Overrated singer/songwriters

[Doctor_J]

Here are some ideas, which you should feel free to come down on either side of. Or nominate your own.

Harry Chapin - Billiant writer, or purveyor of some schmaltzy, overwrought ballads who, if he hadn't died tragically, would probably be playing weeknights at 30-seat clubs?

Jim Croce - Introspective tunemeister, or writer of 2-1/2 min, radio-friendly songs with a good beat, and who mined the country rock genre for far more than he should have?

Don McLean - Poet for his time, or two-hit wonder?

Please discuss

[XNASA]

1. Clapton. Wait. I take that back.

He's neither.

[Shell Beau]

3. But....

He's one hell of guitar player! (I think he is a great all around musician, but at least give him props for the guitar) :silly:

[XNASA]

7. No can do. EC is my musical whipping boy.

As for his guitar playing, I'll say this.......he's not a bad mimic.

[Shell Beau]

8. Okay okay! Fair enough, you can pick on him

but just know that you are wrong of course! (Just teasing!) :P

[johnnie]

18. But who is more of a mimic

Clapton or PagePlant? Or is it PlantPage?

[XNASA]

24. Listen to "Riding with the King" and "The Immigrant Song"....

...and you tell me. ;) :hi:

[Zuni]

43. who in their right mind would listen to the immigrant song?

If I want to hear effiminate british rockers scream and sing about weird subjects, I will put on Ziggy Stardust or other early 70s Bowie

[johnnie]

45. .

:rofl:

[XNASA]

50. The point is........it's not blues mimicry.

However else you feel about it is irrelevant.

I'd rather listen to Bowie too.

[Zuni]

57. I like British blues

Clapton's early work with the yardbirds, John Mayall and cream is excellent, as are many other British blues bands and artists

[XNASA]

62. What can I say?

Why would I want to listen to a diluted British version of the Blues when I've the the real deal right here in my own backyard?

It would be like you going to Wisconsin for crabcakes.

[Zuni]

75. I listen to all kinds of blues

I have everything from Charlie Patton, to Muddy waters to Magic Sam, Otis rush to Albert king to John Mayall to paul butterfield

From the Delta to chicago to London, i love it all.

[sendero]

119. HEY!

Bowie's not effeminate!

[johnnie]

66. "Riding with the King" song..

...or album?

[XNASA]

87. I'd never make it through the entire album.

[johnnie]

96. I don't think I have heard any of it

I don't mind Clapton, but I'm not a big fan. I personally think he has had his moments on guitar, but he isn't even in my top 10 of my favorite players.

[ProfessorGAC]

122. I Thought You Would Say Andy Partridge

Sorry, i couldn't resist.
The Professor

[mr blur]

2. Most of them, really.

But out of your choices I'd go for McLean - that awful American Pie nonsense. And when I was a teenager whenever Vincent came on the radio it made me want to throw up. And I like Van Gogh.

[redqueen]

4. Celine Dion

Why do people think she has such a great voice? I mean, it's strong, and on pitch, but gah... no style or personality at all.

I like Harry Chapin a lot... and respect him for the way he used his shows to fight hunger.

[MissMillie]

6. she's a songwriter?

really?

[redqueen]

11. I thought so.

Hell, I don't know.

I don't pay too much attention to her, as you might have guessed.

[redqueen]

94. I take that back.

I may not like her voice, but I love what she said:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x3966670

[ronnykmarshall]

104. I was just about to post that.

[redqueen]

121. Hey cutie...

where's your pic?

What, we gotta beg you? :P

[erpowers]

135. Great Voice

Celine Dion is not overrated in that she has a very pretty and strong voice. I think it has personality in that she does not sound like all the other singers. Presently many of the singers have voices and music that sound exactly alike. With Dion you can tell her voice and music from the others.

[MissMillie]

5. Bob Seger

garage band brilliance :shrug:

[Shell Beau]

9. No, not my beloved Bob. I love him!

[MissMillie]

10. sorry

but he's one of the very few people that mean an automatic change of the radio station for me.

[Shell Beau]

13. Even the song "Turn the Page"? Say it ain't so!

[MissMillie]

16. ESPECIALLY "Turn the Page"

don't feel too bad though... Tom Petty makes me feel the same way.

