Since then, the gap between wretched and amazing has widened considerably and public taste has altered. Who knows; amongst the art-rock set, the sneezing recording would probably get many more props now than the nursery rhyme record. But whenever lists of albums are generated, the same few always get tossed into the ring of Worst Ever. In a collection entitled The Worst Rock n’ Roll Records of All Time [here's the actual book], authors Owen O’Donnell and Jimmy Guterman gleefully lampoon fifty albums they consider to be abysmal, while still saving room for worst single (Chuck Berry’s “My Ding-a-Ling”) and worst rock and roller ever (Billy Joel). This book was published in 1991, though, and much has changed since then. We’ve had tons of terrible music in the interim, and we’d have gripes with some of O’Donnell and Guterman’s choices regardless. Let’s look at (and reassess) some of their choices and add a few of our own.

#32 – Donovan, Donovan’s Greatest Hits

What they said: “Released at the peak of the wan singer’s popularity, Donovan’s Greatest Hits contains all the songs that made this fey Scotsman the darling of the hippie movement. Such credentials necessitate his inclusion here.”

What we think: Okay, so Donovan was no Dylan, and the famous folk-battle between the two is uncomfortably documented in the film Don’t Look Back. However, these songs – all written by Donovan himself – might not boast generation-defining levity, but they aren’t bad songs by any stretch of the imagination. “Sunshine Superman” and “Mellow Yellow” aren’t aspiring for much other than a good melody and a pleasurable listening experience, and succeed on those fronts. His music still has an audience in freak-folkers and psych rock bands, to say nothing of pop fans of all ages.

The Verdict: Look past the hippie signifiers and you’ll find solid tunes. Searching for really weak sixties pop? Look no further than The Strawberry Alarm Clock.

#28 – The Beach Boys, Still Cruisin’

What they said: “For those waiting for the Beach Boys to hit rock bottom, the suspense ended with the release of this record.” “Still Cruisin’ paired seven recent recordings (four of which had already been released) with three unassailable Beach Boys classics from the sixties, which were included in this set under the dubious proposition that they had been heard in recent films.”

What we think: Egad, this was a very low point for our favorite beach balladeers. Indeed, this record is such a cheap cash in that 15 Big Ones looks like Smile by comparison. But seriously folks, it’s the new stuff set against the old that really smarts – the only way to really make “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” sound even more amazing would be to pair it with a composition as poor as “Make It Big” from the Troop Beverly Hills soundtrack.

The Verdict: Looking for the worst Beach Boys record is a sadist’s task, and it’s bad enough watching Mike Love mug with The Fat Boys in the following video. Still, it’s among many lows of the band’s eighties career, which also includes Love’s solo album Looking Back with Love and albums like Keepin’ the Summer Alive. While Still Cruisin’ is still wretched all these years later, it's arguably not the most wretched.

#23 – Van Dyke Parks, Song Cycle

What they said: “Allegedly pieced together over four years, Song Cycle’s twelve overorchestrated tracks are rampant with bad rhymes sung in a fey voice designed to make you say, ‘Oh gosh, what a genius.’ Instead, you lose interest after the first two minutes.”

What we think: Ouch, fellas! Maybe it’s the Donovan cover, but something about Song Cycle really seems to have rubbed O’Donnell and Guterman the wrong way. To a certain extent, we get it. Parks played the part of disaffected intellectual almost too well, clinging to cheekiness and deliberately obfuscating lyrics that occasionally revealed more style than substance.

The Verdict: On the other hand, it’s tough to argue with a song as great as “Widow’s Walk,” “overorchestrated” or not. He may be overrated, but Song Cycle is a fine Parks record. Like other once-ignored ‘60s records like Begin by Millenium, Song Cycle is dated in parts, but still forward-thinking and a joy to hear. No way is this even close to being one of the worst rock records ever.

#16 and #17 – The Shaggs, Philosophy of the World, Shaggs’ Own Thing

What they said: “This bad record sounds like nothing else in the history of the universe. It’s a true original: listen to it and you’ll doubt that the Shaggs ever heard any music other than their own. You might also doubt that they were holding their instruments correctly."

What we think: The trio of sisters who make up The Shaggs - Dorothy, Betty and Helen – really seem to have scrapped the music-making formula that preceded them and come up with something else entirely. But in reality, they were just under-rehearsed kids who had the passion but only a semblance of the skills required to write music.

The Verdict: If anything has deserved “so bad it’s good” status, it is the music of The Shaggs, whose songs are bizarre but totally genuine. For either of their records to truly be considered the Worst Ever, they'd have to cling to artifice, irony, and/or pretend to be something they aren’t. Instead, these funny, odd little numbers have influenced a ton of bands, if only because The Shaggs were fearless enough to not let chops or wide-eyed honesty stand in the way of making a record. Worse than The Shaggs: almost every prog rock record.

#13 – Queen, Queen II

What they said: “Their most uproarious early record was Queen II. It may have been intended as a rock opera, but we’re just guessing: song titles like ‘The Fairy Feller’s Master Stroke’ and ‘Ogre Battle’ seemed to be part of some grand Beowulf-devolved good-versus-evil tale, but they don’t make any sense, internal or related.”

What we think: As mentioned previously, The Worst Records of All Time was published in 1991, the year lead singer Freddie Mercury died. Since then, two things have happened. One, it has become totally not okay to talk shit about Queen. Ever. And secondly, much of the band’s material has been forgotten and/or reduced to just the band’s foot-stomping stadium singalongs or pop nuggets. When people think of Queen, they think about “We Will Rock You” or “Fat Bottomed Girls.” They don’t think about “Ogre Battle.” They just don’t.

The Verdict: For all its overblown fantasy leanings, at least we’re not talking about a record by Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Queen II sounds pretty awesome by comparison.

#3 – Bob Dylan, Self-Portrait

What they said: “This album represents the most precipitous drop, the most astonishing stumble by a major performer in rock-and-roll history (Elvis’ fall was more gradual). Only four years after providing rock with its signature double album, Blonde on Blonde, Dylan now offered up what remains its most disappointing."

What we think: People love to hate this record. After catapulting Dylan to ridiculous heights, this spotty effort was seen as both a betrayal and the worst sort of over-indulgence (it is called Self-Portrait, after all). It’s fun to make fun of this record, but the truth is it’s neither a lost classic nor a total piece of crap. The covers are sometimes sloppy, like “The Boxer,” or just boring, like “Days of ’49.” Otherwise, it’s just hit or miss. The first track “All the Tired Horses” is constantly maligned, but it’s nice enough, and covers like “Copper Kettle” are endearing.

The Verdict: It may be lame, but it’s nowhere near as bad as some of his other work, or the eighties output of certain performers (ahem, Bowie) who really lost their bearings. It’s not Dylan’s fault he didn’t live up to the hype that he didn’t ask for in the first place.

A few we’d add: Winger by Winger, anything by the Insane Clown Posse, Look What the Cat Dragged In by Poison, It Had to Be You: the Great American Songbook by Rod Stewart. Oh, and Radiohead's Kid A.