Posted on 05/01/2013 4:06:21 PM PDT by Para-Ord.45
#5: Pink Floyd
Let’s tackle Roger Waters’ reputed antisemitism first, since it lets me put off having to actually talk about his dreadful “music” for a bit.
I grew up trying to avoid The Wall. It was ubiquitous in my steel mill home town — a whining drone blaring from every paneled suburban basement and tricked out Chevy van.
#4 – Bob Marley
The king of rasta “music” (and his idiotic “religion”) inspires so much loathing I barely have to do more than cut and paste this entry. Thanks, other people!
Remember that “tribute to Bob Marley” at this year’s Grammy Awards? Neither does anyone else, because it was terrible. The most entertaining part? You can actually see all these A-list performers’ suddenly remembering, too late and on live TV, that Bob Marley’s songs are, in fact, really really bad.
#3: Stevie Wonder
At the risk of wandering into Elvis Costello territory — yes, he really did say this — I’m gonna come right out with it:
If Stevie Wonder wasn’t black and blind, there’s no way he’d be as highly esteemed as he is.
A white guy who named himself “Wonder” would never hear the end of it. Instead, we never hear the end of Stevie’s songs, especially on American Idol.
OK, so that’s not his fault, but you know what is?
Besides The Secret Life of Plants and “I Just Called To Say I Love You” and “Ebony and Ivory”?
#2: The Doors
The Doors are like certain Twilight Zone episodes or The Shawshank Redemption:
Really deep and profound — if you’re 12 years old.
Jim Morrison’s lyrics — sorry, I mean “poetry” — is, well, let this guy say it:
Jim Morrison wrote a lot of poetry, and most of it was (…) pretentious, regrettable, faux-intellectual diarrhea. Reading Jim Morrison the poet is like watching a shirtless SAE pledge strumming James Blunt on his old acoustic in the university commons during spring break: totally insufferable, uninspiring, and distasteful.
By the way: the dude who wrote that is a fan of The Doors.
Just saying.
#1: Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen is a pompous blowhard whose overwrought, arrested-adolescent lyrics make Jim Morrison sound like Philip Larkin.
And like Morrison, he wrote about stuff he knows nothing about — like having a real job — and, like both Morrison and Stevie Wonder, he gave himself a ridiculous “penis” nickname: “The Boss.”
The only reason “Because the Night” is good is because Patti Smith co-wrote it.
But as usual, it took an Englishman to give Springsteen the thrashing he deserves:
Someone like Tom Waits makes me feel like I understand America a little better. Springsteen makes me feel hopelessly estranged from the place with his hyperventilating soap operas about young lovers riding outta this one-horse town on the back of a hurricane down the highway of dreams. (…)
His lyrics are wrought from overcooked high school poetry (“we ride through mansions of glory on suicide machines”), homespun hokum, and the York Study Notes to John Steinbeck.
Springsteen appeals to the eternal adolescent in every rock fan, but not the fun, irreverent version, rather the inner Holden Caulfield, earnestly searching for ANSWERS and TRUTH, desperate to be a hero in the drama of his own life, utterly incapable of laughing at himself or the world.
Pt.1 :http://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2013/04/23/the-5-most-overrated-male-musicians-part-one/?singlepage=true
Pt.II:http://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2013/04/30/the-5-most-overrated-male-musicians-part-two/?singlepage=true
List looks pretty accurate to me. As far as myself, I am still celebrating Rush’s long overdue induction in the HOF.
Yeah, but how about that drummer!!!!!!!!!!
>>”Mr. Tambourine Man” seems to be about a drug dealer.
So what?
That’s funny right there I tell you.
I met Springsteen at the Pony before he kicked off the Born in the USA tour. He was pretty cool. But like every other performer, once they open their mouths, it’s all over Johnny.
My top 5 is:
Sting
Bono
Costello
Dylan
Jack Black - yes the actor.
No, you're thinking of the drummer, Neal Peart, who's since taken a leftward turn... Geddy's always been a Canadian liberal. But he's a good "family man," and generous (he bought a collection of autographed baseballs specifically to donate them the the "Negro League Hall of Fame" in Kansas City). But none of that is related to this thread... It's about overrated musicians. And while Geddy's voice was sometimes rather jarring (it's mellowed over the years, but still not for everyone), he's one of the greatest rock and roll bass players in music, and is on nearly ever musician's "top musician" list.
Mark
MOODY BLUES??? you don’t like the Moody Blues???????? I LOVE them!
Billy Joel.
A certified "No-talent Assclown".
Actually, it’s about a drug experience, not a dealer. The Tambourine Man is not a dealer - it’s the experience. That’s my interpretation. I’m not a poet - that’s the best I describe it.
But this is a discussion on music and poetry, not values.
even 80%.
Sorry, we differ
Now that Alice Cooper and Rush are in the HOF, the Moody Blues is now its biggest oversight.
Meatloaf has one of the all-time great R&R voices. To hear him really rock out (without the Jim Steinman influence), check out the Ted Nugent album, "Free for All." Amazing!
Mark
Agian this comments is not greatest music, but greatest musicians.
Don't forget that Rick Wright died of cancer a few years ago...
Mark
The biggest problem with Dear God, is that it totally went against the feel of the entire Skylarking album, it just didn’t fit....The song it replaced, “Mermaid Smiled” fit much better into the concept.
Funny how over time, Andy actually finally admitted that Todd Rundgren did a pretty bang up job producing Skylarking.
So? A lot of great songs have been written about all sorts of illegal, immoral, or self-destructive activities. But to enjoy those songs doesn't mean that you are personally involved in those sorts of activities, or would ever want to be.
Great personal story about Melanie’s “Brand New Key.” Back in 83 a half dozen of us went to a bar near Wrigley Field after a Cub game. The bar had an old jukebox and my friend Tim went to check it out. He called me over and pointed to Brand New Key. We laughed as weo couldn’t believe it was on a jukebox. Then I asked him how many quarters he had and he replied “Enough.” So we set Brand New Key to play EIGHT times, and told the rest of the gang it was time to go.
We never went back to that bar.
I think that in a lot of cases, combinations of musicians are far better than those same musicians by them selves. Waters, tempered by Gilmour, Wright, and Mason, was terrific. But I couldn't stand him alone. Another example of this (IMHO) was the combination of Lennon/McCartney, especially when guided by George Martin.
Mark
YES!...Only one or two albums and one or two songs from each of those were at the most, memorable.
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