[Shell Beau]

17. Not my beloved Tom? You hate all of my faves!!

:cry: Just kidding! Maybe I hate your faves! :P

[MissMillie]

21. You probably have little familiarity w/ my faves

Well, my female faves are rarely on the hit list.

Aimee Mann tops the list, followed by Shawn Colvin.

I also love Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Patty Griffin, and Jackson Browne

[Shell Beau]

22. Damn, I actually like those people!

There goes that. ;)

[fudge stripe cookays]

59. You'd enjoy yourself

at Chez Fudge then, Miss Millie.

Although my enthusiasm for shawn and Aimee has dampened the last few years. I used to be a hardcore fan.

FSC

[BlueJazz]

97. I know what you mean MissMillie......To me, he sounds like...

...he's always trying to take a Dump.

(like a Rock...EEEEEEEGGGGGGGGG!)

[ProfessorGAC]

120. Me Too!

My hand can't get to the buttons on the car radio fast enough. He just bores me to death.
The Professor

[Zomby Woof]

37. Bob Seger is GREAT

The damn shame is, very VERY few people are aware of his great songs BEFORE 'Live Bullet', like 1969's "2+2=?", a tragic anti-Vietnam piece, or "Leanin' On My Dream", or "Mongrel"... and on and on...

Lots of unknown gems in the past 2 decades too, that never got airplay: "The Mountain", "Little Victories", "The Ring", and "Manhattan", to name a few.

He was producing R&B singles in 1965, in Detroit, before being signed to Capitol in '68. He was almost the first white artist signed to Motown, because of his voice and songwriting style.

In fact, he has one of the best singing voices in rock history. Other "heartland" singers, like Springsteen and Mellencamp (who both owe Seger a lot) don't even come close.

And while I am it, Alto Reed kicks Clarence Clemons's ASS on saxophone! :D

[Shell Beau]

41. Bob's voice is wonderful!

I love anything he sings b/c I love his voice so much! Glad to know I am not alone. There are several songs of his I love.

[Zomby Woof]

46. He's one of the greats

I don't let corporate radio dictate my tastes or I wouldn't be able to listen to ANYTHING.

That being said, his most commercially successful album is my least favorite: "Against The Wind". Still, I would take 1,000 listenings of that album over 1 by Depeche Mode. :P

[Shell Beau]

90. I 100% agree!

[redqueen]

12. Oooh I'll second that one.

[Shell Beau]

14. And I'll say it again, Not my beloved Bob?

[redqueen]

15. Sorry...

My mom loved him and up until a certain age I was indifferent.

Then I listened to the lyrics of "Down on Main Street" or whateverthefuck it's called...

[Richardo]

19. Bob Dylan

There. I said it.

Can't sing, lousy poet, insipid proto-rap rhymes ('leaders' = 'parking meters'? C'mon!) :eyes:

I'll never get Bob Dylan. x(

[arwalden]

29. How DARE YOU!!!???

[Richardo]

33. He's an over-rated hack who should have taken a page from the Beatles

...and gone out at the end of the 60s. He and the Rolling Stones.

[Zuni]

39. And the Beatles themselves shouldn't have made so many bad solo

albums.

The only really good beatle solo album is John lennon's first, the Plastic Ono band album. the rest is such a let down and an embarrasment

[Richardo]

44. Surely you're forgetting the magic that was: 'RINGO'

1. I'm The Greatest
2. Have You Seen My Baby?
3. Photograph
4. Sunshine Life For Me (Sail Away Raymond)
5. You're Sixteen
6. Oh My My
7. Step Lightly
8. Six O'clock
9. Devil Woman
10. You and Me (Babe)
11. It Don't Come Easy
12. Early 1970
13. Down And Out

[Zuni]

64. I used to own "Ringo the IVth"

it was a disco album. :rofl: I cannot find it. I think I lost it moving

Anyway, it was the kind of album everyone should hear once, as a warning

[Lydia Leftcoast]

54. I don't know--I liked Paul McCartney's *Ram*

:shrug:

[Zuni]

68. You are entitled to your own tastes

and i am not saying that there aren't occasional good songs---by and large though, most of it is highly forgettable

[ronnykmarshall]

105. Oh come NOW!

Double Fantasy was a great album.

