Bands with a big reputation that are (musically) shite

[Wilf]

Zappa totally. I love his pioneering approach to the DIY business approach which i suspect had a big influence on US indie punk but the music is shite. Hard to play shite.

And i've expressed this other opinion to other players (especially guitarists)...i think Hendrix isn't very good either. Give me Van Halen as a game changing guitarist any day.

Hendrix! Yeah, okay, there's a massive myth there and I'm always suspicious that he always gets voted best of all time. But c'mon...

 

[Flavour]

Gang of Four

 

[Dystopiary]

I don't get how Motley Crue were so successful.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Compare Lennon and McCartney, and public perceptions of the people, rather than the music. You could also compare the RIPs to their living contemporaries, e.g. Notorious BIG vs Nas, Nirvana vs Fugazi, Marvin Gaye vs Curtis Mayfield, and suggest that those that died young-ish have more legendary statuses.

Don't really get the Nirvana/Fugazi comparison. I think the main reason people like Nirvana more is mostly because they had actual tunes.

There's a world where Weezer only ever did the Blue Album and Pinkerton and I reckon in that world they're a much bigger deal than they are in this one.

 

[The39thStep]

Gang of Four

Danceable aggressive post-punk with angular guitars and a stripped out rhythm section underlining abrasive lyrics . Sound imo

 

[Ming]

Hendrix! Yeah, okay, there's a massive myth there and I'm always suspicious that he always gets voted best of all time. But c'mon...

Maybe 'isn't very good' is a bit much but he's not on the turntable very much at chez Ming. Clapton, Allman, Beck, are though.

I tend to rate stuff by how much it gets played by me. I do play a lot of Motley Crue though.

 

[hitmouse]

There's a world where Weezer only ever did the Blue Album and Pinkerton and I reckon in that world they're a much bigger deal than they are in this one.

Now imagine a world where they didn't even do those two. Pure bliss.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

Or "Frankenstein".

 

[SpookyFrank]

Butch Vig produced Nevermind, Albini did In Utero

Butch Vig is a drummer, and didn't know much about recording guitars. Most of what he did with the guitars on Nevermind he learned from Billy Corgan out of the Smashing Pumpkins.

If you believe Billy Corgan anyway.

Siamese Dream still shits on Nevermind though.

 

[skyscraper101]

I don't get how Motley Crue were so successful.

Well, they epitomised the wave of massively popular hair metal of the time, were very MTV friendly and put on a good show. Their music wasn’t for everyone sure. It I totally get why they were/are popular.

 

[krtek a houby]

This thread is about bands/artists which people think are crap. Maybe non-white female bands are better.

Absolutely terrible terminology, but otherwise, yeah.

 

[krtek a houby]

The Manics. Not exactly rubbish but so uninspired musically compared to their obvious intelligence.

Maybe it's the production but the Everything Must Go album sounds gorgeous.

 

[mojo pixy]

Butch Vig is a drummer, and didn't know much about recording guitars. Most of what he did with the guitars on Nevermind he learned from Billy Corgan out of the Smashing Pumpkins.

If you believe Billy Corgan anyway.

Siamese Dream still shits on Nevermind though.

In fairness Nirvana's other albums all shit on Nevermind too

 

[xenon]

I always thought the strokes sounded like someone’s first attempt at a band hastily put together for their sixth form battle of the bands competition.

This is a great track though.

 

[krtek a houby]

As a young person , Thin Lizzy did not appeal. Found that ott rawk thing to be a bit silly. Or maybe cos Whiskey on the Jar was always on the wireless.

(Have since learned error of my ways and repented)

 

[Mattym]

Think some of you need to read some of these.....
33 1/3 Title List - 333SOUND

 

[philosophical]

The Pink Fairies in their pomp were much better live than on their records.
I like their records even though they’re pretty rough.

 

[The39thStep]

I also never got the hype around Sigue Sigue Sputnik

Tony James is 70.

Just a case of marketing over content

 

[The39thStep]

Maybe it's the production but the Everything Must Go album sounds gorgeous.

David Byrne wrote a book in which he talked about venues and sound and how some venues better suit some music and sound. There are some bands who you don't get until you see them live and in the right venue for them . However you've hit on something with production as there are some bands who just wouldn't sound the same with another producer ie Joy Division and Martin Hannett, the Talking Heads /Eno period,TalkTalk and Freise-Green, Visconti/Bowie, Martin/Beatles etc

 

[Knotted]

Beethoven is overrated I think.

