NationStates Jolt Archive

The purpose of this thread is to come up with a band that you like, perhaps only somewhat. Then to name two of their albums, one that you think is overrated, and one that you think is underrated, and give a short critique of it. I'll go first.

My pick: R.E.M.

Overrated: Automatic For the People This album is generally thought of by people as R.E.M.'s best album, but I find it to consist of one great song ("Man on the Moon") and a bunch of stuff that's just listenable. "Everybody Hurts" goes on for about 2½ minutes too long for a song that's that slow, and a lot of the songs have a similar feel to them.

Underrated: New Adventures in Hi-fi This was the last album with drummer Bill Berry. It isn't very highly thought of by people, but I feel it's their best album overall. There is much more variety between songs, and they're much better overall. This album is also unusual in the fact that the best songs aren't the singles, unlike any of their other albums.

Metallica:

overrated: Metallica (the Black Album). just...so..... overrated....

underrated: Ride The Lightning. often overshadowed by MoP (which is better than the Black album imo)

underrated: Ride The Lightning. often overshadowed by MoP (which is better than the Black album imo)
I agree, Ride the Lightning is better than MoP.

Nirvana:

Overrated - Nevermind. bleh
Underrated - Bleach. some excellent stuff on there

Iron Maiden

Overrated: Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, only has about 3-4 songs that I think are better than average and overall it doesn't seem very consistent to me either.

Underrated: X Factor, People who badmouth this album are usually 13 year old year old prats who haven't even heard the album. Yes, Blaze doesn't have as big vocal range as Bruce and yes it is a rather dark and depressing album, but since when was dark and depressing a bad thing? Its a good healthy way of keeping the population down and with songs like Blood On The World's Hands, Fortunes Of War and Sign Of The Cross this album is worth a lot more than the often pointless and unwillingly corny songs on Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son.

wow quite a gravedig.

was weird just then reading a post about metallica, agreeing with the poster, and then reading that the poster was me :p

Stevie Nicks

OVERRATED: Rock A Little. Even though it's one of the first three solo albums and has some great material, "Talk To Me," wasn't even written by her. "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You" is too sappy for my tastes. "No Spoken Word" is a gem and "I Can't Wait" is excellent, but other parts of the album sound too dated.

UNDERRATED: Trouble in Shangri-la. A CD that compares favourably with what's widely considered her best work (her debut album Bella Donna, except for a Top 5 debut, the album didn't draw nearly as many sales as it deserved. The title track has great imagery, songs like "Planets Of The Universe" and "Candlebright" add much texture to the sparse demos that circulated throughout the Stevie Nicks fan community, and "Fall From Grace" provides a triple shot of guitar heavy espresso just as the listener expects a mellow conclusion to a fine collection of material.

The Doors:

Overrated- LA Woman. Ok, It's decent, but I think it's missing something that prevents it from rocking as much as the first album does. Despite it being seen as a classic, half of the songs on it are pretty unmemorable.

Underrated- Waiting for the Sun. "Hello, I Love You" is a bright happy song to start on...there is brilliant flamenco guitar work on "Spanish Caravan", and the other songs are all pretty solid. But most of all, "Five to One" at the end of the album is such a change in tone from where the album started, that I can't help but wonder if it wasn't some sort of deliberate ploy on behalf of Morrison to scare the crap out of the crowd that are bound to purchase this album on the basis of its radio friendly nature. Genius.

Nirvana:

Overrated - Nevermind. bleh
Underrated - Bleach. some excellent stuff on there

Hell yeah. I prefer In Utero to Bleach, but Bleach is really what made me get into Nirvana. I wouldn't say Nevermind is "bleh", 'cause I still like it, It's just the craziness of the other two that do it for me.

wow quite a gravedig.

was weird just then reading a post about metallica, agreeing with the poster, and then reading that the poster was me :p

Shit, I didn't even realise.