Yoko's "Walking On Thin Ice" was a kick ass song.

Who the hell do you think taught the B52's to make all that weird ass shit on their stuff.

YOKO ONO .... that's who!!


I guess I told YOU, Mr. Smartypants!

[tigereye]

157. thank you Ronny!

[jpgray]

106. Pah!! I'll play George Harrison's Electronic Sound at my funeral!

That way maybe no one will come and I can save on catering.

[fudge stripe cookays]

71. Locking.

Flamebait.

:P

[Richardo]

79. :P

:P

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

103. simple formula for determing dylan quality

if it's pre sleazy moustache, chances are it's genius

all post-moustache stuff from the late 70s to now is irrelevant garbage and is the work of a man coasting on past glories-

throw in the way he's trying to depoliticize his past with his revisionist biography and interviews-and you can safely say modern sell-out dylan sucks

[elshiva]

53. To each his or her own, but he is neat...

[Zomby Woof]

56. He changed the way the Beatles wrote songs

He changed the way everybody wrote. Period. The Beatles wouldn't have made the leap from bubblegum like "I Want To Hold Your Hand" to "Tomorrow Never Knows" without Dylan's hand. He made people take chances on how they wrote, the subject matter, and the meter.

He literally changed how EVERYONE wrote. So whatever you "don't get", is right there in EVERYONE who came after him.

[dolo amber]

73. I'm with you there

I think he, much like the Velvet Underground, are icons because the "cool" music journalists said they were. I also think they blow goats.

:bounce: :P

[kwassa]

76. Bob Dylan is THE most important influence in modern popular music

Bar nobody.

He is far more important than the Beatles, than the Stones, than anyone else out of the '60s. He was the first to mix social protest with lyric influences from the Beat poets, changing the subject matter of pop music altogether, and to write about something more ambitious than simple romantic love songs. He was the first rapper, as well, with songs like "Subterranean Homesick Blues". He electrified folk music, mixed genres like no one else, and was more artistically precocious and original than anyone.

[Spider Jerusalem]

164. "Most important influence on modern popular music"?

Um...no. The most important influence on modern popular music is probably David Bowie. He did things that changed ideas about the form. His adoption of certain personae for his albums and extension of those personae to live performance combine artistry and showmanship, are probably largely responsible for the massive, choreographed arena-rock show, and influenced a tremendous number of musicians in most subgenres of what's collectively known as "rock and roll". His glam period was an important influence on both punk and gothic rock, his collaborations with Mick Ronson had some influence on heavy metal, his work with Brian Eno was a major influence on electronic music, and so on...is Dylan's influence that broad or far-reaching?

[KurtNYC]

20. Michael Jackson

what instrument does he play? Hmmmmm. And how does one write music if they don't play an instrument?? Anyone as F'd up as Jacko has plenty of fodder for art but MJ is of course completely divorced from his own reality so we get lyrics like these:

I said you wanna be startin' somethin'
You got to be startin' somethin'
I said you wanna be startin' somethin'
You got to be startin' somethin'
It's too high to get over (yeah, yeah)
Too low to get under (yeah, yeah)
You're stuck in the middle (yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (yeah, yeah)

[IntravenousDemilo]

86. You ask: "And how does one write music if they don't play an instrument?"

Well, I don't play an instrument (I sing, but then so does Michael, so I don't know if you count that), and I've written three produced musicals and a couple of film scores, plus other songs. If I composed only what I can play on the piano, my writing would be limited by my terrifically bad technique. And not needing a keyboard frees me to write music anywhere -- in a restaurant, on the streetcar, wherever. I just hear it in my head and write it down.

So it can be done.

[4_Legs_Good]

117. Jackson's a freaking genius

The atmospheres he (and Quincy Jones, granted) captured on Thriller are absolutely incredible.

david

[Guitarman]

23. Kurt Cobain

All that tortured, misunderstood artist crap. I want to gag.