Eg. The 2nd movement from the 7th Symphony is very recognisable and a real piece of inspiration. But I find myself thinking it's lacking something. It's an idea that's not really getting anywhere, becomes overblown, finds some uninspired variations and some pretty mid counter melodies, meanders on for the course. He has his moments but overall just not a very good composer. What are you doing with this mate?

 

[seeformiles]

I blame Frank Zappa. He sent a lot of musicians Beefheart's way and helped create the mythology of him, even down to inventing the name 'Captain Beefheart'.

Considering Zappa had such a strong understanding of music and thought himself a composer above all else, I don't quite get why he had so much time for Van Vliet, a non-musician who could only write songs by telling other people to do it for him. He 'composed' Trout Mask Replica by just bashing a piano at random and then getting John French to turn it into actual music.

I don't like Zappa's music, but at least Zappa would know what music was if it fell on him from a great height.

Zappa was so prolific and so in control with regard to his output that I think he released a lot of stuff that should have been left in the studio and wiser heads should have prevailed. It’s easy to look at some of his stuff and think “This is dull self indulgent wankery” and much is pretty dated in its subject matter. I can’t listen to much of his 70s stuff as it’s painfully obvious it’s not as funny or clever as it thinks it is. I love his 60s output from the earliest days where he’s trying to make commercial records by parodying current trends with a lot of humour. There’s all manner of decent social commentary too and some great atonal experimentation. There’s this weird single made with Burt Ward in his Robin persona:



This one released just before “The summer of love”:



Even his guitar wankery is brilliant at times:



It’s difficult to stick him in one box.

 

[seeformiles]

As a young person , Thin Lizzy did not appeal. Found that ott rawk thing to be a bit silly. Or maybe cos Whiskey on the Jar was always on the wireless.

(Have since learned error of my ways and repented)

First big gig I saw was Lizzy in 1981. As time’s gone on, their twin guitar macho “Boys are back in Town” era doesn’t appeal as much as when I was teen. The often overlooked Eric Bell period is much more varied and interesting:

 

[Steel Icarus]

I don't know if Robert Smith is regarded as a decent guitarist - I highly doubt it - but he has an ear for melody second to none. Barney Sumner is also a pretty average guitarist but between them they're responsible for a significant percentage of my favourite ever songs compared to much "better" axemen.

And The Edge is brilliant, surprised nobody's said how it's just effects with him yet

 

[cuppa tee]

the slits.

 

[Steel Icarus]

Even his guitar wankery is brilliant at times:



It’s difficult to stick him in one box.

That's impressive but I get nothing from it. Leaves me cold. What's it for?

 

[seeformiles]

That's impressive but I get nothing from it. Leaves me cold. What's it for?

I like it. You could ask the same of any music.

 

[krtek a houby]

I don't know if Robert Smith is regarded as a decent guitarist - I highly doubt it - but he has an ear for melody second to none. Barney Sumner is also a pretty average guitarist but between them they're responsible for a significant percentage of my favourite ever songs compared to much "better" axemen.

And The Edge is brilliant, surprised nobody's said how it's just effects with him yet

Your Silent Face was an excellent pathway to influences like Kraftwerk

 

[Knotted]

Zappa totally. I love his pioneering approach to the DIY business approach which i suspect had a big influence on US indie punk but the music is shite. Hard to play shite.

And i've expressed this other opinion to other players (especially guitarists)...i think Hendrix isn't very good either. Give me Van Halen as a game changing guitarist any day.

Yeah I agree with this. Hendrix was good of course but not absolute top level like Jeff Beck or even Mark Knopfler or John Mayer. And everyone is tapping these days so Van Halen is a much more important figure. Not that you will ever catch me listening to Van Halen, I fucking hate it and I'd rather listen to Hendrix x1 million.

Thread To be honest its really odd seeing U75 fetishise musicality/the craft of making music. Whatever happened to artistry and sound that's just interesting in its own right? Whatever happened to basic music that just slaps? All you old punks are betraying your younger selves. These days there are so many amazing young guitarists (for example) on social media who put Hendrix or pretty much any one of these old guys to shame. Tapping, slapping, percussing, twiddling, math-rock-chording all with amazing intonation and somehow astonishingly all at once. But I want to see the return of some proper grot. And I'm a fucking prog rock fan.

 

[krtek a houby]

Some astounding guitar work from Eddie Hazel in early Funkadelic

 

[Steel Icarus]

Some astounding guitar work from Eddie Hazel in early Funkadelic

Ah, you need the 'Bands who are criminally underrated but who can play really well' thread, then