yep another one of those "list" . This one from spinner.com. Thought this was semi-worth posting and would spark some discussion, concidering many legands are on this list including Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson , Prince , Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen





-----




Most Monumental Album Flops

http://www.spinner.com/20...ops-no-25/



*All sales figures are U.S., from RIAA and Nielsen SoundScan, except where indicated.


25.
'Pop'
U2, 1997

Rise: Ten years after U2 assumed the rock 'n' roll throne, they planned the glitzy Popmart tour as an ironic take on consumerism, and they rushed out the accompanying album to meet the deadline.

Fall: The half-baked 'Pop' was so forgettable that U2's next album, 'All That You Can't Leave Behind,' was widely hailed as the band's "comeback" record.

Stats: 'The Joshua Tree' (1987), 10 million; 'Pop,' 1.5 million


24
'Powerballin''
Chingy, 2004

Rise: Smash debut put St. Louis native 'Right Thurr' with three Top Five hits.

Fall: Beefs with Ludacris and Nelly sent fans away in droves.

Stats: 'Jackpot' (2003), 2.9 million; 'Powerballin',' 600,000


23
'Forever'
Spice Girls, 2000

Rise: Smash success of 1996 debut set off an international wave of Beatlemaniacal proportions for this prefab five.

Fall: The departure of Ginger Spice and the maturing of the group's target audience ensured the Spice phenomenon wouldn't last 'Forever.'

Stats: 'Spice' (1996), 7.4 million; 'Forever,' 200,000


22
'Warning'
Green Day, 2000

Rise: 'Dookie' was a certified monster; 1997's 'Nimrod' featured the surprise hit ballad 'Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),' which was heard by millions on the 'Seinfeld' finale.

Fall: For a band built on potty humor, their newfound maturity might have been premature. However, fans would later come around to embracing the grown-up sentiments of 2004's comeback blockbuster 'American Idiot .'

Stats: 'Dookie' (1994), 7.8 million; 'Warning,' 1.1 million


21
'Crown Royal'
Run DMC, 2001

Rise: The trio showed hip-hop how to 'Walk This Way,' right into the pop mainstream with its multiplatinum collaborations.

Fall: Their endlessly delayed comeback was too long in coming, so guests such as Fred Durst and Stephan Jenkins were soooo 1990s by the time of its eventual release.

Stats: 'Raising Hell' (1986), 3 million; 'Crown Royal,' 150,000


20
'Dead Ringer'
Meat Loaf, 1981

Rise: The big fella's surprise blockbuster, 'Bat Out of Hell,' came with a prophetic play-by-play: "Holy cow, I think he's gonna make it!"

Fall: A broken leg, shredded vocal cords and general exhaustion led to a critical delay for the follow-up. Despite help from Cher, the stillborn 'Dead Ringer' couldn't keep Meat out of bankruptcy.

Stats: 'Bat Out of Hell' (1977), 14 million; 'Dead Ringer,' less than 500,000


19
'Playing With Fire'
Kevin Federline, 2006

Rise: One of the all-time pop success stories: Third-tier backup dancer gets Britney Spears to have his babies.

Fall: 'America's Most Hated' (he said it, not us); the country ignored K-Fed's debut in record-breaking numbers, marking him more accurately as America's Most Ignored.

Stats: 'Baby One More Time' (Spears' debut, 1999), 10.5 million; 'Playing With Fire,' 18,000


18
'Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants'
Stevie Wonder, 1978

Rise: Riding a creative deluge from the early '70s, the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist set his own high-water mark with the smash 'Songs in the Key of Life.'

Fall: The long-delayed follow-up, purportedly the soundtrack to a mysterious film, baffled fans with its heavily synthesized, New Age-y vibe.

Stats: 'Key of Life' (1976), 10 million; 'Secret Life of Plants,' less than 500,000


17
'Altered Beast'
Matthew Sweet, 1993

Rise: Journeyman rocker was suddenly one of the indie world's biggest stars with power-pop masterpiece 'Girlfriend,' including the Top 10 title track.

Fall: Despite help from musical heavy hitters including Mick Fleetwood and a full-on publicity blitz with five different album covers, the record flopped. There were inspiring moments, said Rolling Stone, but "the problem is finding them." Ouch!