[LincolnMcGrath]

25. No you didn't!

:mad:

[IntravenousDemilo]

88. Is that meant to be pronounced, "No you ditten"?

Whenever I hear people say that, it seems to come out that way. Usually they also say "President Clitten" -- like Bill Maher.

[LincolnMcGrath]

95. Around here it is "dit ent"

lol

[KurtNYC]

98. Yes or "oh no you dih-nent!"

[Zuni]

34. Cobain sucks

I agree wholeheartedly

[LincolnMcGrath]

69. No you didn't!

:mad:

[Crazy Guggenheim]

74. Yeah and he couldn't play his guitar very well either.

Welcome to DU.

[LincolnMcGrath]

141. You too!

May the fleas of 1000 camels infest your armpits! :mad:

[Crazy Guggenheim]

144. May you walk a mile under a camel.

Is Malloy back?

[LincolnMcGrath]

146. Is if I would tell you now!

:evilgrin:

[XemaSab]

110. Word

not BAD so much as WAY, WAY overrated.

[LincolnMcGrath]

145. Have you listened to the solo acoustic demos on the new box set?

Start with This

[Tafiti]

167. I'll second that.

Just another example of the music industry merely *selecting* an artist that will turn the music scene to a new direction (at least partially). There were far better, and way more original, musicians/groups that never garnered the attention (and subsequent worship) that Cobain and Nirvana got. And for what?

[no name no slogan]

26. Billy Corgan

The Kevin Cronin of the 1990s.

Don't know who Kevin Cronin is? Does the phrase "Keep On Lovin' You" mean anything to you?

[mattclearing]

38. Please.

I dare you to listen to Mayonaise, Cherub Rock, or Tonight Tonight and stand by that.

[no name no slogan]

48. I have, and I do

Billy Corgan is a pissy little spoiled rich white boy with as much charm as a warm jar of Miracle Whip.

And Smashing Punkins was the REO Speedwagon of the 1990s.

[mattclearing]

58. That's insane.

REO Speedwagon had neither the talent, the record sales, nor the sheer ability to rock that the Pumpkins had.

Comparing the Pumpkins to REO Speedwagon is like comparing Led Zeppelin to Styx. Give me a break.

[fudge stripe cookays]

61. It's not insane.

They all suck. Ergo, the similarities with which to compare.

FSC

[no name no slogan]

63. Checkit-- The Seedwagon sold AS MANY units as the Punkins did

Plus, their tunes had massive radio-friendly hooks-- unlike Billy "let's have a razor-blade party" Corgan's incessant pubescent whinging.

"I'm gonna keep on loving you, 'cause it's the only thing I want to do" == pure poetry

"Despite all my rage, I'm still just a rat in a cage" == sophomoric sophistry

[mattclearing]

67. Link?

The Pumpkins totally outsold Speedwagon.

[no name no slogan]

72. You're the one who said they did

do you own research. Brittney Spears 1st album outsold the Beatles 1st album-- does that make her better?

[mattclearing]

85. A googling finds that the Pumpkins sold 25 million records, while...

...REO Speedwagon sold 22 million.

phew! :D

[no name no slogan]

89. damn

hey we're due for a REO Speedwagon revival any day now, so hold up just one sec! :goofy:

[IntravenousDemilo]

132. So if there's no overlapping,

That means there are 47 million people with absolutely no taste.

[fudge stripe cookays]

156. Bwa ha!

Good one, IVDM.

:thumbsup:
FSC

[dolo amber]

83. I prefer Styx

:shrug:

[fudge stripe cookays]

49. Have, and do.

:puke:

FSC

[fudge stripe cookays]

47. I knew there was a reason I loved you.

FOTN fan, AND you hate Billy Corgan? Dreamy.

His whiny-ass voice is like fingernails on a blackboard. On a BLACK board, I tell ya!!!

FSC

[no name no slogan]

52. Hey hey hey!

Great minds think alike. Ol' Punkinhead's got nothin' on REO Speedwagon. :pals:

[Zomby Woof]

70. Corgan

I'd like to knock that pasty sneer off his rat-bastard face. He is worse than Billy Idol, which is saying something.

The Smashing Pumpkins are proof P.T. Barnum was right.

