3 Albums That Divided Fans When They Were Released (But They’re Classics Today)

Through the years, certain albums have heavily divided fans, critics, casual listeners, and even whole record labels. When no one can quite agree on whether an album is “good” or not, you know it’s worth at least one thorough listen. And when it comes to the following three famous albums, fans were quite divided over their quality for some time. But today, each of these records is considered legendary.

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‘Hounds Of Love’ by Kate Bush (1985)

Alright, let’s be real. I don’t think any Kate Bush fan out there has hated this album, either in 1985 or today. But some fans and casual listeners were puzzled by that second side. Side A of Hounds Of Love is packed with some of Bush’s finest art pop work, including the ever-enduring “Running Up That Hill” and “Cloudbusting”, among others. 

Side B, however, sounds like a totally different record. The second side of the album is subtitled The Ninth Wave. It is basically one whole concept suite about a woman lost at sea at night. Fortunately, in retrospect, more listeners have come to appreciate The Ninth Wave. The whole of Hounds Of Love is considered by many to be Bush’s best album. I know I certainly think so.

‘Like A Prayer’ by Madonna (1989)

Few albums sparked as much controversy upon their release as Madonna’s Like A Prayer. Musically, it’s a sound and ahead-of-the-curve piece of work. Conceptually, lyrically, and aesthetically, though, it ruffled quite a few feathers. Madonna blended together elements of religion (namely Christianity) with sexual themes and even racial themes. Connecting sexual innuendo with religion wasn’t a new concept, but a major pop star certainly never did it before. Regardless of the calls to ban the album among conservative listeners, Like A Prayer was a No. 1 smash around the globe. And today, Like A Prayer is considered one of Madonna’s best albums, if not her most important and influential work in pop music.

‘Low’ by David Bowie (1977)

Imagine putting together an album so polarizing and weird that your own record label delayed it in fear of it being a commercial failure. That’s what happened to David Bowie’s Low from 1977. This record is a highly experimental art rock avant-pop record that split opinion among fans, critics, and even RCA Records when it was first released. Despite critical opinion being so divided and RCA avoiding its promotion, Low hit No. 2 in the UK and No. 11 in the US. And in the years since, it has been praised as one of Bowie’s finest works. Sometimes albums that divided fans and critics alike end up being just too ahead of their time.

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