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Pat Walsh
Pat's Peeps Podcast
Ep. 323 Today's Peep Features Musical Misfires: Rock Bands' Worst Albums: From Scorpions to Metallica & Lou Reed, Pat Walsh Explores Shocking Album Failures that left Fans Scratching their Heads, And We'll "Do It Till We're Satisfied"
What happens when rock legends completely lose the plot? On this entertaining musical journey, I dive into some of rock music's most bewildering failures – albums so unexpected and poorly received that they left fans and critics alike questioning everything they thought they knew about these beloved artists.
The Scorpions' 1999 album "Eye to Eye" stands as a perfect example of a hard rock band abandoning their signature sound for pop territory. With synthesizers and harmonies replacing power chords, tracks like "To Be Number One" sound more like Soft Cell than the German rockers fans had come to love. I play excerpts that demonstrate just how far they strayed from their hard-rocking roots.
We also explore Neil Young's electronic experiment "Trans" (1983), where the folk-rock icon processed his vocals through vocoders and embraced Kraftwerk-inspired soundscapes. There's actually a touching backstory here – Young created these distorted vocals partly to reflect his communication struggles with his non-verbal son who had cerebral palsy. While conceptually interesting, the album remains one of Young's most commercially unsuccessful releases.
Perhaps most notorious is the "Lulu" collaboration between Lou Reed and Metallica from 2011. Despite both artists' legendary status, their partnership produced what many consider one of the worst albums ever recorded. I'll play segments from tracks like "Pumping Blood" that demonstrate how two excellent artists somehow created something far less than the sum of their parts.
We round out our musical misadventures with Lou Reed's infamous "Metal Machine Music" – over an hour of pure noise that was pulled from store shelves just three weeks after its 1975 release. The contrast with BT Express's infectious "Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)" provides a refreshing palate cleanser after our journey through rock's most fascinating failures.
What album from a favorite artist left you bewildered? Share your thoughts and don't forget to subscribe for more musical explorations that venture where others fear to tread!
happy wednesday, my friends. How are are you? How you doing? Hey, it's Wednesday morning. I did my last Pats Peeps podcast last night, late last night, seems. I always have something to say, right, happy Wednesday to you.
Speaker 1:Midweek I'm still on vacation. Come on, that's right. Still on vacation, my friends. There's a little peep friend as I look out my studio window into the beautiful foothills Of Northern California, gold country. Oh, my golly, it's beautiful out, it's still warm, but it's not as hot as it has been. It's funny because yesterday it started off with rain and clouds and thunder and lightning. It was awesome, man, that was awesome. And it stayed that way in my neck of the woods up here, my mystery hut in the forest, and it stayed that way for a while, but then it got hot. So, but today I see a breeze just now kicking up a breeze and, uh, it's not quite as hot. So that's good.
Speaker 1:Hey, hopefully you're taking advantage come on of the two-for-one dinner at Rock and Soul Diner. We debuted that yesterday, please, and I see my audience on the podcast growing. You know we've not done the video portion of this. I'm an audio guy. We will. There's going to be some visual components that are going to be added to this, but I just love audio so much, so to see so many people now starting to listen to my podcast means a great deal to me. And all of you are listening Boy again.
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Speaker 1:Thank you to our just one of our many pats peeps. And don't forget my brother at AI Lending. If you go to AI Lending, you could be in a drawing to win a trip with conservative tours to some destination Ireland or Italy or Germany or France or something like that. So that's what we're doing here on Pat's Peeps. You know what else we're doing on Pat's Peeps, have a little bit of fun.
Speaker 1:By the way, I am the host of the Pat Walsh Radio Show, as heard on KFBK Radio in Sacramento. Last radio man is Rip Calls Me Rip. Thank you, by the way, for listening to my podcast and support his business, lighthouse Technology. He's a Pat's peeps Rip. Everyone.
