Putting together a record isn’t easy for anybody. Will, passion, and creativity often win out for musicians who want to put their work out there. But if everyone in the band is miserable, it’s not exactly easy to do. The following three classic rock albums managed to make it to shelves despite their makers experiencing the lowest morale possible. And all of these records managed to be excellent releases, despite it all. Let’s dive in!
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1. ‘Somewhere In England’ by George Harrison
Released in 1981, Somewhere In England was far from former Beatle George Harrison’s first solo venture. It was his ninth solo album, actually, but it took forever to get out there. The whole initial album was rejected by his label, citing that there wasn’t enough single-release material.
Harrison obliged and penned some more radio-friendly songs, but he was bitter as hell about it. “Blood From A Clone” was one addition to the album full of passive-aggressiveness over not having total creative control over the album. And even with the changes, the album didn’t do well commercially. “All Those Years Ago” was the only real hit from the album, in part because of John Lennon’s sudden death.
2. ‘Lionheart’ by Kate Bush
Kate Bush doesn’t have a bad album to her name, in my opinion. But one can’t deny that Lionheart is worthy of our list of classic rock albums that were produced with the lowest morale.
Released in 1978, Lionheart was a rushed effort on behalf of Bush’s label EMI. She didn’t have time to write any new material, and she was not willing to produce something that was just a cash grab. So, she opted to refine some songs she had written as a teen. The end result is a pretty record, but it was obviously very rushed. And Kate Bush is not the kind of artist you should rush if you want gold.
3. ‘Let It Be’ by The Beatles
This wouldn’t be a list of classic rock albums that were made with the lowest morale without mentioning the nightmare that was Let It Be by The Beatles. The end product is stunning and still loved today. But the process of recording it was far from pleasant.
By the time it came for this album to be made, each member of the band was completely over each other. George Harrison even quit halfway through session work, though he was eventually convinced to return. Paul McCartney notoriously hated the final product. The result was messy, though still a loved finale by many of the Fab Four’s fans.
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