3 Rock Records That Were Made To Anger the Masses (And Succeeded)

Back in the day, a lot of rock records dropped and became massive hits overnight. Other rock records, however, were recorded specifically to anger their makers’ audiences, or at least a specific portion of them. And the following three albums that fit that bill became legendary anyway, despite the fact that they ruffled a few feathers. Let’s take a look!

‘In Utero’ by Nirvana (1993)

Nirvana’s final album was made with the assistance of Steve Albini. His expertise and lack of interest in ultra-commercial music was something that the band specifically wanted. It was the grunge outfit’s third album, following insane and massive mainstream success with Nevermind. Frontman Kurt Cobain was ready to go in a direction that would alienate a lot of his new “normie” fans. 

Albini’s original mix of the album was bleak, dirty, and raw. But Geffen Records made it clear that it was too much for bandwagon listeners. The mix was cleaned up by Scott Litt before it hit the shelves. The end result was still quite out there, and Cobain succeeded in giving a stiff middle finger to those fake fans.

‘Somewhere In England’ by George Harrison (1981)

The Beatles came to an end in 1970. They were fortunate enough to live in a time when record labels were still relatively hands-off. Especially if one had already proven their worth by being a member of the biggest band of the century. However, by the 1980s, labels were getting handsier, and George Harrison experienced it himself. 

If Somewhere In England was left alone, even without a radio-friendly hit single, it probably would have been a massive hit anyway. But the tampering and pushiness of Harrison’s label led it in a more cynical direction, one in which Harrison almost directly calls his fans stupid for listening to it. The lesson here is clear: If an artist doesn’t like the songs they are being told to make, neither will listeners.

‘Kid A’ by Radiohead (2000)

Following up something like OK Computer is no easy feat. Radiohead certainly followed it up, but they did so with an album that was way different from what anyone was anticipating. The band never really seemed interested in being appealing commercially, but they really drove home that point with Kid A. 

This 2000 art rock record is about as far from OK Computer as the group could get, and they fully leaned into electronic elements and jazz with this record. Naturally, plenty of listeners weren’t happy about how not-rock this only partially rock album sounded. But Radiohead didn’t care. This entry on our list of rock records made to anger audiences became a legendary part of their discography, and each album they released after would be another musical departure after another.

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