My last job had some curated closed intranet radio stations and the classic rock station loved the Dead. I had the station on all the time, and inevitably when I found myself getting into a bad mood I’d check and one of their songs would be playing. Like other people up thread I also don’t care for Radiohead or Rush (both due to the vocals), but I fucking loathe the Grateful Dead.
Meddle. The song is Echoes. I had a very nice …experience listening to that song one time.
No, not that! Get your minds out of the gutter.
Genesis and Phil Collins in particular. A lot of Collins’ solo work seems overwrought and maudlin to me.
Neil Young. Can’t believe he’s still around and still revered by many. That whiny voice that sounds like a cat that got its tail caught under a rocking chair. Ugh.
In discussions like this, someone always mention the Beatles, and how they just don’t understand why they were so great. Like Elvis before them, the Beatles were a generational thing. You had to be there at the right time, at the right age, to have appreciated them. I was 11 when they hit America, and 17 when they broke up. They defined my teenage years.
But even then, I knew white kids who didn’t like the Beatles. Many of them preferred Motown and Soul music, which as a Rocker, I didn’t appreciate at all.
You also have to be aware how dire Pop music was in 1963. The last four weeks of that year, America’s number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 was “Dominique” by the Singing Nun, a cloying ditty sung in French. Give that a listen and you might appreciate what a shot of excitement the Beatles brought about when they hit in February 1964.
Every Rush song is ruined as soon as Geddy Lee opens his mouth. They should have hired a singer intead of trying to stay a three member band. They could have been great, instead they suck, all because of Geddy Lee.
Steely Dan. Rush. Eagles. Interesting that autocorrect filled those in.
Well, since we’re not allowed to dispute prior entries, I’ll hold back on a few counter-arguments, and for that matter, what music does and doesn’t work tends to be intensely personal, and often divided by age and age of exposure.
Having said that, as a freshly minted 50, I like a lot of what was considered classic rock by the time of my youth (the 80s mostly), but one group that never worked for me was The Beach Boys.
Even during the worst of the mindless, weird, and aggressively marketed pop of that era, every time their music showed up it seemed like entitled, self indulgent, maudlin crap.
Oh yeah. I think he’s always tried to sing higher than his natural range, and it sounds like someone’s got his nuts in a vise. Instant channel switch for me, which is a shame because I like the songs. If only someone else had sung them …
I agree. I never understood the love for them and the reverence for Pet Sounds. God Only Knows is a good song but that’s about it.
There’s a difference between musical improvisation and just making shit up with no discipline or professionalism.
Someone should have told the Grateful Dead that.
Not to say they were without talent or ability, but I have no interest in listening to their lazy, phoned-in from-their-drugged-out-stupor crap.
The Stones. Jagger is the worst singer of all time and I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about his dancing.
[Moderating]
You are, of course, free to call the Rolling Stones shitty, and to say that Mick Jagger is ugly, old, and incapable of dancing. But we have a rule against deliberately misgendering people, and the way that you did so is particularly misogynistic, which is something that we’re especially cracking down on. This is a Warning for misogynistic misgendering.
I don’t agree about Geddy Lee, but I feel the same way about Steve Perry. I’d rather listen to a chainsaw on concrete, and I wouldn’t like Journey songs if anyone else sang them anyway.
As I (and others) said, there is no debating taste. I guess I didn’t understand the precise basis for your dislike for Prince.
-Is it that you consider him self-indulgent? Not exactly unheard of among musicians. 
His later albums were less interesting to me personally, so I wondered if someone familiar with him as of 1999 and after would have heard his earlier music, which I consider harder rocking.
-You consider him a good guitarist but not a virtuoso? I’m not a guitarist, so I’m unable to dissect what is or isn’t great guitar playing. I know I personally like his playing. Seems curious to say - well, he writes good songs, sings well, puts on a great show, produces, and is a good instrumentalist, but I don’t like him b/c he isn’t a great guitarist. But that’s fine. People dislike Dylan b/c of his voice, or his mediocre harmonica skills. I know I’ve heard plenty of supposedly great guitarists whose efforts do not contribute to music I enjoy. In my preferred genre, I offer Tony Rice. Sure, an impressive number of notes, but not what I want to listen to.
-You don’t like dance music? Fine. There are a ton of genres I just don’t care for. But I sorta thought this was for a discussion of bands in genres we’d think we ought to like. For example, I could say Kendrick Lamar, Megan Thee Stallion - heck, even Taylor Swift. Or Charlie Parker or Miles Davis. No idea why so many people love them so much. But there have always been genres that aren’t my cup of tea. Pretty sure I could list any number of bluegrass/oldtime performers that several posters would say, “You LISTEN to that crap?!”
Just curious - how old are you? I’m 63. When I’m talking about Rush and Prince, I’m talking about the music I loved the most when I was in college - and more into recorded music than at any other time. Wondering is some aspect of our perceptions reflects our ages.
I never really got the love for BB King. I often thought it reflected the times. He seemed a lot happier and less threatenening to a white audience than John Lee Hooker, Howlin Wolf, etc. And his sound is more polished and accessible. My tastes in blues run more to T-Bone Walker, Lightnin Hopkins, Son House…
I love me some Muddy Waters, but I remember when I saw him live, EVERY TIME he just ran that slide way up the neck, playing (to my ears) the EXACT SAME THING! But he looked so damned blissfully happy while doing it!
I like punk. Can’t stand The Ramones and only tolerate a couple of songs by The Clash.
I like rap. Never could stand Kanye West, even before he went off the deep end.
I love alt-pop female singers. I have no time for Lana Del Rey.
I agree about The Rolling Stones. I just never got it. Maybe one or two songs but for the most part, meh.
Rush, Radiohead, Beatles, Prince. Really can’t be bothered with them, and don’t understand why other people rave about 'em.
I usually go with what is a band you like that not a lot of people do. For me it will always be The Guess Who but really in particular it’s Burton Cummings.
But for the original question as I already said The Rolling Stones and I also never liked Tool.
I am happy to note that no one has mentioned ( I think) Kiss.
OP specified well-regarded. 