# Most overrated albums in the world..ever! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 5, 2005, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854 "2005-10-05T09:18:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/21 "2008-10-01T03:44:56Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > These lists are designed to get people talking. I’ve never even heard of the Libertines. I guess I’m supposed to go look them up now because they’re on some blinkin list, though. They’re not bad, IMO. A catchy and more than a little disposable. Also this highlights the fact that no-one in North America could possibly peg the Libertines as overrated since they’ve had almost exactly zero exposure here. And since the UK made Amy Winehouse a star, who are they to be the arbiters of taste to the rest of us? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/22 "2008-10-01T03:58:29Z")
Maybe this list is just another attempt to flog album sales. Albums are going the way of the dodos, and rightfully so, with online availability of single tracks for 99 cents a pop. Almost no albums are designed with related songs to tell some kind of “larger” musical story anyway – the whole is almost never larger than the sum of its parts. ---
**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:** [October 1, 2008, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/23 "2008-10-01T04:09:45Z")
I agree. Albums have gone the way of the dinosaurs. But… Albums were often a snapshot of the artist in a certain point in their career. An ant in amber. That’s no longer the case, of course, but those who disdain the conceit of "albums "might not understand the distinction. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/24 "2008-10-01T04:47:27Z")
It’s impossible to come up with such a list objectively when you are steeped in the hype that is the very issue you are acting against. Some like hype, some react against hype. The only way to arrive at an objective list would be to give the top 100 (or whatever) albums of all time to a bunch of people who had lived under a rock for the last 50 years and ask them which they liked best, then compare their “hype free” list to the standard “Top 100” lists. The albums that rated low on the former list and high on the latter would be objectively over-rated. ---
**Author:** ![phil417](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6bbea6/32.png) [@phil417](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phil417)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/25 "2008-10-01T05:20:20Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > If the Stones didn’t take the top 20 or so spots I question the validity of the list. I agree. The Rolling Stones’ _Goat’s Head Soup_ has to be one of the most self-indulgent, women-hating (I know there’s a word for it, I just can’t find in my Funk 'n Wagnals), “we-play-you’ll-pay” albums that ever hit the airwaves. After all, they were the “Stones”..they knew that no matter what they played, their stoner fans would pay & pay & pay. Phil (no love here) ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/26 "2008-10-01T05:37:52Z")
You probably don’t care what I don’t like. And I certainly don’t care what you don’t like. We could do this with food, too, going ad infinitum: “Most overrated foods in the word…ever!” I nominate pizza. It’s just cheese and sauce. On some dough. I don’t know what the big deal is. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/27 "2008-10-01T06:43:04Z")
There are some damn good albums on that list, including Nevermind. I would have put Dark Side of the Moon in first place - for a long time it was the bestselling album EVAR and the songs are really pretty pedestrian. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/28 "2008-10-01T06:44:49Z")
Misogynistic ---
**Author:** ![mshar253](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@mshar253](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mshar253)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/29 "2008-10-01T06:52:35Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > The first thing I thought of was “OK Computer”. > > Every time I put it on, I was like, “What the fuck?” > > However, I forgot about it for a couple of years, and just this year I started putting it on again, and I found myself thinking, “this is pretty good.” I have been hearing about this album for years, but didn’t know anything from it except the singles, “Paranoid Android” and “Karma Police.” Still, trusting some of the people who praised it to me, I went out and bought it this past winter. I tried it a couple times, it didn’t impact me too much, and it got stashed away. This summer, however, I was bored and started playing it. Now I love it–I’m not a huge music fan, so finding an album that I’ll listen to regularly and really enjoy is a rarity. This album does it for me, though. So, needless to say, I don’t understand how this album is on the list and there’s nothing, _nothing_ from the Rolling Stones. That’s pretty damn ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/30 "2008-10-01T06:59:05Z")
I completely agree with the list. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/31 "2008-10-01T07:05:54Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Led Zepplin IV. Not even the 4th best Led Zepplin album. I dunno, I kinda like it ;). Not a stinker in the bunch, and I distinctly remember the first time I heard **Black Dog**. It knocked my ass right out of the park. Overplayed? Certainly, **Black Dog, Rock & Roll, Stairway to Heaven** are all overplayed, but **When the Levee Breaks** is the real stunner of the record, not to mention **Battle of Evermore**. That’s five bona fide classic rock songs on one album. I agree with the Sex Pistols - influential, I suppose, but a terrible record. That’s my #1. Joe ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/32 "2008-10-01T07:18:38Z")
