This page is for speculated candidates for Trainwreckords that have been disqualified from inclusion, be it through the artist making a comeback later on or through Todd de-confirming the album himself.
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Albums Disqualified by Later Comebacks
These are records that were infamous for being massive failures but Todd will most likely not cover because they were eventually followed up by a major comeback that put the band or artist in question firmly back on the map. Sometimes even the album itself is Vindicated by History.
- Fly on the Wall by AC/DC: Despite finding miraculous success after the untimely passing of Bon Scott thanks to Back in Black, the majority of the '80s were not a great time for AC/DC, with this album in particular being considered a low point. However, their 1990 album The Razors Edge largely revitalized their popularity and "Thunderstruck" became one of their signature hits.
- Rock in a Hard Place by Aerosmith: The band appeared to be well past its glory days by this point, especially due to frontman Steve Tyler's constant drug problems. After the unlikely collaboration single "Walk This Way" with Run–D.M.C. though, Aerosmith were back and more successful than ever.
- Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino by Arctic Monkeys: They had reached arguably the peak of their influence thanks to the groundbreaking success of "Do I Wanna Know?" in 2013, only to go on a hiatus shortly afterwards. While their comeback album got good reviews for its eclecticism, it was also criticized for deviating too much from their previous albums. It was also a huge sales flop, only receiving a UK Gold certification (and no certification in America), whereas AM had gone 4x Platinum in Britain and Single-Platinum in the US. However, following some of their older singles (and even non-singles like "505") receiving second wind thanks to TikTok, their followup album The Car, despite continuing on with the same sound and critical acclaim as the previous album, had three songs chart in the UK top 40 the week following its release, mainly thanks to the UK charts' 3-song per artist rule.
- Paul's Boutique by Beastie Boys: Following their debut album Licensed to Ill and their departure from producer Rick Rubin and his label Def Jam, the Beastie Boys' follow-up abandoned the frat hip-hop that they pioneered on their debut and leaned largely into more extensive samples and a wide array of musical genres. Due to their label Capitol Records putting more effort into pushing Donny Osmond's self titled solo Career Resurrection and the public being alienated by the record, it became a major flop only managing to peak at #14 at the Billboard 200. However, the Beastie Boys pressed on and were back on top as hip-hop pioneers with Check Your Head and remained hugely successful throughout the rest of their careers. Today, the album is not only seen as the Beastie Boys' best album but also one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever made.
- Journals and Changes by Justin Bieber: The former album was a shift into R&B that was released in the midst of Bieber's legal troubles and his fanbase's shift towards One Direction, which bombed so badly his label had to lobby Billboard not to put it on their charts. However, he bounced back with Purpose in 2015, breaking One Direction's streak of #1 albums and ended their chart dominance in the process. The latter meanwhile broke Todd's vague tolerance for Bieber and was hit with a ton of Hype Backlash that rivaled that of his early material. The boldfaced astroturfing campaign for "Yummy" earned particular notoriety, with Todd describing it and the single itself as having Creator Killer vibes. Despite this, the album did nothing to halt Bieber's momentum, as he scored continued hits and Grammy nominations throughout 2020 and 2021, much to Todd's dismay.
- Never Say Die! by Black Sabbath: By the time the band recorded this album, they were badly running on fumes. The members were wrestling with drug and alcohol problems, while the recording process was an absolute nightmare. It was ultimately Ozzy Osbourne's final record with Sabbath aside from 13 35 years later. The album itself is widely despised by Sabbath fans due to its confused direction and barely even being a metal album in the first place. Fortunately for the band, they made a huge recovery on their next album, Heaven and Hell, on which Ronnie James Dio became their new frontman and the band emerged figureheads of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Osbourne himself found plenty of success as a solo artist, his career spearheaded by the metal classic "Crazy Train".
- Graffiti by Chris Brown: As much as Todd hoped that this would be a Trainwreckord, as clearly seemed to be the case at first (it was released the same year as Chris Brown's domestic assault on Rihanna and only yielded one minor hit), Chris' next album F.A.M.E. secured his spot back on the A-list of the pop industry.
- Glitter and Charmbracelet by Mariah Carey: Released during the turbulent aftermath of Mariah's departure from Columbia Records, both albums were criticized for their poor vocal performances. Coupled with bad PR, including an infamous Creator Breakdown on TRL, as well as her failed attempt at a Hollywood breakthrough Glitter (which Todd has already given a scathing review), Mariah's best days seemed firmly in the past by the time Charmbracelet came out to mediocre reviews and no hit singles. Against all odds though, she reaffirmed her title as the biggest pop singer in the world with The Emancipation of Mimi in 2005. Furthermore, the Glitter album has seen something of a resurgence in recent years, with her fans successfully campaigning in 2018 to get it charting at #1 on the iTunes album charts.
- Chicago XIII and Chicago XIV by Chicago: The former yielded no hits, while the latter peaked at a dismal #71 on the Billboard 200. Chicago 16, however, was a major success thanks to "Hard to Say I'm Sorry", setting the stage for several more years of hits, much to Todd's dismay.
- Basic Instinct by Ciara: Due to a combination of clumsy marketing and the decline of R&B in favor of electropop, this record peaked at a dismal #44 on the Billboard 200. However, Ciara's Self-Titled Album on Epic Records, spearheaded by the top 25 hit "Body Party", sold much better and revitalized her career - not on the same level as her mid-2000s peak, but enough that Todd probably wouldn't want to cover this album.
- My December by Kelly Clarkson: After reaching smash heights with her sophomore album Breakaway, Kelly Clarkson attempted to write a darker and more personal album for her third effort. Unfortunately, it did not catch on with the public, throwing her career into question. Even Todd himself stated that he thought the album wasn't very good in his review of "Stronger" claiming that it came more like a less catchy version of Breakaway and felt that the album's dark tone (particularly the lead single "Never Again") didn't match Clarkson. However, she ultimately pressed on when she returned to a more mainstream sound on her next album All I Ever Wanted, which was spearheaded by a #1 hit and led to several more years of success.
- Can't Be Tamed by Miley Cyrus: After breaking out as a Teen Pop idol, Miley's first attempt at a more mature image proved to be a major flop and led to her strictly focusing on her acting career for some time. Fortunately, her next shot at edgier music, Bangerz, was far more successful with the general public and she's maintained a hold in the pop industry ever since.
- Human After All by Daft Punk: It was derided for its repetition and lack of substance, to the point where an early leak of the album was initially assumed to be fake because fans thought the songs were too repetitive. However, the duo remained popular through their live shows, and their Alive 2007 album helped redeem some of the Human After All songs because they worked better in a concert context than they did on a studio album. Daft Punk eventually released the highly acclaimed soundtrack to TRON: Legacy and ultimately their Album of the Year-winning smash record Random Access Memories.
- Notorious and Liberty by Duran Duran: Coming out around the same time as The Human League's Crash, the former was a similar Genre Shift by a band previously crucial for establishing new wave as the dominant sound of the '80s. Likewise, while its first single was a big hit, the rest of the record fared poorly and ended their streak as chart-conquering trendsetters. As for the latter album, not only were reviews abysmal, but it didn't produce a single top 40 hit. However, the band's 1993 Self-Titled Album (aka The Wedding Album) became a legitimate comeback, with lead single "Ordinary World" becoming one of their most famous songs and "Come Undone" also carving an important place in the Duran Duran canon.
- Self Portrait by Bob Dylan: Possibly the most extreme example listed here, Dylan reportedly made this notorious collection of folk and country covers out of disdain towards those who touted him as a central spokesperson of the counterculture movement. Despite burning his core fanbase though, Dylan slowly rehabilitated his reputation throughout the 1970s, first with the fan-favorite top 15 hit "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and then especially his legendary breakup album Blood on the Tracks, a record so widely acclaimed that many consider it even better than his mid-'60s output to this day.
