So Close... Albums that just missed the mark

I'd been thinking about this for a while. There's always that one album by that one band that could just be so totally unbelievable if they only did this one thing. My question is, what albums, in your opinion, just missed the mark of being truly one of a kind?

I'd have to go with Tales From Topographic Oceans. The concept was there, the talent was there, and Yes truly seemed ready to take prog in a new direction. But, they just seemed to stretch the material a little too thin. If it had been just 60 minutes, I think this would've been the greatest prog album ever. Period.

So, what do you guys think?


Edited by AmericanKhatru - July 29 2008 at 17:27

^I agree

I was surprised when I first got the internet years ago to find out how Tales from topographic oceans gets such a hard time,  I thought it was a classic double album in every regard a true listening experience ... I honestly thought of it as one of Yes's best albums the trick for me to fully enjoying this album is I break it into parts when I listen to it , I never listen to the whole thing in one sitting I play disk 1 and leave it a awhile  then play disk 2   ...


Edited by Yorkie X - August 09 2008 at 22:57

Pain of Salvations BE would be an undisputed modern clasic if they had cut out some of the narative parts that served lttle purpose, particularly Animae Partus that opens and closes the album and Omni.

Lateralus with out the noisy interludes between songs would have been unberlievable.

Maudlin of the Wells Bath without the uneccassery inclusion of Uncovering the Gift, or at least re-recording that song rather than leaving it in its garage recording form from 1996.

The Last Rose of Summer on White Willows Sacrament needed more acumpniment than and acoustic guitar.

The Wall shortened by half.

kibble_alex wrote: Frances The Mute for me. Same as Lateralus, it had the potential to be one of the greatest prog albums ever, with Cygnus, L'via, Miranda and Cassandra. I've said it before: if they would have replaced The Widow with the actual TRACK Frances the Mute and cut out all the unecessary noise, it would have been flawless in my opinion.

I agree entirely with Frances the Mute. I absolutely love all the other 3 TMV albums to death, but Frances barely misses the mark for exactly the reasons you stated.

Nursery Cryme fits this for me... I usually can deal well with production and I do here. I just think the album would have had that extra little bump with a wonderful production like Selling or the Lamb.

Hmm... If I think of any more I'll have to add them.

sleeper wrote: The Wall shortened by half.

Flower Kings' "Stardust We Are" would have been a masterpiece if they'd only kept it at one disc instead of two.  The title song is so amazing but the rest of the tunes are just so-so.  There's more than enough greatness on there to make one single astounding album but they just got overindulgent.

Fates Warning's Awaken the Guardian. In theory I should find it the greatest thing since sliced bread, in practice it only has three songs (out of eight, mind you) that don't put me to sleep.

febus wrote: PAWN HEARTS comes first in mind; great songs, great musical athmosphere, even some great vocals (Man Erg).....only destroyed by unnecessary chaotic noise in between .....but that's me

Not only you! Me too. Yeah the noisy stuff on The Lighthouse.. and Lemmings are really unnecessary.

Jesus Christ Superstar taking out the HORRIBLE(with the scary mean) Crucifixion. DAMN! that song scares me to hell! Very daring and "sentimental". The album in it's entirety really touches you, if you know what I'm talking about...

Green Carnation's "Acoustic Verses"  ... I absolutely love the album till the last track "Head Above Water" ...  just misses for me, don't care for repetitive choruses to begin with, but I don't like how he sings it either.  I'm slowly getting accustomed to it, but ruined a great, great album for me.