Top 10 Most Overrated Albums of All Time

A terrible, overrated album released by a terrible, overrated sicko. The album's influence is overrated as well, since it inspired terrible, overrated pop acts like the backstreet boys and justin bieber. Also, the dancing in it was not unlike anything before it. James Brown was dancing in a similar way many years before some sicko decided to put that kind of dancing into a music video. The album probably wouldn't of been half as talked about if it weren't for the synchronized dancing in the thriller video. Given the musicals that came out before this overrated album, you can't say that synchronized dancing started with that video. This album was given way too much credit by its fans.

Did Thriller invent disco? No. Did Thriller invent electro? No. There are plenty of albums in the early 1980's that should get more credit, albums by Prince, Motley Crue, ABBA, Pink Floyd. This album is just a mixbag of different genres that don't go well together. "Beat It" is a generic pseudo rock song which copies Rolling Stones tough guy lyricism and an Eddie Van Halen's guitar solo which did no justice to his career. "Thriller" ranks high in the grandiosity charts with Vincent Prince's monologue, monster movie shout-outs and repetitive melody. And in the song, MJ is more popular in it for screaming, not crooning!

Michael and Janet. Have been responsible for all the bloody choreographed dancing puppet acts for the last 30 years. He was a better singer when he was 7, it went down hill when he went solo. His albums owe more to the slick production than anything else. The pair of them have turned daytime/radio pop music programmes into sick over glammed over hyped money making gravey trains. It's the same formula now for over 30 years, ever since this collection of ponced up average sickly tunes hit the airways and video world. When will it ever end.

What did he changed with his music and this album? If he really changed music it's for sure that he changed music for the worse ( just look at all this bad pop artists that came after him ). Music was good in the fifties ( the birth of Rock ), the sixties and in the seventies. After this so-called best eighties album, pop music became worser and worser. Is that the benefic change of his music?

One good song. Black Dog. Stairway to Heaven is just awful, and the rest of it is just their not-so-good. Another thing I don't get is that everyone loves this whole album just for Stairway to Heaven! Well, I like potatoes, onions, and some other vegetables, but when I buy them, I don't pull the vegetable aisle of the wall and drag it home with me! That would be as pointless as buying the whole album.

After relistening to that album and still thinking black dog and maybe stairway are the only gret songs on it, I wanted to check if this is sonewhere on a mist overrated list. I'm delighted to see it as high, even though the first two ranks deserve their spot even more. I don't know about 30 seconds to mars, never listened to it, but I don't remember it being on any best album list, so I don't really know what it's doing here. P.s. rock & roll is a terrible song in my opinion

Who are the kids voting for this? Are you kidding me? This album is a classic rock album go back to listening to overrated Michael jackson.

Totally disagree this is overrated. Even if you don't care for Stairway, these are great songs that any band in the world would love to have on their resume.
Black Dog
When the Levee Breaks
Going to California

Yeah, this sucks. This sounds like your average so-called, "artistic", music and the vocalist has an annoying voice. This is only overlooked by "hipsters" usually found on Rate Your Music who think their taste is somewhat unique for listening to this, which honestly sounds like a pile of crap coming into my ear. And to make matters worse, it's just so goddamn boring. I could fall asleep within half a minute.

The instrumentals are good but the vocalist Jeff Magnum, annoys me on most of the songs here(Except for 3 songs). It would've been a genuinely good album if Jeff Magnum could sing better but even then, it would still be overrated by music critics and hipsters.

The only people who praise it are these so called "hipsters". No one except for them knows or cares about this band or album which honestly sounds like utter crap.

Lol... Dcfnaf's 72 page essay remix single handedly pushed this to the top. How's an underground album overrated? In fact, I only came to hear of this album's existence when I first saw this list. Even if you dislike it, it couldn't be considered overrated cause other than hardcore hipsters, no one knows of this album's existence.