Speaker 1:Come on, look at our ever-growing family. If you need any kind of, if you have an issue, your computers, your technology like that, go to Lighthouse Technology. Also, heck, I'll just name a couple of red hot media productions danny boy, where's my buttons at where's my little? But I never get to use. There we go, danny boy. Red hot media productions. Larry, paradise signs. You got the popcorn, king dirk. Thank you, thank you, man.
Speaker 1:So many other things. Hey, question to you what if, just out loud, what if Metallica was a reggae band? Let's just contemplate that on this beautiful Wednesday. Yeah, man, what if Metallica was a reggae band? Man, this is scary, scary. You know we were talking about audio on the podcast a couple of days ago. History of audio. This is fictional. Can you imagine this Using creative tools, artificial intelligence? Yep, it's scary. Voice synthesis, digital editing that's right, sir. It imagines how the songs might sound in a different musical era genre. All the copyrights belonging to their respective owners and their rights holders. I love them. This is from Imagine on YouTube, pat's Peeps 323. Yeah, buddy, it's Rag Game. Metallica. Say your prayers, little one.
Speaker 2:Don't forget my son to include everyone. Tuck you in warm within. Keep you free from sin until the Sandman he comes. Sleep with one eye open, Grip in your pillow tight Exit light and tonight take my hand. We're off to Never, never Land. Something is wrong. Shut the light. Heavy thoughts tonight and they aren't of Snow White, dreams of war, dreams of liars, dreams of dragon's fire and of things that we'll buy. Yes, yes.
Speaker 1:Leave but one eye open. Come on up, grip in your pillow top, scary, exit light. Whoa Enter night hey.
Speaker 2:Take my hand. We love to never, never land. He refuses to wear his hearing aids out of pride and is too stubborn to admit that he can't hear 80% of what's going on. What did the doctor say about your blood pressure? Yes, he treats every vacation like a military operation and the fanny pack is his weapon of choice. He has over 2,000 tabs open on Internet Explorer, and one of them's been running since 2004.
Speaker 1:Marge, I told you not to download that PDF. Now we've got another virus.
Speaker 2:I'm downloading the program right now so you can view my screen. I appreciate it. Sanjit, you seem like an upstanding young man. He still leaves voicemails and they always end with his full name and number. Dad, you don't have to say your name and number in every voicemail. I know it's you. He doesn't believe in therapy. Why pay all that money when you can take out your repressed emotions for free on waitstaff? What is this crap playing? Can't you put on something normal like the Eagles? He has a glass cabinet full of figurines he's irrationally proud of. He still calls it the Google and the YouTube. Hey, honey, what's that video website you were talking about again? Was it the YouTubes? He believes everything he reads in the paper and nothing his wife tells him. He thinks text messages should be signed like letters. Yours truly, mike Hunt. The quieter the room, the louder he talks.
Speaker 1:No, this isn't a bad time at all. Yeah, we just got back from Florida time. Let me tell you all about it.
Speaker 2:He bought his house in 1976 for a pack of gum and a couple of pine cones and still tells people to just work harder. He prints out MapQuest directions, because paper never lies. He still gets lost.
Speaker 1:You're the one who told me to take that exit.
Speaker 2:I never said that. If you had your hearing aid in, you would have heard me say don't take that exit. It's always about that damn hearing aid with you. Nothing gets him going like a good email chain titled FWFWFW Hilarious. He watches the news every night just to confirm that everything's falling apart. You know, marge, everything's going to crap, same as yesterday. Pass the pepper. He is the most boomer man in the world. I don't always drink, but when I do, I complain about the price.
Speaker 1:Stay off my lawn, my friends. I was watching YouTube speaking of that Golly Patch Peeps 323. Thank you to Noel Parade, ladies and gentlemen. Awesome stuff, noel Parade on YouTube. Thank you to Noel Parade, ladies and gentlemen. Awesome stuff, noel Parade on YouTube. Thank you. I was watching this other guy on YouTube. Who is this guy? You know what? I still have it up on my TV. Let's watch this. This is Sea of Tranquility, whatever that is, but I respect this guy who's hosting it His take on music, at least on this. I'd never seen him before. Let me see if I can find his name, but anyhow, I was just watching. This came across randomly as I let's hear his name again together. Maybe he'll say his name here so we can all hear it. Hold on, here we go.
