How Do Great Artists End Up Making Horrible Albums?

Thanks to contractual obligations, burnout, bandwagon-jumping, over-ambition, or all of the above, it can be surprisingly easy for some of the most talented artists ever to release truly dire work.

In the new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now, we dive into the first half of Andy Greene’s recent “50 Genuinely Horrible Albums by Great Artists” list. Greene joins host Brian Hiatt for the discussion, which pinpoints the synth-soaked mid-1980s as one of the most perilous periods for veteran artists. The episode also raises the possibility that some albums on the list – especially Madonna’s American Life and Prince’s Chaos and Disorder – might not be horrible after all. (To hear the full discussion, find it here at the podcast provider of your choice, or just press play above.)

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