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| Any music fan, no matter whether they are a novice or a professional, has heard hundreds of albums proclaimed as “great” or “classic.” Oftentimes, these statements drive a music fan to buy said album, and also blindly follow the blanket statement that it is truly a great album. Recently I’ve thought of albums that achieve this word-of-mouth status and began to think critically about how great these albums truly are. What I’ve discovered is that many “great albums” are mediocre at best, and overshadow some of artists’ superior works. Red Hot Chili Peppers: Blood Sugar Sex Magik This album contains several of RHCP’s most famous radio songs, and they are famous for a reason. “Under the Bridge” is an astounding song, “Give it Away” defines the band’s sound, and “Breaking the Girl” and the title track are irresistibly catchy. But for every classic song, there are five dull, meandering tracks that make the album far too long and boring. Even the jams that the band utilizes so effectively in concert drag on without excitement. Also, while songs like “Sir Psycho Sexy” contain the graphic sexual content that Anthony Kiedis is famous for including in his lyrics, they are too direct to be humorous, leaving themselves there primarily for shock value. For a much better and more indirect portrayal of Kiedis’ sexual escapades, give “Purple Stain” a listen. Check this out instead: Californication (1999) R.E.M.: Monster The band’s 1994 effort is, to me, a clear example of good intentions gone wrong. Inspired by his good friendship with Kurt Cobain, Michael Stipe and company set out to integrate the early 90s grunge sound into their arsenal by creating a heavily distorted, guitar laden album. Changing styles was certainly not new to the band, whose sound had altered drastically since their debut album, Murmur. The album contains some classic R.E.M. tunes (“What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?,” “Star 69,” “Circus Envy”), most, like “King of Comedy,” miss the mark badly, suffocated under Peter Buck’s fuzzed out guitar. If the album represents one positive, it is that the evolution of Buck’s guitar work culminated in 1996’s New Adventures in Hi-Fi, one of the most underrated albums of the 90s. Check these out instead: NAiHF, Automatic for the People (1993), Document (1987) Nirvana: Nevermind The classic great album argument: does importance alone make an album great? One could argue, and I certainly wouldn’t oppose, that Nevermind is one of the most important albums in rock history. The actual music of the album, in my opinion, lands far down the list of great music of the 1990s. To the mainstream, the album was a fresh new sound. In reality, Nirvana and its contemporaries had been making music like this for much of the late 80s. That it became so popular in the face of the American landscape makes it the landmark album that it is today, but it isn’t even the best of Nirvana’s career. In Utero takes that title, as its brooding underside makes it one of the most complete, haunting, and incredible albums of the decade. Bob Dylan: Modern Times This album made my list of the Top 10 Albums of 2006. If I had a chance, I’d move it down, if not off, that list. If only I’d discovered Tom Waits’ Orphans earlier… The album garnered much critical praise, but upon further inspection, why? Much of the album is not Dylan’s original work. And for an artist trying to pass something old off as his own, the music is rather boring. Aside from “Thunder on the Mountain,” “Someday Baby,” and “Workingman’s Blues #2,” Bob sounds as old as he truly is (gasp!). “Spirit on the Water” and “Beyond the Horizon” sound like something Abe Simpson would play on the radio at the Springfield Retirement Castle. Dylan’s career revival that began in 1997 has produced much better material than this antiquated collection of other peoples’ music. Check this out instead: Time Out of Mind (1997) |
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Great albums, revisited: Are they really that good?
| It might be time to rethink which record is really the Red Hot Chili Peppers' best album. |
| March 28, 2007 |
E-mail Matt Berry at matt@staticandfeedback.com
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