3 Sloppy and Rushed Comeback Albums That Ended up Being Absolutely Brilliant

Comeback albums are rarely ever an easy task to take on. Following the slowdown of one’s career, putting together a good comeback album can make or break a musician’s future in the industry. The following comeback albums faced production difficulties, ranging from difficulty with songwriting to drug-fuelled messiness and everything in-between. And yet, these sloppy and/or rushed comeback albums ended up becoming some of the best records of all time.

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‘Time Out Of Mind’ by Bob Dylan (1997)

This release from the Bard was his first major comeback in years. And according to lore, the recording process was fairly tense and unfocused, following Dylan’s 1980s stint of struggling with his identity. Dylan himself even said that “there was a time when the songs would come three or four at the same time, but those days are long gone… Once in a while, the odd song will come to me like a bulldog at the garden gate and demand to be written. But most of them are rejected out of my mind right away.” Today, Time Out Of Mind is considered one of Dylan’s finest works. And it took home several Grammy Awards the following year.

‘Exile On Main St.’ by The Rolling Stones (1972)

Sex, drugs, and rock and roll. The Rolling Stones embodied all three, especially during the recording process of Exile On Main St.

The recording process was famously chaotic, fuelled by substance use. The production was quite messy, and that carried over into the final work. Even fans have picked up on its sloppiness. However, that messiness is part of what makes this album so legendary today, and it was just what the band needed to capitalize on the success of Sticky Fingers. Exile On Main St. was a huge commercial success, and it is considered one of the greatest rock albums of all time today.

‘American Recordings’ by Johnny Cash (1994)

Some might listen to this entry on our list of rushed comeback albums and think it sloppy in the sense that it’s incredibly raw compared to Johnny Cash’s previous works. That gritty rawness was necessary. Cash needed something radically different and yet uniquely him to come out of his hole. Cash experienced a serious career downturn in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was even dropped by his label. Rick Rubin showed up to potentially save the country icon’s career. The result is American Recordings, a collection of incredible originals and covers, recorded in Cash’s cabin and Rubin’s home. The album marked a major career resurgence for Cash, and it remains one of his best records.

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