# Great albums ruined by one bad song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [April 28, 2023, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329 "2023-04-28T23:08:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2023, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/61 "2023-05-01T16:52:42Z")
It’s not per se a _bad_ song, but if Billy Bragg had deleted “Train Train” from _Talking With The Taxman About Poetry_, the flow of the album would be 10% better. It totally doesn’t work with the rest of the songs, and really (sorry) derails things on the A side. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2023, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/62 "2023-05-01T20:41:01Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > I’m surprised no one’s yet mentioned “Four Sticks,” from Led Zeppelin’s fourth album. The one from IV that I dislike is Battle of Evermore, screechy meandering wailing, one of the bottom for me from any Zep song. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2023, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/63 "2023-05-01T23:27:10Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > I dislike is Battle of Evermore, screechy meandering wailing, I strongly suggest you avoid the Wilson Sister’s cover version. All The Bad of this song exaggerated to 14. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/64 "2023-05-02T02:41:51Z")
I’ve enjoyed Four Sticks for decades, though I guess I’m getting old. I don’t listen to the loud bangers quite as much as I used to. I’m happy for Battle of Evermore, as it’s one of only two songs with Sandy Denny I actually want to listen to (with the other being the all-too-short, live version of “It’s a Boy” from Tommy.) She had a beautiful voice, but I just don’t enjoy the songs I’ve heard by her. As for Money For Nothing, I heard soon after its release what the inspiration was. As I heard it, Knopfler overheard some sales people talking in a store, and that was the inspiration for the song and the source of the homophobic lines, as well as others. I always considered it to be a song sung ‘in-character’, and as in all creative works, not all characters are good people to be admired. He says a lot of things in that song that, as a rock star himself, he surely can’t agree with. [There’s a fair bit of info on the song lyrics on Wikipedia.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_for_Nothing_(song)#Lyrics) > [Mark Knopfler](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Knopfler) described the writing of the song in a 1984 interview with critic [Bill Flanagan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Flanagan): > The lead character in “Money for Nothing” is a guy who works in the hardware department in a television/​custom kitchen/​refrigerator/​microwave appliance store. He’s singing the song. I wrote the song when I was actually in the store. I borrowed a bit of paper and started to write the song down in the store. I wanted to use a lot of the language that the real guy actually used when I heard him, because it was more real…[[7]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_for_Nothing_(song)#cite_note-CBSC2-7) I’m a little surprised that 20th Century Schizoid Man hasn’t been mentioned. It really doesn’t fit the tone of the rest of In The Court of the Crimson King, though fans of the album seems split on the song. Many love it, whereas I recorded the album starting with track #2 ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/65 "2023-05-02T03:56:15Z")
The Beatles “Magical Mystery Tour” was always a favourite of mine, more so than Sgt. Peppers. It had so many brilliant songs, one after another. Then there was Blue Jay Way. Sorry George, such a dull and dreary track. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/66 "2023-05-02T18:04:29Z")
My favorite Paul Revere album, [Hard ‘n’ Heavy (with marshmallow)](https://youtu.be/clMvdxsdWwY), wouldn’t suffer at all if they had left off “Trishalana”. It’s a sappy song that bogs down the late-60s power pop goodness of the rest of the album. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/67 "2023-05-03T14:43:57Z")
You mean “Mama”? That was a bold choice as a first single and to start the album off with. What a weird song. I love it. Funny thing about Genesis post-Gabriel. Just when you’re thinking, “I can’t take this saccharine bullshit any longer.”…they drop a great prog instrumental. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/68 "2023-05-03T15:41:13Z")
Speaking of Genesis, “Abacab” comes to mind as an album ruined by one bad song. Ok, I wouldn’t really call that a great album, but at least it’s decent, one of the transitional albums on their way from prog to Top 40 pop band. But it has “Who Dunnit”, probably the worst song ever by a band of that status and caliber. It’s a joke (I don’t know if it was intended as a joke, but if yes, it falls flat). ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/69 "2023-05-03T15:52:50Z")
Back in the days of vinyl my mom got me in the habit of always recording a high quality cassette from a record and then putting the record away. This habit allowed me to edit songs out, and that was exactly what I did with **Within You, Without You** on **Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band**. So whenever I listened to that album, it was without the single fly in the ointment. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/70 "2023-05-03T15:54:55Z")
I never understood the hate for “Within You, Without You”. When I first heard the album at age 10, it was my first experience with Indian music and instruments, and I found it utterly fascinating. That hasn’t changed in 45 years, I still like the song. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/71 "2023-05-03T16:37:07Z")
A truly great album cannot usually be ruined by one or two bad songs. I like half of the songs listed here. Some other popular songs are not at all my cup of tea. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/72 "2023-05-03T17:22:41Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I never understood the hate for “Within You, Without You”. When I first heard the album at age 10, it was my first experience with Indian music and instruments, and I found it utterly fascinating. In that vein, I prefer the earlier “Love You To.” But I do understand why some people find “Within You, Without You” fascinating _and_ why other people dislike it. Some styles are just not everyone’s cup of tea. And it does sort of break up the flow of the album, in a way that understandably bothers some people: it’s significantly longer than most of the other songs and is in a radically different style, even on an album as diverse as _Sgt. Pepper’s_. Perhaps similarly though not to nearly as great an extent, I’ve thought that “Last of the Steam-Powered Trains” kind of breaks up the flow of _The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society_. It’s a perfectly good song, but it’s a jam where everything else on the album is a concise pop composition; and it runs for over 4 minutes and seems even longer where all the other tracks come in at under 3:00. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/73 "2023-05-03T17:37:15Z")
Nice pick. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/74 "2023-05-03T21:33:20Z")
The real stinker on Sgt Pepper is “She’s Leaving Home.” “Fun is the one thing that money can’t buy” ?? WTF? ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/75 "2023-05-03T21:49:42Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > But it has “Who Dunnit”, probably the worst song ever by a band of that status and caliber. I just looked it up on Youtube and man, are you right, that is a fucking stiiiiiiinker. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/76 "2023-05-03T21:57:14Z")
Worst thing is that I’ve had this goddam song as an earworm the whole day since posting about it. Ouch. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/77 "2023-05-03T23:00:16Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I never understood the hate for “Within You, Without You”. I agree. The song I skip on that album is “She’s Leaving Home.” ETA: Ninja’d by @Jaycat.again ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/78 "2023-05-03T23:10:47Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > The song I skip on that album is “She’s Leaving Home.” I remember when I first heard “Sgt. Pepper’s”, the two songs I didn’t like were “She’s Leaving Home” and “When I’m 64”. What the heck, this was grown-up, old-folks music, and I couldn’t relate (what’s that, a harp? And a fucking clarinet?). I later learned to appreciate those songs as I grew older. ---
**Author:** ![Clark\_Cello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Clark\_Cello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clark_Cello)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2023, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/79 "2023-05-04T03:33:01Z")
Maybe it’s just me, but I like “Candy’s Room” a lot, except for the completely cringey spoken word part at the beginning. Take that away and I think it is a very good song. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2023, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329/80 "2023-05-04T04:29:02Z")
Guess which tune you mentioned is MY favorite song by them? And THEIR own favorite song is “Country Feedback.” Regarding “Up”, the first post-Berry album, the song that gets the most hate is “Airportman.” I love that song. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-albums-ruined-by-one-bad-song/983329.md?page=5)