That’s pretty self explanatory, I think. Broken down into three steps:
Who’s your favorite musical artist?
What’s your least favorite album of theirs?
What’s your favorite song on that album?
My actual favorite artist:
“All Together Now,” on the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine – it’s not technically my favorite song on the album, but others I like more appeared on other albums first.
Other artists I like a lot:
“Days,” on Elvis Costello’s Kojak Variety (on Costello’s best albums, this would be a mediocre track at best, which goes to show how much I don’t care for this one)
“A Real Man,” on Sleater-Kinney’s self-titled debut
“Memo to Human Resources,” on They Might Be Giants’ The Spine
“The Laws Have Changed,” on The New Pornographers’ Electric Version (in this case, my “least favorite album” is still pretty damn good)
Favorite group: King Crimson
Least Favorite album: In the Wake of Poseidon
Favorite Track on that album: The Devil’s Triangle (which is really a cover of Holst’s “Mars”)
Another favorite “group”: Frank Zappa / Mothers
Least favorite album: Man from utopia
favorite track on that album: Jazz Discharge Party hats
The one that immediately comes to mind is Stereolab, but I could go on and on and on…
band: Stereolab
bad album: Cobra and Phases Group Plays Voltage in the Milky Night
song: People Do It All The Time
band: Pavement
bad album: Terror Twilight (out of their LPs, not including Westing by Musket and Sextant, in reality all good albums but you have to pick a least liked)
song: Spit on a Stranger
band: Beatles
bad album: Second disc of the White Album
song: Mother Nature’s Son
band: Beck
bad album: Mellow Gold (obviously)
song: Loser (obviously)
band: Bjork
bad album: Telegram
song: My Spine (with Evelyn Glennie)
Frank Zappa - Sheik Yerbouti - “Yo Mama” (not for the actual song, but for the terrific long, smoldering instrumental break)
Jethro Tull - Rock Island - “The Whaler’s Dues”
King Crimson has never made a studio album that I regard as less than superb. Forced to pick a least favorite, I suppose I would reluctantly choose Three of a Perfect Pair, with “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic Part III” as my favorite track. If live albums count, then Earthbound becomes the obvious choice, and “Sailor’s Tale” the favorite.
Gentle Giant - Giant for a Day - either “Spooky Boogie” or “Friends.”
Band #1: Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Worst Album: Love Beach (sock in the pants?? WTF, Keith!)
Best Song: Canario (by default…the only song that doesn’t induce vomiting)
Band #2: Dream Theater
Album: Falling into Infinity
Song: Lines in the Sand
Band #3: Rush
Album: Counterparts
Song: Animate
Band #4: Genesis
Album: We Can’t Dance
Song: Fading Lights (in my top 10 fav Genesis songs, actually)
Band #5: Jethro Tull
Album: “A”
Song: Black Sunday
Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival
Least favorite LP: Mardi Gras
Favorite song: Sweet Hitch-Hiker (also has Someday Never Comes on it. The rest - pee yew! There’s democracy in action for ya.)
Band: Godley & Creme
LP: Ismism (a waste of bits, except for:)
Favorite song: Snack Attack
Band: The Guess Who
LP: Power In The Music (damned Dom Troiano and his two-album jinx!)
Favorite song: Rosanne
Artist: Paul McCartney
LP: McCartney II (just because he thought it sounded cool when he was buzzed doesn’t mean it’s commercially viable.)
Favorite song: Coming Up
Group: Steppenwolf
LP: For Ladies Only (this is what death throes set to music sound like)
Favorite song: For Ladies Only
Band: The Cure
Least Favorite Album: Wish
Favorite Song on that album: From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea
and
Band: Talking Heads
Least Favorite Album: Naked (their last album, seams were really showing as Byrne wanted to go in one direction and the rest of the band wanted to go in another)
Favorite Song on that album: Cool Water
Jethro Tull - dot com - Spiral
Genesis - We Can’t Dance - Driving the Last Spike
King Crimson - Lizard - Cirkus
ELP - In the Hot Seat - Hand of Truth
The Who - By Numbers - However Much I Booze
Fairport Convention - The Five Seasons - Claudy Banks
Frank Zappa - Freak Out - Help I’m a Rock