If you’re a musician, you know all too well how easy it is to just completely hate your music. It’s the artist’s struggle, after all. But when it comes to the following legendary rock stars, each of these musicians admitted that they couldn’t stand their own records, specifically when it came to a handful of releases they felt missed the mark. Let’s take a look, shall we? Some of these might surprise you.
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Eddie Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen loved to shred, and it’s pretty obvious by the vigor he delivers on many of Van Halen’s records that he loved what he did. However, when it comes to Diver Down, it’s pretty understandable why Van Halen hated it. To many, this 1982 album was not meant to be. The band had to capitalize on their success at the time, and Diver Down ended up being far too rushed. A mix of covers and half-baked originals, there’s no real solid theme that ties this album together. While Van Halen noted that the album was “a lot of fun” to record, he has since criticized Diver Down for being so rushed to meet the demands of their label.
George Harrison
George Harrison was a musician’s musician, and albums like All Things Must Pass and his work with The Beatles remain beloved today. However, even Harrison himself didn’t love Extra Texture. This 1975 rock album does boast some great songs, like “You”. However, it’s not as soulful as one would expect from what’s supposed to be a soul album. Harrison would later state that he wasn’t in a great place during the recording of this record, and you can realistically hear that he’s not having much fun.
“‘Extra Texture’… was a grubby album in a way,” Harrison said in George Harrison: Reconsidered. “The production left a lot to be desired, as did my performance. I was in a real down place. Some songs I like, but in retrospect I wasn’t very happy about it.”
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne, the late famed voice who sparked a love of heavy metal across millions in a generation, was admittedly not a big fan of the Black Sabbath album Never Say Die!. Osbourne makes it to our list of musicians who couldn’t stand their own records with this 1978 release, which also received mixed reviews from critics at the time. Osbourne was more interested in his drug habit at the time, along with the rest of the band. He was more or less checked out by the time it came to record this particular album. There are some great songs on this record, don’t get me wrong. But Osbourne was so done with it that he didn’t even finish it. Drummer Bill Ward had to provide vocals for the closing track “Swinging The Chain”.
Osbourne temporarily left during this album’s recording sessions and was replaced by Dave Walker for a brief moment, but when he returned, he refused to sing on any of the material put together during Walker’s time in the band. Couple drugs and drama with Osbourne’s father’s passing in the middle of it all, and I certainly understand why he didn’t love Never Say Die!.
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