Beck
Yeah, and we also had incredibly great sex seventeen times a day without undue fear of debilitating disease, and the drugs were powerful, cheap, and plentiful.
Eat your heart out, Bozo.
Nirvana was overrated and Kurt Cobain in particular.
Most punk bands are way overrated.
Marc
PS: Yes, I know Nirvana wasn’t punk.
THANK YOU for this thread…and I know everyone will hate me, but:
The Rolling Stones
Bob Dylan
The Beatles
Beck
PJ Harvey
Rap/hip-hop
and three words: **Radiohead, Radiohead, Radiohead **(I sure wish someone could tell me why EVERYONE has such a hardon for their music…)
I’ll third Sting. Worst. Lyricist. Ever.
And Eric Clapton. I don’t think he ‘gets’ most of the
music he’s covering.
I don’t think Sting belongs in this category, I don’t know of ANYONE who thinks he’s any good. I once saw Sting in concert (warming up for English Beat who I really went to see) and I will always remember it as the second worst concert act I ever saw (right behind UFO at #1).
Before branding an artist or group of artists as “overrated”, you may wish to consider:
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What was the musical environment like when these “overrated” artist(s) came on the scene? What was the sound-of-the-time? Many of those whom you feel are overrated were responsible for defining a new sound-of-the-day. They created it.
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Did these “overrated” artist(s) influence later artists? For chrissakes, they’re still being imitated, decades later!
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Were they commerial successes? While not a measure of artistic ‘worth’, it’s tenuous at best to say that someone’s overrrated when they’ve sold more records than almost any else on the planet.
WEW:
And his son is no better. His band, the Wallflowers, sucked too, and if I never hear “One Headlight” again, it’ll be too soon.
Oh, and add Hootie and the Blowfish to the growing list.
Well, when I hear the word “overrated,” I think of bands/artists who get huge amounts of critical praise and media attention, even though they’ve never done much to warrant it.
That means, the #1 overrated artist of all time is…
Lou Reed, with or without the Velvet Underground. The first Underground LP had a few fun songs on it, but the Velvets never made a decent record afterward. And Lou Reed has made critically acclaimed crap ever since. Reed has about 50 fans on the planet Earth… unfortunately, 48 of them are music critics, so we have to read about him constantly.
Other overrated artists? Well, actually, I LIKE a lot of the guys I’m about to name. It’s not that these gents aren’t musically talented, it’s that they’ve been DEIFIED! Remember the scenes in “Spinal Tap,” where Nigel or David would attempt to wax philosophical? They’d invariably tal ka lot of drivel, but the filmmaker (Rob Reiner) would merely nod, as if those idiots HAD to be brilliant and insightful, just because they were rocl stars!
Well… I LOVED the Beatles. I LOVED a lot of U2. I’ve even bought a couple of Springsteen albums. But there’s no way around this:
John Lennon was a mighty dim bulb. Bruce Springsteen is a dunce. Bono is smarter than Lennon and Springsteen put together, and he’s STILL only slightly smarter than any average high school dropout. And yet, all of them have felt eminently qualify to orate on every matter under the sun. They’ve rarely shown the slightest understanding of the subjects they’ve spoken out on. Indeed, they often make Spinal Tap seem genuinely profound, by comparison. But media folk were always eager to record and jot down their every word, as if they were prophets!
Now, all three guys have made some BRILLIANT Records, written some wonderful songs, and delivered some great vocals in their day… but the idea that ANYONE would EVER care what those boneheads had to say about poverty, racism, pollution, world debt, or anything else ASTONISHES me!
Oh, and my last “most overrated” nominee? Kurt CObain. Again, a decent rock singer/songwriter. But I’m sorry, being depressed and suicidal does NOT make you a deep thinker.
Well, when I hear the word “overrated,” I think of bands/artists who get huge amounts of critical praise and media attention, even though they’ve never done much to warrant it.
That means, the #1 overrated artist of all time is…
Lou Reed, with or without the Velvet Underground. The first Underground LP had a few fun songs on it, but the Velvets never made a decent record afterward. And Lou Reed has made critically acclaimed crap ever since. Reed has about 50 fans on the planet Earth… unfortunately, 48 of them are music critics, so we have to read about him constantly.
Other overrated artists? Well, actually, I LIKE a lot of the guys I’m about to name. It’s not that these gents aren’t musically talented, it’s that they’ve been DEIFIED! Remember the scenes in “Spinal Tap,” where Nigel or David would attempt to wax philosophical? They’d invariably spout a lot of drivel, but the filmmaker (Rob Reiner) would merely nod, as if those idiots HAD to be brilliant and insightful, just because they were rock stars!
Well… I LOVED the Beatles. I LOVED a lot of U2. I’ve even bought a couple of Springsteen albums. But there’s no way around this:
John Lennon was a mighty dim bulb. Bruce Springsteen is a dunce. Bono is smarter than Lennon and Springsteen put together, and he’s STILL only slightly smarter than any average high school dropout. And yet, all of them have felt eminently qualified to orate on every matter under the sun. They’ve rarely shown the slightest understanding of the subjects they’ve spoken out on. Indeed, they often make Spinal Tap seem genuinely profound, by comparison. But media folk were always eager to record and jot down their every word, as if they were prophets!