- Folie à Deux by Fall Out Boy: While it was well-received by critics, fans didn't take too kindly to the album's more pop/R&B-oriented sound compared to their previous work; the record was subsequently met with disappointing sales and produced only one moderate hit. These reasons, along with an exhausting concert tour, resulted in the band going on hiatus. Despite all of this, they later reformed and returned to the spotlight with Save Rock and Roll. In addition to its critical success, Folie à Deux also eventually garnered a cult following, including with those who otherwise dislike Fall Out Boy's music, due to the strong lyrical content and melodies on the album.
- Tusk by Fleetwood Mac: It was the first time the band's internal drama really hampered their commercial success. Their previous record, Rumours, is one of the best-selling albums of all time, going 2x Diamond in America and remaining a landmark in pop history. Tusk, however, had an extraordinarily Troubled Production, with Lindsey Buckingham becoming a control freak and there even an entire studio being constructed just to record the album. It ultimately became the most expensive album to ever produce up to that point, but the subsequent sales were an enormous plunge compared to Rumours, only going 2x Platinum. However, they quickly rebounded with Mirage and were still a very popular band in the '80s and had several more years of hits (some of which Todd has praised), not to mention this album has been largely Vindicated by History.
- Folklore by Nelly Furtado: Following the success of her debut album Whoa, Nelly!, which consisted of two hit singles with "I'm Like a Bird" and "Turn Off the Light", this 2003 effort proved to be a Sophomore Slump due to label issues, as Furtado's label DreamWorks Records was being sold to Universal Music Group at the time, and its sound being less poppy than its predecessor, leaning more into world music influences. The album only reached #38 on the Billboard 200, and none of its singles even charted on the Hot 100. Fortunately for Furtado, she would return to stardom in a much bigger way with the followup Loose, which had Timbaland on production, topped the Billboard 200 and even got two #1 hits on the Hot 100 with "Promiscuous" and "Say It Right".
- The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis: An ambitiously surreal Rock Opera released just after the band found their artistic footing as Progressive Rock juggernauts, the production was marred by squalid recording conditions and the premature birth of Peter Gabriel's daughter. The album was tepidly received, and its supporting tour quickly accumulated both debts and technical issues, burning out Gabriel and motivating him to leave the band, starting a successful solo career a couple years later. However, not only did Genesis manage to bounce back with Phil Collins as frontman, growing into one of the biggest bands of the '80s, but The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway itself went on to be regarded as one of the greatest prog albums ever made, with the album going gold.
- Saturnz Return by Goldie: Another act who was more popular in the UK than the US. While his 1995 debut Timeless was a critical and commercial success that helped bring intelligent drum & bass to mainstream attention, this follow-up three years later saw mixed responses thanks to its greater ambition (most infamously represented by its hour-long opening track), undersold, and was impeded by intelligent drum & bass' overexposure by then; Goldie shifted focus to acting and TV appearances in its wake. However, he would eventually make a critical and commercial comeback with The Journey Man in 2017, which became his highest-charting release and renewed public interest in his music.
- Warning: by Green Day: Though Vindicated by History nowadays, Warning was initially a huge commercial drop-off for the band and criticized for its Lighter and Softer stylings. Then came American Idiot, an album so popular that it arguably equaled the success of Dookie.
- Dark Horse by George Harrison: Made during a dark and troubled period in Harrison's life which included his divorce from wife Pattie Boyd, Dark Horse was a huge failure upon release as it was panned by critics who previously championed him after the breakup of the Beatles and even failed to chart in Harrison's home country. Not to mention, the album was also tied to an infamous tour that he went on with Ravi Shankar. Although some of his later albums received warmer reviews and he also had a couple of hit singles, it wasn't until he made Cloud Nine in 1987 where Harrison was fully revitalized both critically and commercially.
- Private Audition by Heart: Due to label conflicts, the band entered a downward spiral in the early 1980s, with things particularly coming to a head with this album. It was critically panned for being a disjointed mess and did not even get certified; its followup Passionworks didn't fare any better. Ultimately though, they were signed to Capitol Records and released their 1985 Self-Titled Album, which completely revitalized them as some of the biggest hitmakers of the MTV era.
- 7 by Enrique Iglesias: Though it was a huge failure that flung him off the radar for several years, his career was ultimately reignited in 2010 by the success of Euphoria.
- Virtual XI by Iron Maiden: Recorded during the infamous Blaze Bayley years, this is almost universally considered their weakest album, due to abysmal songwriting and Bayley's vocal style not blending in with the band's music. It nearly killed Maiden's career, and only the reunion with former members Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson would see them back on track with the universally-acclaimed Brave New World.
- Music & Me and Forever, Michael by Michael Jackson: The former album was released at a time when Jackson had been experiencing vocal changes after hitting puberty and facing a changing music landscape, not helped by the fact that Motown refused him to include his own compositions on the album. Meanwhile, the latter album didn't fare much better commercially than its predecessor, despite "Just a Little Bit of You" hit the top 40 and showing further development in his voice. Fortunately for Jackson though, his solo career heavily rebounded with the followup Off the Wall, which was critically and commercially successful, and fully established Jackson's star power that would continue into the 1980s.
- Kingdom Come and Magna Carta... Holy Grail by Jay-Z: Both albums are considered low-points in Hov's career. The former was touted as his big comeback after his "retirement" in the mid-2000s but had very little to offer aside from a quickly forgotten "I'm Back, Bitch" single. However, his next album, American Gangster, was critically acclaimed, while The Blueprint 3 yielded two of the biggest hits of his career. Magna Carta... Holy Grail went Double-Platinum but got a relatively negative reception, including from Todd, who put "Holy Grail" on his Top 10 Worst Hit Songs of 2013 list. Nevertheless, Hov pressed on with 4:44, which produced a major career highlight in "The Story of O.J.".
- Victim of Love by Elton John: This was Elton's universally panned turn towards disco, released at the height of both the disco backlash as well as his own personal troubles. Todd probably won't qualify this record though because Too Low for Zero (featuring "I'm Still Standing" and "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues") is widely regarded as a genuine comeback for Elton John, and he had several more hits from the '90s onward, even though his work from that point on isn't generally as revered as his music from the early-to-mid-'70s.
- Lines, Vines, and Trying Times by The Jonas Brothers: Immediately after this album's underwhelming commercial performance and mediocre reception, the Jonas Brothers' primary audience of preteen girls flocked away towards Justin Bieber, then a young and rising star. Though they subsequently appeared in Camp Rock 2, the Jonas Brothers ultimately went on hiatus in 2013 to start their own separate musical projects. However, they eventually reunited in 2019 and made a successful comeback with the song "Sucker", which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, along with its accompanying album Happiness Begins, which spawned two more successful hits.
- Circus by Lenny Kravitz: Having risen to fame through his uplifting brand of '60s and '70s-flavored rock and R&B, Lenny Kravitz turned off much of his original audience with this hard turn into Darker and Edgier territory. While it produced a couple of minor hits, it sold very poorly and got a mostly lukewarm reception. However, he turned his career around three years later when he released "Fly Away", which quickly became his signature song and brought him back to the forefront of the pop rock industry for several more years.
- Artpop by Lady Gaga: Released in the wake of mounting Hype Backlash, the album hugely undersold, leading to the nickname Artflop and ending her dominance of pop music. As epitomized by leadoff single "Applause", the public felt that she'd become a self-parody and lost her former shock value, including Todd himself who gave a mixed review to the song and thought the album as a whole at the time was pretentious. However, he later stated in the Cyberpunk episode that Gaga still has a devoted fanbase, with Artpop eventually becoming Vindicated by History. Indeed Gaga managed to craft a new, more mature niche in the mid-2010's and returned to mainstream prominence and success as the decade continued.
