Most Overrated Bands/Artists?

[ribsnwhiskey]

Jack White

[ruxCYtable]

The Beatles always show up on lists like this. I don't happen to agree that they're overrated but I can understand why people think that. By today's standards their music might sound plain and simple. The thing I think you have to remember about The Beatles is they really had no predecessor. They were among the first bands to write their own music, i.e. they weren't really "produced", and they were also one of the pioneers of the album concept -- releasing a collection of songs following a similar theme or sound, as opposed to just releasing teeny-bop singles. Whether you like their music or not, they really crashed through the gate and paved the way for a lot of others who came after them. OK, that's my rant about The Beatles.

I agree with the OP's assessment on REM. IMO, their oldest stuff is their best and everything after Monster I just don't have time for.

I am lukewarm on U2. I liked their early stuff and remember as a kid really liking their videos on MTV. I have some of their stuff but I almost never choose to listen to them.

I like some of Michael Jackson's stuff but I've heard a lot of stories that he wasn't really the genius behind it all even though he gets credit for the writing. There was a guy from Cedar Rapids in his band (Michael Boddicker -- no relation to the baseball player) and I heard a lot of stories that MJ would just kind of hum a tune or a rhythm and then disappear while Boddicker and the band would put it all together for him. Then MJ would take all the credit.
So although I like some of his songs I'm kind of skeptical of his talent as a writer.

Those are the biggies for me. Take it for what it's worth...which is probably not much!

[Al_4_State]

The Doors are probably the most overrated band of all time. Well, Jim Morrison is overrated. Any idiot can take acid and write down the thoughts in their head. The band is pretty good. For some reason it pisses me off that they didn't have a bass player.

Others (keep in mind I enjoy most of these artists, unless I say I hate them):
The Beatles - Kind of hard for them not to be overrated at this point

Nirvana - Loved them growing up, still enjoy them, but its hard for me to shake the notion that Cobain's suicide has vaulted them to more credit than they deserve

Pink Floyd - some legitimately great tunes, but Comfortable Numb sucks. There, I said it. The Wall was overrated too. Wish You Were Here and Dark Side are great albums, but outside of that I have no interest.

Aerosmith - everything after Rocks has sucked, and sucked hard.

Arcade Fire - Ugh. Hipster drivel garbage.

Coldplay - That second album was pretty good, but this electro-pop ******** is musical torture

Michael Jackson - He wrote some good songs, but they were pretty much pop fluff. Nothing wrong with that, just doesn't make him the greatest ever

Eric Clapton - His solo career has been mediocre to bad outside of 461 Ocean Boulevard and Slowhand

[jdoggivjc]

Just about anything that plays on a Top 40 radio station is by definition overrated.

I wouldn't call bands like Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, and I'll throw A Perfect Circle in there, as overrated, but as "Good Bands Gone Bad." Sometimes a band's act just gets old, but it's amazing how this usually coincides with how the band can't help but propagandize its political views. Take Green Day, for example. In the 1990s they sang about adolescence and masturbation, and it worked for them. By the 2000s rolled around, they outgrew that message and had to move onto something else. Unfortunately that message was bashing conservatives, automatically alienating half their fan base, and was a message half of the left didn't want to hear, either.

Perhaps it's coincidence, but it seems like every time a band decides to politicize its music is about the time the band is becoming irrelevant.

[Al_4_State]

I would argue that the Foo Fighters are actually underrated, at least in music snob circles.

[Daserop]

the beatles

[TXCyclones]

Red Hot Chili Peppers SUUUCCCCKKKK
Creed SSSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCKKKKKKSSSSSS
Have always thought Credence Clearwater Revival sucked.
Megadeth = awful
Sex Pistols

Aside from a couple of good party classics I never understood the B52's rage either.

[mustangcy]

I love a good Foo Fighters discussion. I love(d) the Foo's, the first 3 albums are masterpieces. Then Dave decided he wanted to be in a metal band. Now every songs sounds like he's trying his best to write an arena rock opus. Just really disappointing. I will say that Dave is at least good for 1-2 songs that I really like off each new album. I really liked 'white limo' off the newest one but then again it sounds like an offtake from the debut album.

Nirvana - here's a band that almost by themselves changed the direction of rock music. They were gods. The end.

Beatles - you can't seriously say the beatles are overrated. Look into what Bob Dylan thinks of the Beatles..or Brian Wilson or any other songwritter from the last 40 years. The Beatles changed everything. They literally invented pop music that could be artistic.

Weezer - I just listened the the blue album the other day painting my garage. Man, find me a song that rocks as hard as is as catchy as 'Surf Wax'. Love that tune but yeah, Rivers can stop now.

I'd put RHCP's as my most overrated. I really can't stand anything they do.

[bos]

Kathleen Turner Overdrive, Sonic Death Monkey

[azepp]

So much fail. Frankenstrat you strike you down. Have you listened to their entire catalog?

Yeah, well I think you're full of fail! So there! This whole thread is full of fail, which is bound to happen whenever you start talking about overrated bands - for every one person who dislikes them there are 10 who like them, hence their overratedness.

But to answer your question: yes, I have listened to the entire catalog as far as I am aware.

[Bader]

Have always thought Credence Clearwater Revival sucked.

You shut your filthy mouth. Nobody can resist John Fogerty

[Al_4_State]

I really thought that Wasting Light was a hell of a return to form for the Foos. In Your Honor and ESP&G definitely got a little "bloated" at times, but I think they really broke out of their comfort zone a little bit, and did a lot more songs that just flat out rocked, instead of being My Hero 2.0. Yeah, Walk is a perfect example of Grohl going for that rock opus, but from top to bottom its full of good songs, and the band pushes themselves a lot more from a musical stand point.

Easily their best album since Nothing Left to Lose.

[azepp]

Red Hot Chili Peppers SUUUCCCCKKKK
Creed SSSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCKKKKKKSSSSSS
Have always thought Credence Clearwater Revival sucked.
Megadeth = awful
Sex Pistols

Aside from a couple of good party classics I never understood the B52's rage either.

Are they still putting out music? The last thing I heard from them was probably 10 years ago. When they were big, my wife and I decided that a better name for them would be Scrotum, so that's what we've always called them.

[cyclones500]

I might need a little time to come up with my list, but a couple quick notes on the topic.


Overrated/underrated is a fun topic (to me, anyway).


Good arguments to back up your choices.

[Al_4_State]

I don't know how you could Creed or Nickleback "overrated". I don't know anyone who raves about their prowess. Seems like everyone hates them, except all the people who buy their records and go to their shows.


Thing is, the people who like those bands, for the most part, don't really like music that much.