[no name no slogan]

116. But you gotta admit

Billy Idol had (has?) the best sneer in the bidness...

[dajoki]

27. sheryl crowe

not bad to look at, but musically, aahhh:boring:

[Shell Beau]

28. I like some of her music, but for the most part, I agree!

[dajoki]

30. some is ok...

but in low doses.

[Divameow77]

35. You beat me to it

I was just scrolling down to see if anyone beat me to it, and darn it you did.
Can't stand Sheryl Crow.

[dajoki]

40. highly overrated n/t

[fudge stripe cookays]

65. Is there anything she's done

that doesn't completely rip off parts from others?

Stealers Wheel, George Harrison, you name it. I can't stand her.

FSC

[mitchum]

151. She listens to the radio....so you don't have to!

Boringly competent journeyman mannerist. I cringe in anticipation of the inevitable Crow and Lenny Kravitz collaboration.

[LissaM]

162. I agree.

Kravitz and Crowe... CRINGE! The only thing that I can imagine that would suck worse is the Kid Rock/Crowe duet.. Oh wait, that's already been done.

[TexasBushwhacker]

109. Actually, I think she's capable of greatness ....

but her great songs are few and far between. My faves - The Difficult Kind and My Favorite Mistake. Stinkers (IMHO) - Steve McQueen and Soak Up the Sun :boring:

Even so, I gotta love her for taking on Wal-Mart in "Love Is a Good Thing".

[erpowers]

137. The First Cut is the Deepest

I like the the song "The First Cut is the Deepest". I think it is a really good song. I also like "You're My Favorite Mistake".

[fudge stripe cookays]

153. It was better when Rod Stewart did it 30 years ago.

Nuff said.

She has no original ideas. NONE. She either does bad covers of other songs, or she rips the ideas off to create completely average substandard pop.

FSC

[tigereye]

158. but I really like her voice

and she does play her own instruments. Yes, a lot of her stuff is derivative, but there are some fun rave-ups. But to be a female singer songwriter in her 40s with as much pull as she does have, means something.

Have to disagree with you folks on this one.

[mitchum]

150. She's just Steve Miller with ovaries

[KG]

31. phil collins

find a hook, ride it for 3.5 minutes. :yawn:

[rbnyc]

102. with ya on that. and I'll add Sting! (nt)

[4_Legs_Good]

118. Hey! He was a great drummer back in the day

Granted that ended 30 years ago.

david

[Zuni]

32. Don Maclean----American pie, among the worst songs ever written

[fudge stripe cookays]

51. Thank you!

I concur.

FSC

[Zuni]

81. American pie is a crime against humanity

MacLean to the hague!

[tigereye]

159. ah you're too young to know

;)

[erpowers]

134. I Disagree

I like American Pie. I think it is a really good song.

[Zuni]

36. Jim Morrison

a drunk slob trying to be a poet. I cannot figure out how anyone finds his lyrics to be poetry or anything other than drunk ramblings

[elshiva]

55. I'll second that!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

60. I liked his voice, though

He was a good singer.

I agree about his lyrics, though. Almost all of them can be summarized as "Let's fuck."

[Zuni]

78. he has a great voice, and I like the Door's music and sound

but cringe at jim's wannabe poetry

[xmas74]

107. Which is why I loved his music.

[kwassa]

77. He was a poet before he was a drunk. A talented guy.

[kwassa]

80. self-delete

[redqueen]

84. I agree with you

but we're vastly outnumbered on this around here... :)

[IntravenousDemilo]

92. And Feliciano's version of "Light My Fire" is the definitive one, IMO n/t

[2bfree]

143. Yes!

I saw him a couple of hundred years ago sing it at a Mondale for president rally. He was great!

[rbnyc]

101. Way! (nt)

[Doctor_J]

139. Love Morrison's voice though

[Zomby Woof]

42. Freddie Mercury/Queen

Want operatic vocals in your rock? Listen to King Diamond. Otherwise, keep that pretentious yodeling out of here.

Queen is the most flatulently overrated bunch of pricks to ever be set to record. The ultimate triumph of style over substance.

And they played Sun City during the anti-apartheid boycott of South Africa in the 80's. So fuck them, and piss on Mercury's grave.

