The Smiths - love Johnny Marr, get the influence they had, but can’t listen to Morrissey sing without giggling.
That’s exactly the same reason why I love them! Fun. 
Yes, my aforementioned friend and I agree on our dislike of Costello. He has a couple songs I like, but in general I find him to be obnoxious and his lyrics to be overly clever and overwritten. (Different from the overwriting I perceive in Dylan at times. Costello tries to be clever and arch. Dylan doesn’t do that, but often I feel, "Enough images for one song, dude–overkill!)
Agree about U2. They used to seem like rock gods; now they seem fairly ridiculous. The whole iTunes ordeal in no way enhanced their image.
Same for me, including the turning point.
I was never a fan to begin with but some of their early 80s stuff was good. I don’t actively seek it out but I’ll listen to it if it comes on the radio. But everything that came after 1985 ? Bland - and I know that includes some albums that are considered masterpieces. Their music is never really bad but it’s never really good either.
Of all the bands that got huge when I was a kid, I’d never have thought that U2 would be the one still with hundreds of millions of fans 35 years later.
When U2 were a tidy little post-punk guitar band in the same league as say Echo and the Bunnymen, they were fine. Their first four studio albums were fine. Then with *The Joshua Tree * they became huge, but through a manufactured portentousness that meant they had to An Important Rock Band. Also Bono is a prannet.
Metallica and nirvana , and I love elvis costellos faster stuff but I only listen to a whole album once because his original slow songs become dirges …
U2’s big message is Uplift. It is not the typical message of Rock, which is more about danger and rebellion. Springsteen is another big Uplift guy. Both got huge, but Bruce stayed focused on his Pete Seeger roots and 9/11 gave him a focus, too. Bono got his colored Bulgari shades and his Evolution Capital venture portfolio of investments - it is hard to preach uplift to the common man through (literally) rose-colored glasses.
NAFfy - so, seriously, you hear stuff like Girlfriend in a Coma, or Unhappy Birthday, giggle, and come out the other side liking The Smiths? Totally cool; it just doesn’t compute for me.
Pretty much. I don’t know if they were intending to be funny, I always assumed they were taking the piss. It’s teen angst taken to the level of absolute absurdity.
Come on, “Girlfriend in a coma, I know I know, it’s serious.” It’s dark humor, but that’s funny stuff right there. No? Different strokes.
Believe me, I am totally there with you, but the sheer earnestness (earnesty? ;)) of his adoring fans give me pause.
In another current thread about cringe-worthy moments, someone cites Van Halen’s goofy, bad-rented-tux “dance” bit in the Hot For Teacher video. It’s the first time I ever considered that someone might take that as a serious thing. It’s intentionally dopey, back when DLR was cool and he made sure we were in on his joke, not laughing at him.
It’s kinda the opposite for me and The Smiths: I hear the lyrics, start giggling, but feel like I look around at other listeners and they have that “It’s NOT funny!!” look on their faces. She’s in a coma, you heartless dolt!!!
Of the ones mentioned in this thread, I’d also have to go with:
Dylan. In the other Dylan thread, I mentioned I am trying to educate myself a bit more, and I’ve purchased Highway 61 and Blood on the Tracks. It’s still not clicking, but I’m warming to it a bit more, I guess. I have to agree with the OP that that signature Dylan harmonica annoys the shit out of me. It’s not like I don’t like folk/folk-influenced music. I love Leonard Cohen, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger. There’s just a failure to connect on my part with Dylan, for whatever reason.
CCR - Nice couple of songs, but they all start to sound the same to me after awhile. Hearing a single from time to time on the radio works for me, but I found a CCR album in my wife’s car and tried listening to it, and I discovered I can’t go more than two or three CCR songs in a row before I need to turn on something else.
Grateful Dead - In college, I discovered Phish and actually liked them quite a lot. Even played in a jam band myself. And I still enjoy Phish from time to time despite my usual music soundtrack being late 70s and early 80s post-punk/new wave. But despite Phish being spiritual successors to the Dead, I never found much interest in the Dead. Perhaps I needed to go to a show, but my enjoyment of Phish was through their recorded material (I only saw one show of theirs, and actually was one of my favorite concert memories, despite not indulging in any psychoactive substances. 
)
And my original contribution to the thread:
Hüsker Dü. I’ve mentioned this on the Dope in similar threads before. This is a band I should love, based on the music I’m into and based on the tastes of my peers who have similar listening habits to mine. Bob Mould solo and Sugar click with me, but, no matter how hard I try, I can’t say the same about HD. In an abstract sense, I can hear why I should love it, but, for whatever reason, I don’t. It’s filed under artists I intellectual respect but emotionally don’t connect to. My theory is the studio recording are just so shitty (and I generally do prefer lower-fi recordings) that I can’t get past it and really feel the music. Perhaps if I saw them live in their heyday. Who knows.
I’m with you there. The Smiths are one of my favorite artists and I can listen to their albums or greatest hits compilations all day. Morrissey is a funny guy in his lyrics. I adore his wordplay, absurdity, and historical and literary allusions.
:smack:
I don’t quite get those people. I sort of always felt like they were the ones being made fun of and then they inexplicably became fans.
Okay, I feel better. I still can’t listen to them for more that a song or two, but I will try again with a bit more awareness that it’s not just me.
puly - as always, you sound like a true music guy sorting out what works for you. I don’t always agree with your conclusion (I love CCR and think the Dead are talentless hacks who got lucky, so no real appreciation there for me) but respect your process.
I will say that Dylan is worth it. I listen to Don’t Think Twice, and Tangled Up in Blue as my gateway into him. I really want to spend more time digging in.
Now Sting has proven his ability to craft a song and I deeply respect that, but I hate his material post-Police.
The Beatles. O.K., I get it… clever song writing, very imaginative, and McCartney is a masterful bass player. But I just can’t get into it. Most of it sounds like TV commercial jingles to my ears.
Jimi Hendrix. A fantastic guitarist, obviously. But his songs seem to be nothing more than vehicles for showcasing his talent. By contrast, Cream was much better balanced; each player was equally superb.
For Puly and anyone else who is interested :
Blood on the Tracks and Highway 61 are great albums, but not ones I would recommend for people who are just starting to listen to Dylan.
Highway 61 is him figuring stuff out in public and Blood on the Tracks is so personal that I don’t think it’s very accessible unless you are familiar with his stuff.
Personally I would recommend Blond on Blond if you like Dylan as an electric musician. Or Bring it All Back to Home if you want more of the protest angry Dylan who is still a bit folksy (this is earlier than Highway 61 but is a bit more straightforward and accessible half acoustic half electric). If you want his stuff that straight up sounds like Woody Guthrie I would go with The Freewheeling Bob Dylan.
But I always start people off with Blond on Blond. I figure if you can listen to the first 5 songs on that and not walk away at least a little bit of a fan it’s not ever going to be for you.
He just tries to be clever 
There are times that Costello captures the “punk” essence for intellectuals, i.e. making a double entendre in the same way that other punks would trash the stage in a form of tearing everything down. That said, I do think that there are times that Elvis and Bob are both too clever for their own good.
See, Blood on the Tracks is actually the one I’m digging over Highway 61 so far. I’ll take the suggestion of Blond on Blond, too, and see if that clicks even more.
Really surprising to hear this - I think the only reason we think about Jimi’s guitar is because it is showcased in such durable, thoughtful songs. The Wind Cries Mary? Castles Made of Sand? Love em.
I would argue that Eddie Van Halen and Stevie Ray are equally revered for their playing because it (their playing) is presented in songs that stand out for their genres and have endured.
See also: Jimmy Page.