I know people are gonna hate me for this, but this cover is absolute trash and so is Smells like Tater Tot Spirit. I mean, what is so good about the cover and that trash song? It sounds so bland and generic, I mean, naked baby with a money on a string? Seriously? And the song about Mulattos, Albinos, Mosquitos, Libidos? Serously, people need to stop overrating them. I'm not saying to hate this, but don't take it too far as saying it's the best album cover ever. Oh well, time to lose followers and friends - TheDarkOne_221b

Ranked #2 on the "top 100 albums of all time" book.
I feel sick.
Smells Like Teen Sprit is on the same level as How You Remind Me, maybe below because of inferior lyrics, Come as you are has a crappy, repeated melody with incredibly dull lyrics and a sort of good guitar riff at the beginning, and Lounge Act is as cliche as a song can come.
It's far from the worst thing ever, but don't embarrass yourself by saying it's some great work of art.

Severely overrated, yes. But it's still the pinnacle of mainstream 90's rock, along with Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. You also gotta give it props for basically ending glam rock. Imagine if this album had never existed and bands like Poison and Winger would still be writing "hits". Yikes.

Although smells like teen spirit is admittedly a great song the rest of the album is not. Come as you are is good and lithium is acceptable. The rest of the album is screaming. It is an absolute chore to listen to.

A sever disappointment in comparison to all her previous albums. (Yes even her debut where she was just getting her foot in the door.) Only 4 songs on this album work. (Those being "All You Had To Do Was Stay", "Wildest Dreams", "I Know Places", and "Clean".) Everything else is a failed attempt to fit in with what was trendy. That's all this album will ever be to me. It's also a bad sign when the very first song alienates the entire conservative audience (not to be political, but that was where a lot of her fans came from. Flat out dismissing them right off the bat is kind of dumb move. I understand that she has the right to say what she wants, but maybe it would've been better if done in a smoother fashion than what is done in this track such as putting the track somewhere else on the album.) Anyways, nothing works about this album. It's clunky, the songs range from awful to tolerable (in the rare case amazing), and while Taylor has a great voice it isn't flamboyant enough to get her ...more

How this album beat Kendrick Lamar's 'To Pimp a Butterfly' for the Album of The Year Grammy will always remain a mystery...

This album is the definition of overrated.

Worst album ever made

Commonly misunderstood as a "portrait of a MAN who spirals into suicide," when in actuality, it's Trent Reznor's miopic, atrophied fantasy of being able to hurt people and never face the consequences, as envisioned through the lens of an offender who kills himself to escape being held accountable for what he did.

Aged terribly. The only reason anyone admits to thinking this is good is because they were conditioned to.

This album has no place in modern culture. Leave it to be lost to the septic tank of history.

I don't feel the hype of this album. I don't understand why this album is the one of the favorites especially in RateYourMusic. Just the same with OK Computer, It doesn't appeal to me and it sounds bland to me except that OK Computer is better. At least OKC have decent tracks such as Karma Police and Electroneering, this one doesn't have the song that I like. Guys no offense but I dislike this album. It sounds too much pretentious to me.

Funny how Ok computer is higher than this album yet this is the one that actually has comments to validate their vote. I had to vote this because, as much as I love Radiohead. I can't stand watching it become a band that feeds on its hype through the past of time. Kid A is a great album there's no doubt about it. But Radiohead's trademark was and always will be Ok Computer. Kid A doesn't live up to its hype. In short, I would not choose it as the only album I could ever listen if I I had to choose only one for the rest of my life. Its not that special. Thou musically is ground breaking. It lacks of the spirit and raw heart which Ok computer has plenty of. Pd. Ok Computer shouldn't be on this list.

It is very bad. I just can't understand how anyone would ever want to listen to it, does not live up to its hype or even come close.

Nope. This album is very groundbreaking and experimental and it has fantastic songs in Electronic, Rock and even in Jazz and Classical(Treefingers is Classical and The National Anthem is Jazz)

I'd say the Green Album is overrated. People say it's their best song just because Island in the Sun is on it.

