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Most overrated band of all time?

iGav said:
Is it? That's very presumptuous of you.
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I still stand by what I said - I don't think everyone that said those things fit my description, but I can't see how someone would say Happiness is a Warm Gun, Yer Blues or Helter Skelter was written by a "cute boy band."


spellflower said:
There are a lot of overrated musicians listed in this thread (The Beatles and Radiohead not being among them). However, none of them, especially the recent ones, come anywhere near to ERIC CLAPTON. Sure, Coldplay is way overhyped, and Dave Mathews just sucks, but nobody ever called them "GOD" or the "Greatest Guitar Player Who Ever Lived"!
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I need to start hanging out with your friends, then, because I've heard the "Dave Matthews is the greatest drummer that ever lived!" argument so many times, I don't even spit out my drink any longer...


melrose said:
I second DMB, but the fact that they haven't been out really that long makes them less on the scale than, say, the Rolling Stones. The Stones were (are) just a bunch of drugged-up, twisted, self-centered guys who happened to become popular. A close second is the Beatles. The Beatles were original, granted, but had no song-writing talent whatsoever. George and Ringo could write some good stuff, while John and Paul could only write cheesy jingles that would be strung together to make a song.
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What someone considers "that long" is debatable, but the monstrosity that is Dave Matthews Band has been together for 17 years and highly popular for 14 years.

Sad, isn't it?
 
IJ Reilly said:
I'll go with that, but I do like Tom Petty for what he is. Think of him as a top-notch MOTR rocker. The radio would have been a poorer place without him for the past 25 years. Credit where credit is due.
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Oh, I've got nothing against Petty. His fame and fortune don't disgust me the way some others' do. I've never liked the Red Hot Chili Peppers either, but I have to admit that they've been around a long time, keep putting out albums, and keep selling out concerts. Who am I to say they're doing it wrong, right?


JTrain23 said:
You have to give it up for Alice in Chains though..... They rocked pretty hard. One of the best live bands I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot.
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I never saw them live, but I'm still a fan. I would argue that Pearl Jam doesn't get enough credit these days. They're the only "grunge" band from that era that's still around, and the only one that ever moved beyond that early '90s sound. Alice In Chains was halted by Layne Staley's drug addiction, Nirvana by Cobain's suicide, and Soundgarden couldn't stay together. All that's left of those bands are greatest hits collections, but Pearl Jam is still putting out new and interesting music.
 
aloofman said:
Oh, I've got nothing against Petty. His fame and fortune don't disgust me the way some others' do. I've never liked the Red Hot Chili Peppers either, but I have to admit that they've been around a long time, keep putting out albums, and keep selling out concerts. Who am I to say they're doing it wrong, right?




I never saw them live, but I'm still a fan. I would argue that Pearl Jam doesn't give enough credit these days. They're the only "grunge" band from that era that's still around, and the only one that ever moved beyond that early '90s sound. Alice In Chains was halted by Layne Staley's drug addiction, Nirvana by Cobain's suicide, and Soundgarden couldn't stay together. All that's left of those bands are greatest hits collections, but Pearl Jam is still putting out new and interesting music.
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I have seen PJ a couple times too. They are definately at the top of my list. Nobody had a voice like Layne Staley though.... very haunting.....
 
For me there's no question: The Rolling Stones. They've been the object of so much hype over the years, and for what? They only have two or three halfway decent songs. The Grateful Dead also falls rather short of the hype.

It may sound like I don't appreciate classic rock, but that's not true--I just appreciate good classic rock. ;)
 
"My theory is that music is good, it's the only religion that delivers the goods. And anybody who wants to hear any kind of music is entitled to hear that music because it's good for you – it makes you feel good. If you like it, go for it. Just because I don't like it doesn't mean anything – it's a matter of personal taste." -- Frank Zappa
 
Well, picking on Prog Rock of any form is a little unfair since the genre specializes in the overblown, but I have to nominate Rush. Now don't get me wrong, they're great technical musicians and for 3 guys really play tight and make alot of noise. But I never did understand how their appeal stretches as far as it does. I for one cannot stand Geddy Lee's voice.
 
