Punishing the overrated

[Nano]

With time and experience, one starts to cut the good stuff from that being just hype. And being that disco was underrated during many years, what better revenge than to slam those rock/pop turds that were pushed down our throats for too many a time!

So these are my picks for Saddam-like music statues to take down (you can post yours):

FIVE OVERRATED STYLES/GENRES/MOVEMENTS

-PSYCHEDELIA: years reading magazines about how far-out these gems were, and then you finally find them and they're laughable! I'm talking late-Sixties "acid" culture and all its casualties, from Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead on down! Go buy a new brain, folks!

-WHITE BLUES: Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield, Alvin Lee, all that unknowns that appeared in the festival movies... These guys seem to have heard John Mayall (back when he had Eric Clapton in his band) and said: "hey, I can do it too!" Wrong! Should have played some B.B. King records instead.

-GRUNGE: hey, what's new in trying to copy Neil Young or Sonic Youth or the Pixies with some lazy all-attitude young kids? :roll: No big amp will compensate for a lousy guitar. And Nirvana... fortunately I saw them live and know they didn't make up for the hype they received.

-THE MANCHESTER WAVE: theze lads eat the pills and drink the drinks and have the sunglasses, but could they have some nice melody for a change? Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, UK Charlatans, Inspiral Carpets, you name it... Kula Shaker! :-o

-THE CHILL-OUT WAVE: yes, put some echo in that acoustic guitar playing the same chord at turtle speed, then add some 70s synths and zombie vocals, let them drone on and on... and voilá! You're ready to do your own Bossa & Zep album! ;)

NINE OVERRATED BANDS/SOLOISTS

-JAPAN: better than Duran Duran?! Give me a break! :roll:

-SYD BARRETT-ERA PINK FLOYD: better than Dark Side?! Some people want to be different no matter what. :-?

-BECK: two very good songs ("Loser" and "Devil's Haircut"), some wit... hmmm, not much more. Thank God I saw him live too... it was pathetic.

-PATTI SMITH: a valuable poet, no doubt. But singing? :-?

-MARILYN MANSON: remember when they said this guy was the artist of the decade? :D

-GUNS N' ROSES: remember when they said this was the band of the decade? :D

-OASIS: need I say more? :p

-RADIOHEAD: oh, I need to suffer, I'm so young and well-bred! let's rip some Pink Floyd stuff and dress dirty! :p

-THE STROKES: proof than in today's rock world the looks are all that matter. 8-)

THREE OVERRATED ALBUMS

-PET SOUNDS (The Beach Boys): being much less known than the Beatles in some places, some journalists now dare to suggest this record is better than Sgt. Pepper's. Absolutely pretentious and depressing stuff. Give me back my surfboard!

-ALL THINGS MUST PASS (George Harrison): the best song lost a trial for plagiarism and the rest sound (poorly) all the same. The third record, the one with the jams, must be the most ludicrous waste of vinyl ever. Jam with better musicians, George, or at least hide their drugs!

-NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS (Sex Pistols): yes, a great statement. Great cover art. Whatever. Let's play all of it. How many songs are there? Hmmm... :roll:

BONUS: THREE CAREERS GONE BAD

-PETER GABRIEL: after the great So, this guy just tried to pull the same trick (ripping himself), and with longer vacation periods each time. Now he's competing with Axl Rose for the Laziest Star Prize.

-THE ROLLING STONES: the good songs period ended when Bill Wyman left. Still, they remain a nice live show.

-BJÖRK: we wanted you happy, girl. Stop sobbing and wailing about God knows what...

OK! I feel better now...

[EricHG23]

Should this be in the disco 70s folder?

I disagree strongly with what you say about Pet Sounds - i think it's great and hardly depressing (wouldn't It Be Nice, God Only Knows--depressing? Gorgeous more like it)--still The Zombies Oddysey and the Oracle is my fave 60s rock album over Beach Boys and Beatles (yes seriously)

i do agree with peter Gabriel and to a lesser extent Bjork (i still like her stuff but want her to change directions...). I'd put Radiohead there too--always interesting music but nothign brilliant since The Bends.

The only Japan I knwo is their song with Moroder ;)

E

[Bernie]

Nano,

Great topic! I pretty much agree with much of what you noted except I still enjoy The Stone Roses. While Inspiral Carpets have worn thin in spots, The Stone Roses hold their own with great songs like "Waterfall" and "Fools Gold" amongst many.

PS: I moved this topic from the Disco category.

[K-Bee]

I'd like to add two artists to the list of overrated ones:

Leonard Cohen
Bob Dylan

Honestly....go write a book or poem instead!

[Nano]

Thanks Bernie!

Obviously it's impossible for people to agree with me in all the items noted. But more than put a particular one into discussion, I invite you guys to make your own tirades! For me there's always something interesting in reading them, even when I disagree.

Ya hear, Remicks? Ya can post here about Van Morrison, yes!!!

[EricHG23]

I've never understood Dylan's appeal but I have to admit to being a massive Leonard Cohen fan. I realized how brilliant he is at writing melody when I started to hear his songs sung by peopel who could actually sing not him. Jennifer Warnes Cohen album from the 80s is nearly flawless. (and Cohen has had tons fo success writing poems and books :P )

One artist I DO like but I think isn't very consistant anymore is Sting. I'm a huge Police fan and unlike some fans love a handful of his solo stuff--but it can also be terribly bland (but this happens with a lot of peoplew ho've been around for a while--i think Burt Bacharach was one of the cleverest pop composers of the 60s--experimenting with form and making masterpieces--by the 80s he still had hits like That's What Friends are For but they're cheasey and very MOR (same happened ot his often collaborator Dionen Warwick--brilliant voice in the 60s--awful now). Putting a disco theme on this by the late 80s, as much as Moroder is prob my all time fave producer--he was starting to lose it with all the cheasy power rock stuff for Kenny Loggins etc).