Hell yeah. I prefer In Utero to Bleach, but Bleach is really what made me get into Nirvana. I wouldn't say Nevermind is "bleh", 'cause I still like it, It's just the craziness of the other two that do it for me.
Yea I prefer In Utero as well, but Bleach is so underrated.

Yea I prefer In Utero as well, but Bleach is so underrated.

That it is. Actually, they had a lot of really rare gems and B-sides that weren't released on any official studio album (not counting the boxed set)....Pen Cap Chew, Even in His Youth, Blandest...and so on.

Probably my favourite recording of Nirvana though is the live version of Aneurysm from Muddy Banks...it's incredible.

Pink Floyd:
Overrated -
The Wall: I'm not denying it's not good - some of the music on there is simply excellent - but for pure overblown, melodramatic, heart-on-sleeve, unnecessarily emotional music, I don't think it can be beaten. It could probably be half the length as well - some of the tracks on there aren't needed. Most of the second half, in fact.

Underrated -
I'm torn between Piper at the Gates of Dawn and Division Bell.
Division Bell was made without Roger Waters, but Piper... was made without Dave Gilmour, so neither are the classic Pink Floyd line-up. Piper... was closer to the original line-up, though, so I'll go with that.
Ok. At the time it was released it was hailed as genius, as was Syd Barrett. Sadly, since his breakdown, and the intimate documentation of his drug (ab)use, it has been overlooked, obscured (by clouds? :p ) by DSOTM, WYWH, and, sadly, The Wall. Musically, Astronomy Domine and Interstellar Overdrive hint at the future direction Floyd would take, while lyrically, for example, Bike or The Gnome, it is a window into Barrett's, admittedly drug-addled, yet still wildly creative mind.

That it is. Actually, they had a lot of really rare gems and B-sides that weren't released on any official studio album (not counting the boxed set)....Pen Cap Chew, Even in His Youth, Blandest...and so on.

Probably my favourite recording of Nirvana though is the live version of Aneurysm from Muddy Banks...it's incredible.
Yea man, that's awesome. Better than the Radio 1 session off Incesticide.

"Dive" off Incesticide is very good as well, for a radio session of a song that probably didn't even make it to b side.

Verse Chorus Verse/Sappy is class too.

Yea man, that's awesome. Better than the Radio 1 session off Incesticide.

"Dive" off Incesticide is very good as well, for a radio session of a song that probably didn't even make it to b side.

Verse Chorus Verse/Sappy is class too.

Yeah, both of those are great. Sappy especially so, it's really polished. Oh yeah, and one of my favourites - "Moist Vagina". :D

Britney Spears

Overrated- everything she sings

Underrated- uuhhmmmm.................Her boobs?

Iron Maiden

Overrated: Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, only has about 3-4 songs that I think are better than average and overall it doesn't seem very consistent to me either.

Underrated: X Factor, People who badmouth this album are usually 13 year old year old prats who haven't even heard the album. Yes, Blaze doesn't have as big vocal range as Bruce and yes it is a rather dark and depressing album, but since when was dark and depressing a bad thing? Its a good healthy way of keeping the population down and with songs like Blood On The World's Hands, Fortunes Of War and Sign Of The Cross this album is worth a lot more than the often pointless and unwillingly corny songs on Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son.

I would've said seventh son was underrated. A lot of people hate that album and claim most other people do. And X factor really wasn't that great. It had a couple of decent songs (Man on the edge, Lord of the Flies), but Sign of the Cross was about six minutes too long and generally shit.

I think I would have to pick another Metallica pair as my choice (it's a pet rant of mine)

Overrated: Kill 'Em All. I just plain don't like it. The songs aren't particularly bad, but it gets way too much credit for being their first album and could do with a decent remastering.

Underrated: Load/Reload. I've never understood what's so bad about these two. They do have a different feel to them, and they're not really metal in the same way the first four or five are, but that doesn't make them bad. There's still a lot of good music in there.

Britney Spears

Overrated- everything she sings

Underrated- uuhhmmmm.................Her boobs?
While I agree with the first bit, I'm confused about the second. I thought the reason all the other junk existed was her tits?

