10 rock albums that were trashed by the artists who made them

We are our own harshest critics. It's an old adage because it's true. Nobody is going to see the flaws in a piece of art more quickly than the person who made it. Even if said piece of art is beloved by fans across the world.

Rock stars are in the unique position of being asked about their art in retrospect, however. They have mics stuck in their face, and are asked about each of their albums on a semi regular basis (assuming, you know, relevancy). And there's something perversely entertaining about the instances in which an artist absolutely trashes their own work.

This perverse sense of entertainment is what has birthed this list. Enjoy, fellow haters, and defenders who continue to love these albums no matter what their creators have to say.

15 Big Ones - The Beach Boys

Brian Wilson was in a bad way by 1976. The Beach Boys mastermind had receded from the spotlight and succumbed to his personal struggles. Mike Love, Wilson's cousin and sparring partner within the band, brought him on board to record the oldies album 15 Big Ones. Love decided to make the album half oldies and have originals halfway through recording though, and forced the other members to go along.

Wilson was incensed. He told Oui Magazine that he "resented" Love for forcing his will upon the band, and churning out a terrible album in the process. "I didn’t like the idea at first, but he literally forced us to do it his way," the American maestro admitted.

One by One - Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters have multiple classics under their belt, and have effectively become America's definitive Dad Rock Band. A lot of the Dad Rock energy comes from lead singer and songwriter Dave Grohl, who emanates good vibes on an astoundingly consistent basis. One thing Grohl does not have good vibes for, though, is the band's 2002 album One by One.

The legendary frontman slagged off the album during an interview with Rolling Stone in 2005. He claimed the recording sessions were rushed, and the final product was ultimately beneath the high bar the Foo Fighters had set up to that point. "I was kinda pissed at myself for the last record," Grohl asserted. "Four of the songs were good, and the other seven I never played again in my life." Ouch.

Time Fades Away - Neil Young

Neil Young's "Ditch" trilogy is considered sacred in folk-rock circles. The Canadian poet put up some astounding and challenging music on the heels of his commercial breakthrough in 1972. Time Fades Away (1973) is part of this trilogy, but it's not an installment Young is particularly proud of. He actually thinks its his worst album.

"I think it’s the worst record I ever made," he told reporter Dave Ferrin in 1987. "I didn’t have the right band. It was just an uncomfortable tour... I felt like a product. It was a total joke." Young did admit that the live album is a startlingly accurate document of where he was at that particular point in his career, so at least it has that going for it.

Be Here Now - Oasis

Oasis were on top of the world in the mid-90s. They were the biggest band in the Britain and had managed to crossover to the United States with hits like "Wonderwall" and "Some Might Say." Then, Be Here Now (1997) came out, and Oasis was never the same.

For the record, I kinda like Be Here Now. It's an absolute mess, but it's a charming mess, and has even gained a cult following in recent years. Noel Gallagher, the band's lead songwriter and guitarist, is not part of this cult. He told NME, point blank, that the "songs are really long and all the lyrics are sh*t." He also felt like his rampant drug use during recording led to solos that sounded like Wayne's World.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles

Let me provide context. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) was an absolute triumph for the Beatles, and for Paul McCartney, in particular, who spearheaded the album's direction. He loves the album to this day. It was his songwriting partner, John Lennon, who turned on the album after its release.

Lennon told Playboy Magazine that Sgt. Pepper's was "overrated" in comparison to the Beatles' self-titled album, and believed that his own contributions to the album's theme were subpar. He called the upbeat "Good Morning, Good Morning" a "throwaway, a piece of garbage" and also bashed his buddy Macca's "When I'm Sixty-Four." He told the magazine he'd never "dream" of writing such a trite tune.

Their Satanic Majesties Request - The Rolling Stones

John Lennon may have been annoyed by the glowing reception to Sgt. Pepper's, but Keith Richards didn't even get that. The Rolling Stones guitarist was so high in 1967 he didn't even care that the the band was ripping off the Beatles with their own psych rock album, Their Satanic Majesties Request.

Once Richards sobered up, though, his resentment for the album grew. He dubbed Their Satanic Majesties Request a "mishmash of rubbish" with the exception of the songs "Citadel" and "She's a Rainbow." The rest, as he told Esquire, is a "load of sh*t."

Angles - The Strokes

The Strokes and Nas have similar careers. Hear me out. Both dropped iconic debut albums and sophomore albums that were initially considered disappointments, but are now viewed as classics. Some generic stuff in the middle, and now both are experiencing late career surges. Angles (2011) is the equivalent of Nas' Street's Disciple (2004), which is to say, an album that only gotten worse with time.

Nick Valensi, the Strokes guitarist, wholeheartedly agrees. "I won't do the next album we make like this," he explained to Pitchfork. "No way. It was awful, just awful." Julian Casablancas, the frontman, wasn't much nicer. "There's a bunch of stuff I wouldn't have done," he admitted.

Pinkerton - Weezer

A fascinating example of an artist who has become critical of one of their crowning achievements. Few people liked Weezer's sophomore album Pinkerton in 1996, but the album's raw songwriting and production have been showered with praise in the decades since. Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo is still not a fan.

Cuomo absolutely teed off on the album during a 2001 chat with Entertainment Weekly. "It's just a sick album, sick in a diseased sort of way," he asserted. "It's such a source of anxiety because all the fans we have right now have stuck around because of that album." Cuomo has lightened his stance on Pinkerton in recent years, but his brutal takedown is still worth noting.

Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen

Born to Run (1975) was Bruce Springsteen's critical and commercial breakthrough, the moment he went from being a New Jersey no name to the Boss. And he can't stand it. Springsteen was in a dire place during the recording of the album, and claimed to be absolutely sick of the songs he recorded by the time they were completed.

He said as much in the book Talk About a Dream. "After it was finished? I hated it! I couldn't stand to listen to it," he recalled. "I thought it was the worst piece of garbage I'd ever heard. I told Columbia I wouldn’t release it." He did, thankfully, and the rest is rock history.

Pablo Honey - Radiohead

Not a shocker to anybody familiar with Radiohead. It's become a rite of passage for rock snobs to hate on the band's debut album, Pablo Honey (1993), and heap praise upon the rest of their catalog. It's easy to do because the members of Radiohead feel the same. Thom Yorke loathed the hit single from the album, "Creep," claiming that the lyrics were "crap."

Ed O'Brien, the band's guitarist, meanwhile, lamented the way Pablo Honey sounds as a whole. He has repeatedly stated that Radiohead was unhappy with the mixing, which led to them linking up with their legendary producer, Nigel Godrich, for their sophomore release.