- Walking with a Panther and 14 Shots to the Dome by LL Cool J: Coming off the massive success of his commercial breakout Bigger and Deffer, Walking with a Panther proved to be a disappointing followup that was largely overshadowed by his feud with Kool Moe Dee. At the time, LL was considered Lighter and Softer than his contemporaries, which earned him a lot of detractors as newer, grittier rappers entered the zeitgeist. However, his subsequent record Mama Said Knock You Out was a career-resurrecting triumph, with the titular single being widely regarded as the highlight of his entire career.
14 Shots to the Dome, meanwhile, was LL's attempt at gaining cred as a gangsta, much like MC Hammer's The Funky Headhunter, despite similarly lacking a Parental Advisory sticker (only one song had particularly strong language). However, he bounced right back with his next record, 1995's Mr. Smith, which produced three gigantic hits and proved that he could remain a credible force in a post-Chronic hip hop world after all. - Supermarket and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind by Logic: The former, a soundtrack album to his book of the same name, was a misguided Genre Shift towards Alternative Rock that got horrendous reception from critics and was largely ignored by the general public. While the latter album, an actual studio effort, was slightly better received and did debut at #1 on the Billboard 200, it didn't fix his dwindling reputation. When he announced his retirement the next year after these albums, however, he surprise released No Pressure, which contained some of the best reviews and first-week sales of his career.
- Midnight at the Lost and Found by Meat Loaf: While it seemed to end his career at the time (with Bonnie Tyler taking over as Jim Steinman's leading protegé), he stormed back to the top of the charts in 1993 with Bat Out of Hell II: Bat into Hell, fueled by its leadoff single "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)".
- Queen by Nicki Minaj: While Todd liked "Chun-Li", this album ran out of steam rather quickly for Nicki Minaj standards and failed to chart any of its songs in Billboard's Year-End List for 2018, while Cardi B, whom she beefed with that year, surpassed her as the biggest female rapper of the day. Her friendship with 6ix9ine, including a heavily derided guest verse on his track "Fefe", only solidified her fall from grace with the public. Even when Todd put "Chun-Li" on his Best list in 2018, he simultaneously mentioned how she basically ruined her own career that year, stating that she had not adapted to changing trends in hip hop and had fallen out of touch with the narrative surrounding her. Amidst her continued decline in 2019, she apparently announced her retirement to focus on raising a family, only to continue making music anyways. Even with a guest verse on "Hot Girl Summer", Todd noted in his 2019 Best list that her career is on its last legs. In 2020, her 6ix9ine collaboration "Trollz" debuted at #1, but plummeted to #34 in its second week and set a new record for largest fall for a number-one debut that didn't drop from the list entirely. However, Nicki eventually worked her way to earning a number one hit on her own with "Super Freaky Girl" and would eventually have a successful follow up album with Pink Friday 2 in 2023, although time will tell if her Megan Thee Stallion diss track "Big Foot" in 2024 becomes a Creator Killer all on its own.
- Animal Rights by Moby: With this album, Moby moved away from his techno/dance style towards a punk rock sound. This move failed to impress critics and alienated his listeners, and the album was widely lambasted for its sound and lyrics. However, Moby would eventually have a major Career Resurrection with Play; while that album initially stagnated and had a Troubled Production due to the failure of Animal Rights, word-of-mouth, combined with the groundbreaking concept of licensing all its songs to be used across film and television, eventually got sales moving, and Play ultimately became both his biggest-selling record and one of the biggest-selling electronic albums period.
- Nastradamus by Nas: An album notorious for its rushed production schedule and stunt marketing designed to capitalize on the Y2K scare, it all but destroyed Nas' credibility after his previous two albums earned him accusations of selling out. Todd himself is very mixed on the album claiming that while he did initially enjoy it
, he later admitted he found the problem with the gangster tracks on the album sounding "weirdly phony". Nas' prospects changed, however, when he released the vicious Jay-Z diss track "Ether", the culmination of what is now one of the most iconic beefs in rap history. Nas solidified his comeback with the song's parent album Stillmatic, which nearly rivals It Was Written as his best-received post-Illmatic record and whose third single "One Mic" is considered a career highlight. Nas has remained a highly respected figure in the hip hop community ever since. - Making a Good Thing Better by Olivia Newton-John: The overwhelming failure of this record and its lack of any hit singles whatsoever seemed to spell the end for her, but on the heels of her star-making role in the mega-smash Grease, she completely revitalized her music career with an image makeover that closely mirrored her own character's transformation in the film.
- Pretty. Odd. and Vices & Virtues by Panic! at the Disco: Not only did the former album's unexpected Genre Shift towards '60s-era Baroque Pop and Psychedelic Rock alienate fans, it also resulted in half of the band members leaving after Creative Differences. By the time they returned to the emo-pop sound of A Fever You Can't Sweat Out for the latter album, it was met with even more disappointing sales. However, as Todd mentioned in his "ME!" review, Panic! at the Disco's fanbase never truely went away, and they eventually returned to the mainstream even as Brendon Urie became the only remaining member, culminating in Death of a Bachelor becoming their best-selling album since AFYCSO and Pray for the Wicked spawning two of their biggest hit songs to date.
- Try This by P!nk: Although Missundaztood was a massive success that established her own identity, this follow-up further exploring the rock elements played with before on her prior album didn't fare nearly as well commercially and resulted in P!nk leaving Arista Records. However, 2006's fittingly-titled I'm Not Dead brought her back into the A-list and continued her hitmaking status well into the 2010s.
- Any of Elvis Presley's '60s movie soundtracks: Despite being an infamous low point in Elvis' career, he had a huge comeback in the late '60s, first with his 1968 NBC TV Special, and then the album From Elvis in Memphis, as well as the #1 hit "Suspicious Minds", solidifying his reputation as the King of Rock 'n' Roll.
- One Hot Minute by Red Hot Chili Peppers: Their previous album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, had turned them into one of the biggest bands in the world after ruling the rising alternative rock scene in the late '80s, but soon afterwards, guitarist John Frusciante left the lineup and was replaced with former Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, whose poor chemistry with the band resulted in an album that was divisive at-best and could've ended the band's relevance had things continued course. Fortunately though, Frusciante returned in 1998, resulting in 1999's Californication, which firmly restored their former glory and led to several more years of widespread success.
- Their Satanic Majesties Request, Emotional Rescue, Undercover and Dirty Work by The Rolling Stones: After starting off 1967 on a high note with Between the Buttons, The Rolling Stones' attempt to go psychedelic on Their Satanic Majesties Request backfired badly as album sales dropped quickly despite a high debut and was also dismissed by critics as a poor attempt to outdo The Beatles magnum opus, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. However, the Stones released Beggars Banquet the following year, which returned them to their blues sound while incorporating roots rock and was a huge success that reaffirmed their status as rock giants and set them up for continuous success into the 1970s.
Emotional Rescue in 1980 was the follow-up to their first foray into disco, the 1978 New Sound Album Some Girls, which proved to be a major Career Resurrection after a slump for them during the mid-'70s. However, Emotional Rescue's Troubled Production and underwhelming performance proved that the band's newfound stylings could only propel them so far, setting the stage for their artistic slump throughout the '80s. Although the band somewhat found their footing again with Tattoo You, it was largely comprised of outtakes from the Some Girls sessions that were finished later to spare Mick Jagger and Keith Richards slack in the studio amid growing tensions. The band's artistic indecision was on naked display throughout Undercover, which attempted to return to their classic hard blues style with more innovative sounds during a transitional era for popular music as a whole. While "Undercover of the Night" was a top 10 hit, the record's reception was extremely lukewarm and proved to be a decline in quality that they would never fully pick themselves up from.
The band's downward spiral only continued with Dirty Work, which got even worse reviews than its predecessor and is near-universally considered to be their biggest low-point. Although their next album Steel Wheels did much better and scored two big hit singles, it hasn't really stood the test of time like the band's work from the mid-'60s to the early '80s. Todd seemed to hint the possibility of covering this album in the American Life episode, comparing the Stones' careers post-Dirty Work to Madonna's post-American Life in the sense that while they still sold well, they were no longer a relevant act in popular music. That said, as Todd liked a tweet positing that Steel Wheels was a genuine comeback for the Stones, all four albums may be disqualified. - Caress of Steel by Rush: They followed that album up with the groundbreaking 2112 and regained momentum they had lost.
