# So what’s the worst song on the best album by your favorite band? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 5, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576 "2006-05-05T18:33:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/41 "2006-05-07T02:46:44Z")
Each of the following is one of my ten favorite albums of all time: 1. Led Zeppelin’s “Physical Graffiti.” But I loathe “Down By the Seaside.” 2. Dire Straits’ “Making Movies.” Almost perfect, except for the lame “Les Boys.” 3. The Beatles’ “Revolver.” “Love You To” has got to go. They should’ve told George, “Nice job with Taxman and I Want to Tell You, old bean, but that’s ALL you’re getting on this album.” 4. Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid.” The perfect metal album, except for the godawful “Planet Caravan.” 5. “The Notorious Byrd Brothers.” So close to perfect, except for the utterly dated track that opens it: “Artificial Energy.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/42 "2006-05-07T04:36:14Z")
[QUOTE=astorian] 2) Dire Straits’ “Making Movies.” Almost perfect, except for the lame “Les Boys.” [/QUOTE] I held off on this one because I haven’t heard much of their other stuff. But when the subject is “bad track on a great album,” I can’t think of anything other than “Les Boys.” Not only is it a dumb track, it doesn’t fit with the rest of the album and screws up the romantic mood. ---
**Author:** ![Mbossa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Mbossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mbossa)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/43 "2006-05-07T05:34:11Z")
Ben Folds Five: **Whatever and Ever Amen** : _Steven’s Last Night In Town_. I don’t know, it just seems too fast and cheery. I’ve heard a couple of live renditions of it, and they’re a lot better – they slow it down just enough, and the drums are more powerful. But on the album, it’s the only track I regularly skip. Radiohead: **Kid A** : _In Limbo_. This song just seems to meander around without a point. Maybe I don’t like it because I’m always itching to hear the next track, _Idioteque_. But I have heard a live rendition of it, and unlike _Steven’s_, it just doesn’t seem any better. Pink Floyd: **Meddle** : _San Tropez_. This time, I think it may be because of the track before it. _Fearless_ is an incredible song, and probably my favourite song on the album (well, apart from _One of These Days_ and _Echoes_, but that’s a given). After _Fearless_, _San Tropez_ is a huge letdown. Led Zeppelin: _Four Sticks_ has already been mentioned, so I’ll choose **Led Zeppelin II** ’s _Living Loving Maid_. Unlike every other song on that album, that one just isn’t particularly interesting. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/44 "2006-05-07T05:47:39Z")
[QUOTE=Cluricaun] “Thousands are Sailing” on the Pogues “If I Should Fall From Grace With God” [/QUOTE] Wow, that is freaky. I just opened this thread, and i am currently listening to “Thousands Are Sailing”. It’s actually one of my favorite songs on the album. If i had to nominate a worst song on such a great album, i’d have to go for “Worms.” Sure, it’s vaguely amusing, but not really much of a song. > [@astorian](#): > > Dire Straits’ “Making Movies.” Almost perfect, except for the lame “Les Boys.” Ooooh, good nomination! Great album, bad song. I’m going to pick the album "Rumours"by Fleetwood Mac. It’s such a fantastic album that i had trouble picking a loser, but i think i’ll have to with “Oh, Daddy.” Not a bad song, you understand, just not up to the rest of the album, IMO. Jethro Tull, “Thick as a Brick.” Worst song? “Thick as a Brick.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Leechboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc348/32.png) [@Leechboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leechboy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/45 "2006-05-07T06:36:08Z")
Black Sabbath’s Paranoid - either Rat Salad or Iron Man (Which to my horror was recently voted the greatest metal song of all time.) Man I hate Iron Man, from the dated “I am Iron Man” at the start and the clunkiness of the lyrics, it’s just plain dumb from start to finish. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/46 "2006-05-07T06:43:41Z")
Either _Flash of The Blade_ or _Back in The Village_ on Iron Maiden’s “Powerslave” album. They’re both good, just not quite _as_ good as the rest of the album. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/47 "2006-05-07T06:48:01Z")
