{"id":23584,"date":"2022-08-23T05:30:39","date_gmt":"2022-08-23T09:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=23584"},"modified":"2022-08-23T08:15:47","modified_gmt":"2022-08-23T12:15:47","slug":"five-unforced-errors-and-musical-missteps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/23\/five-unforced-errors-and-musical-missteps\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Unforced Errors and Musical Missteps"},"content":{"rendered":"

More from my “Take 5” series…<\/em><\/p>\n

Even rock\u2019s biggest names occasionally release a dud. These five albums threatened to derail careers. And in some cases they did.<\/p>\n

Emerson Lake & Palmer \u2013 <\/b>Love Beach<\/b><\/i> \u2013 Progressive giants ELP were one of the \u201870s biggest concert draws. But they sounded more like a conventional \u2013 even chirpy \u2013 pop group on this uncharacteristic 1978 outing. The members went their separate ways after its release, though they would reunite more than a decade later.<\/p>\n

Black Sabbath \u2013 <\/b>Never Say Die!<\/b><\/i> \u2013 Heavy rock heroes Black Sabbath released six genre-defining albums in five years. But as suddenly as they had appeared on the scene with their self-titled 1970 debut, they lost everything that made them special. Even the 1978 album\u2019s title seemed to acknowledge it as the Ozzy Osbourne-fronted lineup\u2019s last gasp.<\/p>\n

Queen \u2013 <\/b>Hot Space<\/b><\/i> \u2013 After a staggering run of successes, Queen assumed their place among rock\u2019s royalty. But here the group inexplicably abandoned its ambitious and gleefully grandiose approach in favor of insipid dance pop. 1982\u2019s Hot Space<\/i> is only redeemed by the David Bowie collaboration \u201cUnder Pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n

David Bowie \u2013 <\/b>Tonight<\/b><\/i> \u2013 In his long and storied career, rock\u2019s chameleon successfully executed countless stylistic shifts. But after the blockbuster success of Let\u2019s Dance,<\/i> Bowie hit a creative dry spell. The dire \u201cBlue Jean\u201d single is the most memorable cut on a wholly unremarkable 1984 release.<\/p>\n

Genesis \u2013 <\/b>Calling All Stations<\/b><\/i> \u2013 Genesis was the Incredible Shrinking Band; for fans of their groundbreaking early \u201870s art rock, the successive departure of each key member meant a corresponding decline in quality. When Phil Collins left in 1992, the end seemed likely. But Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford soldiered on with a new singer. It\u2019s worth noting that the band\u2019s official career-spanning documentary (2014\u2019s Genesis Together and Apart<\/i>) makes nary a mention of this record.<\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong> for most of my “Take 5” pieces, I include YouTube clips for each list item. Because I love you, dear reader, I’m not doing that here. Instead, here’s just one clip. It’s a fine enough pop song; just not the ELP listeners had come to expect.<\/p>\n