Biggest Musical Disappointment

Rufus T. Firefly · October 8, 2003, 09:17

You know the deal: you really like some artist or band, follow their careers, listen to everything new they put out. And then they release something so breathtakingly godawful that you shake your head and wonder what the hell happened. I'm not talking about the unusual or experiment; I happily listened when Sinead O'Connor wanted to sing show tunes, or when Elvis Costello decided to do duets with an opera soprano. I mean they put out a cd that seems to systematically betray or deny everything you ever liked about them and their music to begin with.

I'm listening to what was, for me, the long-anticipated, eponymous Liz Phair cd. Jesus F*cking Christ on a crutch! From innovative indie darling, ripped off by countless acts since she released Exile in Guyville in '95, Liz has become something I didn't think it was possible to be: an Avril Lavigne wannabe.

I feel so used.

So, any other tales of musical betrayal out there?

-Jrabbit · October 8, 2003, 10:08

Re Liz Phair -- Saw her at SXSW this year and she was pretty good. And you gotta admit, her writing a song titled "Hot White Come" is pretty cool!

Re the question posed here, I have to say that the hard part is deciding which of the constant disappointments qualifies as "biggest." Some nominations off the top of my head...

Bush's 2nd CD, Razorblade Suitcase, was a huge disappointment. Proved I was wrong about the 1st one...

Live -- Secret Samadhi

Nirvana -- Heart-Shaped Box

No Doubt -- most everything after the 1st one...

Television -- the one after Marquee Moon

monolith94 · October 8, 2003, 10:26

Kansas - every album after their debut.

The Templar · October 8, 2003, 10:32

NOFX - Petting Zoo

Of course they rebounded after Pump Up the Valuum"

Bas · October 8, 2003, 10:50

Weezer - Green album. What a piece of ****.

oedo · October 8, 2003, 11:16

Tricky's second album Nearly God was a huge disappointment. I expected more after his masterpiece Maxinquaye

Rufus T. Firefly · October 8, 2003, 13:36

Quote:

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
Re Liz Phair -- Saw her at SXSW this year and she was pretty good. And you gotta admit, her writing a song titled "Hot White Come" is pretty cool!

Yeah, but according to an interview I saw somewhere, HWC has been kicking around since her first cd; it just took this long her label to have the guts to let her record it.

By contrast, "Rock Me" is new and is quite possibly the very worst song on any cd in my collection.

But I still envy your seeing her live. What can I say? My love dies hard.

Japher · October 8, 2003, 13:39

Stravinsky - The Right of Spring...

Not me, but all dem Frenchies who saw it on opening night

The Emperor Fabulous · October 8, 2003, 13:44

Sublime. I started listening to their stuff and I couldn't wait for the next album to come out.

Then I found out that Bradley Nowell was dead, and had been for a while...quite the downer...

monkspider · October 8, 2003, 13:46

Quote:

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
Re Liz Phair -- Saw her at SXSW this year and she was pretty good. And you gotta admit, her writing a song titled "Hot White Come" is pretty cool!

Re the question posed here, I have to say that the hard part is deciding which of the constant disappointments qualifies as "biggest." Some nominations off the top of my head...

Bush's 2nd CD, Razorblade Suitcase, was a huge disappointment. Proved I was wrong about the 1st one...

Live -- Secret Samadhi

Nirvana -- Heart-Shaped Box

No Doubt -- most everything after the 1st one...

Television -- the one after Marquee Moon

Good list. I would probably add the Beatles' "Let it Be' also, though by no means a bad album, very disappointing by the Beatles' standards.

-Jrabbit · October 8, 2003, 13:54

Quote:

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly
But I still envy your seeing her live. What can I say? My love dies hard.

This was a NARAS event at the convention center, about 200 people in a ballroom. She did a few songs (4) with her band, then did an onstage live interview with Neil Portnow (head of the Grammy org). She talked about the album, about her lengthy time off, about abandoning Chicago for LA, about overcoming her performance anxiety. It was pretty cool.

But what will REALLY make you jealous is that I met her. My company (which sent me to SXSW) was asked to supply her in-ear monitors for the gig (which we co-sponsored with NARAS). Nice girl. Very attractive. Easy to talk to.

I believe she's between boyfriends right now, maybe you should head out to LA, Rufus...

Rufus T. Firefly · October 8, 2003, 13:57

Nah, I'm happily married. But we did both grow up in the north 'burbs of Chicago...and she went to high school with my college roommate's sister...good conversation starter...hmm...

Nah.

Az · October 8, 2003, 13:59

Limp Bizkit. Yep. I liked their 1st and second albums. 3 and 4 are COMPLETE AND UTTER ****, though.

-Jrabbit · October 8, 2003, 14:03

Quote:

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly
But we did both grow up in the north 'burbs of Chicago...

Where did you go to HS?
And where do you teach?

rev · October 8, 2003, 14:08

Wanna know why Phair sounds like Avril? Because they have the same people writing their music for them: The Matrix.

It is my life's goal to bring down this "Matrix".

Az · October 8, 2003, 14:13

"The Matrix"?

rev · October 8, 2003, 14:16

Yeah, and they got their name long before the movie series came about.

Rufus T. Firefly · October 8, 2003, 14:18

Quote:

Originally posted by rev
Wanna know why Phair sounds like Avril? Because they have the same people writing their music for them: The Matrix.