[QUOTE=Mbossa] Ben Folds Five: **Whatever and Ever Amen** : _Steven’s Last Night In Town_. I don’t know, it just seems too fast and cheery. I’ve heard a couple of live renditions of it, and they’re a lot better – they slow it down just enough, and the drums are more powerful. But on the album, it’s the only track I regularly skip. [/QUOTE] I love this song. I just think it shouldn’t have come right before _Battle of Who Could Care Less_ - why were the album’s two upbeat songs stuck right next to each other? I cannot imagine this song being better slowed down. Also, the Klezmer band playing on the track is amazing. The song is a great combination of rock with the type of raucous and wild folk music that Klezmer is. I think it is this song and this song alone that make Whatever and Ever Amen a unique album, it shows the lengths to which Ben Folds will go to have a unique song. Kate is also amazing. The whole album is like Proust’s madeleines for me, except that it recalls only my time in junior high school. ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/48 "2006-05-07T10:17:52Z")
the Zombies, Odyssey and Oracle, **Butcher’s tale** The album is one of my absolute favorites, but that song just doesn’t hold up to par. ---
**Author:** ![Trillionaire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@Trillionaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trillionaire)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/49 "2006-05-07T11:35:26Z")
Probably the least controversial suggestion so far: _Revolution #9_ on the Beatles’ White Album ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/50 "2006-05-07T11:42:31Z")
Tool - ænima - ions Led Zeppelin 1 - You shook me Oasis - Definitely maybe - Digsy’s Dinner Queen - A night at the opera - god save the queen (If that one doesn’t count, then seaside rendez-vous) Radiohead - Ok computer - fitter happier (If that doesn’t count, I guess it’s climbing up the walls, although that one is very good.) Nirvana - Nevermind - Territorial pissings [QUOTE=astorian] Each of the following is one of my ten favorite albums of all time: 1. The Beatles’ “Revolver.” “Love You To” has got to go. They should’ve told George, “Nice job with Taxman and I Want to Tell You, old bean, but that’s ALL you’re getting on this album.” " [/QUOTE] Thank you. Definitely much worse than doctor roberts. You people probably don’t agree with this, but I think yellow submarine is a close contender to the worst song spot. > [@](#): > > “Golden Slumbers” on Abbey Road by the Beatles. Melodramatic garbage that ruins the pacing of the second side. Oh no it isn’t. Try her majesty. Or else sun king. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/51 "2006-05-07T12:31:56Z")
[QUOTE=mr. jp] Thank you. Definitely much worse than doctor roberts. You people probably don’t agree with this, but I think yellow submarine is a close contender to the worst song spot. [/QUOTE] I love “Yellow Submarine.” I just figured it out on the guitar (not that this was a great feat). Whenever it comes on the radio, I sing the harmony and my son sings the lead on the chorus. When I play it on guitar, when I get to the last verse, my son will yell out the John “echo” part, even if he’s in another room. It’s just a fun song. Hard to argue with Trillionaire’s “Revolution #9” suggestion, though if I’m in a mood to listen to the whole album, I don’t skip it (I will just about every other time). ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/52 "2006-05-07T16:13:39Z")
[QUOTE=JKellyMap] You must have the U.S. version, which omits \*\* Dr. Robert \*\*. [/QUOTE] My (CD) US version doesn’t omit Dr. Robert. I have read about jumbled playing order and various omissions on the US releases though. Who ever thought that was a good idea? ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/53 "2006-05-07T16:15:38Z")
[QUOTE=PunditLisa] Don’t really have a favorite album but I always wondered why Prince’s masterpiece “Purple Rain” included such dreck as “Darling Nikki.” [/QUOTE] Because Prince is a horny dude. I think it’s a great song. The Foo Fighters covered it too. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/54 "2006-05-07T16:19:20Z")