Now, all three guys have made some BRILLIANT Records, written some wonderful songs, and delivered some great vocals in their day… but the idea that ANYONE would EVER care what those boneheads had to say about poverty, racism, pollution, world debt, or anything else ASTONISHES me!
Oh, and my last “most overrated” nominee? Kurt Cobain. Again, a decent rock singer/songwriter. But I’m sorry, being depressed and suicidal does NOT make you a deep thinker.
[sub]trying hard not to open pit thread at underserved insult[/sub]
Sloppy in comparison to other guitarists of the day. And I added a IMHO, which made it clear it was my opinion. So lighten up with your insults. I got what Hendrix was doing. I just didn’t think it rose to the level of the worhip it was recieving.
The smiths were the greatest english band around at time. Great music, great lyrics and totally original.
Agree with you on Zeppelin though.
Wow, Astorian…we’ve agreed on many things, but we part company here. Except for the “New York” album, I don’t have a lot of use for Reed’s solo stuff, but I still play the first three VU albums and the live double set regularly (somehow, I never got the “Loaded” album).
I don’t pretend to inhabit the dark world that inspired so much of their work, but it’s still an interesting and often fun place to visit. I also appreciate the “basic-ness” and even the flat-out roar of energized noise that were hallmarks of The Velvets, especially in the context of so much of the pretentious crap that followed it in the 70s.
I don’t view Reed as any kind of an artiste…I just enjoy the records the Velvets made. (And I still think “Pale Blue Eyes” is much more than a “decent record.”)
I wouldn’t put it quite as harshly as you, but I generally take your point, and have always been far more interested in what these artists say in the grooves than out of them.
Still, as human beings living upon the planet, all of them have (or had) just as much right to hold opinions as you do. Stardom should not necessarily compel them to completely shut up about them. Perhaps the fault lies more with those who lap these opinions up as if they were gospel, rather than keeping them in perspective.
Perspective again. “Nevermind” is a great album. Cobain is a poor figurehead for so many to have latched on to.
#1 overrated artist of all time: The Eagles
Here’s a group of guys who have all the women, all the money, all the dope, all the booze, all the California sunshine anyone could want.
So what do they do? They whine about it…almost incessantly. Poor, poor Eagles…my heart bleeds for them. What a horrible pity that they had to endure such a decadant lifestyle.
They have about two songs that I can stand…the rest of their work is like fingernails on the blackboard to me.
Well, I certainly can’t speak for everyone, but I think their last three albums are amongst the most beautiful and bleak records released over the last five years. And whether you like them or not, they certainly can’t be accused of resting on their laurels.
I agree with you about Beck, though he’s fun to watch live. And the Stones should have garnered accolades all out of proportion to their output.
Also, I can’t see what the fuss is about Spiritualized or The Flaming Lips.
I also thought that Mercury Rev’s last release was praised far beyond its worth.
And as I alluded to in another thread, Pavement elude me almost entirely.
U2 has made noises lately about re-applying for the title of “Worlds Greatest Band”, and I can’t seem to recall the first time that title may have belonged to them.
Well, this is perpetuating a hijack, but [second grade]he started it![/second grade]
:rolleyes: Surrrrrrre you did. I bet when you did have sex it was with some not-recently-bathed hippie chick who didn’t shave her legs.
Every generation thinks it invented sex.
True. Given this, would I have given up being a teenager in the 80s for being one in the 60s? Not for all the unprotected sex I could handle.
As opposed to today, when drugs are…powerful, cheap, and plentiful.
Get a haircut, hippie.
Okay, so you don’t like long hair. Or sex. I’m cool with that.
Gin Rummy?
Deal 'em, Bozo.
I know its been said
But goddammit needs to be said again:
STING!
STING!
STING DAMMIT!
Pompous self rightoues asshole! The Police were one of the greatest and there is 1 reason they do not get back together. 3 guesses and the first 2 don’t count. You can take that “dream of airrr” and shoved it up your tantric ass.
for others:
Second on Prince: It just getting too weird with the freak. And I still think he was a jerk for not singing with everyone at the awards show.
And big razz to the following:
Fiona Apple - Whiny lil bitch does nothing I have heard before and goes around acting like her shit don’t stink. Its called originality you hack.
Jewel - Another jump onna bandwagon and hold on. Sure she does poetry and all but you want a song with meaning listen to Tori Amos. I read her book and heard the exact stuff from my old girlfriends poetry at least 8 years older. Oh and Ms Jewel for all her down with us charm, did exactly 2 songs once for a concert I was at and cursed out everyone before leaving the stage in a snit because (gasp) a beachball landed beside her.
Marilyn Manson- Bleh, there are some death thrash bands out there there really push it. Take away the sideshow of Manson and its not all that and a bag o chips. The guy is like KISS mixed with Nine Inch Nails without all that needless talent.
My wife is really getting into the whole indie rock thing. I’m trying really hard, seeing shows, listening to the songs, and I just can’t get in to it.
Now on to individuals:
Neil Young–why do so many people think he’s the crap?
Smashing Pumpkins–what an arrogant, pretentious fathead!
Jimmy Buffett–???
Granted, there are more, but these come to mind most readily that make me scratch my head why they have such the following that exists.
RUSH BLOWS!! especially…Neil Pert. He is an alright drummer, but he is way, way overated.
U2 sucks
Radiohead sucks…too artsy fartsy
Tom Petty