# What band or artist, can you appreciate but don’t like **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [May 27, 2023, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667 "2023-05-27T13:38:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/101 "2023-06-02T20:22:26Z")
You’re right, grating is probably not the right word - surely not grating as in Rush. When I mentioned production, I meant the way they are produced - not the quality of production. Example: I think Phil Specter’s wall of sound was technically amazing and certainly top notch, but I don’t personally care for that sound. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/102 "2023-06-03T01:50:50Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Well, that’s kind of the nature of the Classic Rock format: for _any_ band, there’s a relatively small number of their best-known songs that get played (and played to death); Totally agree, although I’ll add that Zeppelin had a distinct advantage with the ubiquitous ‘Get the Led Out’. When I first discovered them in my older brother’s record collection, I was surprised at how many songs I knew from the radio. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/103 "2023-06-03T02:01:05Z")
My answer to this question is always Steely Dan. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/104 "2023-06-03T05:37:28Z")
Hehe, my take on Steely Dan is they’re one of those bands that I shouldn’t like, but sometimes they’re so good I can’t help myself. So much of their stuff is basically exquisitely crafted muzak with very edgy subject matter\*, but other times it’s arranged so well, I don’t care (“Peg”). Other times the solos and the arrangement are so nutso and wonderful they make the whole thing work in a very wonderful way (“My Old School”, “Reelin’ in the Years”, “Do it Again”). But a whole record of them? Ehh, maybe not. \*Any doubts about this? I’ll quote Pete Christleb, who played sax on “Deacon Blues”: > [@](#): > > I went over to the studio one night after the Tonight Show finished taping at 6:30 p.m. When I listened on headphones to the track Tom [Scott] had arranged, there was just enough space for me to play a solo. As I listened, I realized Donald and Walter were using jazz chord changes, not the block chords of rock. This gave me a solid base for improvisation. They just told me to play what I felt. Hey, I’m a jazz musician, that’s what I do. So I listened again and recorded my first solo. We listened back and they said it was great. I recorded a second take and that’s the one they used. I was gone in a half-hour. The next thing I know I’m hearing myself in every airport bathroom in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/105 "2023-06-03T17:33:26Z")
> [@salinqmind1](#): > > I never got The Grateful Dead. I only saw them once performing, a video on MTV, and the audience was standing on their seats waving their arms around like those blow-up things in front of used car lots. A lot of noodling ‘meh’. But I never fried my brain on drugs or had friends with a van who would follow them around from city to city. I spent most of my teen years ridiculing them whenever someone tried to enlighten me. Zeppelin and The Beatles were more my cup of tea. But, much later in life, I was asked to join a Grateful Dead tribute band, which I did. The more I played the music, the more it grew on me (which I was not expecting). I’ve now been playing their music for almost a decade, and consider myself a fan. Not a rabid fan, but I learned to appreciate Robert Hunter’s lyrics, and found their music to be deeper than it appears on the surface. And that’s even without a drug-addled brain. I get that they aren’t for everyone, but there really are some songwriting gems in their catalog. Songs that never got played on the radio but were certainly worthy of it. ---
**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 3, 2023, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/106 "2023-06-03T22:15:04Z")
> [@FeRDNYC](#): > > You all know The Seven Deadly Rush Songs. Anyone who’s been alive for more than 30 years knows The Seven Deadly Rush Songs. List them with me: > > - “Tom Sawyer” > - “Limelight” > - “Lakeside Park” > - “Fly By Night” > - “Closer to the Heart” > - “New World Man” > - “Subdivisions” > > …When I say that Rush has a lot of good music in their catalog, I’m talking about none of _those_ songs. _Those_ songs are tripe. To be fair, even Geddy Lee loathes “Lakeside Park”. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/107 "2023-06-03T23:23:45Z")
I live with a Rush fan, and it’s a measure of how much I love him that I have attended four Rush shows. He’s not obnoxious about it, though, and he never imposes it on me (much as I try not to inflict the more lugubrious alt-rock bands I like on him). We realized a while ago that the main difference in our musical tastes - which overlap to a very great extent) is that he pays more attention to the music and I pay more to the lyrics. So while I’m cringing at the inane clunky Rush lyrics, he’s appreciating their musical mastery, and while I’m appreciating the clever wordplay in a Pete Droge album, he’s suffering from the slide guitar. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2023, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/108 "2023-06-04T08:59:29Z")
