Most Underrated Overrated Band?

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The Grateful Dead epitomize what I'm talking about here: A band given way too much credit by its adoring & obnoxious cult of fans (or, alternately, pack of sycophantic critics), with the result that everyone else grows to loathe 'em despite their real virtues & occasional moments of greatness. Obviously backlash plays a large part and always will.

Pink Floyd, maybe? Nirvana? Strokes? Come on, who else?

― Myonga Von Bontee, Tuesday, 17 February 2004 01:04 (twenty-two years ago)

steely dan thread to thread! (i think)

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 01:10 (twenty-two years ago)

the who had some nice little songs.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 01:12 (twenty-two years ago)

― Gear! (Gear!), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 01:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Kiss

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 01:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Radiohead

(basically every prolific band that is trashed on ILM)

― Debito (Debito), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 01:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Speakerboxx/The Love Below would be my pick for underrated overrated album of the year (I loved it and no review I read ever got at why) but I wouldn't give it to Outkast careerwise.

Actually, U2 makes a lot of sense.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 01:23 (twenty-two years ago)

People who dig them ignore the fact that they're Satan and people who decry them as the devil tend ignore how sweet the devil's song can be.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 01:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, Sting to thread. Even for some of his solo work.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 01:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, where is the love for U2? I mean, I love some U2 albums.

― Debito (Debito), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 01:26 (twenty-two years ago)

If you look past Bono's persona, there's a trio of really cool fuckin' rock stars backing him up and dozens of phenomenal tunes.

― Gear! (Gear!), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 01:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Kiss

on what planet were kiss overrated? oh, by fans, okay, i gotcha.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 01:33 (twenty-two years ago)

i say U2 as well. thanks to Ned i now know of bands like the sound who were doing similar things when they were around, but I still cant help the compulsion to listen to War and Achtung Baby. Even if I get tired of Bono's persona, there is still Eno, and especially the joystick of his EMS synth on "Lemon".

Bjork would make a good addition to the list. dont let the Wire-reading s/t-album-buying superfans dissuade you from Homogenic or "hyperballad" please.

― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 01:39 (twenty-two years ago)

REM

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 01:40 (twenty-two years ago)

REM OTM. That's another band who's poor standing is in large part due to the singer/frontman's persona.

― Debito (Debito), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 01:43 (twenty-two years ago)

The Darkness get far too much schtick from people who are too old to know better.

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 02:05 (twenty-two years ago)

The Rapture

― The Good Dr. Bill (Andrew Unterberger), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 02:10 (twenty-two years ago)

The Rapture
good call

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 02:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I was going to say the Strokes but yea, the Ratpure.

― Jon Williams (ex machina), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 02:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Cat Power

― Tab25, Tuesday, 17 February 2004 02:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Are the Rapture actually good? Because I've heard a song or two on compilations, and it sounded pretty nice to me. I dig on that sort of thing. But I've heard so many nasty things said about them...

― Debito (Debito), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 02:17 (twenty-two years ago)

U2
the Rolling Stones

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 02:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Beastie Boys. They have become sort of a symbol of indie music/rap in the mainstream, which made a lot of people hate them, but damn if I don't still put on Ill Communication when I need to be cheered up. They just know how to make music FUN.

― Scott Carter-Eldred, Tuesday, 17 February 2004 02:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Radiohead

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 02:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Another vote for U2 -- even on their worst albums (and when they're bad whooooowheeeee they stink) there's always at least one song that's absolutely stunning.

― jody (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 02:41 (twenty-two years ago)

even on their worst albums (and when they're bad whooooowheeeee they stink) there's always at least one song that's absolutely stunning.

if THAT'S the criteria, then Depeche Mode owns this thread.

― nedbaitbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 02:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey you're mean.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 02:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Donna Summer deserves credit for being more than a Giorgio Moroder puppet (Moroder gets just enough cred, I think). Forgetting for a second that she helped pen a lot of that classic material -- her voice is world-class, powerful, rangey, subtle, pliable, capable of a lot of stuff typical disco divas couldn't or wouldn't pull off.

And she's "overrated" in that secretaries and soccer moms and cruise-ship DJs and the most flamingly flaming gay stereotypes (she did apologize for whatever it was she allegedly said, so she's probably won back a few old fans) all think she's the ants' pants, a signifier for an era, etc. Real Music Fans who tend to look down on what the lumpens like if it's not stylish enough can't seem to get through a five-minute conversation about Donna Summer without pointedly mentioning the Moroder involvement -- a strangely and backhandedly rockist move if you ask me.

― jody (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 03:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Also: The '90s KILLED Tom Waits' reputation. Liking Tom Waits = "lunkhead state-university sophomore who thinks Swingers is the BEST MOVIE EVER."

― jody (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 03:35 (twenty-two years ago)

or "assholes with marathon-premium totebags"

― jody (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 03:46 (twenty-two years ago)

The '90s KILLED Tom Waits' reputation.
woah woah didn't Bone Machine and all his Robert Wilson shenanigans get rave reviews? I thought he successfully shed his Heart Of Saturday Night image (I actually prefer the schmaltz)

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 03:47 (twenty-two years ago)

(I actually prefer the schmaltz)
and only when I imagine Rowlf singing rather than Waits

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 03:49 (twenty-two years ago)

woah woah didn't Bone Machine and all his Robert Wilson shenanigans get rave reviews?

which is exactly what "assholes with marathon-premium totebags" (not you, but you know that) use as a "but he's high art!" comeback against the trifo crunkington hipsters-who-are-suspicious-of-other-hipsters crowd. (and i fall into both categories, fwiw.)