Stats: 'Girlfriend' (1991), 580,000; 'Altered Beast,' 180,000


16
'I'm in You'
Peter Frampton, 1977

Rise: The former U.K. teen idol grew up fast with the double LP 'Frampton Comes Alive!,' still one of the best-selling live albums of all time.

Fall: Despite the presence of Stevie Wonder, 'I'm in You' was creamed by the critics. The subsequent 'Sgt. Pepper' film fiasco and a near-fatal car crash effectively creamed Frampton's career.

Stats: 'Frampton Comes Alive!' (1976), 6 million; 'I'm in You,' 1 million


15
'Schizophrenic'
JC Chasez, 2004

Rise: After Justin Timberlake, Chasez was the most high-profile member of monster boy band 'N Sync.

Fall: Rock, electronic, Prince-style funk experiments all failed to sway the public, and the album title and cover photo offended some mental-health advocates.

Stats: 'Justified' (Timberlake's solo debut, 2002), 3.6 million; 'Schizophrenic,' 120,000


14
'... But the Little Girls Understand'
The Knack, 1980

Rise: On the strength of the insanely catchy 'My Sharona' -- Dave Grohl's all-time favorite song -- the L.A. power pop band spent five weeks with the country's No. 1 album in '79.

Fall: A guilty pleasure from the start, the band was bound for a quick and violent backlash -- "Knuke the Knack"!

Stats: 'Get the Knack' (1979), 2 million; 'But the Little Girls Understand,' 500,000


13
'Paul's Boutique'
Beastie Boys, 1989

Rise: The New York trio's slap-happy debut, 'Licensed to Ill,' was the first hip-hop album to hit No. 1.

Fall: Though eventually revered as a hip-hop landmark, 'Paul's' was roundly ignored by a public that wanted more 'Ill' behavior, and it gained its legendary status and much of its sales only in the past 10 years.

Stats: 'Licensed to Ill' (1986), 9 million; 'Paul's Boutique,' 2 million


12
'Fairweather Johnson'
Hootie and the Blowfish, 1996

Rise: 'Cracked Rear View,' the 1994 major-label tee-off by the golf-loving South Carolina foursome, instantly made Hootie one of the biggest-selling new groups of all time.

Fall: Though 'Fairweather' debuted at No. 1, it was quickly eclipsed by a record number of Hootie jokes.

Stats: 'Cracked Rear View,' 10.1 million; 'Fairweather Johnson,' 2.3 million


11
'Forever'
Puff Daddy, 1999

Rise: This smash debut rode Biggie Smalls' broad back to two No. 1 singles and another that reached No. 2.

Fall: Criminally underperforming sequel led the rapper to go into the hip-hop witness protection program, changing his name (for the first time) to P. Diddy.

Stats: 'No Way Out' (1997), 5.2 million; 'Forever,' 1.4 million


10
'Human Touch'/ 'Lucky Town'
Bruce Springsteen, 1992

Rise: His 'Born in the U.S.A.' pulled off one of the great feats in pop history, placing seven singles in the Top 10.

Fall: Newly remarried and relocated to L.A., the Boss released two generally upbeat albums with little help from his longtime E Street Band. Even hard-core fans were -- gasp! -- bored silly.

Stats: 'Born in the U.S.A.' (1984), 15 million; 'Human Touch'/ 'Lucky Town,' 1 million each


9
'The Ego Has Landed'
Robbie Williams, 1999

Rise: The former Take That popster is the U.K.'s all-time top-selling solo artist and has sold more than 53 million albums worldwide.

Fall: Despite a huge push from Capitol Records to break into the American market, 'The Ego' never got higher than No. 63 on the U.S. pop charts. Take that!

Stats: 'I've Been Expecting You' (1998), 5 million (worldwide); 'Ego,' 560,000 (U.S.)


8
'Mind Blowin''
Vanilla Ice, 1994

Rise: 'Ice Ice Baby' was the first hip-hop single to hit No. 1 on the pop charts.

Fall: Exposure of the former Robert Van Winkle's suburban background fueled jokes about the original white gangsta's street cred, as did a tale of allegedly being dangled off a balcony by Suge Knight.

Stats: 'To the Extreme' (1990), 7 million; 'Mind Blowin',' 42,000


7
'Return of Dragon'
Sisqo, 2001

Rise: For a minute there, 'Thong Song' was between the cheeks of everyone in the developed world.

Fall: The Baltimore R&B singer's uninspiring follow-up was the commercial equivalent of granny panties.

