10 Hated Rock Albums That Are A Lot Better Than You Remember
9. Kilroy Was Here - Styx
Like many of their '70s counterparts, Styx definitely had a bit of an adjustment when it came time to make music videos. Given that these weren't necessarily the most photogenic of people, the idea to have a fully-fledged concept album about the dangers of technology seemed at least passable at the outset. Instead, Kilroy Was Here ended up being the straw that broke the camel's back for most fans.
Granted, it's not hard to see why, with Mr. Roboto aging about as well as milk over the last 20 years. Weird musical theater aside, the rest of the album is actually fairly competent for a Styx album. Though the creative differences between Tommy Shaw and Dennis DeYoung are certainly showing, the results are amazing when they ignore the concept altogether on songs like Double Life and Don't Let It End.
Hell, even some of the more dorkier moments like J.Y. Young's evil character on Heavy Metal Poisoning ends up being so weird it comes back around into being endearing again. Though this album got your typical flogging from the critics, the real reason why this bombed so hard is because of its involvement in breaking up the band, with Shaw leaving afterward to form Damn Yankees. While the musicians themselves may not have been on the same creative page, Kilroy Was Here still has all the trappings that made a Styx record fun (and funny) to begin with.