs, but the majority isn't that great)
Kiss - Hot In The Shade (a wide majority of bad tracks)
Kiss - Psycho Circus ("what a mess !!" is the comment that fits my feelings about this one, some good tracks but I expected much better)

If I think of other albums, I'll let you know.

[1111976]

KISS Crazy Nights was the biggest letdown album for me. I really thought KISS was over with the release of this bomb.

AC/DC For those about to Rock I love Back In Black and Dirty Deeds so I was really looking forward to this release. Its been gathering dust for 25 years now

Cheap Trick - All Shook Up. I really like Cheap Trick but this album sucks and when I bought it I was just shocked at how different it was from Cheap Trick I was familiar with. I gave that bad boy away a long time ago.

There have been other albums that were a let down but redeemed themselves later as my tastes expanded or mellowed. These 3 still suck.

[John, Your Pal]

Livin' on the Fault Line by the Doobie Brothers. I was a big fan and while I didn't love the Doobies' previous album (the first with McDonald), this next one bore no resemblance to the "real" Doobies.

The One by Elton John, along with most of what he's done since. (Songs from the West Coast, however, was great; that was either 2001 or 2003.)

[John, Your Pal]

Aug 22, 2009 4:03:43 GMT -5 Black Diamond said:

AC/DC - For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) (besides the titletrack and one or two numbers, nothing that really got my interest)

Agreed. It had none of what the previous record had. I didn't even like the title song.

[Erik Rupp]

Aug 27, 2009 6:49:19 GMT -5 John, Your Pal said:

Livin' on the Fault Line by the Doobie Brothers. I was a big fan and while I didn't love the Doobies' previous album (the first with McDonald), this next one bore no resemblance to the "real" Doobies.

Yeah, by the end of the original run the Doobies only had one original member left (actually, for the last tour they didn't even have one original member left.

The band just didn't have the same spirit that they had in the beginning, and they just became Michael McDonald's backup band. Oh, they were good at that type of thing, but it just wasn't really the Doobie Brothers.

[John, Your Pal]

Judas Priest's Point of Entry was the beginning of the end for them. That album was bad enough (except for two songs), but things got even worse when they added the synthesizers.

Also, their "new" drummer's style is so far removed from that of his predecessor that the band is almost a totally different one. Letting Dave Holland get away was a big mistake.

[Bob Forsythe]

The Plastic Ono Band, Live in Toronto. Jeez, I figured with Clapton and Lennon it would be a good album, but the entire 2nd side is nothing but Ono shrieking her fool head off and Clapton barely played any solos at all.

=Bob

[Erik Rupp]

Sept 5, 2009 20:34:23 GMT -5 Bob Forsythe said:

The Plastic Ono Band, Live in Toronto.

...the entire 2nd side is nothing but Ono shrieking her fool head off...

=Bob

OK, that alone is an incredibly frightening thought.

[sean]

Nikki Sixx's 58 was the biggest. I love Sixx's music but his first solo effort is awful.

[Carr99]

Kiss - Psycho Circus – Kiss could have really captured momentum and the moment and made a real reunion album but completely and totally dropped the ball. For whatever reason and who ever is to blame, Psycho Circus was the biggest letdown I can think of. And the songs themselves are just not memorable to me at all. I Pledge Allegiance, Psycho Circus and Dreamin’ are fairly ok, but I never find myself going to listen to any of them. I am very happy that they did not end their studio recording career with that thing.

Some other letdowns that come to mind: Van Halen – Balance; anything Bon Jovi has put out since the Keep The Faith album; Aerosmith – Get A Grip, Just Push Play…

[hokeyboy]

David Lee Roth -- "Skyscraper"

EAT EM AND SMILE was one of the great hard rock albums of the 80s, with one of the greatest lineups ever committed to vinyl. (Roth? Vai? Sheehan? SOLD!) 1.5 years later, we get a followup with same line-up, and instead we got some slick, keyboard-laden pop wannabe album with all the hard edges sanded off. I remember rushing home from school, popping the tape in my tapedeck, and after the OK opening of "Knucklebones" I was... so depressed I almost ate at Arby's.

Knucklebones, Hot Dog And A Shake, Hina, and Two Fools A Minute are the only decent songs on the album... the rest is turgid. Damn, what a let down.