Source link : https://las-vegas-news.com/8-albums-that-bombed-on-release-but-are-now-considered-classics/
Every so often, a record arrives too early for its own good. Critics shrug, radio ignores it, sales stay flat, and the artist moves on to the next thing, sometimes bitterly. Then, years or even decades later, a strange thing happens: musicians start citing the album as an influence, reissue labels notice growing demand, and suddenly it’s sitting near the top of “greatest albums ever” lists. The eight records below all followed that same quiet arc, from commercial disappointment to lasting reverence.
The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
When Verve released this record in March 1967, almost nobody bought it. The album first entered the Billboard album charts on May 13, 1967, at number 199 and left the charts on June 10, 1967, at number 195. A lawsuit over an uncleared photo forced Verve to pull copies from shelves for months, which did not help matters. Due to its abrasive, unconventional sound and controversial lyrical content, the album underperformed commercially and polarized critics upon release, and various record stores banned it while many radio stations refused to play it.
The album actually sold nearly double what legend suggests, 58,476 copies in its first two years, though it still peaked at only 171 on the Billboard chart. Decades on, the reassessment has been dramatic. In 2006, it was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress, and in 2008 it entered the…
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Author : Matthias Binder
Publish date : 2026-09-07 07:47:00
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