You know, KISS really is a good nominee for this, the more I think about it.

Look at it this way: most of the other bands being mentioned - be they The Beatles or U2 or The Rolling Stones - have at least a song or two that non-fans can admit is decent. Heck, spellflower who totally flamed Clapton admitted the guitar work he contributed on The White Album was good and the Cream stuff was ok. Double heck, even I would concede that U2 has a catchy song or two (that ought to make ArmyKnight12 happy!).

But KISS seems to have perhaps the largest gap of any band mentioned between the way the die-hard fans view the band and the way the rest of the civilized world does. Not only are they one of those bands that you either really are in love with or simply couldn't care less about, but it goes even further in that if you're in the former category you consider them rock gods and in the latter you consider them Saturday morning cartoon action figures with very little redeeming musical talent.

yeroen said:
I for one cannot stand Geddy Lee's voice.
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How did it get so high?

I wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy...?
 
Unspeaked said:
But KISS seems to have perhaps the largest gap of any band mentioned between the way the die-hard fans view the band and the way the rest of the civilized world does. Not only are they one of those bands that you either really are in love with or simply couldn't care less about, but it goes even further in that if you're in the former category you consider them rock gods and in the latter you consider them Saturday morning cartoon action figures with very little redeeming musical talent.
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I think that's a good argument, but it depends on what we are defining for overhyped. Does that mean that the band doesn't write great songs or that they are musically untalented? I believe that for many, KISS was more about the show and the party than they were about the music. Granted, I like some of KISS's music, but I would agree that it is incredibly unoriginal for how long they have been around and for how much they are loved. I mean, you can't say that many people go to a Gwar concert for the music. :p

I still think that the most overrated band is the Beatles. I can honestly say that if I was listening to the radio and they came on for the first time and I didn't know who they were, I would label them as bubble-gum pop. They just happened to be in the right place at the right time and their fame snowballed to unbelievable proportions.

I mean how many hits can you seriously have where the chorus is just repeating the same phrase over and over (Yellow Submarine, She Loves Me, Can't Buy Me Love,etc.)?

P-Worm
 
P-Worm said:
I still think that the most overrated band is the Beatles. I can honestly say that if I was listening to the radio and they came on for the first time and I didn't know who they were, I would label them as bubble-gum pop. They just happened to be in the right place at the right time and their fame snowballed to unbelievable proportions.

I mean how many hits can you seriously have where the chorus is just repeating the same phrase over and over (Yellow Submarine, She Loves Me, Can't Buy Me Love,etc.)?

P-Worm
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Good point, but again - I think this is someone cherry-picking the early part of the band's output and not the later half.

The Beatles had two very distinct phases in their career (some would break it down even further) and though the first have was your standard bubblegum pop, they hit their stride with Rubber Soul and by the time albums like The White Album and Abbey Road came around they shared little in common with the four lads of Beatlemania other than their name.

Some people prefer the older stuff, some people prefer the newer stuff, but you have to admit there is a big difference between:

I Want to Hold Your Hand
Twist and Shout
Love Me Do

vs.

Taxman
Within You Without You
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
 
P-Worm said:
I still think that the most overrated band is the Beatles. I can honestly say that if I was listening to the radio and they came on for the first time and I didn't know who they were, I would label them as bubble-gum pop. They just happened to be in the right place at the right time and their fame snowballed to unbelievable proportions.

I mean how many hits can you seriously have where the chorus is just repeating the same phrase over and over (Yellow Submarine, She Loves Me, Can't Buy Me Love,etc.)?

P-Worm
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I recommend you listen to "Rocky Racoon".
 
I concurr with the concensus that "The Beatles" are one of the most over-rated bands in the entire world. Yes, they did put forward some very interesting ideas on production and sound development, and made a not-too-shabby album with "Sgt. Peppers...", but for f**ks sake; THEY'RE NOT AROUND ANY MORE!

There are artists and bands who have come (and gone) long since The Beatles broke rank, and yet nobody moans on about them being 'the last good thing in music'.

