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Genesis: Calling All Stations. It was so bad it should count as three!
We've got you down for the three best, but how about the three most horrendous? What are the three worst <I>consecutive</I> releases by a single group or artist?
Most of the albums ever put out by anyone. There is a tremendous amount of good music available, but even more bad stuff out there. I honestly think that trend started in the 1970s, when the record companies discovered what a massive cash cow rock could be. I think the shift away from singles contributed to this as well, since it is harder to make a great album than a great single.
Too many to count. Pick any consecutive albums by any rapper (except Public Enemy) or any new age dance/hip hop/ trance or whatever makes the charts these days. In the last two decades it seems to be getting easieer to release three or more piles of rubbish. Maybe getting a recording contract is taken too lightheartedly?
I am not that familiar with the Milli Vanilli catalogue (thank God), but I have to imagine that they would have to be up there. The worst three albums from a formerly great band would have to be: Up, Reveal, and Around the Sun. Total crap. The Cure's last three albums are a close runner-up.
I choose the last three albums by Genesis. In contrast to Madonna or Brittney, it hurts a lot more when a band jumps the shark after producing such brilliance as The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. When, Peter Gabriel left, and then Steve Hackett, they at first had something to prove, but their albums got progressively worse. Phil Collins' pop skill provided modest amusement on Invisible Touch, but nothing could save We Can't Dance and Calling All Stations from execrable oblivion.
Any three consecutive or not releases in any order from Jandek! Each release sounded like he and any accompanists were meeting their instruments for the first time in the junior high recording closet at the local school. Horrid, clumsy, poorly rendered, stupid songs about failure. The guy's got a 25+ year career and about 40 really bad albums. Oh, the horror.