Everybody makes mistakes, even those who are the greatest or just great. There isn’t a band or an artist out there that hasn’t come up with a song that is a true dud.
Of course, it is all in the ear of the beholder, but simply, put there are those song about which there is a more or less a general consensus that that they are not up to the par, not only compared to the rest of the output of a certain artist, but in general.
In most cases, such songs can be found on albums that see that artist or a band in a rut, but sometimes, you can hear a lousy song on an essentially great album, and you just keep asking yourself - how did this one end up here?
12 bad songs that nearly wrecked great albums
There can be a gamut of reasons for such missteps - from contractual pressures, time constraints (need to put out an album by a certain deadline), there is a personal attachment by the artist, they simply had a lapse in judgment, or, eventually, the song just aged poorly.
Below is a dozen such songs that come from albums by those who are considered great, and some of the best around, yet they hand song flukes on brilliant albums.
Love - "Revelation" (from Da Capo, 1966)
Da Capo, Love’s second album, was already full of Arthur Lee gems like “Stephanie Knows Who” and “She Comes In Colors,” topped by one of the greatest punk rock songs ever that is “Seven And Seven Is.”
Still, the album includes one of the first attempts at proto-prog jams that is too long and doesn’t sound good. Whether they were on something, had a lack of ideas at the moment, it doesn’t matter. This one simply doesn’t work.
Cream, "Blue Condition" (From Disraeli Gears, 1967)
The second Cream album is considered a template for how a supergroup can work well when the members subdue their egos and concentrate on making great music. But in an attempt to give all three members a chance to write songs, the album includes this attempt by Ginger Baker to write songs.
And while Baker is certainly one of the best drummers around, songwriting obviously wasn’t one of his fortes, at least not then.
Beatles, "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" (From Abbey Road, 1969)
More than fifty years on, there’s a raging debate about this one, as there are numerous fans of this McCartney ditty, and he often had a penchant for those. Yet, in many ways, it doesn’t fit the mood and the flow of the masterpiece Abbey Road was, and it turns out that even Macca had his doubts about it, but insisted on including it on the album as a result of the widening gap between the band members.
Sly & the Family Stone, "Sex Machine" (From Stand!, 1969)
No, not the James Brown funk anthem or Sly’s cover of it, but an attempt at a slowed-down funk jam that actually isn’t that bad, but simply goes on too long without really getting anywhere, particularly having in mind that this album includes some of the sharpest funk rock combinations around.
Velvet Underground, “The Murder Mystery” (from The Velvet Underground 1969)
With this album and John Cale gone, Lou Reed tried to move the band that was now fully under his control into what might have been considered a more listenable direction. And while most of the songs here are exactly that, and the album itself confirmed his and the band’s brilliance, this mysterious spoken word piece, with all the members reciting something at the same time, is simply too quirky and mostly unlistenable.
Beach Boys, “Student Demonstration Time” (from Surf’s Up 1971)
Surf’s Up was one of the early-1970s albums that saw the Beach Boys return to full form. Not only did it include the title track taken from the botched Smile sessions, but also the incredible “'til I Die.”
And although Mike Love wasn’t a songwriting slouch, his take on a 1950s Lieber and Stoller classic, “Riot in Cell Block Number 9,” that was his song, sounded corny even at the time when it was released.
Elton John, "Jamaica Jerk-Off" (from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973)
The seventies were the time when Elton John was actually coming up with some excellent albums, and the double album that was Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was surely one of them. Yet, it seems that this attempt at having fun in Jamaica with its terrible lyrics and an attempt at a Jamaican accent was just a filler. No wonder that both Elton John and Bernie Taupin are trying to forget this one.
Bob Dylan, "Sarah" (from Desire 1976)
So many brilliant songs on this Dylan album, from the opening “Hurricane” to “Romance In Durango” and the Emmylou Harris duets are a stroke of genius. But this closing track includes some of the corniest lyrics Dylan wrote in an attempt to please his then-wife.
Fleetwood Mac, "Oh Daddy" (From Rumours, 1977)
No doubt that Rumours was more a pop than a rock album, but it was definitely a great pop album at that, with ten stellar tracks. This Christina McVie thingy just jars the ears, and she was almost always a much better songwriter than this. There must have been some strange substances involved, as the real rumours were circling about the band at the time.
Prince, "Lady Cab Driver" (from 1999, 1982)
1999 is among Prince’s (and everybody’s) best albums, but this funk workout is simply more workout than funk, with the lyrics also being among Prince’s weakest, with all the added sound effects making it worse than it could have been.
The Replacements – “Gary’s Got a Boner” (from Let It Be 1984)
The Replacements’ Let It Be album is not only one of the band’s best, but one of the best the eighties came up with, with some brilliant post-punk material like “Unsatisfied.” Yet, Paul Westerberg was known, particularly at the time, as somebody who wanted to go against the grain, and the reason he included this almost banal one remains a mystery.
The Smiths – “Meat Is Murder” (from Meat Is Murder 1985)
Ok, Morrissey was always known as a staunch supporter of animal rights, and it is an honorable cause, but this one is simply over the top with its slaughterhouse sounds and too strong lyrics. The instrumental side of the song itself is not one of the band’s best, either.