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Huge Bands I Just Can't Stand

AG/DC Apr 07 2008 07:28 AM Edited 3 time(s), most recently on Apr 07 2008 09:16 AM

...though I've tried. Nothing personal. Willets has his Cars and Eagles. I have my Doors. Most enormous bands I can at least tolerate. These make me change the station no matter how much I try to be tolerant. Nonetheless, my lack of patronage clearly hasn't/won't stop these bands from making the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. Feel free to tell where I am wrong or add your own. No bitterness here, just detachment. The Doors: just seems so childish Coldplay: seems like music that U2 didn't release because it sounded too derivative. Red Hot Chilli Pepers: They may someday have the worst vocalist of any Hall of Fame band, their ballads are torture (and underscore my previous point), and they have one good album. Boston: mooks who fancy themselves clubbers may listen to "What is Love?" Back in the day, mooks who fancied themselves rockers listened to "More Than a Feeling" and "Peace of Mind" as they went crusing around for date rape opportunities. The Grateful Dead: I actually have evolved on the Dead, appreciating Robert Hunter's songwriting and how the band consciously changed after Altamont. I still find the playing to be mind-numbing noodling Pink Floyd: Floyd fans I know don't like the movie of The Wall. For me, it's the band's best thing. Just too much heavy metal posturing for a band that doesn't rock and doesn't roll. I'd like to go for ten, but that's pretty much it. I'm more-or-less with the program the rest of the way, liking who I guess I'm supposed to like and disliking who I guess I'm supposed to dislike. I think Metallica is over-rated, but I certainly get what people see there. There are bands like ELO that get derided and then retroactively embraced. I'm not sure where I'm supposed to be on those, but I usually end up somewhere in the middle anyhow.

metirish Apr 07 2008 07:36 AM

I would like to add "The White Stripes" to that fine list of yours , I swear there is a song played on rock radio that I thought for a long time was either a lost Led Zep song or a new Plant song, it was the White Stripes.

sharpie Apr 07 2008 07:38 AM

Echo Willets on Eagles and Cars. Echo AGDC on RHCP, Boston and Coldplay Adding Fleetwood Mac.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 07 2008 07:48 AM

See I didn't even know Coldpay was huge. I thought they were a Radiohead ripoff band. Dave Matthews Band -- Complete snorefest.

soupcan Apr 07 2008 07:51 AM Re: Huge Bands I Just Can't Stand

Coldplay - Ugh, completely agree with you. Boston - Not surprisingly I really like Boston. I don't think I've ever date-raped to a Boston song, but I could be wrong. The Grateful Dead - Never 'got' the Dead. At Syracuse I did work-study for Carrier Dome Catering which handled events at the Dome. The Dead were coming in and they asked who did not want to work the show. I raised my hand and said I hated the band and would love not to work that night. It was a trick - they were looking for kids to work the band's room backstage and didn't want a fan bothering them. One of the worst nights of my life. Pink Floyd - Agree - too spacey and I don't know why people think this band rocks. Adding: -Yes -Springsteen -Bon Jovi

metirish Apr 07 2008 07:55 AM

Yeah but the guy from Coldplay is married to what's her name and he cares about Fair trade , I know that because he has a tattoo on his hand about it... people he has helped.

smg58 Apr 07 2008 08:11 AM

Nirvana -- the only thing Kurt Cobain did that Pete Townshend didn't do much better was self-destruct. The enduring, owervhelmingly high regard people have for a song with indecipherable lyrics that make no sense even when you do finally figure them out years later just boggles my mind. I suppose you can argue that the whole point was that he was foaming at the mouth with rage but couldn't articulate in any clear way just what it was that was bugging him. But I can remember a lot of Nirvana fans in 1991 or 1992 complaining that Pearl Jam's music was too suicidal. Guns 'N' Roses -- Yes, they were a breath of fresh air relative to all the horrible hair bands of the day, but that's really not saying anything, and the appeal wore off for me by like 1988 or so. After that, hearing them has just gotten more and more annoying.

