The hardest part of being an artist isn’t reaching the top; it’s staying there. For every groundbreaking, bar-setting album, there’s an equally bland or misguided follow-up that just couldn’t capture the glory of its predecessor. Blame it on label pressure, band strife or fans’ waning interest, but at the end of the day, there’s no hiding what these albums truly are—disappointing releases at a time when quality was most crucial.
Note: These aren’t necessarily the worst albums by each artist, just the biggest letdowns when viewed in the scope of their entire catalog. They could be average albums in their own right, but if they’re bookended by masterpieces, they’re ultimately considered disappointments.
10. My Chemical Romance – Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
Having perfected their brand of theatrical emo rock on 2006’s The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance were wise to try something new. Unwise, however, was the decision to pile on glittery synths and churn out dance numbers on Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. It’s a bummer, too, because tracks like “Na Na Na” and “Party Poison” rock with jittery punk abandon, only to be derailed by missteps like “Sing” and “Planetary (GO!).” Even the party punk anthems can’t help but seem a little inauthentic after years of bleeding heart melodrama. (If their “Ballroom Blitz” rip on “Vampire Money” doesn’t elicit a huge eye roll, more power to you.) Danger Days is the sound of a band grasping for—and sometimes reaching—something new. The problem is, they never really figure out what they’re holding.
Worst song: “Planetary (GO!)”
9. Green Day – ¡Uno! ¡Dos! ¡Tre! trilogy
It seemed like a good idea at the time: Green Day would release three back-to-back albums of old-school, punky material to get back in touch with their roots after two epic concept albums. And it might have worked, had Billie Joe Armstrong not gone on a profanity-laden tirade after the band’s 2012 iHeartRadio set was allegedly cut short, checking into rehab the next day. The band postponed their tour and rush-released ¡Dos! and ¡Tre!, but that couldn’t save them from being their lowest charting albums in years. It’s a shame, because most of the songs are actually pretty good. They could’ve compressed them into one knockout album and sent it rocketing up the charts with proper promotion. But now, it’s hard to listen to the trilogy without the looming feeling of failure and lost opportunity.
Worst song: “Nightlife” (off ¡Dos!)
8. Nirvana – In Utero
If Nevermind made one thing clear, it’s that Nirvana was never a grunge band. They were a rock band led by an endearingly miserable frontman with a deep knowledge and respect for conventional hit-writing practices. But, in order not to alienate their original fan base after their explosion in popularity, they followed up their landmark album with In Utero, an unpolished attempt to “return to their roots.” Half of it works: “Serve the Servants” is delightfully cynical, and “Heart Shaped Box” and “All Apologies” are among Kurt Cobain’s most poignant statements. But the album’s also ridden with un-melodic filler, such as the unbearable “Milk It” and the fifth-rate “Smells Like Teen Spirit” rip-off, “Rape Me.” Whereas Nevermind was confident and relentless in its pop-rock affectations, In Utero struggles to choose between heavy and commercial, ultimately floundering somewhere in the middle.
Worst song: “Milk It”
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