Chris Brown.Scott Roth/APWhile most are keen to block out bad music from their lives, there exists another group who can approach hot garbage openly, with varying degrees of ironic appreciation.
And then there’s that unfortunate, outlying enigma — genuine fans of Limp Bizkit.
With the latter two groups of listeners in mind, we turned to the reviews aggregator Metacritic to compile this list of the most critically panned albums in history.
From the works of Kevin Federline to Limp Bizkit, to multiple entries from Chris Brown, these LPs drew the ire of critics and provoked the repulsion of many.
Here are the 41 worst albums of all time, according to critics:
Note: This list only includes albums with seven or more reviews.
41. The Vines — “Melodia”
Critic score: 44/100
User score: 5.7/10
What critics said: “For an album called Melodia written by a self-confessed Beatles fanatic who once penned the gorgeous ‘Homesick’ and ‘Winning Days’, actual melodies are rare and most, like ‘Hey’ or the turgid ‘She Is Gone’, sound embryonic at best.” — NME
Listen to it here.
40. The Entrance Band — “The Entrance Band”
Critic score: 44/100
User score: 7.0/10
What critics said: “He’s only a middling guitar player, but insists on soloing and showboating endlessly, drawing out songs to unnecessary lengths.“ — Pitchfork
Listen to it here.
39. Sean Paul — “Imperial Blaze”
Critic score: 44/100
User score: 5.4/10
What critics said: “The audacity, the immaturity contained on ‘Imperial Blaze’ is enough to hang a dark cloud over music, if only for an hour as the album lulls needlessly along.” — PopMatters
Listen to it here.
37. Audio Bullys — “Generation”
Critic score: 44/100
User score: 5.7/10
What critics said: “Betrays Audio Bullys’ aspirations to say Something Important, undeterred by the absence of either insight or eloquence.” — The Guardian
Listen to it here.
36. Mariah Carey — “Charmbracelet”
Critic score: 43/100
User score: 6.4/10
What critics said: “Her voice is damaged, and there’s not a moment where it sounds strong or inviting.” — AllMusic
Listen to it here.
34. Ben Lee — “The Rebirth Of Venus”
Critic score: 43/100
User score: 5.0/10
What critics said: “Were the central conceit not so half-assed and Lee’s lyrics not so shallow, Venus might qualify as actively misogynist in a way that could be interesting to engage and dissect. As is, the album is simple to an annoying, tiresome degree.” — Slant
Listen to it here.
33. The Chainsmokers — “Memories: Do Not Open”
Critic score: 43/100
User score: 1.9/10
What critics said: “Whether the album’s title is a plea or a warning does not matter, as the effect is the same: The Chainsmokers have one song, and if you don’t want to hear 12 versions of it, please do not un-click the latch holding this box closed.” — Spin
Listen to it here.
31. Lenny Kravitz — “Baptism”
Critic score: 43/100
User score: 4.9/10
What critics said: “It’s a shame and embarrassment, and hopefully it will be a temporary slump like Circus.” — AllMusic
Listen to it here.
30. Chris Cornell — “Scream”
Critic score: 42/100
User score: 4.1/10
What critics said: “The record sounds phoned in, plain and simple, and its awkward concessions to cliche, its trash heap lyrical conceits, and its dopey production have a cumulative effect that would be insulting if it weren’t so transparently uninspired and uninteresting.” — No Ripcord
Listen to it here.
29. The Twang — “Jewellery Quarter”
Critic score: 42/100
User score: 7.6/10
What critics said: “The message is simple: the joke isn’t funny any more, last orders rang long ago and the game is well and truly up.” — NME
Listen to it here.
28. Rod Stewart — “It Had to Be You… The Great American Songbook”
Critic score: 42/100
User score: 7.6/10
What critics said: “His similar-sounding interpretations lose their oomph a few tracks in.” — E! Online
Listen to it here.