I’m just not seeing why that Coldplay album is on the list, much less in the second slot. Has it ever been particularly highly rated? ---
**Author:** ![Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoundrel_Swanswater)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/33 "2008-10-01T10:07:43Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > There are some damn good albums on that list, including Nevermind. > > I would have put Dark Side of the Moon in first place - for a long time it was the bestselling album EVAR and the songs are really pretty pedestrian. Seconded. I actually like Floyd, but that is one of their worst albums. _Wish you were here_ is far superior. ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/34 "2008-10-01T10:17:03Z")
Thirding objecting to putting “The Queen is Dead” on that list. That is an outstanding album. “Bigmouth Strikes Again” and “There is a Light that Never Goes Out” are two great songs, and there are other good ones on there. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/35 "2008-10-01T12:34:43Z")
“Overrated” does not equal “bad.” I can see how people might think that _Sgt. Pepper_ is overrated (it’s a bit overhyped, but any musician working at the time agreed that it was a monumental achievement and changed how they thought about music), but it’s still a fine album. The styles have dated a bit, but the songs are as good as ever. OTOH, nearly all of the Doors albums are overrated (except for “Other Voices,” which is badly underrated). Some good stuff, but Morrison is no better a poet than dozens of other rock lyricists. It was his showmanship that made him a star. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/36 "2008-10-01T12:57:05Z")
**The Clash** _London Calling_. I loved the Clash, but I remember distinctly my 16 year old brain going WTF? Where’s the guitar? This could’ve been a single album! I recognize how it was a major growth spurt for them, but in the end, I think it isn’t worthy of any “greatest of all time” honors. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/37 "2008-10-01T13:37:08Z")
The problem with the continual production of best and worse “lists” is people start getting confused. I read this list. And then while trying form a joke about it, I realised something which nobody has pointed out. **This is BBC 6 Radio’s most overrated albums in the world** (And the word “Ever” doesn’t appear in there). This is not representative of the tastes or the World, or the UK, or BBC TV watchers, or BBC Radio listeners. This is representative of the small group of listeners who listen to the BBC digital only radio station 6 music. I was until recently a BBC 6 Music listener (Planet Rock has me now). Its a station of indie, dance and revisionist 70-80’s music (some punk some reggae, very little mainstream), possibly like US College radio stations. Its listeners are largely over 30’s and its the like of station which will have played Arctic Monkeys, TV on the Radio, Peter Bjorn and John a good year before anyone else did. With an eye to that, I’d say the appearance of Radiohead, Libertines, Smiths and Sex Pistols in there is controversial. The rest I’d expect… What is it with lists that make them be taken as an absolute judgement on the taste of huge sections of the population? If Hello magazine, or UK’s Classic FM published a list with the same subject, would you take that as some absolute measure? ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/38 "2008-10-01T13:39:16Z")
Oh yes, and now for the original reply… I couldn’t decide on whether the most overrated album in the world was The Best Rock Album in the World… Ever, or Vol 1 or Vol 2 of the same set of albums. Or The Best Metal Album in the World… Ever. ---
**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:** [October 1, 2008, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/39 "2008-10-01T13:50:31Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > These lists are designed to get people talking. I’ve never even heard of the Libertines. Me neither. I don’t know whether that’s because I’m patetically un-hip or just un-British, but they can’t be that overhyped, can they? [QUOTE=Grim Jaa] And the “The Joshua Tree” is a fantastic album. [/QUOTE] Maybe so, but to my ears, all its songs sound enough alike, and enough like U2’s previous work, that I don’t see what the big deal is, so I’ll agree with the “overhyped” label there. [QUOTE=Exapno Mapcase] Van Dyke Parks is basically worthless, but his unlistenable Song Cycle makes bests charts and critics keep ejaculating over his lyrics for Brian Wilson, even though those lyrics are mostly proof for how incredibly much better a poet Jim Morrison was instead. [/QUOTE] Now, now. I really enjoy some of his lesser-hyped albums, like _Jump!_ But if you want to call _Song Cycle_ overrated or unlistenable, I’ll go along with you. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2008, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854/40 "2008-10-01T13:57:13Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > If “overrated” means “Albums That Always Appear on Every Critics’ Greatest Albums List But Really Suck,” well, there are loads of candidates. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation I’ve tried. Oh, how I’ve tried, but it just ain’t happening. “Teenage Riot” is good, but the rest of it is just noise. Daydream Nation was #1 on Pitchfork Media’s Top 100 albums of the '80s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-albums-in-the-world-ever/324854.md?page=3)