Frayed Knot Apr 07 2008 08:18 AM

'The Dead' probably have less lukewarm opinion about them than any other band. For the most part, either you're 'fer' or you're 'agin' (put me in the anti column). Plus, they're the band most like a sports team in that what ticks off the non-fans about them isn't even the band as much as it's the fans of the band. To them, no other band existed and if a group of 'Dead-heads' ever took over the stereo at a college party you could kiss off hearing anything else for the rest of the night. And then, of course, there's the old joke about what one Dead fan said to the other when the dope ran out; "Holy Shit Man, this music Sucks!!!"

sharpie Apr 07 2008 08:31 AM

I'm kind of lukewarm on the Dead. I saw them play in Golden Gate Park in the '70's (and a couple of other times). Their long jam things make me sleepy but they wrote a few pretty nice songs. Workingman's Dead, American Beauty and Blues for Allah are all good albums. For me, also, add Van Halen. Agree on previous mentions of GNR, Bon Jovi and Dave Matthews.

AG/DC Apr 07 2008 08:57 AM

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Dave Matthews Band -- Complete snorefest. Yeah, I actually started my list intending to include the Dave Matthews Band.

AG/DC Apr 07 2008 08:59 AM

metirish wrote: Yeah but the guy from Coldplay is married to what's her name and he cares about Fair trade , I know that because he has a tattoo on his hand about it... I'm certain many of these folks are loverly people.

Fman99 Apr 07 2008 08:59 AM

="metirish"]Yeah but the guy from Coldplay is married to what's her name and he cares about Fair trade , I know that because he has a tattoo on his hand about it... people he has helped. Finally the Led Zeppelin IV cover models getting some royalties. I add Springsteen to this list. He sucks and sucks and sucks and I'll never believe otherwise.

AG/DC Apr 07 2008 09:04 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 07 2008 09:08 AM

OK, to my six, I'm adding (7) DMB and (8) Counting Crows. The Crows may need one more comeback before they're getting into any Halls of Anything, but I feel I must take a pre-emptive strike. Regarding the hugeness of Coldplay, I stumbled over a guy who was in a Coldplay cover band and they were getting six gigs a month. I thought they must move around a lot, but that's just in the area. Huh? Fman99 wrote: He sucks and sucks and sucks and I'll never believe otherwise. No, in rock and roll you can never say never. I could just as easily create a list of acts I thought sucked and completely came around on.

metirish Apr 07 2008 09:05 AM

AG/DC wrote: ="metirish"]Yeah but the guy from Coldplay is married to what's her name and he cares about Fair trade , I know that because he has a tattoo on his hand about it... I'm certain many of these folks are loverly people. Oh I detest him and his band , he's so damn earnest and he flops around the stage all the while playing the piano.

Triple Dee Apr 07 2008 09:33 AM Re: Huge Bands I Just Can't Stand

AG/DC wrote: ...Pink Floyd: Floyd fans I know don't like the movie of The Wall. For me, it's the band's best thing. Just too much heavy metal posturing for a band that doesn't rock and doesn't roll.. I don't believe Pink Floyd ever purported to posture as a heavy metal band. In fact, the whole progressive rock scene was trying to get away from that very thing. You can criticize PF for other things, but I don't believe this to be one of them.

AG/DC Apr 07 2008 10:09 AM Re: Huge Bands I Just Can't Stand

Triple Dee wrote: In fact, the whole progressive rock scene was trying to get away from that very thing. I think the two forms were born and evolved pretty parallel to one another and borrowed liberally from one another in term of performance being drenched in spectacle.

soupcan Apr 07 2008 10:36 AM

Fman99 wrote: I add Springsteen to this list. He sucks and sucks and sucks and I'll never believe otherwise. I virtual high five you.

themetfairy Apr 07 2008 10:37 AM

soupcan wrote: ="Fman99"] I add Springsteen to this list. He sucks and sucks and sucks and I'll never believe otherwise. I virtual high five you. LOL - I'm with you. I'm actually seeing Springsteen and the E Street Band in concert in July. But that's only because there's a law that one has to see them live at least once if you've lived in NJ this long.....