- Midnite Lover by Shaggy: He was one of the biggest stars of the pop reggae movement of the early-to-mid-'90s, but the poor reception to this album, combined with the movement's decline at the time, seemed to spell the end for him. It failed to chart anywhere and only had one song that charted well outside of the American top 40. However, he made a huge comeback a few years later with Hot Shot, which sold several million copies and produced two iconic #1 hits.
- Blackout and Britney Jean by Britney Spears: At the time, Blackout was extremely Overshadowed by Controversy due to being released at the height of her Creator Breakdown, resulting in lackluster sales and single performances that seemed to suggest that her reign as the biggest female pop singer in the world had ended. Although her next album Circus was extremely successful, extending her musical relevance into the early 2010s, her critical reputation started to decline as she became increasingly resistant to her celebrity status, relying increasingly on irritating hooks alone to earn hits (which was eventually revealed to be due to her controversial conservatorship), finally culminating in Britney Jean in 2013, which earned mediocre reviews and solidified the public impression that she no longer had any charisma as a performer. Not to mention, it was falsely marketed for being Britney's most personal album when in reality that only amounted to two songs at most. By the time Britney's conservatorship was terminated, her legacy as pop royalty was secured, allowing her to release a top 10 debut single shortly after returning to music. Additionally, a fair number of people now consider Blackout Britney's best album, to the point that it even made the 2020 version of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Given these circumstances, it's doubtful that Todd would review either of these records.
- Human Touch and Lucky Town by Bruce Springsteen: These two albums, both released on March 31, 1992, were criticized for their adult contemporary stylings and trivial subject matter, far removed from his more iconic protest songs. Despite the success of Human Touch's title track, both records are considered low points in his discography. Still, he continued to see plenty of critical and commercial success afterwards, first with the hit singles "Streets of Philadelphia" and "Secret Garden", then his widely lauded post-9/11 album The Rising. His most recent album in 2020 went to No. 1 in 16 countries, and he has remained a hugely successful live act since reuniting with the E Street Band.
- First Impressions of Earth by The Strokes: Their debut album Is This It arguably set a high bar for them, but when this Darker and Edgier album was given among the harshest reviews they had ever received and failed to gain a certification, it marked a significant critical and commercial downturn that they would never recover from, much like Oasis with Be Here Now. However, The New Abnormal was widely considered a significant return to form and revitalized public interest in the band, including their first nomination and win at the Grammys.
- The Burning World by Swans: This was the end of their "original phase" where they made a more commercial, laid-back sound. The final result was not well received and Mike Gira to this day disavows it. Not only was the original lineup's final album Soundtracks for the Blind well-regarded, Gira would reform the band in the 2010s and still release well-regarded albums afterward.
- reputation by Taylor Swift: Todd absolutely loathed this album, stating Taylor's obsession with herself was getting really tiring and killing the quality of her music. "Look What You Made Me Do" and "...Ready For It?" were his #2 and #1 Worst Hit Songs of 2017, respectively, while "End Game" was his #8 Worst Hit Song of 2018. Even though Taylor's real reputation was partially restored by later revelations about her infamous call with Kanye, the record itself remains a dark stain on her catalogue, both figuratively and literally. That said, Todd later noted that it was the #1 album of 2018 and that Taylor still got real mileage out of it, particularly after the well-regarded track "Delicate" became a sleeper hit. While Taylor's next album Lover ended up being a minor improvement as it received lukewarm reviews, had chart success (something neither Katy Perry or Justin Timberlake could do as Todd pointed out in his video for "Yummy"), and proved that she could still hold the public's attention, it wasn't until the album after that, the folk and indie rock-influenced Folklore, where she fully cemented her staying power since it was both a huge critical and commercial success. Even Todd conceded in his "Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2020" that Taylor was now too big to fail and found that Folklore was a true redemption.
- Turn Back by Toto: While Hydra was already a Sophomore Slump for the band after their hugely successful debut album, this record flopped so hard that it failed to be certified and had no charting songs, and the band was almost dropped by Columbia Records as a result. However, their following album, Toto IV, became one of the biggest LPs of 1982, winning Album of the Year for that year and securing commercial success for them for the remainder of the 1980s.
- For Me, It's You by Train: Todd noted in the "Drive By" Pop Song Review that this album flopped and produced no hits, leading to their hiatus, but that they eventually got back on track with Save Me, San Francisco and its lead single "Hey, Soul Sister".
- The Love Movement by A Tribe Called Quest: The album received polarizing reviews, and members Phife Dawg and Q-Tip were falling out with each other around this time, eventually breaking up after the album's release. However, the group managed to put their differences aside and reform before Phife Dawg tragically succumbed to diabetes and they closed their legacy on a high note in 2016 with the album We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service, which became one of their biggest critical and commercial successes.
- Pop by U2: After several years as an ironic, experimental electro-rock band in the '90s, this record proved to be such a flop that the band has since disowned it. Despite this, their next album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, was a triumphant return for the band. Not only was it finally a true spiritual successor to The Joshua Tree, but it sold several million copies and produced some of their most famous songs.
- Pinkerton by Weezer: Following the success of their self-titled Blue Album, Weezer's sophomore album was a overwhelming critical and commercial failure at the time that it came out that it haunted frontman Rivers Cuomo and resulted in a 5-year gap between its release and the band's next album. They eventually returned to the studio with producer Ric Ocasek in 2001 with the self-titled Green Album and it was both a critical and commercial success that it allowed the band to continue in the 2000s. Additionally, the album today is often considered one of Weezer's best as well as one of the ultimate examples of Vindicated by History in music.
- Surfer Jeff by The Wiggles: After several years of performing with Sam as the yellow Wiggle due to Greg’s health, the group reunited with Greg and recorded this album, regarding by fans as the OG Wiggles’ official comeback. Like many of the Sam-era albums, there was virtually no theme whatsoever and had a baffling video album, this time story-based. The Wiggles would soon realise that Greg wasn’t enough to put them in public view again and launched a successful new lineup, with Anthony as the remaining original member. The “OG” lineup would continue to do the odd adult-only reunion concert in the years since.
- Polka Party! by "Weird Al" Yankovic: It's widely considered to be Weird Al's worst album, peaking at a frightful #177 on the Billboard 200. At the time of its release, he was seen as a passing fad and one-trick pony. Most infamously, he decided to parody Mick Jagger's "Ruthless People" because he incorrectly predicted that the movie would be a monster hit. Two years later though, he put out the widely acclaimed Even Worse, which was spearheaded by the Grammy-winning music video for "Fat" (a parody of Michael Jackson's "Bad") and was ultimately certified Platinum. In 1992, he solidified his staying power with "Smells Like Nirvana", which not only became one of his most popular parodies but also proved he had the versatility to apply his formula successfully to evolving trends (at least until the late 2010's, where he said due to how much there was he couldn't keep up), and he has remained a geek legend to this day.
- Tormato by Yes: Even through the changing landscape of music at the time, with progressive rock contemporaries either changing their sound or dissolving, Going for the One was a commercial success with the return of keyboardist Rick Wakeman. The followup sold even better, but received lukewarm at best reviews, not helped in that it had been hampered by meddling, uneven production and disagreements in the band's direction. Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman were both highly dissatisfied with the direction (the latter especially, given the speculation that he's the one who threw the tomato at the cover art to express his displeasure) that the band took and departed, which led to them being replaced by Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes. Though Drama was better receivednote , there was backlash in the United Kingdom over the lineup change and they dissolved, only to reform two years later (albeit initially as a separate band altogether) and release their most commercially-successful album 90125.
