Tenacious D.
–Tim
There are stupid Beatles songs, and then there are GOLD Beatles songs, like Yes It Is, Back in the USSR (a sort of Russian California Girls, in a way…), Across the Universe, If I Fell, Dear Prudence, Julia, I Am the Walrus, Fool on the Hill, Girl (a GREAT one), Good Night (a GREAT soothing lullaby sung by Ringo), Here There and Everywhere, Lovely Rita…etc etc.
I think the thing is, yes, some of the songs were mediocre, but look at the volume they put out over a long period of time, how they evolved (Going from Love Me Do to I Am the Walrus?)…how they influenced others…
Now, for most overrated? Try Nirvana and Kurt Cobain. PLEASE!!!
The most overrated band of all time:The Rolling Stones. Bunch of hacks. They suck!
The most underrated musician: Brian Setzer. That man can shred on a guitar.
The most under-rated: Even though EVERYONE has heard of him, no-one knows anything but “Valley Girl”. I’m talkin’ Frank Zappa, I’m talkin’ GOLD. This guy influenced every artist mentioned in this thread (excepting Elvis) to some extent.I could go on for days, but if you are unfamiliar with his work, try out “Roxy and Elsewhere” and “One Size Fits All”. These are both Masterpieces. “Roxy” is, hands down, the best live album ever recorded. “One Size Fits All”…just give it a listen. Especially “Inca Roads” and “Andy”. Wowie Zowie.
The most over-rated? Van Halen is waaaaaaay up there. So is Guns 'n Roses. But, so many bands are “over-rated”.
Most over-rated (but not bad)? The Smiths, The Doors.
Rickjay - I agree with you completely in that The Tragically Hip are one of the finest bands on this planet.
In Canada the Hip are almost a household name but are still relatively unknown in the U.S. Many Americans I know are huge fans of the Bare Naked Ladies but many of those have missed the wonder of The Hip.
I heard once that The Hip were too much like the much over-rated R.E.M. and that was one of the reasons they haven’t gotten as much exposure in the U.S. Pity.
I will add another Canadian band that people should listen to because they are simply fantastic. Wide Mouth Mason.
I have put many on the path to enlightenment and my friend Mike who lives in the Southern U.S. said it best after I sent him some material from The Hip and WMM. His response was simple and to the point: “Fucking incredible”. He went on to say that it was the best music he had heard in ages. New Orleans is Sinking is his new favourite song…
Canada rocks. We have a lot more going for us than dogsleds, great beer, and Celine Dion.
Note: The links provided will lead to to the official band sites… don’t blame me if you find you become mega fans.
I would also recommend “New Day Rising” By Husker Du, “Tim” by the Replacements and “Double Nickels on the Dime” by the Minutemen.
My 2 cents
Keith
I’ll see your ‘X’ and raise you an XTC. Why these guys aren’t mega-superstars I’ll never understand.
Most overrated: The Rolling Stones. Not a * bad * group, mind you, but certainly not nearly as good as their reputation…
There are so many under rated musicians. Those who were ahead of their time. Those who were incredibly influential yet never recieved the recognition they desereved. I’ll name a few, but of course I’m leaving dozens out.
Link Wray…THe man virtually invented fuzzzy guitar sounds. Hugely influential on the who and others.
Residents…They have influenced everyone from a to z.
Husker Du…just because Rasa says so.
Coldcut…where would sampling be without them?
Negativ Land…where would sampling be without them?
Big Boys…did the Red Hot Chile Peppers before the RHCP and did it much better. Can anyone not shake their booty to Hollywood swinging?
Los Lobos…sure they’re pretty well known. but people tend to forget what absolutely amazing musicians they are.
Faith No More…do I have to say anything?
Motorhead…Lemmy and crew are still at it, and realy should be multi-millionares by now, the fact that they aren’t just proves how unfair the world is
Meteors…Did psychobilly before the cramps and are frankly better than them. P.Paul.Fenech is a god.
Over-rated
Pink Floyd…yes they’re good and all but there are better psychadelic artists.
The Police…come on.
I’m gonna second Morph’s Rolling Stones
The sex pistols…punk would have been exactly the same without them
Grateful Dead…c’mon dude, They suck
Bob Marley…I love the guy. I love his music. But the whole cult around him is, frankly, creepy.
Some underrated bands are:
NOFX
Godspeed You Black Emperor!
At The Drive In
Refused (R.I.P)
Modest Mouse
Overrated bands are:
Radiohead
Nine Inch Nails (good, but overrated)
Rage Against The Machine
Metallica
And others already mentioned.
Sisters of Mercy. I don’t know why they never got bigger over here. I can listen to “Temple of Love” repeatedly, at full volume and always makes me feel great & drive faster.
I really like the Pogues, too, especially earlier stuff; more celtic-influenced.
Overrated? Where to begin. Madonna, Phish, the Police (after their first album}. The Who. Dave Matthews Band. Greatful Dead.
I’ll have to check out Husker Du now.
The three most underrated bands, IMHO, are:
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The Guess Who
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Cheap Trick
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The Dead Milkmen
Others include: -
Gordon Lightfoot
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Soul Asylum
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Joni Mitchell
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Frank Zappa
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Black Sabbath
I’m gonna have to say the Beatles as highly overrated.
As for must underrated I’ve said it before and I’m gonna say it again: Golden Earring. The only thing people know by them is Radar Love and Twilight Zone. They are a lot more diverse than that.
Wow, you guys have made some great picks. Luna, Television and XTC are all pretty high on my list. Another underrated band I just thought of was the Feelies. A nice cross between the VU and (good)R.E.M.
Crafter-Man…please tell me I’m not the only 22 year old who LIKES Gordon Lightfoot!
The Most UnderRated Songwriter/Musician in my opinion has got to be Neil Young. The man has shown many signs of genius, has wrote some incredible songs, can play the guitar like no one else, has had significant influence on many bands, and is almost never mentioned. I’m still waiting for a “Behind The Music” bio of him on VHI. (but they’re too involved in doing the Milli Vanilli Story to bother with him)
The Most OverRated Band, bar none, is The Ramones. They were nothing but a New Wave/Soft Punk/Pop Band. They rank right up there with Weird Al, and Gary Paxton in novelty acts. “Rock-n-Roll High School”? give me a break…
These guys have been given WAY too much credit for the garbage they put out. Second place would have to go to Nirvana.
Feh.
I’ll second that.
The Ramones influenced EVERY major punk band to come along in the late 70’s: the Sex Pistols, Clash, Buzzcocks, Undertones, etc. They didn’t take themselves as seriously, though, which opened them up to more ridicule than the others.
what about bon jovi? i could never understand why they werent ridiculed out of the music industry-yet there they were , performing on saturday night live-and making lame videos that looked like parodies of pretentious rock videos-
can someone explain their appeal to me, beyond john bon jovis good looks? they always seemed like guys acting like a rock band, not serious about the music, but their image first-
and you people who are saying the beatles are overrated, go rent “a hard days night” i admit paul mccartney wrote some shit in his later years but the beatles (and the stones) can never be OVER rated-
You certainly can’t overrate the Beatles from a historical standpoint. But, all the same, I don’t typically feel like listening to them. It’s like the notion that the Model T was certainly very important in the development of the automobile, but I don’t want to drive one.