Not every release can be a winner. These four famous rock bands are still stellar in their own right, but even we can’t deny that they released at least one sorely disappointing album.
This list of disappointing classic rock albums is a matter of opinion, as always. You might be a fan of some of these records, and you also might hate a few of them.
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1. ‘Their Satanic Majesties Request’ by The Rolling Stones
This 1967 album by The Rolling Stones came during the golden era of psychedelic rock music. To jump on the bandwagon and compete, the Stones released Their Satanic Majesties Request. It was an ambitious venture, we’ll give them that.
However, it just did not have the right blend of psychedelic sounds and classic Stones vibes to make it a good record. So many songs from this album are forgettable. Even Mick Jagger himself said that this record was “not very good.”
2. ‘Chinese Democracy’ by Guns N’ Roses
This 2008 record came years after Guns N’ Roses’ heyday, and it’s unfortunately one of the most disappointing classic rock albums on this list.
People didn’t exactly have high hopes for Chinese Democracy, anyway. The band was more or less just Axl Rose and hired musicians for years at that point. Tracks like “Better” and “There Was A Time” are pretty great, but the whole of the record is just not very exciting.
3. ‘Flick Of The Switch’ by AC/DC
By the mid-1980s, AC/DC had become a household name. Unfortunately, their egos seemed to get in the way by that point. After incredible releases like For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) and Back In Black, the band should have opted to produce a third album with Mutt Lange.
Instead, they decided to go independent. Mix that choice with Malcolm Young’s drinking issues and Phil Rudd getting the boot before the album was finished, it’s not exactly shocking that Flick Of The Switch did not yield a successful product.
4. ‘Raised On Radio’ by Journey
Disappointing classic rock albums come and go, but Raised On Radio is a booger that’s hard to forget. This 1986 record from Journey was the result of Steve Perry’s poor choices (namely firing Journey’s bassist and drummer) and decision to bring in session musicians for the album. “Be Good To Yourself” was the only song that came close to having that OG Journey vibe that fans loved. The rest of the album is just… flat.
Photo by Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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