Iron Maiden though - Overrated: Seventh Son. That album is shit. There's only a couple of songs worth listening to on it. All the other Dick albums are brilliant, from start to finish.

Underrated: How angry I am at Iron Maiden for putting out records with the Dickinson substitute. I bought one, and I want my bloody money back. I just don't know who's arse I should be kicking. Mine, for just assuming it would be worth listening to? Dickinsons, for leaving the band to write a book? Or the rest of the wankers, for putting out an album with a twat that can't sing for shit?

Decisions, decisions...

The band van Der Graaf (Generator)

Overrated: Pawn Hearts. It's a fine record, but no way in hell is this their best album. You read the music press, though, and it appears to be all that they've ever recorded.
Underrated: The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Zone. A wonderful record. It may more resemble a Peter Hammill solo record than the Graaf (unlike, say, Pawn Hearts, which has the same lineup as Nadir's Big Chance a Hammill solo record of some note) but it's still a wonderful record, and one that pisses all over World Record, the last gasp (prior to this March) or the "proper" Graaf lineup...

Metallica:

overrated: Metallica (the Black Album). just...so..... overrated....

underrated: Ride The Lightning. often overshadowed by MoP (which is better than the Black album imo)
Agreed, I think ..and Justice for All is somewhat underrated too.

The Doors:

Overrated- LA Woman. Ok, It's decent, but I think it's missing something that prevents it from rocking as much as the first album does. Despite it being seen as a classic, half of the songs on it are pretty unmemorable.

Underrated- Waiting for the Sun. "Hello, I Love You" is a bright happy song to start on...there is brilliant flamenco guitar work on "Spanish Caravan", and the other songs are all pretty solid. But most of all, "Five to One" at the end of the album is such a change in tone from where the album started, that I can't help but wonder if it wasn't some sort of deliberate ploy on behalf of Morrison to scare the crap out of the crowd that are bound to purchase this album on the basis of its radio friendly nature. Genius.
I agree, in my opinion the only really great tracks on LA Woman are LA Woman, L'America and Riders Of The Storm and Waiting For The Sun is brilliant, I think Not To Touch The Earth should also be mentioned, a very good song in my opinion.

I would've said seventh son was underrated. A lot of people hate that album and claim most other people do. And X factor really wasn't that great. It had a couple of decent songs (Man on the edge, Lord of the Flies), but Sign of the Cross was about six minutes too long and generally shit.
Well, at least on the IMBB SSoASS is quite popular and thats really the only place I ever meet any Maiden fans :(
Anyway, we seem to have quite different music tastes, Man On The Edge and Lord Of The Flies are the two weakest tracks on The X Factor in my opinion and I really love The Sign Of The Cross :p

My Chemical Roamnce: Grossly and extortionately overrated

Rancid: Underated

Well, at least on the IMBB SSoASS is quite popular and thats really the only place I ever meet any Maiden fans :(

Fair enough. I've met a few in various places.


Anyway, we seem to have quite different music tastes, Man On The Edge and Lord Of The Flies are the two weakest tracks on The X Factor in my opinion and I really love The Sign Of The Cross :p

To each his own then.

Up the Irons!:cool:

Edit: out of interest, which are your favourite maiden albums? Mine are Piece of Mind and Brave New World

My Chemical Roamnce: Grossly and extortionately overrated

Rancid: UnderatedThe point of this thread was to compare two albums by the same band, not to compare two different bands, though comparing two different bands is fine, too.

Incidentally, I'd say that you're right when you say Rancid is underrated, but I disagree with your assessment of My Chemical Romance. I'd say they're one of the best new bands out there.

Edit: out of interest, which are your favourite maiden albums? Mine are Piece of Mind and Brave New WorldThis question wasn't asked of me, but I'll answer anyway. I'd say Iron Maiden and Virtual XI, being well aware that I am alone in defending the latter album.

