I listened to "Liars" last night.
Again.
This is Todd Rundgren's 2004 release and it is an album that I have loved from the very beginning and continue to love. I think it is an essential Todd record and one that I have no problem placing in the top five of his career.
Critics loved this record as well and critics don't love anything from Todd Rundgren that isn't "Something/Anything?." A bit of Googling brings up many of these reviews, including one from Rolling Stone magazine where one writer places it at #5 for the year 2004.
"Liars" is a stellar release from a man who has had a very uneven, though respected career. I believe "Liars" is a late-career masterwork from Todd Rundgren.
But this isn't really about "Liars."
An old and dear friend, one who is partly responsible for making me the Rundgren fan that I am, and a man who can rival my fanboy behavior when it comes to this artist, does not like "Liars" at all.
This makes me nuts.
So my fun little mid-week query is--
Is there one beloved record by an established artist that you love with a catalogue that you love that you absolutely detest?
(I think I understand my question. Hope you do.)
25 comments:
The Royal Scam - always preferred the Dan as a rock band. this was the end of that.
Houses of the Holy - whether it was the oddly pitched vocals or D'yer Mak'er (why did every white band have to have a reggae tune in the 70's?), I never got it.
Mystery to Me - the Mac are the dearest band to me, but the Bob Welch tunes on this one made it a slog. I slowly grew to tolerate them, but it's the last of their albums that I reach for.
By no means do I detest them, but I've never been huge on Strawberry Fields Forever or Come Together. This despite favoring John over the other three, and Working Class Hero vying with A Day In The Life as my all-time favorite song (and Plastic Ono Band being in my Desert Island Disc Top Ten). I recognize the artistry of both songs (Come Together doesn't sound remotely like anything else from the era, or before or after; I know a gal who doesn't care for the Beatles (!) but does like Come Together).You asked for 'records', and songs are records...
As to the first anonymous poster -- Mystery To Me isn't my first choice for Mac, either, but Welch's Hypnotized is within my top 3 for that band (the others being Oh Well's spaghetti western coda and Albatross).
C in California
I'm a big Joe Jackson fan, but I do not like 'Beat Crazy'. Of course, I'm only counting his pop/rock albums and not his forays into classical music.
For artists where I think I have their complete discography (as opposed to just getting tired of the artist and stopped buying stuff from them eventually...):
Huge Alice Cooper fan here -- but I find the first two albums (before Bob Ezrin) unlistenable. The few "Metal Years" albums, I don't like very much, but I don't hate them.
DEVO -- "Smooth Noodle Maps" and "Total Devo" -- I actively dislike. I have never played them again (but still own them.)
Flo & Eddie -- the reggae album. Nuff Said! The only vinyl album I own that I never digitized (IIRC).
Juliana Hatfield -- Juliana's Pony -- the only album of hers I actively sold the week after I bought it.
There are probably some KISS albums I wouldn't go back to, but nothing I would classify as "hate".
And apart from "Are You Receiving Me?", I never listen to GO2 by XTC any more because I dislike the rest of it so much.
Troy,
August 10, 2013- decided that "Beat Crazy" was far better than I ever remembered.
I didn't know there was a reggae song on "Houses Of The Holy". I thought "D'Yer Mak'er" was kind of a '50's pastiche interpreted through T-Rex.
Lou Reed "The Blue Mask".
Sal,
How do you remember something like that date? I can't remember what I listened to this morning on the way to work.
Troy,
Because it was a Burning Wood post.
Not including the real oddments in his catalog, Spike is far and away my least favorite Elvis Costello album. I'll listen to Goodbye Cruel World before I'll listen to Spike. Not much of a fan of Blood and Chocolate, either. (Actually, I'd put Goodbye Cruel World on a list of generally reviled albums that are much better than people remember, or at least I remembered after listening to it maybe only twice and selling my original LP copy a day after I bought it.)
Buce H.
I always felt like the 1-2 punch of "King Of America" and "Blood & Chocolate" from 1986 was a highlight of EC's career, while "Mighty Like A Rose" is far worse to my ears than the oddments.
I wouldn't make any claims for Mighty Like a Rose except that I think the production is kind of interesting. On the oddments, I think about half of North is pretty terrific.
Bruce H.
Yep. Dylan's Modern Times...hands sown. Critics loved it, fans raved about it. I couldn't find a single song on there that I wanted to hear again. Absolutely nothing appealing about it, IMO. Go figure.
Liars by Todd Rundgren ;-)
First, anyone who doesn't like Todd's "Liars" is surely a communist or somethin', right? It's an INCREDIBLE album.
I agree with steves above - everybody made a fuss about Dylan's "Modern Times" but I only like "Workingman's Blues #2" off of it, and sometimes "Ain't Talkin'".
@steves-I really liked Modern Times. It was Tempest I didn't like all that much of his recent work.
And I'll say, The Basement Tapes never impressed me the way they apparently did everyone else.
Has to be Pink Floyd's "The Wall" ! Never liked one song on it from day one. Similar to the earlier comment about Steely Dan. I was starting to loose interest by the time of Floyd's "Animals" , but the "Wall" iced it.
OK computer
Trout Mask Replica
Lions by the Black Crowes
"Lions" is a good call. I never, ever, ever listen to that.
Southside Johnny had the unfortunate "Trash It Up", which I've listened to exactly once.
ditto R.E.M"s "around the sun".
and I don't HATE it but I never, ever, ever listen to "Born In the USA"
I realize I hadn't offered up my picks, but Chris just reminded me I should.
Born In The USA: I kinda hate it and wish all of these songs were recorded in a different decade.
R.E.M.- Murmur: It's everything I hate about indie rock all in one annoying package. Bad sounding guitars, bad sounding drums, bad vocals, weak melodies. Give me "Out Of Time" and "Automatic For The People" anyday. (And of course, "Life's Rich Pageant."
And ditto on "Lions," though "WarPaint" is a close second.
When I first posted, I almost listed 'Around the Sun', so go ahead and add it to my list.
But I cannot agree with Born in the USA. Although I wish it didn't sound so dated, for me it has a place-and-time-in-your-life connection that I don't think will ever be broken.
And wow, had forgotten all about 'Trash it Up'. That's some special kind of hell.
Sal, you mentioned 'Life's Rich Pageant' with affection. For me, that is one of my favorite albums of all time by ANY band, again likely for a place-in-time connection, but it also still holds up very well.
Great thread!
Sorry but I never cared for Astral Weeks. I love the Moondance Van but not the Astral Van.
BITUSA is always going to hold a special place in my musical heart...most definitely the result of the times and memories.
This will probably get me shot, but I don't especially love Exile On Main Street. I could edit it down to 1 killer (for me) album but as is I seldom put it on. I prefer the Beggars to Sticky Fingers run, not to mention the ABCKO releases. Heresy? Perhaps...
Sometimes releases are contractual - ELP's "Love Beach" for example. Horrible.
Todd? "Another Live" I loved it, others around me hated it. Seven Rays would be great weekend mix material.
Rolling Stones "Miss You" fits the question for me. Disco was big lol.
Following a similar theme, I'd be intrigued to see a post about personally beloved albums that don't seem to grab anyone else.
@hpunch-How about Shangri-La from Mark Knopfler? I loved that record, but I don't think it moved many copies.
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