[QUOTE=brianjedi] HEATHEN! Without My Friend of Misery, Jason wouldn’t have had a bass line to use for his live bass solos. And it’s not the worst song on that album. That honor goes to either “Don’t Tread on Me,” which is crap, or “The Struggle Within,” which is more crap. The worst song on “Master of Puppets,” relatively speaking, is “The Thing That Should Not Be,” which just shows you how that album has no bad tunes. [/QUOTE] I love “The Struggle Within”, it sounds more like the old albums to me, especially the beginning. Lots of good drums and guitar. And that riff at about 2:53 is my favorite part of the album. On “Master of Puppets” I don’t like “Orion” that much because I’m not a big instrumental fan. The rest rawks. ---
**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 7, 2006, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/55 "2006-05-07T16:42:24Z")
[QUOTE=control-z] My (CD) US version doesn’t omit Dr. Robert. I have read about jumbled playing order and various omissions on the US releases though. Who ever thought that was a good idea? [/QUOTE] Up until the Beatles’ albums were released on CD, the Beatles albums that Capitol records released in the U.S. (on vinyl, 8-track, and cassette) were different from those available in Britain. You can see more details [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles_discography). In the U.S., “Dr. Robert” originally appeared, not on _Revolver_, but on the “album” _“Yesterday”… and Today_. ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/56 "2006-05-07T17:18:21Z")
I’d undoubtedly give different answers on a different day, but today I’ll go with: **Santana** - _Caravanserai_ - “Future Primitive” **Pink Floyd** - _Animals_ - “Pigs On The Wing” (Part one or Part two, makes no difference.) **Eric Johnson** - _Ah Via Musicom_ - “Steve’s Boogie” (although “Desert Song” from _Tones_ is a close second.) ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/57 "2006-05-07T17:24:53Z")
[QUOTE=control-z] My (CD) US version doesn’t omit Dr. Robert. I have read about jumbled playing order and various omissions on the US releases though. Who ever thought that was a good idea? [/QUOTE] Thudlow is right, but just to expand on this: Who thought this was good idea? Capitol, who wanted to capitalize on the Beatles popularity by jumbling songs into various albums, so that every 2 or 3 albums worth of songs could be released as 4 or 5 albums (with lots of repeats, of course). Word was that the Beatles hated this. An apocryphal story was that the recalled [butcher cover](http://www.friktech.com/btls/covers.htm) of _Yesterday and Today_ was a veiled protest by the lads over how Capitol had butchered their albums via their shameless repackaging. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/58 "2006-05-08T14:51:09Z")
[QUOTE=JKellyMap] Radiohead, _OK Computer_; **Airbag** [/QUOTE] If I wasn’t such a nice guy, I’d pit you for this one. :mad: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/59 "2006-05-08T16:29:54Z")
[QUOTE=NAF1138] NOOOOO!! You just haven’t been listening to the album at maximum volume. Follow the instructions MUST BE PLAYED A MAXIMUM VOLUME! (can’t believe someone picked my favorite song as the weakest track on anything :smack: ) The weakest track on that album is clearly It Ain’t Easy. Its a great song, but not as great as the rest. [/QUOTE] “It Ain’t Easy” was a close second, but I had to compensate for a certain amount of bias. I once went to a party where some guy played the song about ten times. > [@](#): > > and Here Comes Your Man from the Pixies Doolittle. Now you’re just trying to get back at me. [QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] I am baffled—first as to how you could think this, their first album, is their best, and second, how anything other than “Bald Headed Woman” could possibly be the worst song on the album. [/QUOTE] I have a real weakness for first albums. I like “Bald Headed Woman,” though. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576/60 "2006-05-08T16:38:53Z")
[QUOTE=saoirse] “It Ain’t Easy” was a close second, but I had to compensate for a certain amount of bias. I once went to a party where some guy played the song about ten times. [/QUOTE] I would think “It Ain’t Easy” is a gimme. Even if it had been a btter song, I could never understand how Bowie thought it was a good idea to include _any_ cover song on that album. (My own favorite Bowie is _Low_, and the least good track is “A New Career in a New Town.”) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-s-the-worst-song-on-the-best-album-by-your-favorite-band/355576.md?page=4)