[Orf]

"Most disappointing" suggests a less-than-anticipated follow-up to a pleasurable experience. No? Or do you mean an artist or band you just don't get and don't understand why others do?

[mjosef]

Wilco still qualify even under those criterias.   

[ecramer]

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - He cut 11 Cd's in a row starting with From here to eternity and ending with Murder Ballads which i think were fantastic then takes a right hand turn and goes in a completely different direction on the next 4 Cd's that i can't stand to play. Which i guess really comes full circle since his first band "the Birthday Party" i find equally hard on the ears.

Esd

[drphoto]

Yeah, I think some of us, me included, got this thread off track. It was about being disappointed in a performer you liked before and found wanting w/ a recent effort, not about what you just don't like or get. My bad. 

[robertwb]

Two that come to my mind are (I seem to have a weakness for female singers)

Joss Stone-her first CD wasn't supposed to be her first album and I thought it showed potential, since then she has released two "real" albums that IMO went the wrong direction, like much of todays pop trash does.

Leona Lewis - winner of the talent show X factor with some absolutely amazing cover performances, now she's got an album out and it sucks...more pop junk, such a shame really but she's young so maybe she'll find her way someday

[JoshK]

Three aclaimed artists that I find hard to listen to...

TV On the Radio
Fiery Furnaces
Destroyer

[jon_010101]

TV On the Radio
Fiery Furnaces
Destroyer

I will agree 100%, and add Battles to that list.  Loud to the extreme, obnoxious mastering.

[ecramer]

Ive never heard of any of those bands i guess i was not missing anything lol

TV On the Radio
Fiery Furnaces
Destroyer

I will agree 100%, and add Battles to that list.  Loud to the extreme, obnoxious mastering.

[billybuck]

I'm in agreement on Diana Krall. Initially I was pretty excited about the idea of someone doing King Cole Trio-type material, but there's just something lacking in the delivery. Too bad, because she definitely has the right influences.

I've gotta put in a word for a couple other artists though. I know that Thelonious Monk can be off-putting on first listen, but give him a chance. To "get" him it's important to understand that he's not making mistakes. To my ears, he developed a new vocabulary for both piano and songwriting that can be hauntingly beautiful when it hits you. Start with the earlier Blue Note sides, where his style isn't quite so far out there, then progress to the later stuff.

Second word of defense is for the Grateful Dead. They used to be one of my most hated bands of all time. I just couldn't figure out the attraction to their mediocre noodling. Then about 2 years ago, something popped in my skull and now I can't get enough of the stuff, particularly the '72-'73 period.

Most guitar players develop a vocabulary of riffs. The best players have enormous vocabularies to draw on, but if you listen to their entire catalog, you'll eventually hear them repeating things. Nothing wrong with that--it allows a player to develop amazing precision and focus in their soloing. Jerry Garcia takes a completely different tack. He tries to start from scratch every night. There are literally thousands of shows on tape and I guarantee in every one you'll hear him try something new, not just minor variations but things that are literally fresh out of the air. The price he pays for this approach is occasional (some might say "frequent") sloppiness and lack of direction. But once you develop a knack for listening past that, there's a wealth of riches in those live tapes. Bob Weir is also a very unconventional rhythm guitarist that IMO is on par with some of the best jazz pianists in the way he comps behind a soloist. Really!

With that said, there really isn't a decent singer among them and the vocals do take some getting used to.

[bushbison]

Grateful Dead and the Doors..... I know it's popular to like 'em... but I don't like ONE track of the Doors....

[nathanm]

In recent memry the 2nd Dresden Dolls album was pretty disappointing, and much of that was the production value.  They went from high dynamic range on the first disc to typically over-compressed.  Shame on the engineers!  But music is loaded with disappointments as a matter of course.  I can probably count on one hand the number of artists whose whole catalog is generally excellent.  Extreme greatness\extreme disappointment seems more common I've found.

What does help a lot is when you visit a certain band well after they've run their course.  Whereas if you become a fan on the 'ground floor' you have more of an emotional investment and album-to-album opinion is much more severe.  Like for example I can't really get too upset about Celtic Frost's "Cold Lake" cause I never experienced them in real time.  After the fact I can go in and just pick out what I like without any baggage.  I'm sure you all know exactly what I'm talking about too.  I'm certain there's loads of Celtic Frost fans around AudioCircle aren't there? 

[Bob in St. Louis]

Most dissappointed in:
Jordin Sparks (American Idol gal). Very disappointing. I had such high hopes for her. I actually found her captivating when she performed on A.I.
I bought her (only?) release and it sucked. They felt the need to take that wonderful voice and run it through some kind of synthizer on most of the songs. I assume they do this because they thought they could improve on her voice. How sad. What a waste of good talent.

Never understood the appeal: (here come the flames)
- Greatful Dead
- Tom Petty
- Bob Dylan
- Niel Young
- The Doors
It's good to know there are like minded audio dudes who agree with me. I've been thinking for years I was the only one who didn't like some of these guys.

Now, I'll just grab my Diana Krall and The Bad Plus discs and hide in the corner. 

Oh, and I might just be the person on Earth who hasn't heard of WILCO. 

Bob

[Nels Ferre]

Mark Knopfler....less singing....more guitar playing...he needs to do an instrumental album.

Oh lonewolfny, them are fighting words!!

Another recent thread asked what you would buy without hearing it first...anything by Mark Knopfler is top-o-the-list for me, and at least one other AC inmate.
I would agree that his early Dire Straits singing voice, with the many grunts and groans, was a bit affected, but his recent solo albums are a different thing entirely.

Add another big Mark Knopler fan here (as well as Dire Straits)

[Hicks]

How about solo Sting? 

Michael Jackson anyone?

In terms of newer music Ween's La Cucaracha and DJ Shadow's The Outsider were both huge letdowns for me. 

I love Sky Blue Sky myself, a nice batch of laid back tunes that are well written.  What is about the recording quality that you guys don't like, sounds pretty smooth and natural to me.

[lazydays]

I think Pat Barber is at the top of the list for me. Her recordings are good, but once you've seen her live you'll never play her music again. Terrance Blanchard is right behind her as well. Mono-toned trumpet. Extremely boring to listen to.
gary

[amadeus916]

Michael Jackson anyone?

Hicks...Thriller can NOT be fronted on. I mean, based on Billy Jean alone you have to give the now ghoulish looking creature a shred of respect...

Hip hop tends to come to mind when the word disappointing is thrown around. I don't mean all, but just stuff that used to be epic, and then lost it. A tribe called quest and De La Soul being prime examples. Cmon now Q tip...

[soundbitten1]

The Strokes . I liked their first album but they sorta petered out after that .

[jqp]

This i very disappointing - and NSFW where I ran across it