Stats: 'Unleash the Dragon' (1999), 4.2 million; 'Return of Dragon,' 450,000



6
'HIStory'
Michael Jackson, 1995

Rise: The creator of the world's best-selling album of all time ('Thriller') was still capable of selling seven times platinum in the U.S. with 1991's 'Dangerous.'

Fall: Jackson's plan for his none-too-humbly titled 'HIStory' included placements of statutes of himself around the world. The new songs were so uninspiring he ended up including a greatest-hits disc.

Stats: 'Thriller' (1982), 27 million; 'HIStory,' 2.5 million



5
'Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic'
Prince, 1999

Rise: The '80s superstar was ripe for a comeback after split with longtime label Warner Bros.

Fall: Clive Davis roped in Sheryl Crow, Gwen Stefani and other luminaries in a 'Supernatural'-style bid to return His Purple Majesty to the pop throne, but the album tanked.

Stats: 'Purple Rain' (1984), 13 million; 'Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic,' 480,000


4
'Paris'
Paris Hilton, 2007

Rise: The hotel heiress and reality series star has compared herself to Princess Di and Marilyn Monroe.

Fall: Despite her viral Internet superstardom, her recording debut just made listeners sick.

Stats: 'Paris,' 180,000


3
'Glitter'
Mariah Carey, 2001

Rise: The pop diva with the glass-shattering vocal range was the most successful U.S. artist of the 1990s.

Fall: 'Glitter,' the soundtrack to an equally unsuccessful movie, was released on September 11, 2001, and things only got worse from there.

Stats: 'Rainbow' (1999), 2.9 million; 'Glitter,' 630,000


2
'Garth Brooks in the Life of Chris Gaines'
Garth Brooks, 1999

Rise: The suburban cowboy superstar has had more than 70 hit singles; more than 115 million albums sold in the U.S. alone.

Fall: Rolling Stone declared Brooks' weird fake-rock-star alter-ego project was "the most monumentally disastrous marketing idea that mainstream pop had seen in years."

Stats: 'Ropin' the Wind' (1991), 14 million; 'In the Life of Chris Gaines,' 1.1 million



1
'Self Portrait'
Bob Dylan, 1970

Rise: You know -- the quintessential singer-songwriter who could do no wrong.

Fall: The Dylan generation had a tough time swallowing what 'Self Portrait' proved: that their hero was fully capable of sucking as much as the next mere mortal.

Stats: 'Blonde on Blonde' (1966), 2 million; 'Self Portrait,' 110,000
[Edited 5/30/07 16:41pm]

Why isn't 20 YO on this?

Pretty honest list

Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants might have better sales if it were actually still in print. It's a great album, so forget the haters.

I'm surprised Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie didn't make it.

How was "HIStory" a flop when it sold 18 million copies?

It's the ONLY album that doesn't include the "stats"

bboy87 said:

sorry , i missed that line when i was copy/pasting everything . It has been updated.


>>>Stats: 'Thriller' (1982), 27 million; 'HIStory,' 2.5 million <<<



*All sales figures are U.S., from RIAA and Nielsen SoundScan, except where indicated.
[Edited 5/30/07 16:42pm]

bboy87 said:

According to Soundscan 'HIStory' has scanned 2,540,229 copies to date. Beacause it's a double album..they count it twice which brings it to 5 million...It was certified even higher because Epic shipped so much of it...much was returned.

18 million looks more of a worldwide number..but in the US..that set has sold 2.5 million

peace

newpower99 said:

newpower99 said:

PowerFallin'

wonder505 said:

Exactly! How is MJ's album "History" on here but 20 Y0 isn't? 20 YO didn't even go platinum in the U.S. or worldwide. At least History managed to sell 2.5 million in the U.S. and sold 18 million altogether if you count worldwide sales. Also where is Madonna's "American Life" album? That flopped big time everywhere too! That is just total bullshit that MJ is on this list but I agree with the rest of their choices.

Cinnamon234 said:

I think this list is about a year old...I remember seeing this a while back...

peace

But Hey for fun...here's Janet stats

NOTE= This is according to Soundscan which began in 1991 after 'Control' and 'RN1814'

'janet.' (1993) has sold 6,984,081
'20 Y,O' (2006) has sold 641,403

Incidently those were her first and last albums for Virgin Records. Both 'All For You' and 'Velvet Rope' sit in at 3 million and 3.2 million respectivly.

peace

VANITYSprisonBYTCH said:

According to the site it was ....

