Five terrible number one albums that prove you can’t trust public opinion
Do the charts still matter? If Paul McCartney’s newest album doesn’t make it to number one when it’s released, does that reduce him as a musician in the eyes of the public?
The truth is, the charts don’t carry the same weight that they used to. Because of the different means by which we consume music, different bands and artists are able to establish pretty solid fanbases without actually having their music chart. That being said, it doesn’t matter what genre you play in and what your attitude towards music is; everyone in the creative world still secretly wants a number one.
There are probably a lot of artists out there who have never had a number one album and feel disappointed in that; however, I’m here to reassure those artists. The fact is that a lot of number one albums don’t actually prove the validity of an artist, and instead, they prove one thing and one thing only: you can’t trust public opinion. The fact that there are some weeks when these albums outsold every other piece of music out there is truly astonishing.
These are some horrible records, and they act as an important reminder that just because an album has topped the charts, that doesn’t mean it’s good. Equally, just because the public seems to connect with an album, that doesn’t mean that we should pay their opinions any mind.
Five number one albums that prove the charts get it wrong:
Elvis Presley – ‘Having Fun with Elvis on Stage’
It’s the worst live album ever made and one of the worst albums full stop. Maybe…I mean, is it?
Can we actually call Having Fun with Elvis on Stage an album, given there’s no music on it? People loved the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll not just because of his voice and fluid hips, but also because of the banter he had with the crowd during his shows. As such, his label saw an opportunity and opted to put out one of the worst albums of all time.
If you haven’t heard this record, I’m very jealous of you, and to give you a whistle-stop tour of what happens, the entire thing consists of Elvis having a back-and-forth with various crowds. You want to hear him sing? Not a chance on this record; instead, there are some musical false starts and then a few quips here and there from the King himself. Despite this album consisting purely of Elvis talking, it still managed to make it to number one, which goes to show there was a moment in time when his fans would simply buy anything.
Limp Bizkit – ‘Results May Vary’
Towards 2003, nu-metal was on the way out, and any attempts to try and drag the strange genre back into the spotlight were miles short of the mark… except this one. Limp Bizkit still managed to get a number one album with their record, Results May Vary, despite the fact that the LP was released during a period when people were less likely to engage in the genre.
It’s hard to tell what it was that people found so appealing about this record, as it remains one of Limp Bizkit’s worst offerings. ‘Eat You Alive’ is arguably one of the most horrible songs that the band ever put out, with incredibly disturbing undertones and one of the most annoying choruses in history. And yet, the public made their voices heard, as people lined up to buy this album and saw it go to number one pretty easily.
Sleep Token – ‘Even in Arcadia’
Sleep Token are one of those modern bands that have an incredibly committed fan base, and it’s very much earned. Some of the music that they’ve released prior has been pretty cutting-edge and exciting. Sure, it fits a particular niche, but even if they’re not your cup of tea, it’s pretty tricky listening to them and not respecting what they’re trying to do.
However, all of this ambition and innovation seemed to fly out of the window in 2024 when the band released the impressively terrible album Even in Arcadia. This record thinks that it does a lot more than it actually manages. The sound is surface-level and dull, as the guitars, vocals, and general atmosphere of the record all fall completely flat. However, despite that, Sleep Token’s fans remained loyal and managed to propel this pretty awful album to the top of the charts.
Coldplay – ‘Music Of The Spheres’
It might seem like a cop out including a Coldplay album on this list, given their releases have been so consistently bad this past decade, but still, you can’t put out an album like Music of the Spheres and expect it not to turn up on a list like this. Even for a band like Coldplay, this LP was pretty damn terrible.
Every single song on this album is just a simple grasp at a pop hit, with lyrics that seem to inspire something spiritual but that are surface-level and nonsensical. ‘Higher Power’ is one of the band’s most listened to and popular offerings, and yet it’s also one of the most cringeworthy and difficult to listen to songs that Chris Martin has ever uttered. Not to mention, the range of tracks which don’t have names and are instead just emojis begin to annoy the average listener before any music has even started playing.
Eminem – ‘The Death of Slim Shady’
When Eminem announced that he was going to be making this album, I was pretty intrigued by the concept. There’s no escaping that at the start of his career, the rapper said a lot of things that he wouldn’t be able to get away with now, and so the idea of making an LP where his past self confronts his younger self sounded pretty good.
However, rather than the record being an introspective record which doubles up as societal commentary, Eminem just makes the same stupid jokes he has been making for years that he thinks are a lot more offensive than they actually are. Sure, some are a little on the edgy side, but like the majority of the songs on this album, it all just falls flat and feels deeply uninteresting. Not to mention, Eminem clearly gets lost in his own concept, as even after he has “killed” Slim Shady on the LP, he continues to rap like him. This is an album that can be skipped, and yet it managed to climb to number one.