Give it a rest. And don't even get me started on Led Zep... :p
 
consPiracy said:
I concurr with the concensus that "The Beatles" are one of the most over-rated bands in the entire world. Yes, they did put forward some very interesting ideas on production and sound development, and made a not-too-shabby album with "Sgt. Peppers...", but for f**ks sake; THEY'RE NOT AROUND ANY MORE!

There are artists and bands who have come (and gone) long since The Beatles broke rank, and yet nobody moans on about them being 'the last good thing in music'.

Give it a rest. And don't even get me started on Led Zep... :p
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So anything inactive is overrated?

The Roman Empire?

Ted Williams .400 season?

Divinci?

By your definition, what isn't overrated?
 
Unspeaked said:
So anything inactive is overrated?

The Roman Empire?

Ted Williams .400 season?

Divinci?

By your definition, what isn't overrated?
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Did I, at any point, suggest that every single inactive band is overrated? Er, no.

I find that The Beatles and Led Zep are overrated, and it just so happens that at least one of them is defunct! For today's market, they are nothing even close to revolutionary and I find, perticularly within groups of musos and other instrumental players, that people still hang on to them like a pacifier.

Artists such as Squarepusher, and Aphex Twin who really are doing something musically (and technologically) special tend to get overlooked because 'they're not as good as The Beatles' (and yes, I'm well aware about the divide in genres; some people, however, are not).

As far as 'what I think isn't overrated', well, that's my choice, init! Personally, I think that Nine Inch Nails are one of the best bands of the last ten years, and continue to get better and better. No album is the same, and Trent Reznor et al always seem to be looking in the direction of progression. Aphex Twin, also, has made massive headway in improving and progressing the electronica/IDM scene. There's so much music available to people today that I can't see why everything comes back to The Beatles or Led Zep.

Happy? Didn't think so. Everything is down to personal choice.
 
Im just curious why you think Led Zepplin if overrated, They are maybe the most influential rock band ever.

This thread is just getting silly and people are naming things just for the sake of it.
 
MacNut said:
Im just curious why you think Led Zepplin if overrated, They are maybe the most influential rock band ever.

This thread is just getting silly and people are naming things just for the sake of it.
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The entire concept of this thread is pretty silly, when you think about it. That quote from Frank Zappa comes to mind.

As for Led Zeppelin, I believe if you listed all the bands which were influenced by them, it would occupy a pretty small corner of the rock universe.
 
consPiracy said:
I find that The Beatles and Led Zep are overrated, and it just so happens that at least one of them is defunct! For today's market, they are nothing even close to revolutionary and I find, perticularly within groups of musos and other instrumental players, that people still hang on to them like a pacifier.

Artists such as Squarepusher, and Aphex Twin who really are doing something musically (and technologically) special tend to get overlooked because 'they're not as good as The Beatles' (and yes, I'm well aware about the divide in genres; some people, however, are not).
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Of course they're not doing anything revolutionary compared to today's market - they made their music 30 and 40 years ago.

Are you faulting these bands for not using technology that didn't exist?

Drop Aphex Twin in mid-60s London and I doubt he'd be making the same "revolutionary" sounds he is today, correct?

What The Beatles were doing in the late 60s was different and noteworthy for the equipment they had available to them and compared to what else was being recorded at the time. That's not personal opinion, it's simply fact.
 
IJ Reilly said:
The entire concept of this thread is pretty silly, when you think about it. That quote from Frank Zappa comes to mind.

As for Led Zeppelin, I believe if you listed all the bands which were influenced by them, it would occupy a pretty small corner of the rock universe.
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What we need is a history of music thread where this can all be debated. In my opinion Led Zepplin started what would become metal music. They were the first band to be kind of hard sounding.
 
MacNut said:
What we need is a history of music thread where this can all be debated. In my opinion Led Zepplin started what would become metal music. They were the first band to be kind of hard sounding.
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The Yardbirds?

Blue Cheer?

Black Sabbath?
 
One could argue Sabbath being over rated, or at least Ozzy. What talent does Ozzy really have, other then being a front man.
 
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