TeamYou’re not going to believe how many of the music legends got called “bad”, “nothing special” or “truly annoying”. This list of 10 awesome albums that the critics initially hated is here to remind you that just because a few people don’t like you doesn’t mean that the world wouldn’t love you!
Here are the legendary fails of critics who didn’t recognize true talent:
“Wish You Were Here” – Pink Floyd (1975)
The song “Wish You Were Here” is still a hit, just like “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” and “Welcome To The Machine”. When the album containing them got out in 1975, fans considered it perfect. Critics disagreed though, at least at first.
Can you believe that the Rolling Stone considered it devoid of passion and called it “lackadaisical demeanor”? That’s not all because Melody Marker said that the album “Wish You Were Here” “displays a critical lack of imagination in all departments”.
This is Pink Floyd we’re talking about, and the album in question is now a part of the history of rock and roll. It was their fastest-selling album, and we still love it, just like the fans did in 1975. So, if Pink Floyd can be called a band that lacks imagination, imagine how many other 10 awesome albums that the critics initially hated we still listen to today.
“Korn” – Korn (1994)
The nu-metal band Korn got a terrible review from The Calgary Herald on their debut album. The “Korn” album was entirely dismissed and it seems the critics didn’t see it coming when the fans went wild to the sounds of the hits such as “Blind”.
Korn practically started the nu-metal genre of music, and we still recognize their brutally blunt and powerfully heavy hits, not to mention the lyrics that won the hearts of many. Little know fact, Korn actually made the music for the movie “Queen Of The Damned” based on the vampire novels of Anne Rice. If you are a fan of Korn, forget about the critics and listen to a vampire sing their songs in this great movie that you might haven’t watched yet!
“Bad” – Michael Jackson (1987)
Entertainment Weekly, Blender, and the Los Angeles Times all underestimated the amazing Micheal Jackson, but they’re not the only ones. Rolling Stone described the album as disappointing and lacking creativity. The Village Voice critic also didn’t like this album, but you know what? It ended up winning two Grammy awards and more than the incredible number of 35 million copies were sold worldwide.
The fans loved the songs “The Way You Make Me Feel”, “Bad” and “I Just Can’t Stop Loving you” as well as the other number one hits from the album “Bad”. It seems that the album wasn’t really that bad after all, but all those critics probably did feel bad after seeing how wrong they were.
“Jazz” – Queen (1978)
The list of 10 awesome albums that the critics initially hated continues with no less but the legendary rock ‘n’ roll band Queen. You surely know the song “Don’t Stop Me Now” and the other from the album “Jazz” which the Village Voice, Rolling Stone, and The Chicago Tribune actually hated at first. Queen literally got called “the first truly fascist rock band”, can you believe that? It even got called “absurdly dull”, but it seems fans proved those critics wrong.
The album “Jazz” was a hit, and it got uncertified classic status and certified platinum status. You can watch the entire story of how Queen became the legendary band that we all know today in “Bohemian Rhapsody” which is one of the best movie musicals of all time.
“Abbey Road” – The Beatles (1969)
Imagine the critics hating The Beatles, is that even possible? It seems so, because a critic from The New York Times called the album “nothing special”. The critics from the London Times and Rolling Stone didn’t like this album so much either.
This is Beatles we’re talking about though, so naturally, there were critics that called “Abbey Road” a great album such as the critic from Life magazine. Of course, after the album’s incredible success, everyone agreed with this last critic.
“High Voltage” – AC/DC
Everyone knows about the unbelievably popular rock band AC/DC, but when their first album came out in 1976, Rolling Stone said that “the genre has unquestionably hit its all-time low” and called the singer Bon Scott “truly annoying”. Yikes! I bet Billy Altman, who said all these and many more nasty things about the album, regretted his words.
It didn’t happen soon though, because just a few years after the initial review, another one in Rolling Stones trashed “High Voltage” again. To remind you, the album in question brought us rock classics such as “T.N.T.” and “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)” so need I say more?
“Exile on Main St.” – The Rolling Stones (1972)
While we rock out to the sounds of The Rolling Stones album “Exile on Main St.”, it made critics yawn when it got released in 1972. They thought that the band could do better, but the album became one of the greatest rock albums in history. Good enough? Well, I think so, and practically everyone who ever heard The Rolling Stones does too.
I hope you enjoyed this list of 10 awesome albums that the critics initially hated, but if you think that the list doesn’t go on, let me tell you something real quick.
Led Zeppelin’s album “Led Zeppelin” (1969) got questioned for its authenticity, Black Sabbaths album “Black Sabbath” (1970) got called “bull****” by the Village Voice, and the songs from Bob Dylan’s album “Blood On The Tracks” (1975) were described as “so trashy they sound like mere practice takes”.
So, if you ever feel bad about yourself because of someone’s criticism, just remember that the greatest legends of rock ‘n’ roll music ended up on the list of 10 awesome albums that the critics initially hated.
There are even more of them than these ten, so know that many people were ahead of their time, and don’t let any negative criticism ever get to you!
Rock on!
