The most under-rated and over-rated rock albums of all time

Overrated: Beatles - White Album.

I'm a huge Beatles fan, I love pretty much everything they've done...except the white album. That album was just a little too "out there" for me. Some of it wasn't even music. "Number 9. Number 9. Number 9. Number 9...." I rest my case.

Underrated: Our Lady Peace - any album

Our Lady Peace is completely underrated in the USA. I know they're way huge in Canada, and I can't understand why that popularity never translated well in america. Spiritual Machines, in particular, I thought was an insanely great album. The song "Life" has so much feeling it makes me want to cry tears of joy every time I hear it. The video that went along with it was also phenominal.

Honorable Mention: Blue October - Foild; Blue October - History for Sale

Speaking of puting feeling into music, listen to the song "Hate Me" on Foiled. You can literally feel his pain in that song. When music can evoke that much emotion, that's mission accomplished, and then some....

Originally posted by intrepid
I'll have to think about this but I can give you an over rated album imo(and this won't go over well)...................... London Calling(Clash). Big "whoop-de-do.

Oh, and another............. Never Mind the Bollocks(Sex Pistols).

No way! The Sex Pistols album Never Mind the Bollocks rocked!
But I'll have to agree with you on the Clash... Makes me wanna :bash: lol.

I'll say under-rated - Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. It's a masterpiece in my opinon.

[edit on 9-10-2007 by Myrtales Instinct]

To continue, just for kicks and grins:

Some that should have made my UNDER-RATED list...



CORE Stone Temple Pilots

They were lumped in with Grunge even though they were from California instead of Seattle, but this album is every bit the equal of anything by Nirvana or Pearl Jam. Songs from this album are STILL being played on the radio even though it's more than ten years old now.

SUPERUNKNOWN Soundgarden

See the review of CORE, above. Soundgarden was another band lumped in with grunge even though the description didn't quite apply.


EAT TO THE BEAT Blondie

It was released after Parallel Lines. Parallel Lines brought Blondie to a larger audience and broke them out of the "unknown" status. Parallel Lines had the giant hit "Heart of Glass" and the respectable charting of "One Way or Another". Eat to the Beat should have been a much more successful album. Surprisingly, the best songs: "Slow Motion", and "Accidents Never Happen" were not even released as singles. Eat to the Beat was a great follow up to Parallel Lines, but surprisingly didn't do anywhere near as well. It would take "Call Me" from the American Gigolo soundtrack for Blondie to have another big hit.

(I didn't include it because I had already included one Blondie album. I'm a Blondie fan, so that would be a bit biased to include more than one).

DECEMBER UNDERGROUND AFI

Under-rated because their true fans seem to hate it. December Underground is AFI's most easily memorable and accessible album IMHO.



Some that should have made my OVER-RATED list:

THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE U2

In a word: B-O-R-I-N-G.



MURMUR R.E.M.

"Radio Free Europe" is one of the reasons God invented singles. Too bad the rest of the album is very much an acquired taste. The songs are good, but take repeated listenings to grow on you. Do you have that much time to waste?


Los Angeles, Wild Gift, Under the Big Black Sun, etc. X

In other words, ANYTHING by the band X. Exene Cervenka and John Doe can't even fool you into believing they can sing. If not for Billy Zoom's guitar work this band would be one of the biggest jokes in rock history. They nearly are anyway. That they ever got to record is a monument to P.T. Barnum: "there's a sucker born every minute." That they were critics' darlings shows how jaded critics are.

Originally posted by Zane Zackerly
In other words, ANYTHING by the band X.

Fourth of July is an amazing song.

the rest is, well, one man's garbage is another man's gold.


edited to add:

Bruce Springstein. Everything this guy does is overrated. I never understood how he became popular. I guess the whole "we're from Jersey, what else do we have?" thing might be at play.

Bruce and Hair Metal. Never understood that either. Ratt? What the hell is that all about?

[edit on 9-10-2007 by Crakeur]

Originally posted by Crakeur
Bruce Springstein. Everything this guy does is overrated. I never understood how he became popular. I guess the whole "we're from Jersey, what else do we have?" thing might be at play.

Bruce and Hair Metal. Never understood that either. Ratt? What the hell is that all about?

[edit on 9-10-2007 by Crakeur]

I'd have to agree on both counts. Poison is one of the most appropriately named bands of all time, since that's what they were to real metal.

Springsteen is one of the giants; how the mighty have fallen.

Maybe I should start a list on "the most boring albums of all time." Trouble is, Springsteen would be half the list. "The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle" is one long snooze. "Darkness on the Edge of Town" is too boring to be believed. I could go on.


X and Fourth of July? I'd have to admit they markedly improved around the time they became more commercial.

Listen to "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" on Under the Big Black Sun, though, and you'll be reminded how some people shouldn't attempt some songs.



[edit on 10/9/07 by Zane Zackerly]

A real under rated album in my opinion would be

New Miserable Experience - by the Gin Blossoms.