The WORST episodes of Classic Albums
Every episode of Classic Albums ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Classic Albums!
Classic Albums celebrates the making of the greatest albums in music. Each film features interviews with band members and producers discussing the creation of the recordings.
#1 - Frank Zappa: Freak Out!
Season 18 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/8/2021
The debut album from The Mothers Of Invention comes under the microscope. It won the Grammy Hall of Fame Award and gained a cult following in the U.S.
#2 - The Doors: Morrison Hotel
Season 18 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/1/2021
A look at the American rockers' fifth studio album. It saw them return to their blues-rock style and earned them their highest charting album in the UK.
#3 - Gil Scott-Heron: Pieces Of A Man
Season 18 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/24/2021
A look at what made the first album from the highly influential soul and jazz musician so unique and inspiring when it was first released in 1971.
#4 - Suede: Coming Up
Season 18 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/7/2021
The 1996 Mercury Prize nominated album from the British alt-rock band comes under the microscope.
#5 - Soul II Soul: Club Classics Vol. 1
Season 18 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/30/2021
Released in 1989 and featuring hits such as Keep On Movin' and Back To Life, this is a look at Soul II Soul's triple platinum album.
#6 - The Who: Sell Out
Season 18 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/23/2021
The Who Sell Out: Set to be re-released in 2021, this is an in-depth look at the acclaimed concept album by the iconic rockers, first released in 1967.
#7 - Tears for Fears: Songs from the Big Chair
Season 17 - Episode 1 - Aired 2/14/2020
Documentary that explores the creation of the seminal, second album by Tears for Fears. Songs from the Big Chair took the gothic synth-pop foundations of the band and combined them with arena-ready anthems, leading to critical acclaim and three international hit singles, Mothers Talk, Shout and Everybody Wants to Rule the World. This documentary, made with the full cooperation of the band, explores how the album was recorded and how the band left their indelible imprint on new wave music.
#8 - The Crickets: The 'Chirping' Crickets
Season 16 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/12/2019
The story behind The 'Chirping' Crickets, the debut album by The Crickets, the only one featuring Buddy Holly released during his tragically brief career, which ended with his accidental death aged 22. It survives as the purest testament to his skill and diversity as a singer, a pioneering guitar player and not least as a songwriter in an age when few of his peers composed their own material. This documentary celebrates its success and assesses its influence. Contributors include former band member Jerry Allison, singer Cliff Richard and writers John Beecher and Frank Blanas.
#9 - Carly Simon: No Secrets
Season 14 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/5/2017
Carly Simon is one of the most influential singer-songwriters of her generation. The classic album that made her a global star was No Secrets, which included the enigmatic song You're So Vain. The album spent five weeks at number one in the US chart. In this new interview Carly ties together her life and work on No Secrets - she is at her most honest, sometimes defiant, but with a wit and wisdom that comes from her rich and turbulent life. She tells of how the second single from the album, Right Thing to Do, was a refreshingly realistic love song, choosing to ignore her lover's problems. That lover was James Taylor; Carly wrote the lyrics on a plane after looking over at James and thinking 'there's nothing you can do to turn me away.'
#10 - Amy Winehouse: Back to Black
Season 15 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/14/2018
Series looking at the creation of some classic rock albums looks at Amy Winehouse's second album Back To Black from 2006 and how it transformed the beehived girl from north London into a global star, with hits like Rehab, the title track and Love Is A Losing Game. Back to Black helped launch a wave of soul-influenced British chanteuses including Adele and Duffy and has since sold over 20 million copies. This film reveals Amy Winehouse the artist, focusing firmly on her lyrics, influences and vocal talents. Using unseen footage from the Miami and New York sessions and rarely seen archive of Amy in interview and performance, producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi and their respective musicians shine a light into the making of Back to Black and offer their firsthand accounts of Amy's genius and her emotional turmoil. Featuring producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, the Dap-Kings band, Amy's colleagues and friends, Island president and A&R director Darcus Beese and Ronnie Spector.
#11 - Don McLean: American Pie
Season 14 - Episode 1 - Aired 12/8/2017
The story of Don McLean's second album American Pie. Crowned by its titular overture and the song Vincent, McLean's equally moving tribute to Van Gogh, American Pie is a classic of the folk-rock genre. Earning its place alongside Carole King's Tapestry, Joni Mitchell's Blue and Neil Young's After The Goldrush as one of the landmark singer-songwriter LPs of 1971, a year recently celebrated in a book by award-winning journalist David Hepworth as 'rock's golden year'. Don McLean features in extensive new interviews, discussing the intricacies of his songs, the sometimes fraught recording process, and the album's legacy.
#12 - Primal Scream: Screamadelica
Season 11 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/6/2011
Primal Scream's seminal album Screamadelica was released in 1991, and synthesized the band's rock 'n' roll roots with the dance culture of that time; for many, the album's sound and imagery came to be regarded as quintessential symbols of the acid house era, perfectly catching the spirit and mood of the early 90s. Using rare archive footage and special performances, this film tells the story of Screamadelica and its hit singles and dance anthems Loaded, Movin' On Up, Come Together and Don't Fight It, Feel It. From the formation of the band in Glasgow to winning the first-ever Mercury prize, the band members explain the record's inception with insights from main producer Andrew Weatherall, Creation Records founder Alan McGee and many others involved with or inspired by this joyful record. Screamadelica both defines a generation and transcends its time, and is a true Classic Album.