>>>Posted May 24th 2007 5:00PM by Spinner Staff <<<<<


but im sure there have been similar lists else where

newpower99 said:

Ahh..it may have been blender mag...

I posted Janets stats above

VANITYSprisonBYTCH said:

if not 20 y/o . Damita Jo should have made it . it came first and i think commercially they were eqaul flops.


and I agree .... i thought for sure Madonna's American Life would be here.


Cant agrue with the Prince entry. They had several to choose from . But Rave was his first Major label backed album since WB. It tanked

Cinnamon234 said:

American Life
Released: April 22, 2003
USA Peak: 1
USA Sales Figure: 1 Million
Last Certified: July 7, 2003
UK Peak: 1
Total World Wide Sales: 5 Million
http://www.absolutemadonn...tats.shtml
[Edited 5/30/07 17:12pm]

ehuffnsd said:

Hmmm.... well everywhere else i've seen puts "American Life" at around 680,000+ copies in the U.S. and 6 million worldwide. I 've never read anywhere about it selling 1 million. I do not believe it is platinum in the U.S. at all.
[Edited 5/30/07 17:17pm]

ehuffnsd said:

Madonna Soundscan Stats:

AMERICAN LIFE: 670,186 sold in the US

IMMACULATE COLLECTION: 5,546,712 sold in US since Soundscan in 1991 but is around the 10 million mark if you count sales before

peace

Cinnamon234 said:

platinum is based on number shipped not sold

Cinnamon234 said:

I think HIStory's failure had more to do with the amount it cost to promote it. It cost about $20 million in promotion, so 2.5 million sold isn't going t churn out a profit. Even the $18 million in global sales barely made up for it. At least with 20 YO, not a whole lot of money seemed to be spent on it, not to mention publicity either(save for Janets appearance on Oprah). I mean, MJ had statues of himself in different cities!!! With all the hoopla, you'd think that it would top Thriller(which is pretty impossible), but it didn't even make the top 5 best selling albums that year.

That said, I think Invincible should be on there and not HIStory. $30 million was spent just to make that album, and I think an additional $25 million was spent on promotion. So for it to only sale 2 million copies made it a complete fiasco. Sure, a bigger hoopla was made over HIStory, but the reviews for that album weren't as scathing as the ones for Invincible. Financially, with Invincible, I highly doubt that Michael will ever make a profit off of it.

Also...if U2's POP is on there, then how the hell did Madonna's American Life avoid the list? I totally agree with that. I like Madonna, but let's face it, that album was a total flop. It didn't even go platinum.

newskin69 said:

The same can be said about Whitney's 'Just Whitney' which was her first not to go multi-platinum...

peace

newskin69 said:

More like $500,000 dollars to make the album and $25 to promote it
They didn't release any physical singles in the US, the video for "You Rock My World" was bullshit. They cancelled the single releases for "Unbreakable" and "Whatever Happens" which could've saved the album.

AS FAR AS THE BEASTIES- I DON'T CARE HOW MANY COPIES "LICENSED" SOLD, "PAUL'S" IS THE BETTER LP/CD!!!!!

VANITYSprisonBYTCH said:

Where do you get all this Soundscan info?

newskin69 said:

How the hell did History become considered a flop?
it sold 36 million (18 million coppies) units and is still the greatest selling double disc album of all time?
The revenue History got was incredible because the CD ,back in the day, cost 50 bucks to buy anyway

it sold 3.5 million in the U.S.
It would've sold even more if Sony decided to release another single, which it didn't, to accompany You are not alone.
But it still is the second highest grossing album for jacko since thriller.
where the hell did you get your sources
Certainly not a flop
nor a monumental flop lol
christ what is your criteria of a flop?

Dylan once said he intentionally made a bad album in order to shake off the heat at that time. He wanted 2 b less popular again.

I believe Dylan he's not like the others in the list, he has some integrity.

take Federline off the list. no one had ANY expectations for this scrub. affiliation with Britney notwithstanding. he had NOTHING to "follow-up"

datdude said:

word!

thedribbler said:

It's not like Stevie Wonder and Prince have any integrity at all.

EmbattledWarrior said:

I keep seeing this stated as a fact
but I've never read it anywhere else but here.
Could someone provide a link to back up this claim?