[jonnyblitz]

91. i cant stand Queen either....

THANK YOU!! worst band EVER!.BLECH. :thumbsup:

[Shell Beau]

93. Okay so we agree on Bob Seger but we don't agree

on Freddie! Oh well, at least I know you have some taste! :P ;)

[kwassa]

82. Billy Joel

yuck-o-rama

[mvd]

99. Maybe Don McLean. I love the other two you mentioned

Here would be my choices (remember, this is ALL personal choice)

Ani DiFranco - yes, she's liberal, but I could never get into her. "Self Evident" is a great rant, though, and Up X 6 might be my favorite album of hers (not most popular by fans.)

Bjork - Homogenic is alright, but alright is the best she is IMO - with a few weak albums.

Stevie Wonder - never loved his voice, I guess

Julianna Hatfield - inconsistent in my eyes, would buy some of her stuff

Eric Clapton - besides Unplugged, never captured any of the quality of his early stuff

Jason Mraz - liked by many, but too precious IMO

Elvis Costello - did things that others had done better before

Lauryn Hill - many active in R&B now are better IMO

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

100. that egomaniac from the white stripes

once the novelty of the sound of a two person band wears off, all his stuff sounds the same

[chaska]

108. There's just no accounting for taste. It's a waste of time to argue.

Everybody sucks sometimes, and even the most loathesome will have an occasional moment or two of brilliance.

[mvd]

123. Right on!

I disagree with many of these choices, but I'm not going to go disputing each one. Unlike with politics, there is no bad taste in music.

[redqueen]

125. Stop making sense, you.

We loves to bicker! :P

[XemaSab]

111. Foo fighters

and Green Day both suck.

I can't hack any of their shit.

[Merrick]

113. Seconded!

To put it positively - As far as Grohl's song writing ability and voice go, he's a really good drummer.

don't agree so much with Green Day. Not a big fan, but they're okay.

[whatsername]

152. Not Green Day!!!!!!

I've agreed with most of the posts...nothing makes me hit the dial quicker than Bob Seager or Dillon or here's a new one..Fleetwood Mac. Boring, predictable, it's like comfort food that has gone bad.
But Green Day? This is an outrage!!!!!!! But seriously, I love them.

[mr blur]

112. Let's not forget that old DU favourite Gloria Jane!!

writer and singer of such masterpieces as "Baseball Apple Pie And Mom", "Democrats Stop Playing Your Block And Blame Game", "Seems Like Our Press Has Turned Against Our Country" and "How Many Babies Are Crying In Heaven Tonight".

Hear them and weep:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=41129

[ronnykmarshall]

115. She so purdy!

[Merrick]

114. The Offspring

other than that one meoldy they stole from the Beatles, all their chord progressions/songs sound pretty much the same (and they all suck ass).

[SlavesandBulldozers]

128. actually i dont think theyre held in high esteem

so they can't be over-rated.

:)

[tigereye]

160. I like their offbeat sense of humor

I think it's all a big joke to them and I admire that.

[sendero]

124. Gee..

... I thought I was a critic :) Man, nobody here likes ANYTHING :)

Chapin - sure his songs are treacly, but I happen to like them - they just miss maudlin to me.

Croce - AM radio hack

McLean - well, well, well, rock and roll is the devil huh? It was all downhill from Holly? Stupidity is the moron's only friend.

Seger - vacillates between greatness and ennui. "Turn the Page"? - hey jackwad, try working in a tire patch factory a few years, your poor little rock star life will look pretty good. Or maybe A HOLIDAY IN CAMBODIA! When "Night Moves" comes on, I have to change stations, that has to be the worst song ever written, I'm embarrassed for him. On the other hand, Seger's written some great songs too. I just can't think of them right now.

Dylan? I don't get Dylan either. Someone credited him with the creation of the moon, but frankly I don't see it.

Foo Fighters? Bzzzzzzzzt. There is just no there there.

Pearl Jam - I do believe Eddie could wax serious about a dixie cup. A bit overwrought IMHO.

The Beatles? - the standard that all would aspire to, and almost none will ever reach.