#13 - Grateful Dead: Anthem to Beauty
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/15/1997
This 1970 release was an important step in the rise of the Grateful Dead to legend status. Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, along with some interviews with Jerry Garcia, discuss what went into the writing and recording.
#14 - Paul Simon: Graceland
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/14/1997
This premiere episode spotlights Paul's 1986 Grammy-winning 'comeback' album. Introduced by Ringo Starr, each song is examined from the studio perspective. Paul considers the title track to be "The best I ever did". He describes how he came up with the musical and lyrical ideas, and we hear comments from the engineers and from prominent critics, and some of the South African musicians who contributed.
#15 - The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds
Season 10 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/19/2010
A look at the creation of the Beach Boys' classic album "Pet Sounds", including conversations with Brian Wilson and group members, lyricist Tony Asher, and members of the studio supergroup The Wrecking Crew.
#16 - Lou Reed: Transformer
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/26/2001
Co-produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson, this 1972 landmark album took Lou Reed from cult idol to glam superstar status. Here Reed examines each track, discussing with engineer Ken Scott the creation process. Bassist Herbie Flowers shows us how the riff for 'Walk On The Wild Side', was recorded, and we see some archives of Lou's performances.
#17 - Meat Loaf: Bat Out Of Hell
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/9/1999
In 1977, Marvin Lee Aday, aka Meat Loaf, shocked the music world by releasing this 30 million-selling blockbuster. Previously little-known as an actor and singer , he hooked up with writer Jim Steinman, producer Todd Rundgren, and vocalists Ellen Foley and Carla Devito, to create one of the top five sellers of all time. Kasim Sultan and Max Weinberg, who also played on the album are heard from, and Todd isolates some of the masters to show how the sounds were created.
#18 - Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/16/1997
Stevie's 1976 double album is looked at here. Stevie had already released the smash album, Innervisions, but as Berry Gordy explains, he took the experimentation to a new level. Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock are in the studio with Stevie, along with some other top musicians who contributed, as we examine the creation and recording process, of what many consider Stevie Wonder's finest hour.
#19 - The Wailers: Catch a Fire
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/7/2016
This edition looks at the making of the 1973 Wailers album, Catch a Fire, the album that brought international recognition to Bob Marley. Already big names in their native Jamaica, it took until this release for Marley and Co to finally go global. It features interviews with key musicians and engineers who helped make the album, as well as record label boss Chris Blackwell, who talks about how the band had song-writing and performing skills in abundance but needed to be put through the equivalent of a "rock blender" to make them palatable to a wider audience. Through first-hand accounts, this programme tells how they did just that. The programme takes a track-by-track look at the making of the record. In London, the producer Chris Blackwell and original engineer Tony Platt lead viewers through the original multi-tracks of Slave Driver, Concrete Jungle, Stir it Up, Rock It Baby and others. Rabbit Brundrick (keyboards) and Wayne Perkins (electric guitar) tell how they were brought back in to add the rock and roll parts to the songs. It is illustrated with archive footage from the Wailers in concert, early interviews with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, plus television performances and rare home movies - all of which provide a unique insight into the process behind the recording of this landmark album.
#20 - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Damn the Torpedoes
Season 10 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/29/2010
The latest addition to Eagle s critically acclaimed and highly successful Classic Albums series is Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 1979 breakthrough album Damn The Torpedoes . The band s third album defined their musical style and took them into the mainstream hitting No.2 on the US charts and spawning the top 10 single Don t Do Me Like That . The DVD features newly filmed contributions from the band members Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Ron Blair and Stan Lynch along with co-producer Jimmy Iovine and engineer Shelly Yakus as they analyse the tracks from the original multi-track tapes and through new and archive performances. Damn The Torpedoes has stood the test of time as one of the great American rock albums of its era and is a worthy addition to the Classic Albums series.
#21 - Cream: Disraeli Gears
Season 7 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/3/2006
Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, and Eric Clapton are interviewed in the studio for a track by track analysis of their 1967 classic. Each of them play acoustically, including Bruce on the piano, and some archival footage is presented. Lyricist Peter Brown discusses the creative process for 'Sunshine Of Your Love', among other things.
#22 - Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/6/2006
Engineers Chris Thomas and Alan Parsons peel layers off the master tapes from this 1973 masterpiece. The songs are dissected methodically, and Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Rick Wright are on hand, (though separately).
#23 - John Lennon: Plastic Ono Band
Season 9 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/24/2008
Classic Albums: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band examines in detail the creation of this album and the effect it had on music, and the people who created it. This included Ringo Starr on drums, Klaus Voormann (a member of Manfred Mann, and old friend from the early Hamburg years of the Beatles) on bass, and Billy Preston; sometimes referred to as the fifth Beatle on piano. And of course Lennon himself on guitar.
#24 - Jay Z: Reasonable Doubt
Season 8 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/7/2007
A behind the scenes look at the recording of Jay Z's album 'Reasonable Doubt'
#25 - Judas Priest: British Steel
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/10/2001
The metal classic 'British Steel' is examined here. The band, minus drummer Dave Holland, explain the songwriting process and lyrical ideas, interspersed with live footage of performances from that period. Producer Tom Allom demonstrates how the sound effects were achieved, and the two guitarists show how their 'trademark' twin guitar sound is generated.