Nah it's great and since it's like #73 on thetoptens it's ok. It's a very good album.

El Scorcho only gooder song, way different from their first album, what a let down.

Decent sound... if canned. The songs just do not flow very well... it really feels like they thought about a song first (likely 'A Beautiful Lie'), wrote it, and then completely forgot about it to write the next one in some random direction, as long as it comes out catchy and marketable.

And for the praise and attention this album got I don't think there's anything superb on here to justify it. So, definitely overrated.

Why... Is Zoso on this list and three fourths of people reading this are wondering what Zoso is. It's a shame.

I thought everybody hated this band.

Really overrated album, John writting was way worst than in Rubber Soul and Sgt Pepper. Harrison songs are just ok, and Mccartneys are a bit overhyped. The two songs that I really respect however are Tomorrow never knows which was really revolutionary, and Eleonor Rigby (propably Paul's best song) The rest is pretty overrated.

Rubber Soul is a way better album in songwriting with classic such as: Norweigan wood or In my Life, and Sgt Peppers just sounds so clean and otherwordly. I just don't see the hype for this album.

No, not overrated, especially compared to Sgt Pepper.
Edit: I changed my mind; I think it's a little overrated. But I still think that Pepper is more overrated than this.

Enjoy it more than most Beatles album. Definitely not overrated in my opinion. And I find it better than the White Album, to disagree with the other commenter.

The Beatles are the best band of all time, and I don't see how so many sites think that the Beatles in there early years were corny. they were a lot better in the begginging.

Thrash is a pathetic and moronic genre and this album exemplifies everything that makes the genre so unlikeable. Over the top, corny guitar battles, oversaturated technical passages and forced virtuosity along with some god awful vocals and a cold case of the filler. The riffs may be exciting at times, but I need more than just technicality in my music, and this album fails at delivering anything other than that.

"Hey guys, I have an idea, let's sing about DEATH".

That's what all metal musicians say before they form a band.

This album created one of the worst fanbases ever. The word Beyhive didn't exist until after this album came out. The song 'crazy in love' is the most overrated song of the last decade. The other singles of the album were overrated as well. At least the song 'me, myself, and I' was less overhyped than crazy in love or baby boy. Before that album came out, Beyonce was just treated as being one of the members of Destiny's Child, not some devine, flawless lady that should treated like the queen of everything. This album is overrated, Beyonce is overrated, and her fanbase is just plain terrible.

This should be much higher on the list. This album made her fans insane.

She gained a terrible fanbase after this album came out.

It's high on this list now. This album is where the insanity of the beyhive began.

I truly enjoy this album, blast it in the car, memorized the lyrics, but I need everyone to really take a step back for a second. Let me play devil's advocate (not my own feelings)... It's a progressive album, but does that make it one of the best? Anyone can record several unused/unheard-of instruments into a repeating melody and claim it is the modern standard in the evolution of music. So let's put DSOTM on the same level as every album that was not so "progressive", three to (maybe) five songs actually stand out. Band On The Run had the title track, Jet, Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five, and Let Me Roll It. Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-nerd had extraordinary hits like Free Bird, Simple Man, Tuesday's Gone, and Gimme Three Steps. Sales don't account for the greatness of an album, neither does the impact on the time. What makes an album truly the best is universal application, hit after hit after hit, and a little bit of everything. I'm not claiming that DSOTM isn't a long standing ...more

Literally the worst Waters-era Pink Floyd album besides "The Final Cut". I genuinely don't see what others see in this, this one is just so boring and forgettable, nothing really stands out except for "On the Run", maybe. Like many others have said, there are far greater Floyd albums out there than this shallow mediocrity.

Just because you have 20 minutes of ambience doesn't make it a great album. On a side note, I actually do enjoy the real songs on the album, but I have to listen through 10 minute of nothingness before it...

Dark Side Of The Moon is great, but it's not the best of what Pink Floyd can do, they've done better lyrically and instrumentally in albums such as Animals, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall.

