Encore

[VanillaSkittlez]

I'm a little confused as to why Eminem has such varied opinions on Encore. Because on Relapse, he says in Careful What You Wish For:

"They call the Slim Shady LP the greatest,
The Marshall Mathers was a classic,
The Eminem Show was fantastic,
But Encore just didn't have the caliber to match it,
I guess enough time just ain't past yet,
A couple more years that shit'll be Illmatic."

Yes, I realize that was part of his bashing towards critics and their responses to his albums in the past, but there was obviously some intention behind it; I don't think he would compare Encore to one of the greatest rap albums in history for no reason.

Now, we go to Recovery, and hear him not only rip apart Relapse on Cinderella Man and Not Afraid, but also Encore on Talkin' To Myself:

"It's different; them last two albums didn't count:
Encore I was on drugs, Relapse I was flushing 'em out.
I've come to make it up to you, no more fucking around,
I've got something to prove to fans cause I feel like I've let 'em down,
So please accept my apology; I finally feel like I'm back to normal:
I feel like me again..."

Clearly, to say Encore "Didn't count" and that he let the fans down with those albums is quite a big change in heart from his words on Relapse which, do notice, was only a year before Recovery came out.

Therefore, back to my point: Why the sudden change of heart? Why did the new image of Recovery spur the dissuasion of liking Encore or not?

TL;DR: Eminem liked Encore on Relapse but didn't like it on Recovery. Why?

[SG.]

Recovery was "our" album. The fans didn't like Encore or Relapse so he tried to appease to them. In a Complex interview for BME promo, he said he liked Relapse, which only proves my point.

Also, CWYWF was recorded in '07 (I think). Drugs = bad opinion

[Relapse.]

Yeah Encore is not one of his greatest..
Big Weenie, Rain Man (Not that bad of a song tbh), Puke, and Evil Deeds are sort of frowned upon in today's society.

[Solace]

CAUSE I FORGOT MY NAMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[_Hawk_]

In CWYWF he still acknowledges that Encore was a weak album. The point he is making is the revisionary process over his albums: after a couple of year, people and critics reassess their opinions and start saying that his current work is lacking in comparison to record's which, previously, were slated for very similar reasons.

Relapse is the most tangible example today. When it was released it was slated: now that enough time has passed, people have deconstructed it almost to anhialation to show where it excels.

I think the compounding factor is that Recovery was produced for appeasement. He's ackowledging where he has fallen off, which some may commend, but the extent to which he does it almost puts the nail in the coffin for any music he made between 04-09. As an artist, I don't think an album like Recovery is in any way beneficial unless you want to be called a sell-out.

[Kill You]

He bashed Encore (rightfully so) and Relapse to please the fans.

[UofLCard]

Yeah Encore is not one of his greatest..
Big Weenie, Rain Man (Not that bad of a song tbh), Puke, and Evil Deeds are sort of frowned upon in today's society.

I don't mind Evil Deeds, but it's songs like My First Single that make me go

[_Hawk_]

A seperate album called 'fucking around in the lab' would have been a perfect resort for his drugged-out tracks.