AG/DC Apr 07 2008 10:40 AM

Come July, I'll be not seeing the Chilli Peps.

soupcan Apr 07 2008 10:47 AM

themetfairy wrote: I'm actually seeing Springsteen and the E Street Band in concert in July. But that's only because there's a law that one has to see them live at least once if you've lived in NJ this long..... I've seen him. 'Bored In The USA' tour. Like you though I was forced to go. At Syracuse whenever a 'big' band played the Dome, you had to go or your meal card was mysteriously invalidated. He sucks hard but the one thing I'll give him is that he is a worker bee. The man plays at least three full hours and the people that pay to hear his crap do get their monies worth.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 07 2008 10:56 AM

you people make me sick.

metirish Apr 07 2008 11:11 AM

I thought Bruce told the great American story , especially as a teen I found his music thought provoking.

seawolf17 Apr 07 2008 11:27 AM

Agreed completely on the Doors, the Dead, the Eagles, and Floyd. Don't think Boston or the Cars are big enough to get on this list, but I agree with them also. Springsteen has his moments, but I can't get worked up the way some folks do. Soup's right about the guy working his ass off, though. I enjoy Dave Matthews when he's being upbeat and poppy -- stuff like Ants Marching. His noodley stuff kills me. Put Phish in this category too. Actually, Coldplay, too. Their pop stuff I really like. Hell, add Radiohead to the original list -- I just don't get it. Boring. I agree on Nirvana. If Kurt hadn't died, they'd just have washed out like Soundgarden and so many other bands from that era. They happened to be in the right place at the right time, and sparked just enough controversy to matter. The only good thing that came out of Nirvana was the Foo Fighters. I enjoy Bon Jovi, GNR, the Chili Peppers, and Van Halen, though. The new Counting Crows disc is very good, but their history is spotty. Add Fleetwood Mac and the Beach Boys to the original list. Bleh. I have a hard time getting into The Who and the Stones, but I recognize their significance and enjoy enough of their stuff to be a fan. Two huge bands I can stand that but I don't think get enough credit: AC/DC -- Sure, they only wrote one song and just re-recorded it for twenty years. But it's a GREAT fucking song. Def Leppard -- Defined their era in every way: a dead guitarist, overblown videos, big hair, enormous harmonies. Had as good a run from 1983-1993 as any band.

themetfairy Apr 07 2008 11:31 AM

I like DMB - as Seawolf said, some of it more than other stuff. Their musicianship is wonderful, especially live. I don't like Coldplay - they're just too whiny. And I can't take seriously anyone who would name a kid "Apple."

soupcan Apr 07 2008 11:35 AM

seawolf17 wrote: Add...the Beach Boys to the original list. Bleh. GASP! Blasphemy! seawolf17 wrote: I enjoy Bon Jovi, Good night.

themetfairy Apr 07 2008 11:37 AM

soupcan wrote: ="seawolf17"]I enjoy Bon Jovi, Good night. Another few years in this state and I'll have to see them as well....

soupcan Apr 07 2008 11:42 AM

Time to move.

Frayed Knot Apr 07 2008 11:48 AM

A friend of mine used to refer to them as 'Bon Jersey' -- a perfect name for them IMO as they represent the epitome of suburban, white-boy, teenage rock-n-roll.

AG/DC Apr 07 2008 11:58 AM

Somebody down here met a friend of mine from New Jersey and (quite rudely) opined how New Jersey was stuck in the eighties. I think it's more true that much of eighties culture was taking it's cue from Jersey.

seawolf17 Apr 07 2008 12:23 PM

themetfairy wrote: I like DMB - as Seawolf said, some of it more than other stuff. Their musicianship is wonderful, especially live. Eh, "musicianship." A twenty-minute noodley acoustic guitar/saxophone/keyboard wank is not musicianship. It's a cure for insomnia. Ain't nothing wrong with enjoying Bon Jovi.

Gwreck Apr 07 2008 12:42 PM

I was surprised to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers on this list. Certainly not my favorite artists but I've always thought they were pretty solid. Flea is an amazing musician and I thought Frusciante was a good guitar player as well. Kiedis doesn't bother me, although his contributions to the group are probably more in songwriting that pure vocal talent. I'm not an objective person to respond to the Springsteen critique but I can't help but note that "he sucks and sucks and sucks and I'll never believe otherwise" is a pretty empty argument. For what it's worth, most of the Springsteen critiques I have encountered usually surround a dislike of the vocals/vocal style. The band I would add to this list: Led Zeppelin. I get that Page and Bonham were great musicians. All I hear with Zeppelin though is overblown solos, preening vocals that I can't stand and lyrics that range from the silly to the riddiculous. I'm sure classic rock radio being contractually obligated to play a song of theirs at least once every hour hasn't helped things.