Why is this considered groundbreaking? Kanye's rapping ability is average at best. Okay, it's mostly praised because of the beats n production but I honestly don't think that good production automatically makes an album amazing. Especially when everything else about it is average/mediocre.

I love Kanye west but this is not even his best album!

She's so fake, it's retarded.

Half the stuff here sounds the same and like a borefest, there are some good riffs here but overall I don't think its even top 3 green day. (Which is an overrated band in its self in my opinion.)

This is a great album. It has great songs. Every emo loves it and people just like it over all.

I actually do like Green Day quite a bit, but Dookie is way better than American Idiot.

This album is about half-and-half for me. Some of the songs are fine. Others, not so much.

This album is such hot trash, but I wouldn't call it overrated. A different case can be made for "Blood Sugar Sex Magik", however.

This is much better than By the way.

By the what's better

Another case of the biggest hits being the biggest flops on the album. The poppier, more well known songs (EXCEPT for Stan) songs come off as lame and tacky and they never seem to grasp my attention. Tracks like "Amityville", "Kill You" and "Kim" are where this album truly shines.

The irony of this album is that its fans think it's the greatest hip-hop album when most casual fans of hip-hop don't even like this album.

My mom bought this album a few months ago, listened to it in the car with my dad, and said that it was horrid.

The most overrated hip-hop album by people that aren't casual hip-hop fans.

I love this album, but I can see why people would think that it's overrated.

Not really, to be honest.

Not overrated at all.

Hot take: This is the most overrated Beatles album.
Hot take: Magical Mystery Tour executed Sgt. Pepper concept better.
Hot take: This is the worst album out of all Beatles classic album

I don't think this is the best album ever. Heck, I don't even think it's the best Beatles album. I think Abbey Road, Revolver and The White Album all top this, maybe even Rubber Soul as well, and potentially Help. It's not bad at all, but I think it's extremely overrated.

Okay, I love Sgt. Pepper, but it's not as revolutionary as you are told it is. That honor goes to Pet Sounds and Revolver. Sgt. Pepper is amazing, but it's basically just Revolver on steroids.

Agree it overrated. When you listen to the songs and not get caught up in the experience that was this phase of the Beatles' development, they just aren't that great.
I'm much more of a Revolver and Abby Road fan.

Ask RateYourMusic and You will see how overrated this album is. Overrated as hell that people treat it like a next coming of christ. I don't really feel the hype of that album. Most of it are dull. Sounds like a third rate Pink Floyd to me. I can't stand the fanbase too.

I do think this is a good album, but it is not deserving of the "Best Album of All Time" title that has often been brought on to it. Most people seem to rate it highly because they think it is 'important' and defined a generation. I love about half of the songs, but parts of the record are not fun to listen to at all. Paranoid Android, Karma Police, and Climbing up the Walls are my least favorite tracks. Lastly, the album just ends rather anticlimactically with The Tourist, which I find to be quite boring.

This is the greatest album of all time according to Rate Your Music and a bunch of other pretentious pseudo-intellectual snobs. Pft. This album is just OK at best (pun slightly intended).

According to RYM, this is the greatest album ever made. I personally haven't listened to it in its entirety, but from the few songs that I've heard, this is nowhere near top 50, let alone top 10 worthy.

I used to have this album when I was a kid, because, well, it was on the radio all the time, so it made me think I liked it. Going back now, this album is horrible! Breaking dishes is one of the most annoying songs I've ever heard. The few good songs are only good because of the production. I still wish that somebody who was actually talented had sang Umbrella instead of rihanna!

Obviously going to be overrated because she is a pop singer. I personally don't thnk any of her songs are THAT good, I mean, I do like her OLD songs because they weren't that bad. But the song she brings out today are just terrible. I don't know why anyone listens to her.

It's good but I do agree here since Me Against The World is better than this.
Conscious Hip Hop>>>Gangsta Rap.