Speaker 2:Greetings everyone. T Paro here from CU, Tranquility Welcome to another edition of Ranked UV Albums.
Speaker 1:Today, by popular demand, we're going to look at my favorite studio albums from Scorpions.
Speaker 1:Okay, so you know, okay, Scorpions. So I'm sitting there, you know, I'm watering the lawn, I'm doing some things around the house, you know, and I'm going to run a couple of errands and I see this guy's channel pop up and I said, okay, I'll see what your favorite Scorpions. I was a fan of the Scorpions Not everything, but I've seen them a number of times and I like most of their music but I was waiting to see if he would include this record and which then got me to thinking about today's podcast, which is today. This will be albums by bands and, in this case, rock bands. I'm a rock guy, you know what am I gonna say, but I but I'm all over the map with music. Today's rock there's also. I love soul and funk and all of that, but rock bands are rock artists who released completely garbage, crap albums like you're, like what? No way, there's, no way. That's who this is, you must be kidding, and and what so, in talking about the scorpions, I haven't.
Speaker 1:He has mentioned it as one of the considered to be one of the worst. No, not one of the worst. There was another one called Face the Heat, which is also horrible, but it's not as bad as this one, and I remember in the it must have been like the early 90s I walked into it was actually 90,. No, I think it might have been the late 90s, actually 99, let me look it up, let me see here what it was 99, yep, exactly, that's right, because I was thinking of another one by Prince. I'm not even going to get into that, but I forgot about that one until just now, but anyhow. So this came out in 99. And I'm in Tower Records over on Florin Road that one never gets talked about the Florin Road location and I, you know, at the end of the counter or the end of the you know the aisle.
Speaker 1:I should say you could pick up headphones and listen to new albums that had just come out, and I would do that a lot. I'd pass the time by listening to music. I'm always one to absorb, get to know new music. Whoever said, oh, you've quit discovering new music after the age of 30, which we talked about before? I disagree, at least in my case. So I see Scorpions have got a new CD. Put the earphones on the headphones, excuse me, and I put this thing on, and I hit the button and this pops up.
Speaker 1:So this is an album from the Scorpions, a beloved rock band, german rock band. It's their 14th studio album In a radical departure. With this album Eye to Eye Very pop oriented. Their other stuff was not. I mean it may have had some commercial appeal because some of it black out.
Speaker 1:There were some songs they got played on the radio the zoo, I love that one. I love the album, love drive. Just to throw that in there in the mix. But this is not like that, none of those. It alienated a lot of fans. I could not believe this. There was a song on there called mysterious, which was okay, it was not bad. It actually went to number 26 on the billboard hot mainstream rock tracks chart. It was the first Scorps album to feature James Coddick on drums, final Scorpion studio album to feature Ralph Reicherman on the bass. And it's also the only time where the Scorpions recorded a record or, excuse me, a song which was mostly in the German language, which, if I say the name it's called you Are so Dirty, du bist so schmutzig I don't know if I got that right, but anyhow, you get the point.
Speaker 1:So I thought I would play some of this for you Now. If you know the Scorpions, you know Blackout, you know some of their big songs. Here's a song off that record, called To Be Number One, on Pat's Peeps 323. Yes, this is the Scorpions. Might as well be Soft Cell.
Speaker 1:Give me a job, the one I haven't got. Don't write me off at any time. Don't ever leave me unsatisfied. I don't wanna come in second, I just wanna come in second. I just wanna come. Don't wanna be that last light, don't wanna be just left behind. And in the evening, when I come home, it's time to throw my dark above. That's when I wear my shirt that says it's everything. It's everything.
