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The most overrated albums of all time
MusicRadar names and shames the 'classic' long players that fail to deliver
The MusicRadar Team, Tue 10 Jun 2008, 11:26 am UTC
Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory? (1995)
When Oasis's second album was released in 1995, reaction from certain sections of the critical press was lukewarm at best. Attitudes changed when (What's The Story) Morning Glory? went on to sell about a gazillion copies, but the truth is that the dissenters were right all along.
Wonderwall, the record's commercial highpoint, remains the dreariest of mid-tempo strum-a-longs, while Don't Look Back In Anger isn't the anthem it wants to be.
And then there are the lyrics: She's Electric sounds like it was knocked off in five minutes by someone with an unhealthy amount of respect for a rhyming dictionary, and Champagne Supernova's "Slowly walking down the hall, faster than a cannonball" is a couplet that makes me recoil every time I hear it.
Morning Glory is by no means a terrible album, but its place on countless 'best ever' lists is wholly unjustified. Even Noel Gallagher admits that Definitely Maybe is a superior record and, let's face it, any record that opens with a song that takes its lead from a Gary Glitter number has got to be a bit wrong. (BR)
Dennis Wilson – Pacific Ocean Blue (1977)
Unavailable for years due to disagreements over copyright ownership, Pacific Ocean Blue has long been hailed as a lost classic, a work of extraordinary emotional depth from a former Beach Boy wrestling with alcohol problems.
As a result of its scarcity, it's become an achingly cool album to namecheck, but even after a couple of listens it's clear that Pacific Ocean Blue is no Surfin' Safari, let alone Pet Sounds.
Mired in mid-seventies saccharine and easily capable of causing even the most ardent keys fan to suffer a piano overdose, the arrangements hamstring much of the emotive potency of a record that ultimately sounds as lost as its tragic protagonist.
While certainly worth further investigation, Pacific Ocean Blue is an album to file under 'curio' rather than 'classic'. (CV)
So, what do you think? Are we uncultured, cloth-eared and tasteless, or have we hit the nail on the head? Let the debate begin…
User comments (21)
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I'd have to say just about any pop album out there. Everyone likes it, and it makes me want to destroy the studios they were recorded in to prevent ANOTHER FRECKING POP ALBUM from coming out.
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You are completely wrong about ' Ten ' , one of the greatest rock albums ever written.
Wheres ' Okay Computer ' - constantly rated as Number 1 Album Ever by rabid Radiohead fans , its one of the biggest piles of fetid bat dung ever released. Also bloody ' X & Y ' ! Also ' Reading , Writing and Arithmetic ' - the most overrated of all time , ever. -
All The Beatles albums are great - but Revolver is by far the best IMO. So, Peppers is overrated in that respect.
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Where's "Seven and the Ragged Tiger"? And what the HELL is Sgt. Peppers doing here? I don't think this article has been written for any other reason than to inspire community comment - indeed to grow a community who will buy stuff (as is the usual bean-countingly dumb corporate idea these days).
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How an earth can you put Sgt Peppers in this list let alone dismiss 'Fixing a Hole' and 'When I'm 64' as whimsical. You've clearly lost the plot.
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In anticipation of the abuse that will be directed my way......
I would vote for "Raising sand". I like Robert Plant, but this one........ it's like the Emperors new clothes: am I the only one who can see it? It's not very good. Plus his tour is probably another reason why Zep are not touring yet! -
Come on Mechkov! None of these lists are wholly serious, it's just the nature of reviewing music. As you can see, we all wrote a little bit each and this list even caused arguments amongst the MusicRadar team!
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Following on from the normal, lighthearted stuff on this site,which I thoroughly enjoy, this one really stands out...
Five of the albums you cite are indeed classics and there is nothing anyone can say, whether in jest or serious, that will make them right if they cannot see the sheer value these albums have given our musical heritage. It's simply a wrong call.
Oasis are overblown rip off merchants and Dennis Wilson a poor and minor shadow of his seminal relation, Brian, but the others are, in fact, classic albums and far from overrated - possibly (in the case of Mitchell and Don Van Vliet) underrated.
You can't vote on the truth and being 'controversial' for the sake of it simply makes you look a bit sad and lowers your standing as a reputable source of wisdom. -
C'mon musicradar, WTF?!
Ten by Pearl Jam is probably one of the greatest albums I have ever purchased. I'd say maybe even better than Nevermind, because pearl jam have so much musical talent, creativeness and awesome songs (e.g, Alive, Jeremy, Black, Even flow). So this album is not overrated, it's awesome!!! -
Groove?
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ihitterdal
Thu 26 Jun 2008, 3:22 am UTC