It is my life's goal to bring down this "Matrix".

Well, 9 of the 14 tracks list Phair as sole writer, so I'm guessing its more about production. Still, the awful, awful "Rock Me" credits 3 other people along with her -- and the fact that it took 4 people to write that dreck puts it up there with The Flintstones movie (32 credited screenwriters) in the WTF sweepstakes.

Rufus T. Firefly · October 8, 2003, 14:27

Quote:

Originally posted by -Jrabbit

Where did you go to HS?
And where do you teach?

Maine East HS, in Park Ridge. And I teach at Bilkent University in Ankara. Why?

-Jrabbit · October 8, 2003, 15:11

So that Turkish flag is for real -- you've gone far, young master!

I went to Conant HS (Hoffman Estates), others here on Poly went to Deerfield. Also noted Comm. Studies teaching in your profile, and I'm a Marcom Director.

And you're right, The Matrix was brought in to provide some production magic.

Jac de Molay · October 8, 2003, 15:31

I think Guns and Roses pretty much fell off the face off the Earth after Appetite for Destruction, thanks to Axl Rose' bloated ego.

Chinese Democracy is, what, ten years in the making and still not released yet?

Ari Rahikkala · October 8, 2003, 15:35

Mike Oldfield - Amarok.

Agh.

The Andy-Man · October 8, 2003, 16:31

everything by van halen after the first album

all of ozzy osbournes stuff since Randy Rhodes died

Joe Satriani's more recent stuff, and anything by Steve Vai with singing

Agathon · October 8, 2003, 16:50

Quote:

Originally posted by Japher
Stravinsky - The Right of Spring...

Not me, but all dem Frenchies who saw it on opening night

You utter bastard Japher!!!! How dare you say that!!! I shall not rest until I see you hung by the neck with an Oriental Disembowelling Cutlass thrust up your ignoble behind.

Right on about the French though.

asleepathewheel · October 8, 2003, 17:03

Dave Matthews Band-Everyday

REM: Everything after Monster

Everclear's most recent

smashing Pumpkin's last stillborn efforts (after mellon collie)

another vote for Live Secret Samadhi and Bush Razorblade Suitcase.

(I think there's a pattern here...hmm)

molly bloom · October 8, 2003, 20:30

David Bowie's 'Never Let Me Down'. Think it couldn't get worse after 'Tonight'? Think of a song with Mickey Rourke helping out. In my teens I was a Bowie fanatic- this album made me want to put razors in my eyes and liquid cement in my ears.

Only saving grace was the first single, and the video for same.

Talking Heads' 'Speaking in Tongues'- not sure what I was expecting (an improvement on 'Remain in Light'? Not easy) but a set of songs in search of an album wasn't it. Some excellent songs that individually show the Heads' genius, but somehow that put all together flop before the finishing line.

The B 52's 'Mesopotamia' first version (before the David Byrne help out). Again, a possible change of direction for the group that led them into a cul de sac. It just didn't sound like the party out of bounds B 52's I loved.

I second Television's 'Adventure' - the problem being that after the stratospheric heights of 'Marquee Moon' what do you do?

Similarly, Siouxsie and the Banshees 'Join Hands'- shambolic successor to 'The Scream', and Magazine's 'Secondhand Daylight'- not a patch on 'Real Life'. Les Negresses Vertes couldn't reach the inspired heights of lunacy and joie de vivre of 'Mlah!'.

The Future Sound of London's 'Dead Cities' I found a let down, Jethro Tull's 'Heavy Horses', Saint Etienne's 'Sound of Water', Massive Attack's '100th Window' (great live show, though)...quite a few of Miles Davis's last few albums...

Still- all of these folks have furnished me with great enjoyment, so anyone not prepared to risk failure ain't worth listening to.

self biased · October 8, 2003, 21:48

lessee... disturbed's 'beleive' is the biggest disappointment i've had in a while. there are only two, maybe three good songs on the album. i won't even get into just about every metallica album barring the S&M one, is crap.

GhengisFarb™ · October 8, 2003, 21:55

I threw a cat out of a three story room window once.....

Rufus T. Firefly · October 9, 2003, 01:19

Quote:

Originally posted by -Jrabbit
So that Turkish flag is for real -- you've gone far, young master!

I went to Conant HS (Hoffman Estates), others here on Poly went to Deerfield. Also noted Comm. Studies teaching in your profile, and I'm a Marcom Director.

And you're right, The Matrix was brought in to provide some production magic.

There do seem to be a dispropotionate number of Chicagoans and Chicagoans-in-diaspora here, don't there? That and Finns.

BustaMike · October 9, 2003, 03:19

Jesus what is wrong with you people? Two people think Samadhi was a huge letdown. That album and the one that followed (the Distance) were both considerably better than Throwing Copper and that piece of trash called Mental Jewlery.

Oddly enough, I was gonna say Live also, but for a different album. I was incredibly pissed when I picked up V. I figured after 3 great albums it would be good. Ha! That album might as well have been written by Ralph Nader 'cause all the songs sing about hippie loving environmental political stuff and have about the same musical quality as something he could write.

Metallica after And Justice for All obviously.

New Sevendust is crappy. I liked their first 2 albums.

I liked the first Verve Pipe album, everything after sux.
Same with Better than Ezra.

Everything after Korn's first album.

Taproot's debut was great. That new one, Welcome, sucks my balls.

I could think of plenty more if I took the time.