Let It Not Be: Ten Regrettable Last Albums To Skip On 50th Birthday Of Fab Four's Finale
Robert Plant and Band Should Have Exited Before In Through The Out Door
Let It Be turns fifty this year, an anniversary that should basically be ignored. The last album by The Beatles, which was released after the Liverpool quartet disbanded in 1970, is their worst record.
Other than the opening track, the poignant "Two Of Us", there is little worth celebrating from Let It Be. The title track proved to be huge hit, as did "Get Back", but neither of those songs offer much to raise the high bar the Fan Four had set in the previous decade.
The rest of the album comprises some of the most forgettable songs The Beatles ever released, a clear sign they should have called it quits years before. "The One After 909" is a weak attempt to recapture earlier lightheartedness, and there is nothing to dig about "I Dig a Pony."
Not even George Harrison, whose improved songwriting talent had resulted in the two biggest hits in Abbey Road, could save the Fab Four's last record. His "I Me Mine" and "For You Blue" signify a sad regression in his efforts in composition.
As weak as it was, Let It Be seemed to start a dubious trend among other great bands. Over a dozen hugely popular bands since then have gone out with less of a bang and much more of a whimper, regarding their unremarkable final releases.
This list is limited to groups who, after releasing at least four albums, disbanded and remained so for at least a decade.He
1. Gaucho by Steely Dan
Coming in the heels of the timeless and hugely popular Aja, this forgettable record made fans wish Donald Fagen and Walter Becker had disbanded before they made it.
2. The Long Run by the Eagles
Glen Frey and Don Henley were clearly at the end of their collaborative creativity after Hotel California, so they had to resort to half of the songs here to be written by others.
3. Road Island by Ambrosia
Their records had been declining already, but this eight song disaster ended the band's career on a sour note (literally).
4. Frestonia by Aztec Camera
Cuts like "Spanish Horses" in Dreamland indicated a return to the beauty of Roddy Frame's early music, making this follow up sound even more disappointing.
5. Kilroy Was Here by Styx
While Paradise Theater worked out pretty well as a concept album, "Mr. Roboto" and its fellow tracks left fans wishing Kilroy Had Never Been Here.
6. Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel
Several songs like the title track and "The Boxer" have endured, unlike the other weak efforts on both sides of this farewell album.
7. Dream Time by the Stranglers
Fans had finally accepted the punk band's transition to acoustic material, but this overproduced batch of clunkers called Dream Time turned out to be a nightmare.
8. Love Beach by Emerson, Lake and Palmer
The latter two members split up the trio the second the recording was done, leaving Emerson to waste his time trying to finish any final touches.
9. Look Hear by 10cc
Bloody Tourists had shown Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman at their collaborative peak, and this subsequent release indicated a quick decline.
10. In Through the Out Door by Led Zeppelin
Synthesizer-induced music did not suit Led Zep, even though "Fool in the Rain" became a big hit.
