Top Five Overrated Albums by Bands You Like

[Larry Flyntz]

Unlike most of my lists, the order actually does matter this time.

1. Tommy, by The Who ... Fuck Tommy. This album flat out sucks. Lots of bands have done concept albums and executed them much better than The Who did with this effort.

2. The Wall, by Pink Floyd ... I know The Wall is some unique emotional experience and all, but in all honesty, some of the songs on it are pretty weak. If it was cut down to one disc, it would be much better, in my humble opinion.

3. Exile on Main Street, by The Rolling Stones ... Maybe this is just a matter of taste, but I think Beggar's Banquet, Sticky Fingers, Let it Bleed, and Goat's Head Soup are all better than Exile, yet Exile constantly takes the cake as "The best Stones album".

4. The White Album, by The Beatles ... Some bands shouldn't make double albums, and The Beatles are one. There are some damn fine songs on this album, undoubtedly, and overall, it is a pretty good album, but like The Wall, it would be a much better listening experience if it was cut down to one disc.

5. IV, by Led Zeppelin ... Definitely a good album, but not their best. It has two of my five favorite Zeppelin songs on it: "Going to California," and "When the Levee Breaks." But, it also has what I consider the two most overrated Zeppelin songs: "Black Dog" and "Rock and Roll." As I said, good album, but it shouldn't be called their best effort.

[The Ocean]

I agree with that list. Especially Led Zeppelin IV. I always wondered why Led Zeppelin III didn't get more recognition.

1. Blue Öyster Cult - Agents Of Fortune. Alright classic rock fiends, I get that "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" is on this album... it certainly doesn't make the entire album good. The insipid "Debbie Denise" at the end is just cringeworthy. A better album is by them is "Secret Treaties." It starts strong with an ode to evil, add some S&M crazyness, drug experimentation, and WWII hijinks for some crazy fun album awesomeness. There is also the album right before that called "Tyranny And Mutation," which cemented Blue Öyster Cult as that period's American Black Sabbath, as some have called. Their sound later evolved to become less metal, however. And then there is their 1998 album Heaven Forbid, which is one of the most diverse albums from a 70's band I've ever heard. No band can do heavy metal and pop on one album and make it fucking work like Blue Öyster Cult can.

2. Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf. Rated R was a better album.

3. The Beatles - The Beatles. Revolver was better a better album.

4. Pink Floyd - The Wall. I am sick of hearing how good this album is. It has maybe three good songs on it and a bunch of glorified filler tracks.

5. The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main Street. Sticky Fingers is much better in my opinion. Brown Sugar, Wild Horses, Dead Flowers, Bitch, Moonlight Mile, and Sister Morphine are all amazing tracks to me.

[الله أكبر]

1) The Black Album - Metallica. Do I even need to elaborate?

2) Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd. Okay, so "Money" and "Time" are flawless, but a large portion of the album (most notably "Any Colour You Like") seems extraneous to me. I'd much rather have Meddle or Wish You Were Here in my CD player...

3) Joe's Garage - Frank Zappa. I have heard people say that this is the epitome of Zappa's songwriting and musicality, but I have to disagree. To truly experience Zappa, one must listen to the live albums. There are too many songs that I have to skip over -most notably "Sy Borg" - when I listen to the album.

4) The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden. I dunno...I always find myself listening to the song "Number of the Beast" and then taking the CD out after that song is over. I'd much rather listen to Killers or Powerslave.

5) There is Nothing Left to Lose - Foo Fighters. For me, the Foo Fighters died after The Colour and Shape was released. At this point, all you really need is that album and the first one. I'd also like to add that I think One by One was a travesty.