Beck

Overrated: Sea Change
Underrated: Mutations

I disagree with your assessment of My Chemical Romance. I'd say they're one of the best new bands out there.
No. Way.

Bon Jovi

Overrated: Slippery When Wet

Underrated: These Days

Overrated: Kill 'Em All. I just plain don't like it. The songs aren't particularly bad, but it gets way too much credit for being their first album and could do with a decent remastering.

Underrated: Load/Reload. I've never understood what's so bad about these two. They do have a different feel to them, and they're not really metal in the same way the first four or five are, but that doesn't make them bad. There's still a lot of good music in there.

I couldn't disagree with you more, Kill 'Em All is my favorite and I think Load/Reload earned their reputation as turds.

I couldn't disagree with you more, Kill 'Em All is my favorite and I think Load/Reload earned their reputation as turds.

Can I ask why Load/Reload are "turd"? I can understand Kill 'Em All as a favourite, I guess, but I've never heard a decent reason for Load and Reload being called shit. (the only reason I've ever been given is because they're a different style to the KEA to Black Album work, and not really metal in the same way)

Band: Black Sabbath

Overrated: Paranoid. Boy am I going to take flak for this, but the sound on this album just plain sucks and while it contains several great songs, it also has a couple horrible ones, or, at least they're not very good in my opinion, and it's just not very strong as an album.

Underrated: Volume 4. or Master of Reality. The former is extremely underrated, nobody ever talks about it, even though in my opinion it's stronger as an album than Paranoid, and has some great songs on it, and none that are too godawful to listen to. The latter is one of the strongest albums I've heard, and far better than Paranoid

That's just my opinion though.

As for Metallica, I also think that their self-titled album is overrated, and that Ride the Lightning is underrated.

And Iron Maiden, personally I think that their last two albums are somewhat underrated.

I almost took a crack at this thread last night, but I put it off. Okay.

I'll say... Pink Floyd.

Most overrated: The Wall.

Yet another 'concept' album, this time about the fictional character 'Pink'. A double-disc-length eterna-whinge about everything from losing his dad in the War to his over-bearing mum and on to how awful and dreary school was and then things only got worse after his wife dumped him while he was strung out on drugs on tour in the States while making connections between what he does onstage and what the Nazi Party got up to leading up to the War.

Dreck! And boring dreck, at that. The parts that weren't murdered through massive overplay, that is.

Most underrated: UmmaGumma.

A double-disc-length album, UmmaGumma is divided into two discreet sections - a 'live' album of extended-length versions of their up-til-then larger venue standards, such as Astronomy Domine and Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun, while the second disc's tracks are all 'new' studio recordings - recordings that pushed an awful lot of boundaries, even if they weren't all attempts to write traditional songs. And here and there amongst the weird noises, there are some rather hauntingly good bits and pieces.

Sometimes-self-indulgent but well worth a few listens in one state of mind or another.

I almost took a crack at this thread last night, but I put it off. Okay.

I'll say... Pink Floyd.

Most overrated: The Wall.

Yet another 'concept' album, this time about the fictional character 'Pink'. A double-disc-length eterna-whinge about everything from losing his dad in the War to his over-bearing mum and on to how awful and dreary school was and then things only got worse after his wife dumped him while he was strung out on drugs on tour in the States while making connections between what he does onstage and what the Nazi Party got up to leading up to the War.

Dreck! And boring dreck, at that. The parts that weren't murdered through massive overplay, that is.

Most underrated: UmmaGumma.

A double-disc-length album, UmmaGumma is divided into two discreet sections - a 'live' album of extended-length versions of their up-til-then larger venue standards, such as Astronomy Domine and Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun, while the second disc's tracks are all 'new' studio recordings - recordings that pushed an awful lot of boundaries, even if they weren't all attempts to write traditional songs. And here and there amongst the weird noises, there are some rather hauntingly good bits and pieces.

