Even the greatest artists aren’t immune to regret.
For every landmark album that defines a career, there are others the musicians themselves would rather sweep under the rug. Sometimes it’s a product of the times: chasing trends that didn’t suit them, succumbing to label pressure, or drowning in the excesses of fame. Other times it’s more personal – creative exhaustion, fractured relationships, or simply a sense that the spark was gone. The results can be fascinating in their own way, but to the artists, they often stand as reminders of missteps rather than triumphs.
Kraftwerk, for example, dismiss their early krautrock experiments as “archaeology.” The Rolling Stones mocked their psychedelic detour as “a disaster.” And Lou Reed? He didn’t mince words when he called Sally Can’t Dance 'a piece of shit'.
Yet these records tell their own story. They reveal the pressures of reinvention, the pitfalls of success, and the human side of genius. Here are 11 albums their creators have distanced themselves from –sometimes with embarrassment, sometimes with venom, but always with a fascinating honesty.
1. Kraftwerk: Kraftwerk (1970) / Kraftwerk 2 (1972)
Long before Autobahn made them pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk dabbled in experimental krautrock jams complete with flutes, organs, and live drumming. Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider have since distanced themselves from these embryonic records, calling them part of the group’s 'archaeology'. Neither has been reissued as part of Kraftwerk’s official Catalogue, leaving them in a strange limbo: adored by collectors, but disowned by the band that made them.
2. The Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour (1967, film soundtrack)
While the music included timeless singles like 'Strawberry Fields Forever', the album’s origins in the Magical Mystery Tour TV film left a sour taste. The Beatles themselves admitted the film was indulgent and poorly received, while Paul McCartney later confessed it was 'a mistake'. The LP survived largely thanks to the strength of the singles, but in terms of Beatles projects, this was one they rarely celebrated.
3. David Bowie: Never Let Me Down (1987)
Even Bowie had off days. By his own admission, Never Let Me Down was the nadir of his ’80s output, weighed down by sterile production and overblown arrangements. Bowie grew so dissatisfied that in 2018 a new version, re-recorded with sympathetic musicians, was released as the album he 'wished' he had made. It stands as a reminder of how even visionaries can lose their way in commercial gloss.
4. The Who: It's Hard (1982)
It’s Hard (1982) marked the end of The Who’s original studio journey with bassist John Entwistle, and it shows. The album carries the sound of a band running on fumes, going through the motions rather than pushing forward. Pete Townshend (far left, above) was battling addiction and profound doubts about the group’s future, and his ambivalence bleeds through the music.
While not without solid performances, the record lacks the urgency and fire of earlier triumphs. Townshend later admitted it was uninspired, the work of obligation rather than passion. For nearly 25 years, this weary farewell stood as The Who’s studio swan song.
5. Lou Reed: Sally Can’t Dance (1974)
Ironically, Lou Reed’s highest-charting solo album was the one he hated most. Thrown together under label pressure, Sally Can’t Dance felt lifeless to him. He later called it “a piece of shit from beginning to end,” a sentiment fans often echoed. Coming after the bleakly captivating Berlin and before the almost universally disliked Metal Machine Music, it seemed like the one record where Reed simply went through the motions – something he otherwise never did.
6. Bob Dylan: Self Portrait (1970)
Famously greeted with the opening line of Greil Marcus’s review – 'What is this shit?' – Self Portrait baffled critics and fans alike. A patchwork of covers, instrumentals, and odd choices, Bob Dylan later admitted it was partly a deliberate act of sabotage, a way to dismantle his myth. For decades, he wrote it off as a 'joke'. Only the later Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait brought some critical rehabilitation, showing flashes of artistry in the rubble.
7. The Rolling Stones: Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967)
The Stones’ attempt to chase the psychedelic trend backfired. Despite a few strong moments, the album was cluttered and self-indulgent. Mick Jagger later described it as 'a bit of a disaster', while Keith Richards called it 'a load of crap'. In hindsight, it stands as a fascinating curio, showing what happens when the world’s greatest rock ’n’ roll band tried to out-Pepper The Beatles – and failed.
8. Neil Young: Landing on Water (1986)
Neil Young’s ’80s experiments were divisive, from the vocoder-driven futurism of Trans (1982) to the retro rockabilly pastiche of Everybody’s Rockin’ (1983). Both records baffled listeners at the time, yet have since been reappraised for their eccentric charm and flashes of invention. Landing on Water (1986), however, has proven harder to redeem.
Born of label disputes and Young’s restless need to push forward, it buried his songwriting beneath brittle, synthetic production and clattering drum machines. Fans long accustomed to his raw immediacy felt alienated, while critics were left cold. Even Young himself later admitted it wasn’t his finest hour. Still, true to form, he defended his right to make it, seeing even failure as part of his creative freedom.
9. R.E.M.: Around the Sun (2004)
By their own admission, R.E.M. were exhausted and uninspired when making Around the Sun. The songs are flat, the production sluggish, and the band sounded disconnected. Peter Buck later said he never wanted to play anything from it live again. For a group once hailed as America’s greatest alternative band, this mid-2000s stumble became a symbol of how even legends can sound listless.
10. Radiohead: Pablo Honey (1993)
It effectively launched their career with the iconic single 'Creep' – but Radiohead have long been dismissive of their debut. Thom Yorke once called 'Creep' 'crap', and the band avoided playing much of the album live. Compared to the groundbreaking ambition of OK Computer or Kid A, Pablo Honey feels tentative and derivative. For Radiohead, it’s the awkward teenage photo they’d prefer to hide in the attic.
11. Metallica: St. Anger (2003)
Created in the middle of personal and professional turmoil, St. Anger (2003) was less a conventional Metallica record than a cathartic purge. With James Hetfield in rehab, the band in therapy, and their very survival in question, the music reflects that instability – raw, furious, and unpolished to the point of abrasion. Its infamous 'tin-can' snare sound became a lightning rod, and the deliberate absence of guitar solos alienated long-time fans craving the precision of earlier work.
Critics, meanwhile, were split between praising St. Anger's honesty and condemning its chaos. The band have since admitted the record polarized their audience, while Hetfield himself acknowledges he rarely revisits it, regarding it more as a gritty document of endurance and survival than a classic to celebrate.
Pics Getty Images
