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Your Favorite Band Sucks
There. I said it. All you classic rock types can fight me. The following bands are overrated and are hereby banned from their never-ending song rotations on the radio:
Rush. Canada’s greatest export? Sure. But still not good.
The Eagles. Prolific, yes. Good? Maybe in the beginning. Still good after all this time? Nope. They’re old and Hotel California is probably still the most overplayed song ever.
Nirvana. Did they become the poster boys for Grunge? Yes. Was it a new sound that they were advancing? Yes. But after two albums, it was enough. If Cobain hadn’t self-destructed, there’s still no guarantee that he would’ve done anything of value. He was already tired of playing and his lyrics and music were getting too predictable.
Bob Dylan. Inventive. Useful. Interesting. Nonsensical. The man hasn’t done anything good in years. This includes having a son that also became famous on his dad’s coattails (see, “The Wallflowers”). While his initial poetry turned folk-jam was good in its time, that time has been passed for a very long time. People continue to see him for nostalgia purposes. Not because he’s good anymore or has produced anything of value.
There are others, but I think four will do. Who is on your list? Why are they awful? Vent your spleen here!
Published in Culture
I went to high school with this guy’s three kids, lol. Always wanted to sing a duet with his oldest daughter. Fantastic alto.
http://www.swingingbavarians.com/videos.htm
I hate to advocate sex, drugs, and violence, but they’ve always worked for me.
You don’t have to worry about any of these if you just keep your dial on a classic country station.
I think he’s been pretty steadily good-great other than a patch in the ‘80s.
Ron Wood did do a very nice cover of “Seven Days”:
(They show Ringo on the drums, but they were actually done by Mick Fleetwood on this track, and Charlie Watts on the rest of the album).
I’ve discovered, through trying a lot of other classic rock bands, that the only one I actually like is the Stones. Probably because it’s a blues band (incorporating a lot of other elements as time goes on, but still fundamentally connected to that) with a jazz drummer who can swing. Also, I would guess, because I grew up listening almost exclusively to classical, jazz, and, to a lesser extent, old school blues.
Although all of my music teachers were huge Beatles fans. Never liked them (the band) much either.
I’ll take Blondie over the Beatles any day.
Foreigner? The original Nickelback.
One of the most boring concerts I’ve ever been to. I enjoyed Hootie immensely more (I recall they played Kool and the Gang’s “Get Down on It” and really rocked it).
R.E.M. was another difficult concert to get through. “Everybody Hurts” live? C’mon, man!
Neither is Dylan. And I agree with you that both he and Nirvana suck. My adamance on the latter caused me to lose all respect for my girlfriend at the time of his death as she and her friend spent all afternoon glued to MTV’s continuous vigil, while I rolled my eyes next to them on the sofa wishing they’d just move on to Beavis and Butthead already.
Now for some real classic rock:
I love Pandora (the cellphone app, not the band). Pick your bands or stations and hit shuffle, and it is like a personalized radio station. Ads appear customized to the artists and genres of music. Canadian Brass, Gordon Lightfoot, Barenaked Ladies, Feist, Blue Rodeo , Tragically Hip and many others were better Canadian Exports than Rush. Even like Metric better.
My wife feels the same about Alabama.
I do this with Elton John.
I can’t think of many “classic rock” bands I really despise. But then again, that was the soundtrack of my youth (let’s say late ’60s – 1981). Do I think some songs are overplayed? Yep (looking at you “Hotel California,” “Walk This Way,” and “Sweet Home Alabama”). But there are some songs that deserve more play (looking at you “Pretty Maids All in a Row” and “The Ballad of Curtis Loew”). Maybe it’s not that the bands suck, but you’re tired of hearing the same tunes over and over and….
Funny story, DMB was actually one of the best concerts I ever attended. Me and a friend somehow ended up with free tickets and went with a DMB super fan. The show was at a Six Flags amusement park with an outdoor stadium. We dropped off our buddy so he could enjoy the show while we walked around the park slamming our $12 beers. Later that night, a severe thunderstorm hit. Buckets of rain coming down. We were all separated by that point. We cut through the amusement park on the way from our hotel to the stadium, and I decided to take the same way back, even though the amusement park was now closed. I was hiding under one of those hit-the-target-win-a-prize stands that was shuttered for the night. The rain was really coming down and I needed cover to use my phone. My friends must have been thinking the same thing, as I saw them hiding under mini golf props and park rides. We converged in the middle of the park and planned our way back to the hotel. Unfortunately, none of us were really fit to lead the way at that point, so the next couple hours were spent wandering around the abandoned amusement park, trying to find the way. An abandoned amusement park in a severe storm is like a scene from a zombie movie. It was a once in a lifetime experience. After finding cover under various Smoky the Bear statues and roller coaster cars, we eventually found our way back to the hotel.
Our Dave Matthews super fan friend really enjoyed the concert, and so did we, even though we don’t remember a single thing from the actual show.
Blasphemy!
Umm, let’s see.
The Eagles write melodic songs — lots of them.
They do actual harmonies.
They could actually play live
They have Joe Walsh.
But classic rock- over which they have no control-overplays Hotel California and Life in the Fast Lane
Yeah, let’s hate ‘em
I liked their first album, and Desperado was great. I don’t listen to enough radio to hear anything overplayed.
And I also liked The James Gang.
Dylan? No. Casualties of Cool? Yes. (Not classic rock, but worth a listen.)
Here’s some proof of this comment:
When I was a young man and foolish, I hated John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Seeger. Now that I am older, and wiser in the ways of the world, I transferred my hatred previously reserved for Bob Seeger onto Bruce Springsteen, where it rightfully belongs.
I agree. It’s fashionable to hate on the Eagles these days, but those things are cyclical. Eventually, some music critic will say something like, “You know, everybody dumps on the Eagles, but actually ‘The Last Resort’ is a actually a really good piece of music, with some actual thoughtful composition, interesting key and tempo changes, and lyrics that all fit together in a really solid work. And how about ‘Wasted Time?’ – what a pretty song.” And then there will be a revival in their reputation.
Springsteen – another one for whom it is getting fashionable to express disdain. But that’s absurd. Springsteen’s songs are genius, among the best of his era. That’s a hill I’ll die on. He’s also underplayed on the classic stations, in my opinion.
Listen to classic rock radio, and you’ll hear some godawful Lynyrd Skynyrd thing like “Oooh, That Smell,” fifty times before you hear Springsteen’s glorious “Thunder Road.” I don’t get it. (I’m not trying to diss Skynyrd. I like a lot of their songs, too. But they’re way overplayed.)
I love Bob Seger , too. Like Springsteen, for some reason, Seger’s best songs aren’t played as often as some of his lesser ones (looking at you “Old Time Rock n’ Roll”).
Springsteen can’t sing. He just kinda shouts.
Thanks for reminding me that I can’t stand John Mellencamp either.
Born to Run, the only Springsteen I ever owned, was a killer album.
No, the poster boys were Mudhoney, always were.
Suprisingly, John Mellencamp was one of the best live performances I’ve ever seen. I liked him, but only the way one likes a good chili – good but certainly not great. Even still, I gotta give the guy his props.
THIS portion of the story is very similar to a Smashing Pumpkins concert I’m pretty sure I attended. Barely knew the band, but had a raucous good time.
We’ve discussed this before, I think, but the disdain for Springsteen doesn’t seem to me to be music related, or, if so, only as an adjunct to his rather annoying personna. Dylan has successfully navigated these waters.
It is for me. You’d think that after 50+ years of playing guitar he’d be better at it. But every time I’ve seen video of him live it looks like he’s wrestling the guitar, and losing.