Lyrics don’t make or break music to me. Even the best songs in the world often have inane lyrics - look at Zeppelin, or Little Richard, or…ad infinitum. Great lyrics can elevate a great song, but they are not neccessary. When I listen to music, I mostly tune into the bass and the drums, so Rush fits my needs very well. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2023, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/109 "2023-06-04T16:20:06Z")
I do get it; a band with such a huge cult following, (drug-addled brains or not) surely has talent. I can’t get into them, but can appreciate they are popular for good reason. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2023, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/110 "2023-06-04T21:58:33Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > Lyrics don’t make or break music to me. Even the best songs in the world often have inane lyrics - look at Zeppelin, or Little Richard, or…ad infinitum. > > Great lyrics can elevate a great song, but they are not neccessary. > > When I listen to music, I mostly tune into the bass and the drums, so Rush fits my needs very well Whereas I am just the opposite; my favorite instrument is the oldest one, the human voice, and the instrumentation is only there to support the singer and the story she’s telling. I can appreciate the talent of an Eddie Van Halen, Slash, or Neil Peart; but their art doesn’t move me the way an Adele or Ani DiFranco or Mark Knopfler vocal does. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2023, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/111 "2023-06-04T22:35:39Z")
Oh, vocals are important, too. There are many singers I don’t care to listen to. Geddy Lee isn’t one of them, even though I don’t consider him an especially fine vocalist. But I appreciate musical craftpeople over all else: people who write their own songs, while also playing an instrument, or in Lee’s case, a bunch of instruments, and singing. Music is not only about how it sounds; it’s also about the context. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/112 "2023-06-05T00:00:17Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > Oh, vocals are important, too. There are many singers I don’t care to listen to. It’s funny isn’t it. Elton John is objectively a good singer, I don’t know why I don’t like his songs. But take the song Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me… when I heard George Michael sing it, it changed the whole dynamic for me. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/RsKqMNDoR4o/maxresdefault.jpg "George Michael, Elton John - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me (Live)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsKqMNDoR4o) ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/113 "2023-06-05T00:04:46Z")
Currently Taylor Swift is playing her 3rd night in a row of sold out shows at Soldier Field. I can appreciate that, although I don’t need Taylor Swift music in my life. But you know who sells out Soldier Field three nights in a row? The Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead, A Hypothetical Fucking Beatles Reunion. More power to you, Taylor Swift. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/114 "2023-06-05T05:10:30Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > But you know who sells out Soldier Field three nights in a row? Rush could have… 😁 ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/115 "2023-06-05T13:38:27Z")
I want to like Rush, I really do, but I can’t stand Geddy Lee’s voice; and what I have heard has no harmony vox, either. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/116 "2023-06-05T14:16:17Z")
I enjoy well written lyrics.^ I have long thought the best songwriters were Cohen, Simon and Dylan. Rabid fans of Rush see some _very_ deep philosophical shyte in some of the songs, which manages to elude me. But they are certainly talented musicians. ^ The very best songs are also well written. Of course there are lots of good songs that are not well written or are instrumental. And a few songs that are well written but mediocre. ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/117 "2023-06-05T14:30:08Z")
U2 - They have some good songs but the world of music would be fine with or without them. I’ve never found what I was looking for while listening to their music. Rattle and Hum is pretty good though. YES - They’re OK, but I just don’t get it. Most of their stuff is boring to me. They have a handful of good songs. But, overall, I can’t listen to them for very long. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/118 "2023-06-05T21:38:05Z")
> [@tullsterx](#): > > I’ve never found what I was looking for while listening to their music. Snerk. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/119 "2023-06-05T22:38:34Z")
I was the same way, except it was Roger Daltry’s version that did it. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dRuWGBoky_0/maxresdefault.jpg "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me - Roger Daltrey") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRuWGBoky_0) ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2023, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667/120 "2023-06-08T14:05:16Z")
I think it’s not fair to pick out Trees to show Rush lyrics are inane and clumsy, as put by several upthread. It’s the song that everyone, including the band, thinks is silly. I don’t know in what universe the lyrics to, say Witch Hunt, or Subdivisions, or Manhattan Project are inane. Clumsy is arguable, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-or-artist-can-you-appreciate-but-don-t-like/984667.md?page=7)