- Trans by Neil Young: An infamous album in Young's catalog, due to its embrace of electronic music and the vocoder. The album baffled fans and critics, sold poorly, and angered his new label Geffen Records, who sued Young for making a trio of "unrepresentative" experimental records as opposed to the hard folk rock expected of him at the time. However, whether any Neil Young album can be considered a Trainwreckord is difficult to parse, because Young is indifferent to the commercial success of his music, is known for making artistic left turns, and has made a career out of following his own muse and subverting fan expectations (For instance, when he followed his best selling Harvest album with the uncommercial "Ditch Trilogy" at the height of his 1970s fame). Not to mention, the album has had defenders over the years, including Todd who even admitted that he considered Trans a good album compared to some of his other releases, particularly Landing on Water which he called "the worst thing he ever heard". Either way, as discussed in the American Dream episode, Young made a commercial and critical comeback with 1989's Freedom, became a dependable touring artist, and established himself as a mentor to the burgeoning Alternative Rock movement.
Jossed
- Jossed because of what Todd calls "Obvious Reasons" Namely...:
- Revelations by Audioslave: Similar to Down on the Upside, the album was well received by fans and critics, but creative differences between frontman Chris Cornell and the then-former Rage Against the Machine members broke the band up. Audioslave performed a one-off reunion show in January 2017 as part of a protest against the presidency of Donald Trump, but any possibly of a full-fledged reunion died with Cornell's suicide just four months later.
- Scream by Chris Cornell: A wildly out-of-character collaboration album with producer Timbaland, this 2009 record saw the alternative rock icon performing dance-pop music. You can guess how that went over. Todd later tweeted in 2022 that he probably would've already done this album for the show if it wasn't for Chris' suicide making it a touchy subject.
- One More Light by Linkin Park: Nearly every album after Hybrid Theory and Meteora has always been a source of contention within the Linkin Park fandom about which New Sound Album "ruined" the band; however, One More Light was thrashed by both critics and fans for being too pop-oriented and too far away from their alternative metal roots. Todd even appeared to imply on social media that he intended to make the album the subject of a Trainwreckord (or at least talk about it in some capacity), but Chester Bennington's suicide in July 2017 (only two months after his close friend Cornell did the same) made it join the "Obvious Reasons" list.
- Down on the Upside by Soundgarden: While the album was well received by critics and fans alike, creative differences and internal strife among the band members during the album's production and promotion caused the band to break up. While Soundgarden did eventually reform in 2011 and released a new album, King Animal, in 2012 and with plans to release another album, the sudden suicide of frontman Chris Cornell in 2017 left the band's fate in doubt, and the group ultimately disbanded (this time amicably) in 2019 after a tribute concert to honor Cornell.
- The Beatles:
- The White Album: The Fab Four were already creatively splintered by 1968, but due to a variety of factors, their dysfunction reached a critical limit during the making of this double-album. The White Album is one of the best-selling albums of all time, and is considered to be one of the band's masterpieces, but its eclectic nature made it subject to heavy debate among Beatles fans, some of whom accused it of being rife with Album Filler. That didn't stop the Beatles from pumping out three more albums before finally folding two years later, but this was definitely the biggest showcase of everything that led to their demise.
- Let It Be: Their final released album, it ended up being their most divisive record as a result of its Troubled Production, having been recorded before Abbey Road as a Revisiting the Roots album only to be stalled by fierce Creative Differences credited with accelerating the band's collapse, as shown in the eponymous documentary. The album was ultimately completed without the Beatles' involvement by Phil Spector, whose Baroque Pop approach earned ire from fans, critics, and even Paul McCartney, who remixed the album in 2003 as Let It Be...Naked.
- Both albums jossed based on a tweet Todd liked, implying that he does indeed feel that the Beatles' downfall is too overexposed to dissect further. Todd would end up covering Ringo Starr's album Ringo the 4th instead.
- Both albums jossed based on a tweet Todd liked
- Blink-182 by blink-182: While the album was a success with critics, fans were split on the new direction of the band. This, along with tensions within the band, caused their initial break up in 2005. Following their breakup, Tom DeLonge formed Angels & Airwaves, while Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker formed +44. Blink reformed in 2009, releasing another album, Neighborhoods, in 2011; however, DeLonge would leave Blink again in 2015 to focus on AVA, with Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio replacing DeLonge.
- Presumably jossed because Todd tweeted that the album did really well He's also admitted he liked some of the songs from the album including "I Miss You" which he praised in his video for "Closer".
- Presumably jossed because Todd tweeted that the album did really well
- David Bowie:
- Tonight: Although he seemed to be easing into the video era with style at the start of the 80's, the blockbuster success of Let's Dance pressured Bowie into rushing out a follow-up while creatively drained from extensive touring. The record was mostly filled with cover versions and half-hearted collaborations with Iggy Pop, with only two tracks being penned by Bowie himself. Despite selling well, the record remains largely dismissed by fans, critics, and Bowie himself aside from the songs he wrote unaided ("Loving the Alien" and "Blue Jean").
- Never Let Me Down: While it was another commercial success and spawned the fan-favorite single "Time Will Crawl", its cluttered production led to it being widely panned as Bowie's worst album. The record sold noticeably worse than Tonight, the tour for it was critically reviled, and Bowie himself nearly retired altogether in the fallout. While he made a critical and commercial comeback in the 90's that lasted the remainder of his life, he never returned to the influence and relevance of his 70's period until after his death in 2016. Bowie's Creator Backlash against this album was so strong that he repeatedly attempted to re-do it, culminating in a better-received posthumous remix in 2018.
- Both albums jossed, based on Todd liking a tweet saying Bowie was always too much of a cult darling to be killed by his '80s Audience-Alienating Era.
- Both albums jossed, based on Todd liking a tweet
- Bush:
- Razorblade Suitcase: While this British band was criticised for being a lightweight derivative of grunge acts like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, their debut album Sixteen Stone went 6x platinum and spawned more than a few hits. This follow-up, however, was a notorious Sophomore Slump: their attempts at a Darker and Edgier sound completely backfired, not helped by the presence of producer Steve Albini drawing unfavourable comparisons to Nirvana's In Utero. Despite its chart-topping Stateside debut, the album only sold half as many copies as its predecessor and only its first two singles "Swallowed" and "Greedy Fly" (which had a notoriously long, expensive and confusing music video) made much of an impact on the Billboard rock charts, and the band experienced diminishing returns ever since. On his Twitter account, Todd has asked his followers if this album qualifies, indicating that he's considering reviewing it.
- The Science of Things: This New Sound Album came in the wake of alternative music drifting away from grunge in the late 1990s, which forced Bush to change with the times. To do this, they integrated electronica into their sound, which performed decently on the charts but garnered polarizing responses. Though "The Chemicals Between Us" was a huge hit on rock radio, their popularity and relevance faded soon afterwards. Their more basic, less interesting 2001 follow-up Golden State was a complete flop, causing them to go on hiatus for several years, although they did earn one last rock #1 in 2011 after reforming.
- Both albums likely Jossed, as Todd liked a tweet positing that Bush were able to recover from Razorblade Suitcase, which by extent would disqualify The Science of Things from being a true relevance-ender.
- Both albums likely Jossed, as Todd liked a tweet
- Razorblade Suitcase: While this British band was criticised for being a lightweight derivative of grunge acts like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, their debut album Sixteen Stone went 6x platinum and spawned more than a few hits. This follow-up, however, was a notorious Sophomore Slump: their attempts at a Darker and Edgier sound completely backfired, not helped by the presence of producer Steve Albini drawing unfavourable comparisons to Nirvana's In Utero. Despite its chart-topping Stateside debut, the album only sold half as many copies as its predecessor and only its first two singles "Swallowed" and "Greedy Fly" (which had a notoriously long, expensive and confusing music video) made much of an impact on the Billboard rock charts, and the band experienced diminishing returns ever since. On his Twitter account, Todd has asked his followers if this album qualifies
- Can You Do Me Good? by Del Amitri: An album about the band losing popularity. Even member Justin Curvie described it as "Del Amitri's last chance".
