Most Overrated Musical Artists

Pennglock · Oct 9, 2009

I'll also throw out The Kinks, a band unlike Dylan I actually enjoy.

I realize the radio listener under 40 probably couldn't name 2 of their songs, but among the musically enlightened The Kinks are often regarded with equal/greater esteem than the Beatles. I can't abide that. The best 5 Beatles albums are better albums in every way than the very best Kinks record. I just don't feel like there are many people out there spinning Arthur or Village Green, listening to them straight through, and sitting there in ecstasy.

Casual · Oct 9, 2009

Originally Posted by Pennglock

I'll also throw out The Kinks, a band unlike Dylan I actually enjoy.

I realize the radio listener under 40 probably couldn't name 2 of their songs, but among the musically enlightened The Kinks are often regarded with equal/greater esteem than the Beatles. I can't abide that. The best 5 Beatles albums are better albums in every way than the very best Kinks record. I just don't feel like there are many people out there spinning Arthur or Village Green, listening to them straight through, and sitting there in ecstasy.

I don't think anyone regards them as equals or superiors to the Beatles aside from some hacks from Mojo. I love everything they did through "Muswell Hillbillies".

kwilkinson · Oct 9, 2009

Originally Posted by Dakota rube

The Dead may not be the greatest rock band in history, but a live performance was a life-altering experience. And I can't name another band that had (has) a more faithful following. I know people who basically put their lives on hold and followed the Dead around the country for years, going from gig to gig.

Allowing fans to tape their shows was a stroke of genius. There are still people trading tapes of concerts that occurred 30+ years ago.

kwilk is right: the Dead's albums were basically afterthoughts. The real Dead was a live Dead.
Indeed. The fan taping was pretty incredible. My father would take his two week vacation for their summer tour every year and my mom and dad would spend two weeks touring with the Dead, taping their songs. Dad was always big in the tape trading, and owns a tape of every live show they've ever done. He's in the process of digitizing it all, but as you can imagine, it's taking a while. They saw some pretty incredible things over the years, including the Gate Crashing show and Jerry's last show.

Originally Posted by Brian278

No, not overrated. Correctly rated, critically. They had an ear for melody, I mean the jams are great if you're into jam bands (and many a bands touring/jam band MO was modeled after them, not sure another rock band ever did this before them). Just because a bunch of stoners loved them (or rather more accurately loved going getting high and going to their concerts, getting high and listening to their records, and the general lifestyle that they embodied/advocated/enabled) doesn't mean that everyone really though they were better than the Beatles or anything. They were what they were.

And they were good. Maybe overrated by the people in that subculture, sure (as happens with every fanbase to every band named in this thread) but objectively good, IMO. Maybe I'm biased since I grew up listening to them and could probably name all their songs from a short audio clip.

Connemara · Oct 9, 2009

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

Tina Turner.

:angry

why · Oct 9, 2009

Originally Posted by Pennglock

Bob Dylan! Of his early 'great albums' -Blood on the Tracks, Blond on Blond, Highway 61- only half the songs these remain listenable. And even the songs that are good, how many people queue them up on their playlist just for the joy of listening to them? And these are the highpoints of a man that has put out scores of albums- Dylan's low points were very low indeed- Im talking about the 80s. He had a couple of smashing songs during the 1990s, and the one Dylan album I really love and listen to is Time out of Mind.

You're a moron. No, really, you're a moron.

Blood on the Tracks and Blond on Blond being 'early Dylan' is like saying Tattoo You is early Stones.

Gorthaur Melwasul · Oct 9, 2009

The Beattles.
The lyrics,, the musics aren't fantastic at all.

HORNS · Oct 9, 2009

Originally Posted by Douglas

Johnny Cash.

Really? I sincerely feel bad for you for thinking that way.

romafan · Oct 9, 2009

what about Julio Iglesias? Never got the Hot Chili peppers either...

Slopho · Oct 9, 2009

Originally Posted by romafan

what about Julio Iglesias? Never got the Hot Chili peppers either...

That Flea character always came off like a jerk to me.

why · Oct 9, 2009

Originally Posted by Slopho

That Flea character always came off like a jerk to me.
Michael Balzary is actually very kind and soft-spoken. He's probably one of the best if not the best bassists of his generation (his slap bass funk is awesome to watch and to listen to) but he doesn't flaunt his talents. Check out earlier RHCP albums (pre-Rick Ruben and some Mother's Milk) if you want some good old funk rock.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: No media files are hosted on these forums. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website. We can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. If the video does not play, wait a minute or try again later. I AGREE

TIP: to embed Youtube clips, put only the encoded part of the Youtube URL, e.g. eBGIQ7ZuuiU between the tags. Listen to him go!

Slopho · Oct 9, 2009

Originally Posted by why

Michael Balzary is actually very kind and soft-spoken. He's probably one of the best if not the best bassists of his generation (his slap bass funk is awesome to watch and to listen to) but he doesn't flaunt his talents. Check out earlier RHCP albums (pre-Rick Ruben and some Mother's Milk) if you want some good old funk rock.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: No media files are hosted on these forums. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website. We can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. If the video does not play, wait a minute or try again later. I AGREE

TIP: to embed Youtube clips, put only the encoded part of the Youtube URL, e.g. eBGIQ7ZuuiU between the tags.

Listen to him go!

Do you consider him better than Les Claypool?

MetroStyles · Oct 9, 2009

Barack Obama.

why · Oct 9, 2009

Originally Posted by Slopho

Do you consider him better than Les Claypool?

Yes. Les Claypool needs to stop trying to compose. It makes him look and sound amateur.

itsstillmatt · Oct 9, 2009

Originally Posted by romafan

what about Julio Iglesias? Never got the Hot Chili peppers either...
I used to love listening to them when I was in school in LA. Some bands really relate to a certain geographical spot, and I think the Chili Peppers are that way. They are, though, probably overrated.

Pennglock · Oct 9, 2009

Originally Posted by why

You're a moron. No, really, you're a moron.

Blood on the Tracks and Blond on Blond being 'early Dylan' is like saying Tattoo You is early Stones.

That's quite the reaction over a bit of nomenclature... which is beside my point anyway.
50 years from now people are going to be listening to those Dylan recordings about as much as they listen to Leadbelly or Woody Gurthry today. Outside a group of aging hippies, Rolling Stone magazine lists, VH1 and ****** folk singers, the interest in Dylan is already confined to the academic. He struck a cultural nerve and wrote witty lyrics, but musically he stand up to his reputation.

Most Overrated Musical Artists

Distinguished Member

Senior Member

Having a Ball

Stylish Dinosaur

Distinguished Member

Senior Member

Stylish Dinosaur

Stylish Dinosaur

Distinguished Member

Distinguished Member

Distinguished Member

Stylish Dinosaur

Distinguished Member

The Liberator

Distinguished Member

FEATURED PRODUCTS

Similar threads

Featured Sponsor

Definitely full canvas only

Half canvas is fine

Really don't care

Depends on fabric

Depends on price

Forum Sponsors

Forum statistics

FOLLOW STYLEFORUM ON: