# The musical artist you should love... but can't get into **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [June 4, 2020, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063 "2020-06-04T19:13:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/41 "2020-06-05T13:59:17Z")
In classical music, Delius and Rachmaninoff, I’ve tried, their music just leaves me cold. I’m sure Prince was a genius, but aside from a couple of the 80s hits which are sheer nostalgia, I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/42 "2020-06-05T14:00:45Z")
**Soundgarden** I was in high school when grunge hit. I wore out my cassette of Nevermind. Pearl Jam is in my top 3 all-time bands. I seem like the perfect target audience, but I just could never get into Soundgarden. Chris Cornell had a beautiful voice and I love Temple of the Dog, and some of his solo stuff. I don’t know why Soundgarden never clicked for me. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/43 "2020-06-05T14:06:02Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Rush. I should love Rush, people are often very surprised not only that I don’t like them, but that I actively dislike them. My problem with them is, 100%, Geddy’s voice. I just can’t get past it. I’ve even, a few times, turned on the radio to some great guitar solo or instrumental part of a song, wondering who it is, only to hear Geddy come shrieking back into the mix. > It seems to throw people even more that know my taste in music and know I like bands like Supertramp or Yes. I feel the same way and they are another example of what I was talking about. Great musicians, but never seem to come up with any songs that stood out. I tried hard when Sirius XM has a Rush station, but nothing ever worked for me. I love comic music like the Bonzo Dog Band and Tom Lehrer and even the Capitol Steps in their heyday, but Weird Al Yankovic never hits the mark. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/44 "2020-06-05T14:08:17Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Radiohead. I’ve tried, I swear! > [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > As for Radiohead: “The Bends” and “Ok Computer” are two of the best albums of the 90s, hands down. But I’ve got problems with the rest, maybe problems that have to do with the fact that their later albums weren’t as accessible as those two and I maybe haven’t given them enough time. All the critics have told me to listen to “Kid A” and further, but I just haven’t got into that. That’s what I was thinking. When someone doesn’t like Radiohead, my question is if they were listening to pre or post Kid-A music. Don’t get me wrong, OK Computer, The Bends and Pablo Honey are certainly not for everyone, but they took a hard left turn with Kid A. I know they gained some fans, but they lost a lot at the same time. I’ve listened to OK Computer hundreds, probably thousands of times (as well as the earlier two). When Kid A came out, I couldn’t do it. I did still see them on the tour that year, but I never given anything else from them a good listen. > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Ugh…never understood the attraction to them. > > I was totally fine with Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath and Judas Priest and AC/DC and Zeppelin and Rush and Thin Lizzy…to name a few. > > Fuck Kiss. It doesn’t help that their look says AC/DC, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden etc, but their sound (at least their radio hits) is just sorta meh. It’s just sorta the rock side of adult contemporary. [This picture](https://i.imgur.com/ydRVG8O.png) sums it up pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/45 "2020-06-05T14:17:15Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I feel the same way and they are another example of what I was talking about. Great musicians, but never seem to come up with any songs that stood out. I tried hard when Sirius XM has a Rush station, but nothing ever worked for me. This is me with The Grateful Dead. I’ve tried listening a few times but have just never understood the appeal. Several months ago they had a free week of Sirius XM so I put the car radio on the Grateful Dead station and listened whenever I was driving somewhere. Usually what was on was a live recording from somewhere back in the 70s and it just sounded like a bunch of boring guitar noodling. Maybe I just need to be high or tripping in order to “get it.” ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/46 "2020-06-05T14:18:15Z")
> [@gonzoron](#): > > **Soundgarden** > > I was in high school when grunge hit. I wore out my cassette of Nevermind. Pearl Jam is in my top 3 all-time bands. I seem like the perfect target audience, but I just could never get into Soundgarden. Chris Cornell had a beautiful voice and I love Temple of the Dog, and some of his solo stuff. I don’t know why Soundgarden never clicked for me. Soundgarden, especially compared to Nirvana or Pearl Jam had a very clean, polished sound. I could understand why someone really into grunge wouldn’t be in to them. It’s like comparing Metallica or Nine Inch Nails to other bands in their respective genres. Both of them had that clean, polished sound that made them a lot more accessible to the masses. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/47 "2020-06-05T15:16:12Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Soundgarden, especially compared to Nirvana or Pearl Jam had a very clean, polished sound. I could understand why someone really into grunge wouldn’t be in to them. It’s like comparing Metallica or Nine Inch Nails to other bands in their respective genres. Both of them had that clean, polished sound that made them a lot more accessible to the masses. See, now that’s weird, then. Because I love Metallica and Nine Inch Nails as well. And the Nirvana I like is the the slightly more polished stuff like Nevermind and In Utero. I’ve tried to force myself to listen to Bleach more than a couple times, I rarely make it all the way through, and I’ve never enjoyed the process. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/48 "2020-06-05T15:17:48Z")
Grimes. Should be right up there with all the indie dream pop I love. Hell, she’s even on 4AD. But do not want. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/49 "2020-06-05T15:24:20Z")
I graduated high school in '89. I’m supposed to love Bon Jovi, Poison, Cinderella, etc. Honestly, if I never hear anything from those kinds of bands again, I’d be fine. Also, college in the’ 90s, so REM is supposed to be my favorite band. They suck. Sent from my hand-held telephonic communication device using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/50 "2020-06-05T15:48:06Z")