[redqueen]

126. Seger's written some great songs too. I just can't think of them right now

:rofl:

Let us know when you do, k?

[ProfessorGAC]

127. Wow. What A Mix Of Agreement And Disagreement

I disagree on the first two. I think Chapin stuff is maudlin crap. But, i like Croce. Not nuts about him, but when i saw that PBS thing back in the day with just he and his guitar player, i was most impressed.

Agree completely about McLean. And, i am hot and cold on Dylan. While i like some of the songs a lot, i wished he cared more about doing them well. It seems like he only cares about the composition itself and not much about the performance of them. Tangled Up In Blue is a great song. Then i heard him do it live. What a bringdown.

Seger will agree to disagree. I think he's a boring twit. And, i think the voice is intentionally overwrought. (Like you said about Eddie Vetter.)

And speaking of that, we agree again. Way to melodramatic, and the rest of guys: PLEASE TUNE THE GUITARS!

Foo Fighters: I neither like nor dislike, but i admire the fact that they did it their way by recording a multi-platinum album in their own basement.

The Beatles: YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! The paradigm.
The Professor

[sendero]

129. As long as we..

.... can agree on the Beatles, the rest is superfluous :)

[ProfessorGAC]

131. Yes. The Rest Is Only Tangential

And, we did agree on some other things. Like McLean. And Dylan.
The Professor

[Bullwinkle925]

130. Tony Orlando - need I say more?

:hippie:

[Crazy Guggenheim]

133. How could anyone miss him!!

[Taverner]

136. Chapin sucked, McLean put me to sleep and Croce was alright

Croce was good because he had the good sense to sing the same song over and over. Ever notice how "Dont Mess Around with Slim" is the same cadence and story as "Bad Leroy Brown"?

[Doctor_J]

140. That's my point.

He made his cash off of pretty dreckish stuff. But New York's Not My Home is a pretty good tune.

[Doctor_J]

138. Where does Phil Ochs fit in?

IMO he's the 2nd best writer of liberal songs ever, behind Woody. Crucifixion is one of the great American songs of the 20th century. And I love his singing. But his melodies tend to repeat themselves and he wasn't especially prolific. Overrated? Underrated?

[fudge stripe cookays]

154. I love the...

Jason and the Scorchers' version of his "My Kingdom for a Car."

FSC

[DawgHouse]

142. I didn't know Chapin was dead.

Thanks for totally bumming me out, dude :(

[Magrittes Pipe]

147. There's this guy in Alberta who is a third-rate Julian Cope wannabe.

Can't think of his name at the moment, though.

[PittPoliSci]

148. Morrissey and the Smiths

Coldplay etc...

So vapid, so boring, so utterly worthless...

[tigereye]

161. The Smiths were a great backing band

some excellent guitar work. What Difference Does it Make is a great song and there are some others. Morrisey drives me nuts, but his latest album isn't too bad. I like Irish Blood, English Heart. He actually whines less than usual.

Hey! I kinda like Coldplay ( slinks away) I think the sound reminds me of some songs I loved from the 70s.

[mitchum]

149. Ryan Adams, Ani DeFranco, Liz Phair, Jeff Mangum, Matthew Houck...

Those damn kids, they just don't make solipsistic narcissists like they used to do!

[Guitarman]

155. Springsteen

When he rocks, I can handle him. But he is turning into this Dylan wannabe with the accoustic guitar/harmonica thing. And the songs!!!! Either they put me to sleep or make me want to slit my wrists.

Pick up the tempo Bruce!

[Skittles]

163. EVERY American Idol contestant and winner

OMG listening to Carrie Underwood yesterday on TV made me want to claw my eyes out

[XemaSab]

165. Gwen Stefani

n/t

[last_texas_dem]

166. I have to disagree on Croce

Even if not everything he did was awesome, the greatness of "Operator" keeps him from ever being overrated in my eyes. That song literally brings tears to my eyes if I'm in a melancholy frame of mind. Actually, I pretty much like all his singles. I like how he could go from a cool story song like "You Don't Mess Around with Jim" to a pretty ballad like "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song." And "New York's Not My Home" is a really good one by him that most people haven't heard.