- Todd has deconfirmed the possibility of a One Hit Wonderland episode of "Roll to Me" after watching its music videonote and noting that he couldn't imagine himself talking seriously over it, which might put a damper on this being covered as a result.
- Todd has deconfirmed
- Father of Asahd by DJ Khaled: While Khaled was already controversial for his increasingly pop-oriented sound, this album ultimately proved to be the final straw. The singles flopped and were dismissed as rehashes of his previous work, delaying the album's release. When the record did come out, it hugely undersold, famously debuting below Tyler, the Creator's universally acclaimed IGOR and prompting Khaled to throw a massively public tantrum against Billboard; while the album was only released in 2019, it already appears to have torpedoed what little goodwill remained and cemented his status as a Fountain of Memes rather than a respected producer. Todd listed Khaled 2nd on his top 5 artists whose stock fell the most in 2019, only behind R. Kelly.
- Very likely Jossed, as not only has Khaled continued spearheading plenty of hits since this came out, but in the Worst of 2020 video, Todd said "Popstar" was worse than anything on Father of Asahd, implying that he wouldn't have much to say about the record, anyway.
- Long Run by Eagles: While it sold very well, it wasn't nearly as lauded as its predecessor Hotel California, and tensions within the band led them to split soon afterwards. Several of them enjoyed successful solo careers throughout the 1980s, and they had a highly successful comeback upon reforming in 1994, but they haven't been anywhere close to the heights they reached in the 1970s.
- Jossed, as Todd tweeted that he considers it more of a "New Jersey"note than a Trainwreckord.
- Jossed, as Todd tweeted
- Encore! and/or Relapse by Eminem: Todd has referenced both albums as a low point in Eminem's career, the former being an instant drop in quality that led to a hiatus, the latter being a flop attempt at a comeback after said hiatus. Whilst he has previously elaborated on "Just Lose It" in his Top 10 Worst Hit Songs of 2004, Encore also had the infamously bad "Ass Like That" and Relapse is notorious for the single "We Made You". Todd has also stated he thought both albums sucked in his review of "Lighters". While Eminem did make somewhat of a comeback in the 2010s, with "Not Afraid" and two collaborations with Rihanna topping the Hot 100, Todd deciding to cover Madonna's American Life suggested at the possibility of an Encore episode due not only to Eminem's level of fame, but also because he similarly ceased to be a truly controversial figure in music after the album's release.
- Both albums jossed, as Todd said he considers The Marshall Mathers LP 2 a genuine comeback for Eminem.
- Both albums jossed, as Todd said he considers The Marshall Mathers LP 2 a genuine comeback
- Double Dutchess by Fergie: After spending a few years away from the industry, Fergie planned on making a comeback with her second solo album. The lead single "L.A. Love (La La)" was a moderate success, but then the album got severely delayed. She released another song, "M.I.L.F. $", in 2016, but this only served to crush her already fading reputation, exacerbated by the poor reception of its video. Amidst the decade-plus wait, Interscope Records dropped her, forcing her to go independent. By the time the full album was finally released in 2017, Fergie's star profile had deteriorated so much that none of the new singles charted. Her awkwardly seductive performance of the National Anthem at the NBA All Star Game several months later finished off whatever semblance of credibility she still had.
- Implicitly Jossed in the Katy Perry Trainwreckords episode, where Todd stated she had "quietly petered out and gone away."
- Liverpool by Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Emerging as the chief rival to Duran Duran following the decline of Spandau Ballet, their Signature Song "Relax" would unfortunately spark a chain reaction of BBC Radio bans and homophobic backlash against the band's two openly gay members that would stall their momentum. By the time they released their sophomore album, public scrutiny and tensions with their label kept them from repeating their immense early success and resulted in a disastrous promotional tour that broke them up within a year. While liked by fans, the album itself was derided by critics for its shift to a harder rock sound, the end result of Welcome to the Pleasuredome producer Trevor Horn's absence. Todd hinted that he recognizes FGTH as more than just the "Relax" band in the Cut the Crap episode, so they may be a viable choice.
- Jossed, as Todd covered them on One Hit Wonderland instead. He later admitted in the episode that while he did find the songs on the album dated compared to their biggest hits on the predecessor, he didn't find the songs bad but rather amusing which suggests that he probably wouldn't have considered the album anyway.
- Congratulations I'm Sorry by Gin Blossoms: Another case similar to Hootie & the Blowfish. They were one of the most popular adult alternative bands of the mid-'90s but fell into complete obscurity after the lukewarm reception to this 1996 followup to New Miserable Experience. The loss of guitarist Doug Hopkins shortly after their commercial breakthrough was already a major blow to them, and his absence was pretty badly felt on this record. Although its first non-movie single "Follow You Down" was their highest-charting hit, everything that came out after it flopped badly. The record's single-Platinum certification was a major drop from New Miserable Experience's quadruple-Platinum, and they disbanded a year later.
- Not ruled out but potentially Jossed as Todd has stated that he never wants another episode like the Hootie one. Covering the loss of Hopkins and how one person can affect a band would help differentiate it from the Hootie episode but it is still the same underlying problem.
- River of Dreams by Billy Joel: Due to the Troubled Production of The Bridge and Storm Front, Joel went through several unprecedented staff changes, including firing long time band members Russell Javors and Doug Stegmeyer, as well as ending his longtime partnership with producer Phil Ramone. These disruptions severely hampered his usual creative MO by the time this album entered production. Though the Title Track was a big hit that got nominated for a Grammy, the album itself had a polarizing reception at best, not to mention Joel was going through a really tough period in his life. It shows. The record would ultimately turn out to be his last, as he no longer felt he had anything meaningful to say; he even self-referenced his creative burnout in the final track, "Famous Last Words", with his only release since then being a Classical Music album before he announced his retirement. Todd said he doesn't like the album.
- Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven by Kid Cudi: A Genre Shift album gone horribly wrong, it was intended as an homage to '90s alternative music and notably featured guest appearances by Mike Judge voicing Beavis And Butthead, but to the public at-large, it came across as a confounding mess. Although Kid Cudi has appeared on some hit singles since (including the #1 "THE SCOTTS") and did Kids See Ghosts with Kanye West in 2018, this so far has very much cratered his career as a solo artist.
- Jossed, due to Todd liking a tweet saying Cudi very much recovered afterwards.
- Jossed, due to Todd liking a tweet
- True Colors by Cyndi Lauper: While it did not flat-out end her career as a sccessful pop singer, it wasn't nearly as beloved as her smash debut and decisively lost her battle for the title of "Queen of Pop" with Madonna, whose rapturously acclaimed True Blue album, released the same year, was setting her on the path towards immortality. Janet Jackson was already replacing Cyndi as Madonna's most potent rival, thanks to her groundbreaking breakout album Control, and would prove to be much more evenly matched in the long run. Meanwhile, True Colors' title track became a #1 and eventual gay anthem, while "Change of Heart" and a cover of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" were also major hits, but they aren't nearly as well-remembered today. The album itself only went Double Platinum, in contrast to True Blue going 7x Platinum and Control 5x Platinum. Todd brought this album up when discussing the disappointing performance of Lorde's Melodrama album, comparing it to Alanis Morissette's Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie and noting that it was far less popular than her debut, despite producing a few big hits.
- Likely jossed based on the Hootie & the Blowfish Trainwreckords, where Todd said Lauper's decline was normal for a pop star. He eventually hinted at the possibility of reviewing the album's followup, A Night to Remember, however.
