4 Classic Rock Albums That Even The Bands Themselves Didn’t Want to Produce

Your favorite classic rock albums were probably, more often than not, the product of passion, love for music, blood, sweat, tears, etc. But some great albums through the years weren’t exactly made with love. Let’s look at a few classic rock albums that even the bands themselves didn’t want to make. Surprisingly, some of these records still ended up being fantastic pieces of work.

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‘Tusk’ by Fleetwood Mac

Following up an album like the 1977 megahit record Rumours was no easy task. And, apparently, Fleetwood Mac’s members didn’t even want to try. Each member of the band, following extensive touring, was being pulled in different directions in terms of solo careers and creative interests. 

Getting together to write and record Tusk was rough. Between creative differences, continuous drug use, and an insanely wasteful budget, you’ve got an album that sounds like several albums from different artists, just kind of smooshed together into one.

‘Echo’ by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

Echo is an amazing piece of work from Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. However, Petty wasn’t in the best place when it was made. He had just gone through a very difficult divorce. You can even hear it in the recording; he’s an exhausted and understandably broken guy. Petty would later say that he barely remembered working on this album, and he didn’t pay attention to how well it was doing in terms of sales and charting placement once it was released. The Heartbreakers seem to be holding everything together on this one.

‘Let It Be’ by The Beatles

Well, I just couldn’t avoid this entry on our list of classic rock albums. The Beatles’ Let It Be from 1970 was their final album, though it was their second-to-last record that they recorded together. By that point, the band was really done with it all, each member low-key hating each other and ready to nurture their solo careers. George Harrison even quit at one point during the album’s sessions, though he returned after some convincing. Apparently, Abbey Road was supposed to be the proper final send-off for Beatles fans, but due to contractual obligations, Let It Be had to be released anyway.

‘Balance’ by Van Halen

Balance marks an odd time for Van Halen fans. When this album was released, it was quite a polarizing piece of work. It’s one of the most memorable classic rock albums out there, sure. But a lot of Van Halen fans didn’t like it. And the band itself was going through a rough patch when it was made. Balance sessions were tainted with endless creative differences, with Eddie Van Halen and Sammy Hagar refusing to agree on just about anything. The process of recording it was so bad that it drove a formerly sober Van Halen to drink again when the promotional tour started. Yikes.

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