Speaker 1:Isn't it fun, fun, fun To be no more? He's got no job, got no blow, got no money. Isn't it fun, fun, fun To be no more? Can't be that bad all the way through. Let's go to another track. How about Obsession? Let's see, you've got to be kidding me. Don't think of you. At least that's what I try to do. Ladies and gentlemen, grab that puke bucket for this brand new one from the Scorpions. Put your hands in the air and wave them back and forth. Put your hands in the air and wave them back and forth, please don't. Oh, what beautiful harmonies Scorpions. How about Ten Light Years Away? Oh, what beautiful harmonies, scorpions. How about 10 light years away? How horrible is this. I'm sorry. I don't own the rights to this, and who am I to criticize? Well, like any, other person Lord.
Speaker 1:Come on, man, you across the river. Oh, come on man, mine. Like a tree. Uh-oh, this could be good. Okay, is this the actual scorpions? Hold on, wait a minute. Now that has a little more like the old scorp sound to it right there, a little more like the old Scorp sound to it right there. Ugh, no, we don't see eye to eye here's eye to eye.
Speaker 1:The title track. That's peeps 323. Hope you're having a great Wednesday. You may have been until I played now, see, if you heard this. If I heard this just on the radio and I didn't know it was the Scorpions like right here, I'd be okay, I didn't know what it was, I'd be like okay, I didn't know what it was, I'd be like, okay, what is now? This is kind of a different groove and then it's done, it is over. Sorry, anyhow, I don't mean to rip them apart. I'm sure some people like that and maybe out of context, in a different I should say in a different context. But I'll play this one for you and see if you can guess who this is.
Speaker 1:This is the 13th studio album by this artist, very popular, has a very distinct style of music, except for here. This was released January 10th 1983. During the Geffen era of the 80s, this album baffled many fans, including yours truly, when it was released. It features the Sennheiser Vokoder or VSM-201, on six of the nine tracks on this record. So here's the background on this record. So here's the background. In 82, this artist leaves Reprise Records, which was his record label since his debut in 68. He signs with Geffen, a label very popular, founded by David Geffen, and he had worked with this artist as a manager when he was part of a different band another very popular band but then this artist as a manager when he was part of a different band another very popular band but then this artist's contract guaranteed him a million dollars per album as well as total creative control over his output. So from late 80s to mid-82, he spends much of his working hours carrying out a therapy program for his young son, ben, who was born with cerebral palsy he was unable to speak.
Speaker 1:The album was influenced by the electronic experiments of the German band Kraftwerk, who I have much respect for. Now, you may or may not like Kraftwerk, but I think they're in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and they should be If you want to talk about influence, the fact that they influenced. This artist, though really kind of tripped me out because his work is nothing like Kraftwerk. But if you look at Devo, I mean there's just so many. I didn't want to go down the road. Kraftwerk, maybe we'll talk about them sometime. Extremely influential, just so many. I didn't want to go down the road. Kraftwerk, maybe we'll talk about them sometime. Extremely influential on so many the Cars and Devo and Blondie, the list goes on. Anyhow, more importantly for this artist, he felt that distorting his voice reflected his attempts to communicate with his son.
Speaker 1:I'm going to play this for you before I tell you who it is, and you see if you know who this is. Sample call hair, heart, eyes. Wait, what, what, oh? Disposition. It is very, very Kraftwerk-like by Croftwood. Any idea who that is? I'll play another one for you here. I don't own the rights to it. I always have to say that.
Speaker 1:Alright, I'm going to give you another song off of this one. This is called we Are In Control. Here we go, then I'll tell you who it is. Maybe you'll guess by this one, maybe this will give it away, maybe not. This is an album called trans by neil young Kranz, by Neil Young. So I think this is an album. If you put it on, for most people they would have no idea that this was Neil Young, something very unexpected.
Speaker 1:Now, whether or not this isn't to me, as bad as the previous record it's not the one that I would listen to, really, but it's not as bad as the Scorpions it's just way different. You want to go to bad? No, you don't. No, we don't want to go down this road, but we are going to. You're on Pat's Peeps 323.
Speaker 1:Happy Wednesday Support local two-for-one dinners, rockets Little Diner. Come on now. Come on Now. You get two, two renowned artists in one that suck together. You would think, man, you combine forces, you can't lose. You got two greats. Can't lose. Well, yes, you can.