27. Soulja Boy Tell Em — “iSouljaBoyTellem”
Critic score: 42/100
User score: 1.5/10
What critics said: “Short on new ideas and lacking in cohesion, Soulja Boy Tell Em’s second official full-length finds the young upstart trying way too hard to re-create the bazillion selling ‘Crank That’ and repeatedly coming up short.” — AllMusic
Listen to it here.
25. Kreayshawn — “Somethin’ ‘Bout Kreay”
Critic score: 42/100
User score: 4.1/10
What critics said: “It’s a puny representation of a big sound made all the more unlistenable by the nuisance of the vocal lines.” — Exclaim
Listen to it here.
24. Black Flag — “What The…”
Critic score: 42/100
User score: 4.1/10
What critics said: “It’s a puny representation of a big sound made all the more unlistenable by the nuisance of the vocal lines.” — Exclaim
Listen to it here.
23. Chingy — “Hoodstar”
Critic score: 41/100
User score: 2.4/10
What critics said: “Aside from a few catchy club tracks, there is nothing all that exciting about Chingy’s third album.” — Billboard
Listen to it here.
22. Megadeth — “Super Collider”
Critic score: 41/100
User score: 5.5/10
What critics said: “Truthfully, ‘Super Collider’ is just a Megadeth album born of complacency and issued with only the faintest interest in remaining relevant.” — Sputnikmusic
Listen to it here.
21. Nickelback — “All The Right Reasons”
Critic score: 41/100
User score: 4.4/10
What critics said: “‘All the Right Reasons’ is so depressing, you’re almost glad Kurt’s not around to hear it.” — Rolling Stone
Listen to it here.
18. Paul Oakenfold — “A Lively Mind”
Critic score: 40/100
User score: 2.2/10
What critics said: “On his new disc the veteran of populist trance shows himself unable to come up with anything remotely innovative or engaging, even for the dance floor.” — PopMatters
Listen to it here.
15. Alanis Morissette — “Jagged Little Pill Acoustic”
Critic score: 40/100
User score: 5.9/10
What critics said: “Like Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells II’ and Meat Loaf’s ‘Back Into Hell,’ it doesn’t so much play as fall out of the speakers with a flump: the sound of a towel being thrown in.” — The Guardian
Listen to it here.
13. Gucci Mane & V-Nasty — “BAYTL”
Critic score: 39/100
User score: 1.8/10
What critics said: “There is Michael Jackson bad, there is Ed Wood bad, and then there is BAYTL, a union so unholy that it cries out for a show on Bravo.” — Spin
Listen to it here.
9. Puddle of Mudd — “Life on Display”
Critic score: 37/100
User score: 4.7/10
What critics said: “Third-rate grunge retreads stuffed with overdriven guitars and generic rock-dude melancholia.” — Rolling Stone
Listen to it here.
8. Louis XIV — “Slick Dogs and Ponies”
Critic score: 37/100
User score: 5.9/10
What critics said: “‘Slick Dogs’ never coalesces into anything more than the sum of its noisy, jagged parts.” — Boston Globe
Listen to it here.
6. Lil Wayne — “Rebirth”
Critic score: 37/100
User score: 3.0/10
What critics said: “The songs might have been better as parodies than as imitations, although ‘Knockout’ — a Coldplay homage backing a raunchy lyric — comes close to being both.” — The New York Times
Listen to it here.
4. Phil Collins — “Testify”
Critic score: 34/100
User score: 6.1/10
What critics said: “Middle-age is no excuse for such an unforgivably bland collection of over-emoted love songs.” — Q Magazine
Listen to it here.
2. Limp Bizkit — “Results May Vary”
Critic score: 33/100
User score: 4.0/10
What critics said: “Since the music has no melody, hooks, or energy, all attention is focused on the clown jumping up and down and screaming in front, and long before the record is over, you’re left wondering, how the hell did he ever get to put this mess out?” — AllMusic
Listen to it here.
