Here’s another vote for Journey. My favorite is Escape. I also enjoyed Steve Perry’s solo album!
I’ve had to defend The Velvet Underground (especially White Light/White Heat) to most of the people in my family. They, in turn, have to defend the Four Preps, Shania Twain and The Gucci Crew to me.
I also have to defend All the Best From Scotland, volume 2 and All the Best Irish Drinking Songs to every single person who ever hears me play them. I actually had a student (a 10th grade female) ask me where I could find that great bagpipe album. I’m so blessed!
AC/DC’s Flick of the Switch, (circa 1983). I’ve never spoken with an individual who criticized this album, but the whole world criticized it pretty harshly by not buying it. It is their worst-selling album IIRC, and I love it.
Another is INXS’ Shabooh Shoobah from '81 or '82. I think it was their very best and it’s been practically ignored since its release.
I spend more time defending artists than I do defending individual albums. David Lee Roth, Dweezil Zappa…the list is long.
I actually think Alanis Morrisette’s Jagged Little Pill is quite a good record. I understand why so many people hate it, because for the most part it’s the worst songs on the album that ended up as singles. But the album tracks are really good by and large.
I also absolutely love Stevie Nicks’s Bella Donna, though I don’t actually try to defend it - I just put it down as a guilty pleasure.
For my money, flodnak, the first Hunting High and Low is probably in my top ten CDs of all time. It’s just pure fun. I love every song on it. Living a Boys Adventure Tale is FABULOUS…FABULOUS.
Sigh. If you’re going to defend a country music artist, couldn’t it at least be Merle Haggard or David Allen Coe.
I’ll have to admit to an embarassing weakness for old Tom T. Hall records, myself. (I generally dislike the country music genre too, but following the inverse of Sturgeon’s law, even crappy genres will occassionally produce good work.)
Marilyn Manson’s Portrait of an American Family, Smells Like Children and Antichrist Superstar are albums I have found the need to defend on several occasions, and the majority of the time the people that were bashing it hadn’t even heard the albums yet. The ones that had were admitted rock/metal haters.
Despite their lead mans penchant for being a loudmouth jerk that tries too hard to be the guy/band your parents hate, the first three albums they put out were very solid musically and lyrically.
Pink Floyd. Animals. Most of the Floyd purists I know hate this album, but it’s one of my all-time favorites.
Especially “Pigs (3 different ones).”
And my favorite Journey album is definitely Infinity. Jonathan Cain is cool, but Gregg Rolie is the man. I’ve always loved the array of different keyboards he plays, and the band was so much stronger with Rolie singing alongside Steve Perry.
I LOOOOOVE the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever. I pretend to be this cool as hell Joan Jett-lovin’ punk girl, but Night on Disco Mountains rules my world any day!!
I also constantly defend The Clash’s Combat Rock; it’s certainly not their best album, but I love it nonetheless. “Innoculated City” is so fantastic.
Heh. I have Journey’s greatest hits too, and while my husband cringes in horror, I think it’s great roadtrip music. It’s up there with my Eddie Money greatest hits album. Even though he and I totally crack up to the cheesy guitar licks in “No Control”, it’s a great album.
On the other hand, I only defend them as far as sheepishly explaining that I like this crap and can’t explain it.
My husband, the Led Zeppelin fanatic, would defend his Dionne Warwick album with all the Bacharach on it. For genuine music-related reasons, even, but they go right by me so I can’t recall them to repeat them here.
I’ll defend anything by Weird Al. I usually have to when I’m with my cousins because they hate Weird Al. I had to defend him last summer/fall when I was so excited about going to his concert. Mention Weird Al, and there are many who like to say he sucks. The most common “myth” people whine about him is, “He never writes his own songs! He just copies off of other people. If I were [insert singer who was parodied] I’d be pissed, and they probably are.” I have to explain that he does write many of his own songs, and that the people he parodies off actually love the fact that he does (except for the incident with Coolio, but I think Coolio was lying). Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain has said that he didn’t know they were famous until Weird Al decided to parody them.
Depeche Mode-Songs of Fath and Devotion:…a lot of DM fans hate this cd, but i always thought i was fantastic…Judas is breath taking. Rammstein-mutter…if you don’t take it seriously, you’ll enjoy it. Laibach-Opus Dei…no they’re not a bunch of Nazis!!! NIN-The Fragile…don’t even get me started VnV Nation-Empires…the only reason that people hate this cd, is that they’re jealous…;).
After the SECOND Leo Sayer album came out, I got a bunch of flack about owning the FIRST Leo Sayer album.
It was a totally different Leo Sayer, I’ll tell ya. He used to come out on stage hiding behind a clown suit. I think I saw him on “The Midnight Special” or something and got the LP.
Even “Rolling Stone” and “hip” publications like that gave his first album acclaim.
Then of course… "You’ve got a cute way of talking" came out and made everyone sick…but it was the disco era and his record co. wanted him to sell records.
But…his first one was cool.
I can’t understand what people didn’t like about this album! It is easily my favorite. Perhaps people were just pissy they left the angry electric guitars at home…
Journey - ack! The only thing worse than Steve Perry’s voice is Getty Lee’s (sorry Coldie).
Frampton Comes Alive. It was most cool back in my day, but I have learned never to play the CD while my kids are in the car. The whining and mocking is more than I can take.
Every one of my Prince CDs. The guy is amazing.
Individual song that I am always defending:
Tom Jones - It’s Not Unusual (GAWD! What a cool fuckin’ song!)
Just curious…why can’t you take this album seriously? It’s their best ever, a lot more musically mature and lyrically complex than anything else. And really, only Zwitter and Rein Raus are ‘silly’.
The only thing worse than Steve Perry’s voice is Getty Lee’s (sorry Coldie).