The absolute worst popular album covers as chosen by the music bloggosphere.
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"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
Worst Popular Album Covers... Ever - Comments Page 3
The absolute worst popular album covers as chosen by the music bloggosphere.
Get hundreds of great playlists at the Rhapsody Radish…
Article comments
76 - Tom Johnson
I've been a Blogcritics writer for a long time, Robert, since February 2003, actually. I don't get to post as often as I used to, unfortunately . . .
Peart's lyrics aren't even remotely in the realm of "horrible" enough to warrant the kind of vicious attack you've been laying into them with. What your comments boil down to, after removing the razor blades and acid-bath attacks, is that you're just not into them. That does not make them horrible. You just don't care for them. My guess is, judging by who you consider to be good lyricists (and I agree with those - they are great,) that you like storytellers. What you don't seem to get is that songwriters don't necessarily have to write a story to have decent lyrics.
But, in general, this list is helping turn Blogcritics into what VH-1 has become - it's just stupid "worst" list after "worst" list. Lists like this are exercises for people who have nothing new to say, things to generate controversy and linkage from Fark.com. All the good music in the world and you have to spend all this energy focusing on the bad. Why not use your time and skills to talk about what's good out there? What a waste of opportunity.
77 - Robert
Tom,
I appreciate you trying to tell me what I like, but you have no clue, although I like songs that tell "a story" it's has nothing to do with whether I consider a lyric "good or bad"
It has to do with structure, passion and whether or not the words paint a picture or an emotion in my head.
Maybe you should actually visit my site. If you took the time to do that you would see that 98% of my posting highlight what we feel is good.
There is nothing wrong with highlighting what is bad though. It's interesting and sparks conversation. If you don't like it, ignore it an move on. Why the hell would you get involved in the argument by commenting here if you think the very premise of "worst of lists" is a "waste of an opportunity"?
You make as much sense as a Neil Peart lyric.
You're problem is you cannot think objectively about Neil Peart, because you obviously idolize the man, which I must say is pretty pathetic.
If you would READ my posts again you would see I give the man praise where it is deserved and criticism where it is needed.
Neil has wrriten some great lyrics even classic (maybe):
See "Subdivisions", "Limelight"
But he has written A LOT of trash:
"Vapor Trails", "The Trees" and my favorite "By-Tor and the Snow Dog"
"The tobes of hades
Lit by flickering torchlight
The netherworld is gathered in the glare
Prince by-tor takes the cavern"
If you can defend that crap you have issues. That is just bad sci-fi trash.
"THE TOBES OF HADES"! for god's sake Tom! SNAP OUT OF IT! STEP AWAY FROM THE 20 SIDED DIE!
78 - Tom Johnson
Again, as I've been pointing out all along, you focus on pretty much the same period of the band in order to trash the entire band's career. I never once defended that period of their career. That you picked out one post-1978 song with lyrics you find questionable says way more than I possibly can. Notice that I, at least, am able to say that Peart is not the best, just that he's nowhere near the worst. You, however, are focused on showing just how awful he is, but, again, you can't get out of one period of the band in order to do so. Your argument is nullified by that.
Here's the cool thing: I don't have to be objective about Peart, or Rush. I'm not the one using this podium to state an absolute like you are. I don't think Peart is the best lyricist ever, or even close to it - just that he's pretty damned decent, and, usually, his words suit the songs very well, make sense, and are grammatically and structurally sound. Yes, this is my favorite band, and if you look around at comments I've left and posts I've made, I make absolutely no attempt to cover that up. Why would I? And, for the record, I don't idolize anyone. I do, however, respect Peart - he's been through a lot recently and managed to come back swinging.
What I find most entertaining is that, when I lay out some criticism that you apparently cannot refute, you resort to a childish, cliched insult that speaks volumes about you, not me.
79 - Robert
QUOTE: "when I lay out some criticism that you apparently cannot refute, you resort to a childish, cliched insult that speaks volumes about you, not me"
It's called "SATIRE" you and Neil Peart really should look into it.
80 - Robert
QUOTE:"Again, as I've been pointing out all along, you focus on pretty much the same period of the band"
Do you read? Or you just shoot your mouth off?
I mentioned song lyrics from Fly By Night, 2112, Hemispheres, Moving Pictures, Signals, and Vapor Trails. Please explain how these albums which span 30 years are from "pretty much the same time period"?
81 - Tom Johnson
I like that you cut off the important part of what I said - "Again, as I've been pointing out all along, you focus on pretty much the same period of the band in order to trash the entire band's career." You consistently and repeatedly use lyrics from 1974-1978 to show how bad a lyricist Peart is. The only faint praise you've given has been for two songs produced after that period. When you want to make your point about Peart's deficiencies as a lyricist, you go right back to 1974-1978.
82 - Mark Saleski
this is ridiculous.
you can't be 'objective' about something that's purely subjective: interpretation and reaction to lyrics.
