# Bands that SHOULD be one hit wonders **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 16, 2004, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964 "2004-11-16T00:42:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Chastain86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/61 "2004-11-16T20:02:13Z")
I posted here once that I didn’t particularly like the Beatles. You’d have thought I suggested raping kittens on Pay-Per-View. ---
**Author:** ![JDeMobray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@JDeMobray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JDeMobray)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/62 "2004-11-16T21:59:09Z")
Pearl Jam - AC/DC of the early 90s. As someone who was in high school in Seattle in the early 90s, you would think I would be genetically predisposed to liking atonal mush-mouthed ramblings. And I do, I like exactly one Pearl Jam song. Which one? I don’t care, they’re all pretty much identical. ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/63 "2004-11-16T22:29:11Z")
Everyone knows that The Beatles were a one-trick repetitive pony, whereas Judas Priest and Tears for Fears revolutionized rock with each new album. :rolleyes: Sheesh… No one has to like The Beatles certainly… but the claims that they didn’t do much of anything innovative are absurd. And then to cite TfF and JP as counterpoints?! Are we being whooshed? I’d say The Cars had about about 4 great songs, which is 4 more than most 80s bands. Acts that should be on this list: Kansas (I may hear some negative feedback on that) Cranberries Abba (pick a song, any song) Waitresses (Xmas novelty got them 2) Royal Guardsmen (squeezed out the same Snoopy song 4 times) Sham 69 (nothing beyond “Borstal Breakout” was necessary) Siouxsie & the Banshees (should’ve quit after “Hong Kong Garden”) Jimmy Reed :eek: (innovator with the walking bass line… amazing how many hits you can squeeze out of that one idea) which means we should also include Chuck Berry :eek: :eek: :eek: for the triplets monomania…unless “My Ding-a-Ling” really excites you most reggae bands (actually we could probably have about a half-dozen reggae _songs_ in total and call it a day) The Madness, Specials, and any other white neo-ska band… actually we could combine them into one song and pull the plug I’d continue but that’s probably enough mortal enemies for one day. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/64 "2004-11-16T22:41:09Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > Yeah, I and 8 million others bought the album on the strength of “Mr. Jones” and were staggered to learn how awful their other songs were. No wonder the second album tanked. As I learned, they actually have a very strong following on college campuses to this day. I haven’t heard too much of their newer stuff, but it’s not awful. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/65 "2004-11-16T23:02:46Z")
[Ghost of Lissener]\*It’s an _Evil Planet_ - It’s a \*Beatle Planet![/Ghost of Lissener] I just wanted to point out that anyone who’s nominated an artist & posted to this thread is essentially saying: **I don’t think the works of** _**(Insert Band Name Here)**_ **are good enough that they deserve the praise (and royalties) from the masses**\*. \*Bear in mind: The masses are also know as the general record-buying public. (The same group who made songs like _Disco Duck, Candle in the Wind, Jenny From The Block, (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, Who Let The Dogs Out?, Lady In Red and Puppy Love_ big hits). ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/66 "2004-11-16T23:26:52Z")
The Beatles were good musicians and very influential, true, but they didn’t have an ounce of soul between them. F’rinstance, listen to the Beatles’ version of it, then listen to the Wilson Pickett version. There. Is. No. Comparison. The former makes me think, “hey, clever song.” The latter makes my hair stand on end and tears come to my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/67 "2004-11-16T23:36:39Z")
> [@Crandolph](#): > > Abba (pick a song, any song) No way. With just one song you can’t appreciate the subtlety of their grand design. Their first big hit was _Waterloo_, this made the English love them, but pissed off the French. So they had to write _Voulez Vous_ to win them over. And then there were _Fernando_ and _Chiquitita_, until their Super-[storm]-Troopers had swept over all of Western Europe. One-hit wonders, indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/68 "2004-11-16T23:39:15Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > The Beatles were good musicians and very influential, true, but they didn’t have an ounce of soul between them. F’rinstance, listen to the Beatles’ version of it, then listen to the Wilson Pickett version. There. Is. No. Comparison. The former makes me think, “hey, clever song.” The latter makes my hair stand on end and tears come to my eyes. My, my. What a retarded post. I meant, “F’rinstance, listen to the Beatles’ version of _Hey Jude_, then listen to the Wilson Pickett version.” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/69 "2004-11-16T23:43:58Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > My, my. What a retarded post. I meant, “F’rinstance, listen to the Beatles’ version of _Hey Jude_, then listen to the Wilson Pickett version.” Yes, songs do tend to lose something in their original versions by their composers. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/70 "2004-11-16T23:56:22Z")
