8ball Tshirts Podcast

Deep Purple’s live album recorded in 1993 at the NEC in Birmingham, has been withdrawn by the band’s Ian Gillan who branded it as the biggest pile of crap ever to be squeezed out of the ageing heavy metal combo.

Gillan told the BBC that tensions within the band had led to an “awful” performance in Birmingham. “It was one of the lowest points of my life — all of our lives,”. Gillan said he and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore were barely on speaking terms at the time, a situation that “lasted five or six shows after that Birmingham show.”

Ian Gillian, we appreciate the honesty.

If only all artists were as truthful, owning up when a stinker album slips through the cracks. Deep Purple’s gesture got us at 8Ball thinking: Which albums by great artists should come with a sticker, like Parental Advisory, warning listeners that the music within isn’t that good? We picked a few, any comments please email us! We have been know to be wrong.
1. Bob Dylan & The Grateful Dead Dylan & The Dead
What looks incredible on paper sounds lazy and half-baked on record. We’re still curious as to why only Dylan standards were played, cold-shouldering an entire GD catalogue.

2. Pink Floyd Ummagumma: Studio
Two songs on the studio half of Floyd’s Ummagumma are excellent (”Grandchester Meadows,” “Narrow Way Pt. 3″), but unfortunately they’re surrounded down by silly solo experiments, cheesy orchestrations and a song that sounds like a Chipmunks’ Klan meeting.

3. KISS — Every album post-1979
The KISS repertoire started receding back into the sea of mediocrity somewhere between the ill-fated Paul Stanley and Peter Criss solo albums. Once their famed make-up came off, however, so did the vinyls off our turntables.

4. Velvet Underground Squeeze
VU without Lou Reed. Enough said.

5. The Kinks Preservation Act 1 and 2
Ray Davies’ overblown and borderline Broadway-esque concept album marks the decline of the Kinks. There are some good songs on Act 1, but not enough to warrant a second act.

6. Jethro Tull Under Wraps
The best band ever named after an agriculturalist, JT should have called it quits about eight years before this album came out. This record represents the absolute low-point in Ian Anderson and company’s hit-and-miss career. Of course, their next album Crest of the Knave, beat Metallica’s …And Justice for All for the 1989 Hard Rock Grammy, marking the absolute low-point of the Grammys.

7. David Bowie Tonight
It pains us to talk badly about any Bowie record, but this is the first album in what became a decade-long lull that made us think “Hey Dave, how about busting out Ziggy and taking some notes?” Please don’t hate us.
In other news

The Reliant Regal three-wheeler used in the hit TV comedy Only Fools and Horses has sold for more than £40,000! The battered van, emblazoned with the sign Trotters Independent Trading Co, went for £44,227 - more than double its original estimate. The Reliant, one of three used in the series, featured in the classic episode where characters Del Boy and Rodney dressed as Batman and Robin. Cushty, and indeed luvvly jubbly.
Also under the hammer at the car auction was a 1960s Batmobile which sold for almost £120,000. The vehicle, which had been estimated at £75,000, attracted overseas telephone bids but eventually sold to a bidder at the auction.
It was built in 1966 to tour the USA, promoting the TV series starring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as his sidekick, Robin.