Speaker 1:If you go back to October, halloween of 2011,. What a perfect day to release this god-awful at least in my opinion record by two great artists in one. Like sir, it's two, two, two artists in one With a drop of Retsin in it. Like sir, it's two, two, two artists in one, with a drop of Retsin in him. It's a collaborative effort. Studio album between singer-songwriter and heavy metal band. You know where I'm going with this. Released on Warner Brothers, vertigo Records, elsewhere Warner in the US. It's the final full-length studio album recording project that the singer-songwriter was involved in before he passed two years later in October of 2013. It was recorded in San Rafael, california, in April of 2011, april to June and this is after the artists played together at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th anniversary concert that led them to wanting to collaborate Big mistake.
Speaker 1:This double album is based on Lulu plays by a German playwright, frank Wittekind, and, by the way, you have, you have, it's Lou Reed with Metallica. Metallica is the band, lou Reed is the spoken word, like he did in some of his songs lead singer guy. It is really, really awful, at least in my opinion. Okay, a lot of interesting artists on this, but here you go, just to give you an idea Lulu, lou Reed, who I really like Lou Reed, I like Lou Reed. Metallica I like Metallica. Here we go. Here is a song when they get together. Please enjoy this one. It's called Pumping Blood. Just one example from this horrible mistake called Lulu Wow, metallica kicks in. This could be good.
Speaker 2:This could be good, let's mix them together.
Speaker 1:See what happens Pumpkin blood, pumpkin blood. Pumpkin blood. Pumpkin blood, pumpkin blood, pumpkin blood. Pumpkin blood, pumpkin blood. Ha yeah, pumpkin blood in the sunshine. Mom, can you turn that up please? Yes, dear, on the wheel that is blasted and busted away. Mom, can you turn that up please? Yes, dear Uh-huh Honey, you didn't bring that pumping blood track. I sure did, dear. Can you plug that in? Oh God, awful. Are you enjoying this?
Speaker 1:Maybe some of you are Jack, jack, I'm going to beat you. I call out your name. God, I'm getting a headache. But now let's go for the two for one. On the two for one. Well, yeah, but Metallica on their own and Lou Reed on their own obviously, great. Let's go to a couple of those areas, shall we? How about Metallica's Kill Em All album?
Speaker 1:Eddie Trunk was talking about this on his heavy metal show on Trunk Nation on SiriusXM recently and he was talking about how bad this album was recorded. What a low-quality recording that many people cannot listen to it, even if you're a Metallica fan. Some people's like yeah, some people are like, yeah, I can't listen to that. So I thought you know what. I got a little trip driving home here. It took me about a half hour. Let me put this sucker on see what I think of this. I've never listened to this. You know, when I listen to Lou Reed or Metallica, I listen to them about the same amount, I don't know. Sometimes they both get a bit repetitive to me. Just being honest, I like their music in small doses. Bit repetitive to me, just being honest, I like their music in small doses, both of these artists. So I put in Kill Em All and I listened to him. Sorry, eddie Trunk, but I put him on pause and listened to the rest of his show. After this, I'm going to tell you I could not listen to this for more than five minutes and I was switching tracks trying to see if I could find no.
Speaker 1:It has been panned by fans and critics alike. It was characterized as raw, muddy, a very shrill sound compared to their later stuff when it was more polished. They had a limited budget, they had a limited recording time, but the band was unhappy with the result you got. You know, you put this through the speakers, you're in the studio like what on earth, and then you release this. There's no bass, there's zero bass Bass solo.
Speaker 1:Take one, this is just a bass solo. So right away, pat, you just said there's no bass. Now how long are you going to listen to that? Right, this is 4 minutes and 15 seconds long. Okay, here we go. Where is that bass? Even the bass had no bass and the drums are too loud and the guy playing in the Hatfield is in the background sitting like he's in another room.