Actually, I like some of Chapin's stuff, and McLean's, too, especially "Castles in the Air." I guess there aren't many singer-songwriters I've found to be overrated. Maybe it's 'cause I'm in my early twenties so I've grown up in a time where most of the kids I knew made fun of any kind of "soft" music, which I resented 'cause I like a lot of the stuff. (I love a lot of seventies music, and the early seventies seemed to be the peak time of the "singer-songwriter.") So I guess it's hard to think of any of those guys being overrated 'cause I don't hear of too many people rating them that highly! There's more of that regarding old classic rockers than regarding singer-songwriters.

[njdemocrat106]

169. I'm in the same boat as you!

I'm 24, and pretty much agree with your post. I've always liked Croce, Chapin, and McLean (he did a lot more songs besides "American Pie", people!). I heard a good Chapin song recently called "Dance Band on the Titanic". A good story song, and it flat-out rocks, too (much moreso than say "Taxi" or "Cat's in the Cradle", which are good songs as well). I think I'll definitely be checking in to more of his stuff soon.

[Robeson]

168. Prince. Or whatever he calls himself now.

[NuttyFluffers]

170. Paul McCartney

i like him, but do not find him the musical god everyone says him to be. i found out that most of my favorite beatles songs were lennon or harrison.

dylan, but yes, it's his post bad mustache era that blows.

elvis costello. how come the covers of his songs sound so much better each and every time to me?

eric clapton, definitely. outside of a few songs from cream and old work i care not a whit for his stuff. but does it really classify in this?

carol king. i just don't get it. maybe i must listen to more. but so often i confuse her with carly simon. actually most stuff that lands on soft rock stations rate that way with me. oh how i hate endless love songs.

paul simon. dude, just enough. now i know why garfunkle left. leave the damn children in africa alone!

beach boys. can. not. stand. them. mathcore is more pleasurable to me.

pearl jam. i just never got it. stop singing about the damn butter, man! or whatever the hell.

celine dion. props on her recent media scene. but for the life of me please don't you ever take me to her concert.

p. diddy. there is no there there.

meh. send me your sacred cow, i'll give you hamburger.

ps: and your beethoven blows chunks if left on repeat for hours on end, too. :P

[ComerPerro]

173. Most of what I like about Paul is his bass playing

And, to be honest, one could list all of the Beatles as being extremely overrated.

That's to be expected, though, with such widespread popularity.

I think they were great (especially in their later works, after Revolver) but how many other artists who were just as good or better were overlooked because people focused only on the Beatles?

[NuttyFluffers]

176. love their later work too. post lsd + bean curd phase.

see, ferment your vegetables and fry your brain, you'll become more creative too. :D

[erpowers]

171. Elvis Presely

Elvis Presely was and is completely overrated. He could not dance. All the dances he did in his concerts were stolen from black clubs. He did not write one song that he sung. Many of the songs he sung were stolen from black artists who were, at the time, not allowed to play their music on white radio stations. Their is a woman who recorded "You Ain't Nothing but a Hound Dog" about five years before Presely recorded the song. I know that some of you could argue that the same thing happens today. However, today artists have to acknowledge the person who they got the song from and in most cases they have to pay that artist for signing their song. None of that happened with Presely. He took these songs and acted as if they were his. There is no way that a guy who never wrote his own songs and never made his own dances should be the king of Rock n' Roll. I contend that Chuck Berry or someone else should be the king of Rock n' Roll. There is no way Presely could keep up with Berry on a guitar.

[Doctor_J]

172. You're dissing the King?

oh, man. That's going to cast a pall on my whole weekend.

[ComerPerro]

174. Wait, Wait, Wait. You mean to tell me that Don McLean

actually had two hits?

That's a shock, right there...

[MiddleRiverRefugee]

175. Don't you DARE rag on Don McLean

..untl you've heard all his work. I mean the album cuts, not just American Pie.

I saw him live in Hopkins Plaza in Baltimore, 20+ odd years ago.
Just one guy with a Martin D-28 guitar and a voice, had a whole plaza full of people in his hand.

He kinda reminded me of his mentor, a guy named Pete Seeger - who you might have heard of at one time or another.