RealityChuck Apr 07 2008 12:42 PM Re: Huge Bands I Just Can't Stand

="AG/DC"] The Grateful Dead: I actually have evolved on the Dead, appreciating Robert Hunter's songwriting and how the band consciously changed after Altamont. I still find the playing to be mind-numbing noodling I'm not a dead head by any means, but I like long improvisations. That's what made jazz, but there's been an odd backlash in rock that, for some reason, if you go more than four minutes with a song, you're self-indulgent. The Dead were fine musicians, but primarily were a live band and many of their albums are only so-so. ] Pink Floyd: Floyd fans I know don't like the movie of The Wall. For me, it's the band's best thing. Just too much heavy metal posturing for a band that doesn't rock and doesn't roll. Heavy metal? You're talking about Pink Floyd, right? Gilmour, Waters, Wright, and Mason? They were not heavy metal; it was more blues/jazz improvisations. I do think Dark Side and The Wall are both overrated, as is Roger Waters. For me, the answer is clear: The Steve Miller Band. Their first five albums were pretty good, but starting with the Joker, they did nothing but crap.

Gwreck Apr 07 2008 12:44 PM

seawolf17 wrote: Eh, "musicianship." A twenty-minute noodley acoustic guitar/saxophone/keyboard wank is not musicianship. It's a cure for insomnia. You may not like the music but I would argue that their drummer is one of the top 10 (if not top 5) drummers in rock.

sharpie Apr 07 2008 12:48 PM

so far the top most hated in terms of mentions (minimum of 3 mentions): Coldplay (5) ADDC, sharpie, Soupcan, Irish, Metfairy Boston (4) AGDC, sharpie, Soupcan, Seawolf Grateful Dead (4) AGDC, Soupcan, Frayed Knot, Seawolf Pink Floyd (3) AGDC, Soupcan, Seawolf Eagles (3) Willets, sharpie, Seawolf Cars (3) Willets, sharpie, Seawolf Dave Matthews Band (3) Lunchbucket, sharpie, AGDC Springsteen (3) Soupcan, fman99, metfairy

Kong76 Apr 07 2008 12:48 PM

It's funny how a large group of people so devoted to one subject can be so divided on another subject.

seawolf17 Apr 07 2008 12:52 PM

Gwreck wrote: ="seawolf17"]Eh, "musicianship." A twenty-minute noodley acoustic guitar/saxophone/keyboard wank is not musicianship. It's a cure for insomnia. You may not like the music but I would argue that their drummer is one of the top 10 (if not top 5) drummers in rock. I would never question their ability, any of them... I'm just saying I couldn't go see them live, and that's what their hardcore fans swear by.

AG/DC Apr 07 2008 12:56 PM Re: Huge Bands I Just Can't Stand Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 07 2008 02:28 PM

="RealityChuck"] ="AG/DC"] The Grateful Dead: I actually have evolved on the Dead, appreciating Robert Hunter's songwriting and how the band consciously changed after Altamont. I still find the playing to be mind-numbing noodling I'm not a dead head by any means, but I like long improvisations. That's what made jazz, but there's been an odd backlash in rock that, for some reason, if you go more than four minutes with a song, you're self-indulgent. Well, rock 'n' roll should have different standards than jazz. On the other hand, it's fair to say that over-indulgence hurt jazz as well, as far as its standing as popular music and relevancy. Both rock 'n' roll and jazz are terms that originall applied to sex. Like sex, they're sweet, funny, beautiful, awkward, moving, and painful. Like sex, if you can sustain a build toward a climax, good for you, keep going, but if you try and sustain it beyond the climax, you're kidding yourself. ="RealityChuck"] ="AG/DC"] Pink Floyd: Floyd fans I know don't like the movie of The Wall. For me, it's the band's best thing. Just too much heavy metal posturing for a band that doesn't rock and doesn't roll. Heavy metal? You're talking about Pink Floyd, right? Gilmour, Waters, Wright, and Mason? They were not heavy metal; it was more blues/jazz improvisations. Yes, I am. I think it's quite clear that I'm talking about the trappings and posturings and not the music, which is (part of) my issue. I say quite clearly they aren't heavy metal, so telling me that isn't necessary.