Speaker 1:Anyhow, anyhow, but let's go back to Lou Reed. This has got to be considered, without a doubt, and thank you for listening to bad music here on Pat's Peeps 323. I think Greg said that I played some music one time that it was giving him a headache. I don't know. Listen, I'm into this. I'm into finding stuff that is weird and horrible and odd and I just am fascinated by it. I honestly am Now. Would I sit and listen to it? No, would I torment you with it? Yes, no, I'm listening to it too. All right, I just get. I just like the. I just find it interesting, that's all. But as you go back to Lou Reed, this has got to be one of the worst ever.
Speaker 1:It's called Metal Machine Music, fifth studio album by Reed, double album nonetheless, july of 75 on RCA Records. It was taken off the market three weeks later. It features no songs. What no songs? Well, it has to be some kind of a. You know some, you know some kind of a. It has to have tunes, right? Well, oh, it does. Well, it has no recognizably structured compositions whatsoever. Melody, melody. And, by the way, who needs a rhythm here? Thank you, no rhythm, you don't need a rhythm. Yes, now, you don't need that here on Metal Machine Music. All you need is modulated feedback. By the way. Just our luck, this was released on Quadraphonic. So you have two albums of this metal machine music by lou reed, and you get it on quadraphonic. Here's another little side note to this. This album cost lou reed his reputation in the music industry. It has generally been panned by. Well, everyone, everyone, please enjoy Metal Machine Music, lou Reed, 1975.
Speaker 1:You know, not only would this song give you a headache, but it should actually be called Headache. See, I can't hang with this. I mean this is, oh God, I just had a demented bod. I wouldn't dare. That is the Yoko Ono of whatever that is. It's not music, something that calls itself music. Pat, whatever you do, whatever you do, please do not play yoga with that, because that would be too much to handle. You're right, it would. You're right, it actually would be too much to handle, which is exactly why I'm going to do it. All right, here we go. Here we got Metal Machine Music. Let's get this going, and then Yoko, we'll mix Yoko in with Metal Machine Music and we'll come up with our own incredible artistic song here. This should hit the charts. Here we go, here we go. Here we go. Hold on to your seat. Tell me, that doesn't work. Are you getting a headache? Are you getting?
Speaker 2:a headache.
Speaker 1:Are you getting a headache? Happy Wednesday. You're welcome, by the way, you're welcome. You know I think I'd rather hear the metal machine music than Yoko. Now that I'm thinking about it, pulled this record off my record shelf. Thank God you're saying to yourself get to something else. By the way, I'm trying so hard to avoid politics and not have a meltdown this week while I'm on vacation. Keep my blood pressure under control. This is a cool record.
Speaker 1:I remember this one very well, scepter Records, and there's no stickers or anything, but there is a radio. Someone took like a something like a stamp and stamped it and it says September 1974. I don't see the date other than Sep 1974. One side is mono, the other side is stereo. Also has this really cool throwback like roadshow cartoon little thing on there on the label. So this song I remember being on the radio all the time. I do play this actually occasionally on my radio show.
Speaker 1:By the way, pat Walsh, host of the Pat Walsh Show, as heard on KFPK Radio in Sacramento, 93.1 FM and 1530 AM Production handled by Jeff Lane and Trey Martin, peaked at number five. This album did. This album did on Billboard 200. Topped the R&B albums chart. Certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on March 6th of 75. Sold over 500,000 copies in the United States. Spawned four singles. One, that was that's what I want for you, baby. Another one was do you like it? Another one was once you get it. And then this one, which is the one that I remember the most. So let's just get right to it. Let's put on the stereo side here BT Express. Do it till you're satisfied. Pat's Peeps 323.
Speaker 2:Do it do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it, do it do it.
Speaker 1:See, I still think it has a little bit of that sound, the older sound. You've got the pre-disco and then maybe it has that feeling of maybe the beginnings of, you know, disco. Maybe I think I've accomplished that, I've done it until I'm satisfied today.
Speaker 2:That's right, that's right, that's right.
Speaker 1:Yes, Thank you for listening Pat's Peeps 323. See you tomorrow.
