Great track(s) on otherwise forgettable album ?

[robogone]

To Cut a Long Story Short on the first Spandau Ballet album. Best song they ever did IMO, but that album was terrible.

Aye.
Im sure its heresy to some, but I never liked anything by New Order except Blue Monday.

I certainly think Joy Division was a hell of a better band, but I mostly like the singles that New Order put out and never really heard an album that I really liked. They hung on for grim life long after they became an irrelevancy too. Should have bowed out gracefully when they stopped having original ideas and started doing pseudo-house music.

...and as Michael Jackson was mentioned...any of his albums after Thriller. There was one or two good tracks on each album but the rest was complete crap.

[whyterabbyt]

Took a long time before Pretty Hate Machine was much more than 'the rest of that album with Head Like a Hole' on it.

[robogone]

Took a long time before Pretty Hate Machine was much more than 'the rest of that album with Head Like a Hole' on it.

I think I struggled with that because it had the sound of a different decade compared to anything that followed it, but it didn't take too long to get over that. Definitely wasn't one that hit me first time around.

[aMUSEd]

I don't think that Ultravox really came together until after John Foxx left. While I like some of their earlier tracks, when I think of Ultravox I largely think of Vienna through Lament.

+1

It is one of those rare occasions when both the lead singer leaving and the band he leaves both produce their best stuff after the break

Couldn't disagree more. The only good stuff they did was with John Foxx - but Human League were way better anyway at that time (before Dare).

[ghettosynth]

To Cut a Long Story Short on the first Spandau Ballet album. Best song they ever did IMO, but that album was terrible.

Aye.
Im sure its heresy to some, but I never liked anything by New Order except Blue Monday.

I certainly think Joy Division was a hell of a better band, but I mostly like the singles that New Order put out and never really heard an album that I really liked.

Blue Monday isn't even really one of my favorites, the various remixes have been overplayed to death. But I completely disagree about their albums, Power Corruption and Lies through Brotherhood are all on regular rotation for me even still.

They hung on for grim life long after they became an irrelevancy too. Should have bowed out gracefully when they stopped having original ideas and started doing pseudo-house music.

That I agree with, but remixes of their early work were iconic well into the 90s.

...and as Michael Jackson was mentioned...any of his albums after Thriller. There was one or two good tracks on each album but the rest was complete crap.

I didn't think that Bad was that "bad", but almost nothing before Off the Wall was worth a shit either. He clearly peaked with Thriller. I certainly don't get the worship, but I have a few house mixes of some of his stuff, like Rock with You, and they are almost universally well received when I play them.

[aMUSEd]

To Cut a Long Story Short on the first Spandau Ballet album. Best song they ever did IMO, but that album was terrible.

Aye.
Im sure its heresy to some, but I never liked anything by New Order except Blue Monday.

Same here, apart from True Faith I liked too - but the rest I got bored with.

[Numanoid]

Couldn't disagree more. The only good stuff they did was with John Foxx

Fair enough.

But IMO they just didn't have a distinct voice then, some nice bits and pieces. Magazine was doing that kind of stuff much better at the time.

With Metamatic John Foxx took the sketches of sound Ultravox! had been aspiring for and turned it into a proper classic album.

And tracks like The Thin Wall stands high above anything Ultravox did with Foxx.

[aMUSEd]

"Light from a dead star" was so wonderful it made me go out and buy the album "Split" by Lush and I have tried several others by them too but that one song is all that really stood out which is such a shame as the singer had a really lovely voice but never really used it.

[aMUSEd]

"Violet" and "Doll Parts" are the only 2 really great songs Hole made, ironically I like those 2 more than anything by Nirvana (I think my favourite song by Nirvana was their version of "The man who sold the world" for MTV Unplugged)

[aMUSEd]

OK this is more pop/house but I bought "Woman can have it" by Eve Gallagher on the strength of "Love is a master of disguise" but it's the only track I still listen to.

And "After the storm" is the only song I have heard by the much hyped Mumford and sons that I have enjoyed (it is really special though so it's probably a hard standard to live up to).

And Air - Moon Safari - I only really like "All I need".

[robogone]

I didn't think that Bad was that "bad", but almost nothing before Off the Wall was worth a shit either. He clearly peaked with Thriller.

For the most part it just felt like a huge drop in quality for me though. I think what really screwed him up was no longer relying on external songwriters after Thriller. Without Quicy Jones and Rod Tempterton, Off the Wall and Thriller would have been unexceptional except for one or two tracks. If you've ever heard the outtakes from Thriller you'll know that Michael Jackson ran out of ideas after the few tracks he wrote.

In all fairness, maybe half of Bad is good, but it still has some really awful songs like that duet with Stevie Wonder, Bad, Dirty Diana, etc. Beyond Bad though they really were devoid of good songs (although that was probably only two more albums and a gazillion best of albums).

[Numanoid]

Don't forget that album between Thriller and Bad

[Pacific05]

This is hard to tell... I don't recall albums with only one notable track, except for some one hit wonder of the past. But with recent albums, this happens very often: i.e., "Reptilia" and "Machu Picchu" by Strokes, "Dressed for Space" by Trust, etc.

[Zombie Queen]

This one is doable. The other thread bugged me, as I couldn't think of any great album with a bad track... So...
Bowie, Space Oddity from Space Oddity


Slapp Happy, Casablanca Moon from Acnalbasac Noom


Max Romeo, Chase The Devil from War Ina Babylon

[mutantdog]

Can't think of any examples off-hand but they usually fall into the category of "the best tune off the second album by a band that's first album was a classic".

(Maybe that's another thread right there)