# Critically-Acclaimed Albums that are Unlistenable **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 3, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202 "2011-06-03T15:20:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/1 "2011-06-03T15:20:39Z")
I suppose _Metal Machine Music_ by Lou Reed might take top prize for the most “unlistenable album.” But I’d like opinions on such albums that have at least a semblance of serious musicianship, and are deemed “critically-acclaimed” by the powers-to-be. _Trout Mask Replica_ by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band was ranked #58 in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. I’m a big Zappa fan, so I bought TMR (CD format) in the early 1990s. About once a year I play it in its entirety, hoping I will finally “get it” this time. But I \*always \*shake my head when listening to it. I’ve \*tried \*to like it. I’ve \*tried \*to appreciate it. But I **just don’t get it**. And don’t get me wrong, I enjoy weird/avant-garde music. (In addition to Zappa, I love The Residents and The Velvet Underground.) But I find TMR to be utterly unlistenable. ☹ What critically-acclaimed albums do you deem unlistenable? ---
**Author:** ![Profound\_Gibberish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Profound\_Gibberish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profound_Gibberish)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/2 "2011-06-03T15:35:22Z")
**Bitches Brew–Miles Davis.** I have tried and tried but can’t get through it–and I love jazz and his other stuff. \*\*Hot Rats–Frank Zappa. \*\* It took me about 10 years to listen through it all, especially Willie the Pimp. Now it is one of my favorite albums. _And a big shout out to the Residents! I saw them in Berlin in '87. Strangest concert I had ever been to. We could never figure out–even years later-- if we actually enjoyed it._ ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/3 "2011-06-03T15:37:41Z")
Radiohead-_Kid A_. I know they’re the critic’s darlings but I disliked it. Tom Waits-_Swordfishtrombones_. Except for “Johnsburg, Illinois”, I never listen to anything else off of this album. I love me some Tom Waits though, just that album is on the opposite side of enjoyment for me. ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/4 "2011-06-03T16:20:11Z")
Pink Floyd’s “Ummagumma” is a real mess, and that’s coming from a real Floyd fan ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/5 "2011-06-03T16:23:36Z")
I was going to mention Zappa. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/6 "2011-06-03T16:35:25Z")
> [@notquitekarpov](#): > > Pink Floyd’s “Ummagumma” is a real mess, and that’s coming from a real Floyd fan I guess the question is whether it really fits the criterion of “critically-acclaimed”… most critics might agree with your assessment. I might go with Carla Bley’s _Escalator Over the Hill_. I want to like it, but I can’t get into any of it except Side 5. There’s some great stuff on _White Light/White Heat_, but I’m not likely to play it because, to me, “Sister Ray” is like hitting myself in the head with a hammer for 17 minutes. There are a lot of critically-acclaimed albums that I don’t exactly find unlistenable but that leave me cold… like pretty much any Steely Dan after _Countdown to Ecstasy_ (which I absolutely love). ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/7 "2011-06-03T16:58:32Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I suppose _Metal Machine Music_ by Lou Reed might take top prize for the most “unlistenable album.” But I’d like opinions on such albums that have at least a semblance of serious musicianship, and are deemed “critically-acclaimed” by the powers-to-be. > > _Trout Mask Replica_ by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band was ranked #58 in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. I’m a big Zappa fan, so I bought TMR (CD format) in the early 1990s. About once a year I play it in its entirety, hoping I will finally “get it” this time. But I \*always \*shake my head when listening to it. I’ve \*tried \*to like it. I’ve \*tried \*to appreciate it. But I **just don’t get it**. And don’t get me wrong, I enjoy weird/avant-garde music. (In addition to Zappa, I love The Residents and The Velvet Underground.) But I find TMR to be utterly unlistenable. ☹ > > What critically-acclaimed albums do you deem unlistenable? Crafter\_Man - I saw the title and wandered in to cite Trout Mask Replica. You’ve already written the post I would have written, right down to trying it again every year or so. I’m going to give up trying, though. I cannot listen without thinking, “this is so stupid”. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/8 "2011-06-03T17:02:10Z")
Just about every other Neil Young album. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/9 "2011-06-03T18:27:38Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Crafter\_Man - I saw the title and wandered in to cite Trout Mask Replica. You’ve already written the post I would have written, right down to trying it again every year or so. I’m going to give up trying, though. I cannot listen without thinking, “this is so stupid”. With regard to Trout Mask Replica, I honestly wonder if the critics at Rolling Stone are pulling a big \*woosh \*on us. I can hear them now: “Hey guys, have I got a crazy idea! As a joke, let’s list Trout Mask Replica as one of the greatest albums of all time, and see how many people fall for it.” ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/10 "2011-06-03T18:34:36Z")