> [@Crandolph](#): > > Yes, songs do tend to lose something in their original versions by their composers. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: They certainly sometimes do. Or, to put it in other words, sometimes someone comes along and does a _better job_ with a song than the composer. Pickett came along and put that song to bed. Made it his own. The Beatles’ version is pale and clunky by comparison. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/71 "2004-11-17T00:04:11Z")
Alanis Morissette - “You Oughta Know” was great, but I never liked anything else she did. Stone Temple Pilots - I really, really liked “Big Bang Baby” (probably because it sounded like Redd Kross and not STP) but could have done without the numerous Pearl Jam/Soundgarden/Alice in Chains soundalikes. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/72 "2004-11-17T00:06:58Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > :rolleyes: They certainly sometimes do. Or, to put it in other words, sometimes someone comes along and does a _better job_ with a song than the composer. And then, there’s Joe Cocker. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/73 "2004-11-17T01:16:10Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > If you can’t acknowledge those two beginning points, then you’ll find that you’re going to have a very difficult time being taken seriously about anything else. But, you see, when people don’t agree with those two beginning points, they don’t care if people who hold them dear “take them seriously” or not. I like the Beatles well enough. I wouldn’t choose a Beatles cd for my desert isle. In fact, I doubt one would make my top 100 (not surprising since at least half would be operas). Personally, I think Beethoven was the be all and end all, if it comes to that. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/74 "2004-11-17T01:21:54Z")
> [@Crandolph](#): > > Yes, songs do tend to lose something in their original versions by their composers. :rolleyes: The original isn’t _always_ the best. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/75 "2004-11-17T01:26:13Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > The original isn’t _always_ the best. The classic example: “All Along the Watchtower”. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/76 "2004-11-17T01:28:45Z")
I was trying to think of an example, that’ll do nicely. We’ve had loads of “Covers That Are Better Than the Originals” threads around here. For that matter, Hendrix’s version of The Star-Spangled Banner _WAY_ better than the original. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/77 "2004-11-17T03:16:01Z")
OK, Moderator chiming in here, perhaps a little late, but better late than whatever. DING! ::: ringing moderator bell ::: Personal insults are NOT tolerated in Cafe Society. See [Forum Rules: PLEASE READ](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=286554), and note the section “On Good Manners and Common Courtesy”. You can attack the Beatles’ works all you want, but you cannot attack a poster who likes/dislikes the Beatles. I trust the distinction is clear. Behave. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/78 "2004-11-17T03:31:43Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > The classic example: “All Along the Watchtower”. Most any Dylan tune that’s more famous for someone else’s cover is so for a good reason. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/79 "2004-11-17T03:36:39Z")
C’mon, everyone who doesnt agree that the early Beatles oeurve is actually a brilliant parody is a :wally Okay, folks, if you’re gonna hijack, do it right. How could you let this thread devolve into the mention of “artists that only ever put out one song, dozens of times?” without mentioning **Z.Z. Top**? ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964/80 "2004-11-17T03:44:12Z")
( **Bubbadog** steps in sees the ugliness that is unfolding in what should be a good subject thread, checks for mods, and against his better judgement, puts his jr. plastic mod hat on) [jrplasticmodhaton] C’mon kids. Let’s just all agree that some people don’t like the Beatles, that other people have some compelling reasons to submit that the Beatles weren’t repititious, while others think that they are (and I’m suspecting Paul M’s voice may be the reason behind latter) [/jrplasticmodhat] I’m all for Britney Agulera Lo being a one-hit-wonder [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-should-be-one-hit-wonders/274964.md?page=5)