- Likely jossed based on the Hootie & the Blowfish Trainwreckords, where Todd said Lauper's decline was normal for a pop star. He eventually hinted
- Culture II or Culture III by Migos: The former actually sold well upon release, but compared to their ubiquity throughout 2017, the aftermath of its release was extremely underwhelming. Despite being arguably the most influential act to the Trap Music boom of the mid-late 2010s, they've found only sporadic chart success at best throughout the trap era. Todd jokingly blamed their subsequent song from The Addams Family (2019) for killing their career, but so far he's not entirely wrong - as the latter album dropped a few years later to little fanfare, managing only one top 20 hit (and even that was due to Drake), and they reached #2 on Todd's list of artists whose stock dropped the most in 2021, only behind DaBabynote .
- Very likely jossed, due to Takeoff's death in 2022.
- The Wall by The Nostalgia Critic: Unlikely, but it was a legitimate album which is treated as a career killer and was notorious enough to be panned by The Needle Drop.
- Possibly jossed based on the fact that Todd refused to talk about the album in the Song Vs. Song episode when they discussed "Another Brick in the Wall" and given his uncomfortable relationship with Channel Awesome, it's likely he never will talk about it.
- Splinter by The Offspring: The band already garnered backlash for moving to Columbia Records and polishing their style, but this album was a major tipping point. Released in the twilight of the pop punk movement that they helped spearhead, the album was notorious for its Mood Whiplash-inducing mix of Darker and Edgier songs and Denser and Wackier ones, belying the greater balance of their peak period. Although the two singles were well-received, they weren't enough to save the album. While the band eventually had a couple more minor hits later in the 2000s, their American relevance as trendsetters mostly ended here.
- Possibly jossed, as Todd mentioned on Song vs. Song The Offspring were moderate hitmakers for around a decade after their 1998 album Americana (Splinter was released five years later) and noted the popularity of "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" from 2008, which doesn't sound like he'd consider this record worthy for the show.
- Viva Las Vengeance by Panic! at the Disco: Despite receiving positive reviews, this album didn't contain any hits unlike its predecessor, and not helping its case was accusations of sexual misconduct against Brendon Urie coming to light. In January 2023, Urie announced that the band would split after the accompanying tour's conclusion, although time will tell if he will recover.
- Possibly jossed, as Todd stated that he has gotten lots of requests for this album in the Song vs. Song podcast, but he enjoys it too much to cover it on Trainwreckords when the time is right.
- Pink Floyd:
- The Final Cut: While Troubled Production and inter-band Creative Differences had been the norm for its two predecessors, both considered classics, the making of this album brought them to a fever pitch: Roger Waters and David Gilmour were unable to work in the same building as one another and the latter was constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Upon release in 1983, the album undersold and was criticized for its simplified sound and protest of a war that was highly popular in the UK and irrelevant in the US. Waters ultimately quit in frustration, and while Pink Floyd eventually made a commercial comeback under Gilmour, none of the albums from that era became as iconic as their '70s output. To this day, it remains the band's most polarizing release and certainly the Creator Killer for the Waters-led incarnation of the band. The album also tarnished Waters' professional reputation, as he's still trying to shake off the perception that he's a Control Freak.
- A Momentary Lapse of Reason: This 1987 album was a major commercial success after a high-profile legal battle with founding bassist and songwriter Roger Waters, who had departed in 1985, attracting a Newbie Boom as "Learning to Fly" became an MTV hit, but received mixed critical responses due to its weaker lyrics, lack of a unifying concept, and reliance on session musicians. Roger Waters declared the album "a pretty fair forgery" of the classic Floyd sound, and while it marked Pink Floyd's commercial comeback (its supporting tour was the highest-grossing of the entire 1980s), it's still divisive among audiences and marked a shift in the band's public image from rock innovators to a legacy act, finally becoming the "dinosaur act" that their critics had long accused them of being. If Todd covers this album, expect comparisons to Madonna's post-American Life career for these reasons.
- Both albums likely Jossed, based on Todd liking a tweet listing The Final Cut as an example disqualified for the show due to the band recovering afterwards, presumably with A Momentary Lapse of Reason and/or The Division Bell (which by extent would disqualify A Momentary Lapse of Reason from being a true relevance-ender).
- Both albums likely Jossed, based on Todd liking a tweet
- Climate Change by Pitbull: Though Pitbull thrived in the electropop and EDM eras, he couldn't stay relevant once pop music became way more serious and downbeat. Todd also mentioned in his Top 10 Worst Hit Songs of 2016 video that "Messin' Around" would have ranked near the top of his Worst list had it been more successful.
- Implicitly Jossed in the Katy Perry Trainwreckords episode, where Todd stated he had "quietly petered out and gone away."
- Prince:
- The soundtrack to Batman (1989): Widely regarded as the album that ended Prince's golden age, this album was put together solely out of contractual obligations with Warner (Bros.) Records, with whom his relationship was rapidly deteriorating following the Troubled Production of Sign o' the Times. While it was a commercial success, it was largely considered sub-standard for Prince, with the unusually experimental closing track "Batdance" seeing particular mockery. Reviews were mixed, the album remains a point of contention among fans, and though Prince continued having hits in the early '90s, very few of them have stood the test of time like his '80s work has.
- Graffiti Bridge: Unlike the Batman soundtrack, this album was a truer part of the main Prince canon, being a soundtrack album to a film he directed. Serving as the sequel to his classic Purple Rain, this record and its accompanying movie were enormous disappointments with the public. The movie was a box office bomb, while the album garnered his worst reviews since his debut record For You and only went gold. If the Batman soundtrack was an underwhelming side project, this fiasco cemented Prince's decline as an artist; the movie would also turn out to be his last directorial effort. Although his next album Diamonds and Pearls earned better reviews and went double-platinum, its legacy is still nowhere near the likes of his '80s output.
- Come: This was a breaking point in Prince's career, suffering from an incredibly Troubled Production as he experimented with several different concepts along the way but was unable to settle upon a coherent vision due to infighting with his label. Not only was it a critical and commercial flop upon release, but it also dropped around the time Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable "Love Symbol" to spite Warner, which suddenly made him look like a giant egomaniac. The album's reception remains poor today, being seen as emblematic of how ugly the Prince/Warner feud got.
- Emancipation: Despite the quantity of rough material from 1989 onwards, it was offset by a number of good albums that made people believe that Prince was simply going through a rough patch caused by his feud with Warner. This album, however, changed that: his first independent release, its whopping three-hour runtime was widely criticized as unwieldy and rife with Album Filler, with the second disc being particularly singled out for its focus on Prince's recent marriage (similarly to The Big Day). Although it ultimately outsold The Gold Experience and became the fourth-best-selling triple album in America, it was derided as suffering from Protection from Editors and marked the point where Prince finally lost his grip on the mainstream.
- Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic: Of Prince's several failed experiments from the '90s, this is usually singled out as the biggest low-point, being an attempted comeback album that only served to drive more nails into the coffin for Prince's mainstream relevance. Between the seemingly random assortment of guest stars note , all-over-the-place sound, goofy album cover, even goofier title, and promotional concert video Rave Un2 the Year 2000, this record would surely give Todd plenty of material to dig into. The album only had one single, which peaked at a dismal #63 on the Hot 100, and its subsequent two releases were both scrapped due to the record's failure. Although he eventually had both a critical and commercial comeback with Musicology in 2004, Prince's reputation remained damaged due to his conversion towards rabid Jehovism, negative views on homosexuality (a serious problem considering his overwhelming popularity with LGBTQ audiences), and draconian views on digital music. His popularity reignited after his untimely passing in 2016, though. Coincidentally, this career-destroying album came out in the year 1999. Todd even mentioned this album's failure in his review for Crown Royal stating that while Clive Davis was able to help Santana and Whitney Houston get comebacks, he wasn't able to do it for Prince.
- Probably Jossed; Todd listened to Joy Fantastic for a potential Trainwreckords and reported that it rocks, later liking numerous tweets suggesting that Prince was able to succesfully keep his head above water throughout his Audience-Alienating Era in the '90s. He suggested that he might cover Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic's follow-up, The Rainbow Children, instead.
