Top 10 Albums That Bands and Artists Jumped the Shark

Some albums are turning points of bands and recording artists that become so well known that it's too impossible for them to discard it. But some albums can be considered to be a "jump the shark" moment, when the band begin to realise that their popularity is declining. 

Here's my list of ten albums that jumped the shark:

10. Adore by The Smashing Pumpkins (1998)

The Chicago-based alternative rock band, fronted by the virtuous Billy Corgan had a minor chart success with their 1991 debut Gish, then began to breakthrough with the 1993 album Siamese Dream and grew the beard with Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness two years later. However their popularity began to crack when drummer Jimmy Chamberlain overdosed on drugs with touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin, resulting in Melvoin's death on July 12, 1996 and Chamberlain's dismissal the same time even though he remained close friends with Corgan.

Corgan alongside with bassist D'arcy Wretzky and rhythm guitarist James Iha vowed to continue The Smashing Pumpkins as a trio and the band's musical style began to evolve as Corgan decided to have electronic elements for their next album. Soon the trio alongside with Chamberlain's replacement Matt Walker recorded the gothic rock-meets-electronic rock song "The End Is the Beginning Is the End" for the 1997 film Batman and Robin. 

Despite the film becoming a critical disaster, the soundtrack was a surprise hit and the single was a Top 40 hit in several countries except their native United States, which the single only became hit in the rock and dance charts during late spring 1997. The new trio line-up began recording their fourth album Adore, which was a complete departure from their usual dream pop-influenced music. The next album was heavily influenced by electronica and was released on June 1998, alongside with "Ava Adore". 

Although Adore was critically acclaimed, the album alienated fans as they wanted a proper album by the band, not a electronica-influenced album they had hated. Because of this, it was the moment that the Pumpkins jumped the shark as the album was a commercial disaster. Corgan would admit Adore as "a band falling apart". 

Indeed, the next album, which marked a return of Chamberlain, but at the same time Wretzky was sacked and replaced by ex-Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur, Machina/The Machines of God was a commercial failure and that led the band break up in 2000, but Corgan reformed the band with Chamberlain in 2006 and the band regained critical success with the 2012 album Oceania.

9. One Hot Minute by Red Hot Chili Peppers (1995)

Who could remember a RHCP album recorded without guitarist John Frusciante? Well apart from their recent album and their first three albums, there was one. You guessed it, One Hot Minute. The band's popularity peaked with the 1992 hit single "Under the Bridge". 

However, Frusciante was uncomfortable with the band's popularity so he left the band that same year and the band began to a rotating line of guitarists such as future Macy Gray guitarist Arik Marshall (for those of you don't know who Marshall was, he alongside with the band appeared in The Simpsons episode "Krusty Gets Kancelled"), who stayed with the band for a year then future Alanis Morissette guitarist Jesse Tobias was with the band for a brief time until the band finally hired Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction (which at the time, had broken up) as their new guitarist.

Unlike Frusciante, Navarro was not influenced by funk rock, since his then-former band was an alt-metal band. So because of this, the band's style had changed to more darker and edgier sound, as Navarro's main influences were classic rockers Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page (from Led Zeppelin) alongside with gothic rock guitarists Robert Smith (from The Cure) and Daniel Ash (from Bauhaus). The album was caused by lead singer Anthony Kiedis' drug relapse in 1994, but the production still continued.

One of the first live performances by the new lineup was memorable at the 1994 Woodstock Festival, when the band wore lightbulb costumes and debuted songs from One Hot Minute. The album was the band's sixth album and it was released on September 12, 1995 to a polarising response from critics and longtime fans. Some longtime fans criticised the album for ditching their funk roots to a more alternative metal sound.

Also the album was less successful commercially than Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The band's Navarro era went worse in 1997, when the band had to cancel several dates from their tour due to preparing to record their next album with Navarro. However in 1998, due to conflicts and his ongoing drug conflicts after recording one song ("Circle of the Noose") for what could have been the follow-up to One Hot Minute, Navarro was sacked on April of the same year and Frusciante returned to the band at the same time after successfully going to rehab in order to end his ongoing drug problems.

After this, the reformed Blood Sugar Sex Magik line-up recorded the true follow up to One Hot Minute, titled Californication, which was released in 1999 to critical and commercial success. The line-up would continue until 2009 when Frusciante mutually left the band to concentrate on his solo career as an experimental rock artist and would later be replaced by fellow friend and touring guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.

8. Damita Jo by Janet Jackson (2004)

Remember a Janet Jackson album coming out the same year as the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy.

7. Return of Saturn by No Doubt (2000)

6. Beautiful Garbage by Garbage (2001)

5. Rebirth by Lil Wayne (2010)

4. Mind Blowin' by Vanilla Ice (1994)

3. Brave by Jennifer Lopez (2007)

2. St. Anger by Metallica (2003)

1. Results May Very by Limp Bizkit (2003)