Trainwreckords

Season 2021

Todd in the Shadows looks at the records that ended the careers of the artists that released them.

"St. Anger" by Metallica
E1
"St. Anger" by MetallicaIt's one of the most legendary bombs of all time -- the biggest rock band in the world turning in a tuneless blast of cacophonous trash-can banging. How did the much-maligned "St. Anger" turn Metallica from gods of metal to rock-and-roll punchlines?
"Crash" by The Human League
E2
"Crash" by The Human LeagueThe Human League recruit Janet Jackson's producers and try to get funky. Yes, the "Don't You Want Me" band. Yes, it's as awkward as it sounds.
"Turn It Upside Down" by Spin Doctors
E3
"Turn It Upside Down" by Spin DoctorsIf you want to destroy your career with a obnoxious terrible second album, just go ahead now. The Spin Doctors kicked off the '90s jam band explosion but fell behind when they decided tunelessness was their path to cred.
"Passage" by Carpenters
E4
"Passage" by CarpentersCalling occupants of interplanetary what? Faced with falling sales and a sinking profile, '70s soft rock superstars the Carpenters tried everything to revive their careers: jazz, country, showtunes, and - aliens. Seriously, aliens.
Edgar Winter and L. Ron Hubbard's "Mission Earth"
E5
Edgar Winter and L. Ron Hubbard's "Mission Earth"This is what Scientologists actually believe. Just kidding, even they didn't want '70s rocker Edgar Winter's musical adaptation of L. Ron Hubbard's best-selling (?) sci-fi book series.