I may be alone in this, but the album “Merriweather Post Pavilion” by Animal Collective (Metacritic score of 89; made many critics’ 10-best lists of 2009) induces mild nausea in me whenever I try to listen to it all the way through. And I’m not saying this in a metaphorical “this stuff is so bad it makes me sick” way – I experience actual physical nausea. Which pretty much makes it unlistenable to me. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/11 "2011-06-03T18:40:35Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > There’s some great stuff on _White Light/White Heat_, but I’m not likely to play it because, to me, “Sister Ray” is like hitting myself in the head with a hammer for 17 minutes. That’s what I love about it! I actually enjoy _Trout Mask Replica_ as well, when I’m in the mood. The album that’s unlistenable to me is _Dark Side of the Moon_. I find it so dreadfully boring I can’t make it through the first side. To me, it sounds more mechanical by far than _Metal Machine Music_. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/12 "2011-06-03T18:56:38Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Just about every other Neil Young album. MMM (that’s Metal Machine Music, not our own Mean Mr. Mustard) and Trout Mask are the legendary ones that come to mind. W/r/t Neil Young - yep, another album that came to mind was NY’s \*\*Trans \*\*- his futuristic experiment. Bless 'im for trying. Kid A also comes to mind - but I kinda dig it, so I guess I would call it “surprisingly popular and critically noticed for being such an inaccessible CD” Oh - another one that comes to mind is the CD by The Breeders - the Pixies’ Kim Deal’s side band with her non-playing twin sister on lead guitar ;). It had a big hit on it - Cannonball - but a lot of that CD is out there… ---
**Author:** ![Dietrich\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@Dietrich\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dietrich_K)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/13 "2011-06-03T18:57:54Z")
I find the vast majority of **Sonic Youth** ’s output nigh unlistenable, most especially _Daydream Nation_. Also, whenever I hear **Colin Meloy** ’s tortured artist bleating, I wanna snatch the nerd specs off the nearest hipster I see and stab 'em in the throat with 'em, even though I totally dig on the actual _music_ of **The Decemberists**. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/14 "2011-06-03T19:02:55Z")
> [@dbx820](#): > > **Bitches Brew–Miles Davis.** I have tried and tried but can’t get through it–and I love jazz and his other stuff. I concur. Every once in a while I give it another shot, thinking I must be missing SOMETHING. It never works–\*Bitches Brew \*never ceases to annoy me. Genealogically, it’s weird, since I do love \*In a Silent Way \*(_BB_’s predecessor) and many of the albums that came after like _Heavy Weather_. \*Bitches Brew \*may be the best-selling jazz record of all time (I understand it’s in a dead heat with _Kind of Blue_, which is one of the great musical achievements of all time) but it’s never appealed to me. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/15 "2011-06-03T19:08:50Z")
Arthur Lee and Love put out a lot of highly acclaimed but not very good albums. Their \*\*\*Forever Changes \*\*\*used to show up in most critics’ Ten Greatest Albums of All Time lists, and I never understood why. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/16 "2011-06-03T19:18:04Z")
Oh… and while Van Morrison HAS done some great stuff in his day, I find his most critically acclaimed album, \*\*\*Astral Weeks, \*\*\*a self-indulgent mess, a real bore of an album. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/17 "2011-06-03T19:18:20Z")
I’ve had the same reaction to _Trout Mask Replica_, but I think I just generally don’t like Captain Beefheart. The only songs of his I enjoy are “Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles” and “White Jam,” because the chords are neat. > [@](#): > > whenever I hear Colin Meloy’s tortured artist bleating I love this description ; I can’t stand his voice either. He sounds like he’s trying to emulate the kooky vocal style of Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Mangum, but Jeff is a genuinely and unself-consciously strange guy, and Colin Meloy sounds anything _but_ genuine and unself-conscious. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/18 "2011-06-03T19:23:42Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > MMM (that’s Metal Machine Music, not our own Mean Mr. Mustard) and Trout Mask are the legendary ones that come to mind. > > \*\*W/r/t Neil Young - yep, another album that came to mind was NY’s \*\*Trans **- his futuristic experiment. Bless 'im for trying.** > > Kid A also comes to mind - but I kinda dig it, so I guess I would call it “surprisingly popular and critically noticed for being such an inaccessible CD” > > Oh - another one that comes to mind is the CD by The Breeders - the Pixies’ Kim Deal’s side band with her non-playing twin sister on lead guitar ;). It had a big hit on it - Cannonball - but a lot of that CD is out there… \ I kind of like Trans, personally. \ Do agree about Ummagumma. ‘A bit of a mess’ is quite accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/19 "2011-06-03T19:32:43Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > Do agree about Ummagumma. ‘A bit of a mess’ is quite accurate. Ah, but [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPgAM31N5Co) redeems it for me. But de gustibus non est disputandum and all that. Sonic Youth meanwhile does definitely seem to be a love it or hate it proposition. I love _Daydream Nation_, but I find it unsurprising and understandable that many wouldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202/20 "2011-06-03T19:50:38Z")
_The Milk-Eyed Mender_, by Joanna Newsom. By all rights, I should love this album. I really, really don’t. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/critically-acclaimed-albums-that-are-unlistenable/584202.md?page=2)