Sometimes-self-indulgent but well worth a few listens in one state of mind or another.I'll throw another underrated Pink Floyd album in there for you--Pulse, for much the same reasons as you describe, only the whole damn thing is live.

Barenaked Ladies:

UNDERRATED: Gordon
OVERRATED: Everything after that.

Radiohead

UNDERRATED: OK Computer
OVERRATED: Everything else.

Metallica:

overrated: Metallica (the Black Album). just...so..... overrated....

underrated: Ride The Lightning. often overshadowed by MoP (which is better than the Black album imo)

thats true. I found the black album BORING.

thats true. I found the black album BORING.

I agree to an extent. Some songs are good, but the album wasn't good enough for me to bring to college.

No. Way.
Way. Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge is one of the 5 best albums of last year. (Probably number 5, but still.)

As for Metallica, I also think that their self-titled album is overrated, and that Ride the Lightning is underrated.How interesting, those are my two favorite Metallica albums (as they're the only two that have 100% good songs.) I'd say that Master of Puppets is overrated, but only when people claim it's Metallica's best album. It's still a good album.

Barenaked Ladies:

UNDERRATED: Gordon
OVERRATED: Everything after that.I have Gordon and Stunt, and I do have to agree that Gordon is way better.

I have Gordon and Stunt, and I do have to agree that Gordon is way better.

am i the only one who thought "maybe you should drive" was their best work? ah well.

i'll do one too. depeche mode:

overrated: violator - sure it's a good album with a couple of fine tracks, but it's by no means the band-defining album it's made out to be.

underrated: 101 - i have never listened to a pre "depeche mode 101" depeche mode album since discovering this, there's just no need. it's live in 2 glorious disks, every pre-violator song you'd ever want to here is on it, and nearly every track benefits enormously from the live performance. not the sort of band you'd expect to rock out in concert, but wow...

am i the only one who thought "maybe you should drive" was their best work? ah well.I've only heard the two albums I mentioned. Is "Shoe Box" on that one?

Band: Black Sabbath

Overrated: Paranoid. Boy am I going to take flak for this, but the sound on this album just plain sucks and while it contains several great songs, it also has a couple horrible ones, or, at least they're not very good in my opinion, and it's just not very strong as an album.

Are you talking about the sound on the original release of on the remastered version? The remastered version is dreadful: it strips all the charm and magic off the original.

Band: Black Sabbath

Overrated: Paranoid. Boy am I going to take flak for this, but the sound on this album just plain sucks and while it contains several great songs, it also has a couple horrible ones, or, at least they're not very good in my opinion, and it's just not very strong as an album.

Underrated: Volume 4. or Master of Reality. The former is extremely underrated, nobody ever talks about it, even though in my opinion it's stronger as an album than Paranoid, and has some great songs on it, and none that are too godawful to listen to. The latter is one of the strongest albums I've heard, and far better than Paranoid



I'd agree, I think *wince* that paranoid isn't perhaps as good as people say, maybe because paranoid itself is overplayed, and whilst I would agree that volume four is amazing and probably the best album Black Sabbath did, most people realise this. The only people who prefer paranoid are people who only know one Sabbath song.

Radiohead

UNDERRATED: OK Computer
OVERRATED: Everything else.

Now wait a minute, didn't OK Computer finish first in a major poll of top all time albums? I wouldn't call that underrated.

And I would call everything that came after OK computer to be overrated, because I really liked The Bends.

Now wait a minute, didn't OK Computer finish first in a major poll of top all time albums? I wouldn't call that underrated.

And I would call everything that came after OK computer to be overrated, because I really liked The Bends.
The Bends was the album before OK Computer not after, surely?

One of the most underrated bands i've come across are the Melvins, from firstly inventing grunge, moving on to drone-rock, then proving they can make REAL rock records then to experimentation with BALLS. They've done it all their way and have (in my opinion) made NO bad record (not too shabby seeing as they release one about every day and formed in 1983). Also, King Buzzo is the undisputed MASTER of the riff (post iommi). Despite all this i know literally nobody that has even heard them.

