The common denominator here seems to be successful artists trying something new that didn't work out. I would rather them try and fail than just use the same formula over and over. Particularly if that formula is dictated from a corporate label trying to recreate whatever sound is selling at the moment. I remember when Pearl Jam got popular and suddenly there were 10 or 15 Eddie Vedder wannabes on the radio. I can't really tell the difference between Myley Cyruss, Arianna Grande, Katie Perry, or the other pitch software corrected songstresses these days. At the end of the day I admire originality and would rather listen to a bad Fleetwood Mac or Todd Rundgren album than any of those folks.
Established popular artists who released real stinkers
So yesterday, I was at my local library getting some beach reading material and out of curiosity, I checked out a copy of U2's "Songs of Innocence". I remember the controversy about U2 distributing the album to all Iphones without permission, but had not heard the release. I have been a fan of U2 from their very beginning and even in the past few years as they have aged, I have always found at least a couple of tunes on their releases that I enjoy. Man, does this album suck. I appreciate the fact that sometimes artists can no longer hit the high notes like they used to, but it seems to me that the best ones still manage to write compelling arrangements and create rewarding releases. It got me thinking, what are some other examples where artists have laid eggs to stink up an otherwise worthwhile body of work? Lou Reed's Lulu comes to mind.