Albums that made you go WTF

[SJ_Digriz]

To me, I kinda conflate 'wtf?' with 'jumped the shark,' and while they can be synonymous, are not necessarily. I've thought of posting a thread along the lines of 'at what album do you think your favourite bands/artists jumped the shark?'

I kind of mean it in that sense. DT actually hit on the idea that WTF can be a good thing. Like HOLY SHIT wasn't expecting that!

[SJ_Digriz]

Here's another doozy ..
I'm crazy about 3 Vangelis Albums .. Heaven & Hell (my fave), Albedo, Spiral .. Back in the day when buying albums was an event, I was at Tower Records waiting for the shipment of the last two. And unfortunately .. I crashed the doors for this wonderful collection of random cleaning lady noises. China was soso, then he did Chariots and it's all been largely milk toast since. But this one, as Bomba would put it, didn't just jump the shark .. he evil kneiveled 400 sharks.
edit: this is kind of an EDM take on Lou Reed's Metal Machine

[herodotus]

Zep, anything after Physical Grafitti, esp. Presence, I wasn't impressed with.

Presence wasn't a great album, but I wouldn't call it WTF either. I

And "Nobody's Fault but Mine" is stellar.

[Bombadil]

I had the album back when it was released. Nothing grabbed me. But the cover was certainly a'WTF?' thing

[No_Use]

Bad Religion - Into The Unknown (but WTF in a good way, I think it's actually their most interesting album. )

[herodotus]

I have to add my voice to the chorus of "WTF"s about Yes' 90210 album or whatever the F*** it was called.

I mean, I bought it the day it was released, brought it home, and just sat there crying at the sounds emanating from my speakers.

And concerning the trend of "Horrible 80s albums made by bands that were good in the 70s", the whole thing was demanded by the labels. Bill Bruford used to have a blog, and he told the whole sorry tale in one of his posts there.

In short: no, Jon Anderson and Chris Squire didn't just decide to start sucking out of misguided love or anything. The were ordered to make 'relevant' music.

[SJ_Digriz]

I actually blamed Trevor Rabin and Chris Squier for being friends. But, after hearing Jacaranda I figured even Trevor had good taste and was just dialing up the 80s cue card of suck on the Yes albums. At least with Big Generator I didn't waste $10 .. or $1 or $0.1 since is was the same crew I kinda figured it would terrible.

[mumpcake]

Big Generator has one of the worst lyrics of all time on "Love Will Find A Way". Supposedly Stevie Nicks was supposed to have recorded that one. It would have been interesting to have heard that.

While I don't think even the band members know what Anderson's lyrics are supposed to mean, I have the feeling the title track was intended as a big middle finger to the music industry.

I'm also surprised the label let them put "I'm Running" on there, as it's a solidly progressive tune.

[SJ_Digriz]

I'm also surprised the label let them put "I'm Running" on there, as it's a solidly progressive tune.

Wow, our definitions of prog is definitely different. Length and random tacking of crappy pop songs together isn't prog.

[herodotus]

......the 80s cue card of suck....

[donkey tugger]

Length and random tacking of crappy pop songs together isn't prog.

Is it defined by magnitude of cape?

[Bombadil]

I remember reading that Genesis was also under pressure from the suits to write 'hits.' 80's Genesis was certainly 'wtf?' for me. Peter Gabriel was more successful, imo, making that transition.

I, too, was baffled by 80's Yes. Mid-late 80's I began to turn into my parents, becoming more and more disillusioned by the direction pop/rock was taking and retreating into the music of my earlier youth. It is also when I turned to classical music as an alternative. I'd often study listening to Bach, Mozart, Rossini, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Chopin.

[toonertik]

George Benson... don't know the album (lost interest) but when he started singing, I sure as hell went "WTF", and I thought it was your guitar that sang... pfffffff.
From this


to this


WTF!!!!

[telecode]

I remember reading that Genesis was also under pressure from the suits to write 'hits.' 80's Genesis was certainly 'wtf?' for me. Peter Gabriel was more successful, imo, making that transition.

I, too, was baffled by 80's Yes. Mid-late 80's I began to turn into my parents, becoming more and more disillusioned by the direction pop/rock was taking and retreating into the music of my earlier youth. It is also when I turned to classical music as an alternative. I'd often study listening to Bach, Mozart, Rossini, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Chopin.

There was obviously a great divide between what was popular on radio and the "charts" in the 70s and it's obviosly in both cases of Yes and Genesis, they were not bands/artists that wanted to stick to their guns and make their own tried and true style of music (a la Motorheard or AC/DC), they wanted hit records on the radio, and that's what the records they were making where.

In the case of Yes and 90210, the Trevor Horn production was groundbreaking work in the field of pop and rock record production at the time.

In the case of Genesis, the genesis on the 70s with Gabriel and Hackett was a completely different band than the Genesis with Collins front and center. So comparing the record released between the two eras based on "artistic quality" is useless. But in general, the High Padhgam production of the 80s records are really great examples of pop rock music from the era. Phill Collin's first two solo records are actually quite great and some of my favorites. Gabriels records from early 80s obviously were much more avante guarde.

[telecode]

In reply to the OPs thread. I recently got into listening to St Vincent after her Grammy performance. I started with the new one Masseduction and then was working my way backwards in the catalog. The release with David Byrne is now one of my favorite records of the 2010s and I can't believe I never listened to it until now. So now, Masseduction to me is a WTF record. I can't believe the artistry down so poppy and downhill in such a short time.