The Bends was the album before OK Computer not after, surely?

Yes, he was saying every other Radiohead album was overrated, I said that just the albums coming after OK Computer were overrated, as I didn't think that The Bends was overrated.

Yes, he was saying every other Radiohead album was overrated, I said that just the albums coming after OK Computer were overrated, as I didn't think that The Bends was overrated.
Fair enough. I can't see what the fuss over Kid A was about myself. If I wanted to listen to a mix of cocktail jazz and synth noodling I have a copy of Black Market somewhere...

Thomas Dolby:

OVERRATED: The Golden Age of Wireless
UNDERRATED: The soundtrack to the film Gothic.

"The Devil is an Englishman." 'Nuff said.


Steely Dan:

OVERRATED: Two Against Nature (see also Gaucho for a close second).
It won three Grammys as a kind of "make up call" for AMPAS ignoring them through their 70s creative heyday. It's a solid album, but it doesn't hold a candle to...

UNDERRATED: The Royal Scam

One of the most underrated bands i've come across are the Melvins...

They've done it all their way and have (in my opinion) made NO bad record (not too shabby seeing as they release one about every day and formed in 1983).

Ignoring the bootleg release which is comprised entirely of the audience reaction and stage noise which occured between songs, obviously.

Tony MacAlpine

Overated: Edge of Insanity. Good, but generally is hearlded as his best work, and I don't think it's close to it. His tone is not great, and his writing and playing have not matured. His talent is obvious here, but it is not all realized at this point.

Underrated: Premonition. Drumming and Bass is fantastic, and Tony's playing is unglodly on this on. Music is deverse and very well written. Having Jens Johansson (most notable of Yngwie Malmsteen) play keys on a couple tracks (trading solos with Tony) and makes for great dueling leads. If I have to take one cd with me, this is the one that goes.

Band: The Corrs
Underrated: Borrowed Heaven
Borrowed Heaven consists of musical genious like Angel, to hilarious songs like Humdrum. They eclipse Horslips. Sort of.
Overrated: In Blue
The only song people have heard off it is... Breathless... Good song, but I don't like the rest of the album.

Ignoring the bootleg release which is comprised entirely of the audience reaction and stage noise which occured between songs, obviously.
Are you talking about "prick"?

The Bee Gees.

Overrated: Saturday Night Fever.

I mean, fine - I'm astounded that Barry could take that many shots to the plums to keep singing like that all the way through the album. But really, they take credit for the whole thing when two of the songs aren't even performed by them. This completely undermines the masterfull contributions that Tavares and Yvonne Elliman made to that incredible musical movement: Disco.


Underrated: SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND

I'm sorry, but if the sound of She's So Heavy sung by something approximating the Vienna Boys Choir accompanied by funkadelic bass riffs doesn't send shivers down your spine, well then you just have no soul whatsoever!!


:D

The only people who prefer paranoid are people who only know one Sabbath song.

And that's most people.

Led Zeppelin

Overrated-IV, ZOSO, Untitled, whatever you want to call it: Sure, it is something like the fourth best selling album ever. And I'm not saying that I don't like it. I just prefer Led Zeppelin I.

Underrated-Presence: Achilles Last Stand. Enough said.

Achilles' Last Stand is a great song.

To each his own then.

Up the Irons!:cool:

Edit: out of interest, which are your favourite maiden albums? Mine are Piece of Mind and Brave New World
Well, I'll just give you the whole list :)

1. Brave New World
2. X Factor
3. Iron Maiden
4. Powerslave
5. Somewhere In Time
6. Fear Of The Dark
7. Dance Of Death
8. Number Of The Beast
9. Killers
10. No Prayer For The Dying
11. Piece Of Mind
12. Virtual XI
13. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son


And about Black Sabbath... I wouldn't say any of their first four albums are underrated (though they certainly are good), if you want good and very underappreciated Sabbath albums check out Sabotage and Never Say Die ;)