- Monster by R.E.M.: While it has a lot of fans in hindsight, its radical shift in style alienated both the band's core audience and most of the Newbie Boom they'd recently picked up, ultimately consigning them to middling success at best after they had become one of the biggest bands in the world during the early '90s. R.E.M. had long been accused of having sold out since they signed with Warner (Bros.) Records in 1988, but the grunge approach on Monster raised them to a fever pitch: it wasn't until after the band's dissolution in 2011 that the album was Vindicated by History, though even despite that it is still a very common fixture at music sections in thrift stores. Todd's tweets from January 2020 suggested that he considered covering it on Trainwreckords someday.
- Possibly Jossed; Todd turned down the idea of doing a video on Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic by Prince on the grounds that he liked it too much, and as he expressed a fondness for Monster, personally ranking it on par with fan-favorite Document, it's likely that it would be ineligible on those same grounds. More firmly Jossed when Todd tweeted that if he did an episode on either Monster or New Adventures in Hi-Fi, it would "definitely" be the latter.
- Possibly Jossed; Todd turned down the idea of doing a video on Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic by Prince on the grounds that he liked it too much, and as he expressed a fondness for Monster, personally ranking it on par with fan-favorite Document, it's likely that it would be ineligible on those same grounds. More firmly Jossed when Todd tweeted
- Metal Machine Music by Lou Reed: Released amid his deteriorating relationship with RCA, this double-LP consists solely of modulated feedback, framed as the culmination of Heavy Metal (which Reed claimed to invent). The result was widely panned, got deleted just three weeks later, and stained Reed as apathetically egotistical. It later gained a cult fanbase that defends its dadaist approach and influence on Noise Rock, but most folks (including Reed himself) still regard it as one of the worst albums ever made. Reed remained a cult hit with hardcore music fans and had a brief comeback with New York in 1989, but he'd never reclaim his early 70's heights.
- Jossed, as Todd liked a tweet asking him if he considered this album disqualified due to a later comeback (presumably New York).
- Jossed, as Todd liked a tweet
- Tha Doggfather by Snoop Doggy Dogg: Having just barely escaped a murder conviction, Snoop became far more reluctant about his prior gangsta persona, which combined with Dr. Dre's departure from Death Row Records left him without his original direction. The result was a reluctant Genre Roulette that tried and failed to latch on to emerging trends, saw lukewarm reception and Sell-Out accusations, and was commercially hampered by both the murder of Tupac Shakur and the incarceration of Death Row founder and main promoter Suge Knight. Though Snoop remains a pop culture icon to this day and had continued hits and guest spots, he never again recovered the acclaim and impact of his Doggystyle days.
- Jossed based on Todd liking a tweet listing this as an example disqualified for the show due to the artist recovering afterwards.
- Jossed based on Todd liking a tweet
Different Album Covered
- Smiley Smile by The Beach Boys: While their previous album Pet Sounds is now regarded as a landmark of rock music in general, its ambitious change in sonic direction not only caused deep tensions between Mike Love and the album's creative driving force Brian Wilson, but also alienated the band's traditional audience, not helped by the controversy they faced over "God Only Knows". To make matters worse, Wilson was already suffering from severe alcoholism and drug addiction, which would ultimately lead to him becoming a recluse for two decades. Due to these internal issues, the planned followup album to Pet Sounds, Smile, would not be released in any form until nearly half a century later.
The band instead came out with Smiley Smile, which featured some of the songs and ideas leftover from Smile (including the classic "Good Vibrations") but was haunted by sloppily rushed production and Brian becoming so dysfunctional that the band could not properly promote it. After the album was released to a disappointed public, Wilson's influence over the band gradually diminished and he would hardly get to capitalize on the psychedelic rock craze that he had so heavily inspired in the first place. Even though the Beach Boys continued to have hit singles for two more decades, they ultimately reverted back to their innocuous roots and were never again the creative juggernauts they had been in the mid-1960s.- Todd instead covered Summer in Paradise, which followed a very brief revival in the form of "Kokomo".
- Live It Up by Crosby, Stills & Nash: It proved to be such an enormous failure that it only reached #57 and didn't get certified, putting a definitive end to their commercial success. It was also critically panned.
- Todd covered American Dream by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, so it's unlikely he'd review this, regardless of Neil Young's lack of involvement here. He did say the "hot dog album" is possibly even worse in his review, but that American Dream was the true wasted chance for the band to make a comeback.
- Rebel Heart by Madonna: While Madonna's hit-making career had lasted an impressive 31 years by the time this album came out, it was her first not to produce a smash single and got marginal reviews, with the general consensus being that it pandered too hard to current trends (although those accusations first truly surfaced with 2008's Hard Candy). Most notable is "Bitch I'm Madonna" featuring Nicki Minaj, which many consider the worst track of Madonna's entire career. Her followup studio album Madame X came out in 2019 to even less fanfare, perpetuating her recent reputation as a has-been, clouding her legendary status.
- Todd instead covered American Life; justifying that Confessions on a Dancefloor, Hard Candy, and MDNA were not significant enough comebacks from that album's failure (namely, they didn't restore her prior pop culture omnipresence).
- Mötley Crüe by Mötley Crüe: The first album that proved the band's career couldn't survive the changing trends of the 1990s like Bon Jovi's and Aerosmith's did. Severe turmoil between the band members resulted in John Corabi replacing Vince Neil as the lead singer for their self-titled album, only for Neil to return as the frontman on Generation Swine. All this ensuing chaos was certainly not aided by drummer Tommy Lee's infamous relationship with Pamela Anderson around the same time, either.
- Todd instead covered its 1997 followup, Generation Swine. He mentioned in that review that despite the self-titled being a massive commercial flop, he found it pretty solid and didn't find it a true disaster.
- Liz Phair by Liz Phair: Very similar to 0304 in that it's a Genre Shift album from a previously credible artist attempting a more mainstream pop sound, which only served to alienate their fanbase and attract accusations of selling-out. Despite the album being Vindicated by History by many a critic nowadays, Todd has tweeted that he thinks it's terrible.
- Todd later admitted after several listens that he changed his mind on the album and didn't think it was that bad; he would later do an episode on her sixth album Funstyle instead.
- Todd later admitted after several listens that he changed his mind on the album and didn't think it was that bad
- Back from Hell by Run–D.M.C.: Despite their legendary status for their work in the '80s, the rapidly changing trends in hip hop during the '90s were not kind to them. This record got poor reviews and had disappointing sales figures, signifying the end of their reign as trendsetters.
- Todd covered their final album Crown Royal instead. He mention in his review that while the group was not suited for new jack swing at all, he felt they did have a respectable return to form three years later with Down with the King and that Crown Royal was their true nail in the coffin as he called it a trend-chasing disaster.
- Born to Reign by Will Smith: Todd hinted at this being Will Smith's career-killer in the "Back in Time" Pop Song Review, where he mentioned the huge failure of "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)", the tie-in single to the poorly received Men In Black 2, and how Columbia Pictures was forced to replace him with Pitbull for Men in Black 3 ten years later. The only other single from the album, "1000 Kisses" (a duet with wife Jada Pinkett Smith), didn't even chart on the Hot 100.
- Todd instead covered its 2005 followup, Lost and Found. He mentioned, in that review, that "Black Suits Comin'" was indeed his true career-killer, but that Lost and Found was such a strange and revealing album that it did more to justify a full episode, despite his musical career already being in decline at the time.
- You've Got to Believe in Something by Spin Doctors: After two albums' worth of decent commercial success, this third album completely killed their mainstream relevance with some questionable decisions, up to and including their ill-fated cover of "That's the Way (I Like It)" for the Space Jam soundtrack.
- Todd instead covered its predecessor, Turn It Upside Down stating in his review that the failure of that album had always intrigued him more.