> [@Author\_Balk](#): > > My favorites include Boston, Styx, Reo Speedwagon and Foreigner. I do not like Journey. It’s Steve Perry’s voice. Some of the earlier stuff is okay. I don’t ever want to hear Don’t Stop Believing again - but you can’t avoid it. Try their first three albums before Perry arrived. The vocalist was Gregg Rolie, who was the singer on early Santana albums. It’s effectively a different band. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/51 "2020-06-05T16:15:39Z")
Florida Georgia Line. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/52 "2020-06-05T17:07:19Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > In classical music, Delius and Rachmaninoff, I’ve tried, their music just leaves me cold. When I worked in the classical music business, an elderly music editor I very much esteemed declared Delius as “Whack-off music,” i.e. stuff that sounded pretty but had no depth. Try his “Florida Suite,” which sounds great the first dozen times you hear it but then you lose interest. Rachmaninoff’s piano shit is terrible, but he did do some interesting things…listen to the tone poem **The Isle of the Dead,** inspired by the famous Arnold Boecklin painting; the **Symphony No. 1;** the spooky **Symphonic Dances;** and the all-male choral work **Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.** If you share my love of dark, moody-ass stuff, you will enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2020, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/53 "2020-06-05T23:40:10Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Anyhow, the biggest one for me is Hüsker Dü. Everything about my musical tastes says I should like them. I have fairly eclectic tastes, but the early-to-mid-80s post/post-punk scene is some of my favorite music. i love Bob Mould’s work in Sugar. I just can’t listen to the Hüsker Dü albums. They do look like they put on a terrific show, but I just haven’t gotten into them from their studio work. A lot of people thought Grant Hart (RIP) was the true heart and soul of the band, but I disagree. It was Bob Mould. They could put any combination of musicians behind him, and it would still have that distinctive sound. Sugar’s albums are great. His solo work afterwards has, however, been very uneven. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2020, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/54 "2020-06-06T00:46:19Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > A lot of people thought Grant Hart (RIP) was the true heart and soul of the band, but I disagree. It was Bob Mould. They could put any combination of musicians behind him, and it would still have that distinctive sound. > > Sugar’s albums are great. His solo work afterwards has, however, been very uneven. I just had a listen to his newest, [“American Crisis”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD7TxGTPsV4&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3PvN4pmvuMMUoS15lKJX_mozmob13PmSZyMXZ80zdR7-VWDc68N8TlSp0) that he released two days ago on Youtube.On first listen, I’m quite enjoying it. ---
**Author:** ![cieskokid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cieskokid/32/5374_2.png) [@cieskokid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cieskokid)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2020, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/55 "2020-06-06T01:42:08Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I just had a listen to his newest, [“American Crisis”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD7TxGTPsV4&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR3PvN4pmvuMMUoS15lKJX_mozmob13PmSZyMXZ80zdR7-VWDc68N8TlSp0) that he released two days ago on Youtube.On first listen, I’m quite enjoying it. I’m w/you on Husker Du; pretty ok but not grabbin’ me by the ears. Sugar and the ''Copper Blue" album, however, is sonic perfection. 2yrs ago he did a killer set of songs on “Sunshine Rock”, that distinctive mix of dark & joyful songs Bob Mould does so well. And that distorted guitar…EXcellent! 🆒 https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZHQUyZnS7qo?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=PL3b6NfN5I8QNqY_d8U860dYAax6oYlA6a ---
**Author:** ![its\_the\_daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bb73d2/32.png) [@its\_the\_daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/its_the_daddy)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2020, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/56 "2020-06-06T07:58:17Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > Never did like Fleetwood Mac either, not really hard rock, but popular nonetheless. Stevie Nicks’ voice gives me a headache. But just listen to Christine. Now we could start a fight over this! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2020, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/57 "2020-06-06T21:31:34Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Rachmaninoff’s piano shit is terrible, but he did do some interesting things…listen to the tone poem **The Isle of the Dead,** inspired by the famous Arnold Boecklin painting; the **Symphony No. 1;** the spooky **Symphonic Dances;** and the all-male choral work **Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.** If you share my love of dark, moody-ass stuff, you will enjoy. LOVE the Symphonic Dances; never thought of them as “spooky”. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2020, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/58 "2020-06-06T21:35:55Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > This is me with The Grateful Dead… it just sounded like a bunch of boring guitar noodling. Just the other day I said I didn’t like the Dead’s “guitar noodling”! That was in the cover songs thread, where I mentioned that I’d tried to like them, but couldn’t. Then I heard Lyle Lovett do a moody “Friend of the Devil” from the album **Deadicated** (where Bruce Hornsby put new life into “Jack Straw”, and Burning Spear reggaefied “Estimated Prophet”). But that made me realize that I love Dead songs, just not Jerry’s voice or his interminable “guitar noodlings”. Can someone here invent easy PC software that’ll replace specific instruments/vocals? (to draw from this thread, I’d use it to listen to _Rush, but with Greg Rolie on vocals)._ ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2020, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/59 "2020-06-06T21:59:41Z")
70s Yes 80s Bauhaus/Public Enemy 90s Alice in Chains ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2020, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063/60 "2020-06-06T22:05:37Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > It doesn’t help that their look says AC/DC, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden etc, but their sound (at least their radio hits) is just sorta meh. It’s just sorta the rock side of adult contemporary. > [This picture](https://i.imgur.com/ydRVG8O.png) sums it up pretty well. The Nickelback of their era (oh yeah…I went there). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-musical-artist-you-should-love-but-cant-get-into/855063.md?page=4)