Frayed Knot Apr 07 2008 02:25 PM

]The band I would add to this list: Led Zeppelin. I get that Page and Bonham were great musicians. All I hear with Zeppelin though is overblown solos, preening vocals that I can't stand and lyrics that range from the silly to the riddiculous. I'm sure classic rock radio being contractually obligated to play a song of theirs at least once every hour hasn't helped things. I went through a lengthy (like maybe 15 years) anti-Zep period, one which I'm only recently coming out of and, yeah, classic rock radio playing decades-old stuff like it was some new, hot sound just released the previous week was a big factor. Even Robert Plant (who I still think of as a vastly over-rated vocalist) agreed, saying in an interview I heard a while back that the best thing that could happen to LZ music would be for no one to play it for at least a full year. I also prefer their earlier, blusier stuff (ie. the numbered albums) and never did warm up to the later 'Phys Graff' or 'Holy Houses' era.

Kong76 Apr 07 2008 02:35 PM

Physical Graffiti was a great album ... just don't listen to the side with Kasmir on it and you'll find a lot of dynamic stuff. Houses was my least favorite. John Paul Jones was the third most talented person in the band, Plant being last and a distant last. I think it was Richard Neer on the radio a couple of weeks ago say that Rod Stewart was actually almost the lead singer of Led Zeppelin. Imagine that.

AG/DC Apr 07 2008 02:43 PM

I think you can find the vocalist to be the least talented person in a band almost as often as not. The Go-Gos and The Who spring quickly to mind, and certainly the Peppers. The B-52s certainly, and Beach Boys probably. If the vocalist isn't also an instrumentalist, one thing he or she can bring besides a good voice and songwriting skilzz is taste. Though not a talent per se, a unifying aesthetic counts for something.

Number 6 Apr 07 2008 03:00 PM

Checking in. 1. RHCP is a great band ruined for me by a schlocky vocalist. He makes their songs sound the same pretty much all by himself. His vocal lines are boring, uninventive and obnoxiously "signature." He's the John Sterling of rock singers. 2. I love Nirvana. An immensely popular band that also somehow ended up being widely and grossly misunderstood (with evidence in this thread). 3. IMO, Pink Floyd is loved and hated because they don't fit neatly into any one category. I like them, but I can see the other side. 4. This is probably going to get me booed off stage, but I strongly dislike both Billy Joel and Tom Petty, for much the same reasons... although I will grudgingly acknowledge their songwriting skills (in the former more than the latter). 5. Love Phish, never got the Dead (my wife is a huge fan). I can completely see the other side on Phish. You can nail the Dead for their noodling, and I agree... but they wrote some great, unique songs.

AG/DC Apr 07 2008 03:04 PM

Now that's a Steve Bieser post.

Number 6 Apr 07 2008 03:08 PM

...and I have no idea what that means! I'm choosing to take it as a compliment :)

SteveJRogers Apr 07 2008 05:22 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 07 2008 07:57 PM

.avi

seawolf17 Apr 07 2008 05:57 PM

AG/DC wrote: I think you can find the vocalist to be the least talented person in a band almost as often as not. As the singer for a garage rock band in high school, I completely agree.

Valadius Apr 07 2008 07:00 PM

I HATE Dave Matthews Band. They're quite possibly the most overrated band ever. This sums up ALL their songs: "I like to whine about my life..."

AG/DC Apr 07 2008 07:49 PM

SteveJRogers wrote: As long as solo acts are going on here, let me add: The King, Elvis Aaron Presley! Well considering Springsteen is mostly not a solo act, we're not, so...

Nymr83 Apr 07 2008 08:14 PM

Valadius wrote: I HATE Dave Matthews Band. They're quite possibly the most overrated band ever. This sums up ALL their songs: "I like to whine about my life..." ok, i was going to contribute to this thread but val said it all.

Triple Dee Apr 07 2008 10:06 PM Re: Huge Bands I Just Can't Stand

="RealityChuck"]I do think Dark Side and The Wall are both overrated, as is Roger Waters.. Yes. In fact, I have trouble listening to anything from PF that isn't on Wish You Were Here.

Triple Dee Apr 07 2008 10:16 PM

="Number 6"]but I strongly dislike both Billy Joel You're not the only one who thinks Joel is a talentless hack. ="Number 6"]and Tom Petty much the same reasons Not hate, but definitely overrated. ="Number 6"] ... although I will grudgingly acknowledge their songwriting skills (in the former more than the latter). I would more in the latter than the former. Joel's songwriting skills didn't evolve from the 8th grade. ] In Ricky Gervais's stand-up show Politics, he references the song, We Didn't Start the Fire, saying "It's basically a list", then quoting the first verse and commenting, "That's not a song. That is a conversation with Rain Man."