83 - Robert
And Vapor Trails was released when?
And who can forget "Presto"
"I am made from the dust of the stars
and the oceans flow in my veins"
Get a grip. Or maybe you just need some of that Neil Peart fairy dust?
84 - Duane
Boys, boys ... play nice. Or else I will start an argument about Journey.
85 - Tom Johnson
You're really grasping for anything now, arent't you, Robert. Do you really expect me to take you seriously after picking on those lyrics? Those are actually good - "I am made from the dust of the stars" = you know, the old saying that we are made up of the same things stars are? "Oceans flow in my veins" = water, salt, LIFE etc.? You don't get it, do you? It's saying that we are all, at our most basic elements, the same not only as each other, but as everything else in the universe. I get it now - you don't like lyrics that you need to think about, or interpret. Have you ever happened to have read this thing called "poetry"? Not that I'm saying that Peart's lyrics are poetry (VERY few lyricists work would stand up to the tests that poetry must withstand.) But those are "poetic" lyrics. They're just not the stories you like to have told to you.
It's amazing that it took this long to get back to exactly what I said: you simply don't like Peart's style of writing. Not that he's bad, but that you just don't care for it. Fair enough. The problem is that you seem to equate not liking something with it being "horrible." You know, you can not like something and acknowledge that there's nothing technically wrong with it. For example: I'm not a Bruce Springsteen fan by any stretch of the imagination, but you won't catch me saying the guy's a horrible songwriter, even if pretty much everything he does doesn't appeal to me one bit.
I can't believe I've wasted time on this. Once someone dives into his bag of cheap, childish insults for comebacks, there's no point in pushing on. I'm going to be the grown-up here and step away from this. There's no good that can come from arguing this further.
86 - Rodney Welch
One thing I get out of just about every musical discussion on BlogCritics: the people who love Rush, WORSHIP them; the people who hate them would rather eat ground glass than have to listen to them again.
87 - Andrew Ian Dodge
Of course if you really want horrid covers look into the world of extreme metal. They seem to glory in the shittiest covers possible...including their lame logos.
BTW: I used to loath Rush (well Geddy's voice) until I realised what they were singing about and how talented musicians they are.
88 - Rodney Welch
When Covers Attack:
Every cover tells a story; some are just kinda hard to figure out.
Every Cover Tells a Story, and Some Stories are Duller Than Shit.
Garish, ugly cover, but a great record.
89 - Rodney Welch
When Covers Attack, Part II:
Bad cover, great record.
Wank cover, and the record isn't bad either.
Wank cover, barely recall playing the record.
90 - Rodney Welch
When Covers Attack, Part III:
Great cover, great record.
Over 20 years later, still the coolest record cover I know.
91 - Pantagruel
Geez Tom Johnson,
Are you still at it? It seems to me that you've been missing the big picture from the very beginning of this thread. First you accuse me of attacking the band when I complimented their music in THE FIRST SENTENCES of the post. If you knew anything about Robert's site called "Rhapsody Radish" you would know that it features new great playlists and reviews every single day. Yet, you are fixated on defending Rush. Somebody get this guy some kleenex or something...
92 - DawnOwar
I know the true story on the muscles! For starters that pic was taken in 1984. It was a different day and age...
The old record company, in an effort to cash in on the band after they'd been picked up by Geffen records in the late 90's released that "Anthology" with that ridiculous cover, which the band posed for in 1984 and never used at all. I'm pretty sure they had nothing to do with it.
The muscles are real. The guys work out. and even now in 2005 they're still built just fine.
But they dont oil themselves and pose in fur bikinis anymore. Haven't since 1984. I swear it.
93 - Matt
For whomever it was that ripped on the Rush song Xanadu, I thought maybe you should know that is straight out of a poem of the same name from the late 1700s. Check it out. I think its cool someone wrong a poem about another planet that early.
94 - daryl
What is this, beat up on the Stones day? Many other bad covers to choose from, some of which are not Stones related. A fun read though. Thanks.
95 - manowarguy
heh Manowar are from my hometown, I've known them for a looong time. They are nowhere near that buff. they're kind of scrawny truth be told.
96 - zingzing
matt, xanadu isn't a planet. it's the western spelling of an ancient city in mongolia. and the poem wasn't named "xanadu," it was "kubla khan." the "otherwordly" qualities to the poem that you may be picking up are the effects of coleridge's serious, serious drug problem.
97 - JC Mosquito
Xanadu... wasn't that ET's home? Or maybe Mork...
"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure dome decree..."
If I remember it correctly, Coleridge was having a "vision," likely drug induced.... but he was interrupted by a door to door salesman, and lost his train of thought. This poem is all that exists of his dream.
98 - giulia
I am a girlie girl, and I LOVE RUSH!!!
99 - same dna
fuck this , this is bullshit