3 Classic Rock Albums That Flopped but Changed Songwriting Forever

Who doesn’t love classic rock albums from the 20th century? So many incredible works dropped throughout the latter half of the century, and many of those albums are still loved today. But for some records, the love wasn’t really there when they first dropped. Let’s look at a few now-legendary classic rock records that flopped, either critically or commercially, when they first hit the shelves.

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‘The Velvet Underground & Nico’ by The Velvet Underground (1967)

It’s wild to think that an album so well-loved, over half a century after it was released, could have done poorly. However, The Velvet Underground’s 1967 album The Velvet Underground & Nico was just too ahead of its time, with its raw, “new” sound and lyrics that stirred quite a bit of controversy. 

This avant-garde work about everything from drugs to sadomasochism was very polarizing among critics, and it didn’t perform well commercially. Today, you’d be hard-pressed not to find this album on lists of the greatest records of all time.

‘Berlin’ by Lou Reed (1973)

Lou Reed makes this list again with the rock opera classic, Berlin. Released in 1973, this solo work from Reed is a unique concept album that follows the story of a couple struggling with drug abuse and domestic violence. When it was first released, critical reviews were very mixed. 

However, few albums like Berlin have changed in the eyes of the public retrospectively. Rolling Stone called the record a “disaster” and “patently offensive” in 1973. In 2012, they listed it on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Some musical works are just way too ahead of their time and take a few decades to really shine.

‘Odessey And Oracle’ by The Zombies (1968)

This album dropped after The Zombies had already called it quits. It was almost totally missed by listeners, considering the era in which it was released. Everyone was already engrossed in the psychedelic albums that were dropping en masse at the time. The beautifully written pop-rock album Odyssey And Oracle got very little attention in 1968. 

Thankfully, this entry on our list of classic rock albums that flopped but became legendary eventually got some attention for the single “Time Of The Season”. It was a sleeper hit in 1969, peaking at No. 3 on the Hot 100. The whole of the album has since gained cult classic status.

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