10 Most Disappointing Hard Rock Albums Ever Made

10. The Who By Numbers - The Who

Not many rock artists can claim to have reshaped the album experience quite like the Who did. Ever since the sounds of My Generation blew the doors wide open for them in the '60s, albums like Tommy and Quadrophenia were landmark achievements that set the standard of what the rock opera would become. When you go back to just your regular album though, it's hard to think of it as anything but a let down.

Whereas the other standalone Who albums like Who's Next still managed to be perfect from back to front, the Who By Numbers is almost exactly what the title implies...a more watered down version of what you've gotten before. That's not to say that there still aren't some standout tracks on here, with Slip Kid kicking everything off pretty nicely and songs like How Many Friends having the same kind of size and scope we got used to on Tommy.

However, the more listens of this record make it feel more and more like a comedown to the massive peak that Pete Townshend hit on his previous works, which would mark the first decline of the band after Keith Moon passed away a few years later. Even though this is still a great rock album, a band like the Who is definitely held at a higher standard than this.