― jody (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 03:55 (twenty-two years ago)

haha gotcha

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 03:57 (twenty-two years ago)

The Rapture aren't underrated overrated or overrated underrated, just plain terrible.

― David Allen (David Allen), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 04:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Questions like these are always loaded because at best they're just a snapshot of the current critical situation, but they're a handy intelligence report on who's in favor, who's out of favor and who gets to stand on top of the Kremlin and wave.

As mentioned before, U2 and REM are the top of the list but mainly because of the continued embarrassment of their lead singers. U2 still manage at least one great song an album, enough to redeem them for me but boy do I cringe whenever I see Bono approach a camera. Using that "U2 rule" of one decent song per album in a sea of mediocrity, then The Cure, King Crimson, and Depeche Mode fall squarely in there also. Still, "overrating" doesn't mean that people shouldn't own a copy of Murmur or Seventeen Seconds.

Most overrated? Frank Zappa. Certainly the most dramatic case of one step forward/multiple steps back.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 05:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Myonga Von Bontee had some excellent choices in his posing of the thread's question: Pink Floyd, Nirvana, and the Strokes.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 06:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Most overrated? Frank Zappa. Certainly the most dramatic case of one step forward/multiple steps back.

yer working in cahoots w/ raggett to get back at me for dissing depeche mode, i see? :-)

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 06:12 (twenty-two years ago)

my bloody valentine

― mentalist (mentalist), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 07:24 (twenty-two years ago)

oh, and lucinda williams

― mentalist (mentalist), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 07:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, that My Bloody Valentine backlash certainly did for their reputation. So unfair.

Radiohead and The Darkness I agree with, maybe the Sex Pistols as well.

Question: is there a single critically-acclaimed band who couldn't objectively be described as overrated?

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 10:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Return to Forever

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 13:33 (twenty-two years ago)

The Beatles.

(You did say objectively)

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 13:37 (twenty-two years ago)

It's just a matter of days before the Velvet Underground joins this club. Captain Beefheart still has a few weeks.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 13:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Alice In Chains

― Siegbran (eofor), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 14:06 (twenty-two years ago)

The only thing by The Beatles who would fit in here is "The White Album". Their one and only overrated album, but still contains the occasional (usually written by Paul or George) gem. :-)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 15:16 (twenty-two years ago)

The Doors

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 15:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Sgt Peppers is way overrated Geir.

― Jim Reckling (Jim Reckling), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 18:05 (twenty-two years ago)

I think the perception of the uber Belle and Sebastian fan kind of puts people off them. They are more than just mimsy cardigan touting milksops (the band, not the stereotypical fan).

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 18:11 (twenty-two years ago)

As easy as it is to hate on Phish they have at least TWO classic albums with Rift and Billy Breathes. It always pains me that so many of their "phans" (UGH) like them for so many of the (as I see them) wrong reasons, and because of the fans going on and on about "oh man that thirty minute version of 'Dust in the Wind' ruled duder!" nobody ever notices that "Theme From the Bottom" is a fucking gnarly amazing gorgeous song.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 18:13 (twenty-two years ago)

GY!BE.
Sigur Ros -- caught in the wake of the Radiohead-KidA hype, built up to high heaven and then knocked down the hype mountain (i.e. the usual cycle of things), only to release the best thing they'd ever done (and one of the most underrated albums in recent memory), {}, long after many people had lost interest.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 18:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Beyonce is seriously overexposed these days and may be in danger of qualifying for this thread.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 18:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Tupac

― scg, Tuesday, 17 February 2004 19:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Using that "U2 rule" of one decent song per album in a sea of mediocrity, then The Cure, King Crimson, and Depeche Mode fall squarely in there also.

yeah but new Cure, King Crimson and Depeche Mode albums aren't met with the critical trumpet-blaring of a new U2 album. Even Pop got a 9 out of 10 in SPIN.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 19:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Cruising for an ILM bashing here, but Coldplay.

― Chris Jones (Crackity Jones), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 19:34 (twenty-two years ago)

i agree with U2 because i can never really work myself up enough to depend them against a lot of well-earned criticism but on the other i think they are really quite a fine band, and although i have a picture in my head that tells me that bono is a worthless lyricist he very occasionally comes through.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 20:48 (twenty-two years ago)

U2 and REM are the top of the list but mainly because of the continued embarrassment of their lead singers.

but what if the amount of embarrassment they actually cause is itself overrated? why does bono embarrass you? why does stipe embarrass you?

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 20:57 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah but new Cure, King Crimson and Depeche Mode albums aren't met with the critical trumpet-blaring of a new U2 album. Even Pop got a 9 out of 10 in SPIN

Yeah, but who's doing the blaring? U2 (and perhaps the critics who love them) strike me as being entirely insulated from what's going on around them until Brian Eno or some other Authority tells them it's OK to like something. They've never struck me as being commercially crass as say Sting - just incredibly self-conscious.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 21:03 (twenty-two years ago)

why does bono embarrass you? why does stipe embarrass you?

They don't embarrass me. They embarrass themselves.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 21:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Re Beatles - I'd also point to Yellow Submarine as an example of "underrated." "Hey Bulldog," "It's All Too Much," "Only A Northern Song"...all wonderful tracks that still sound somewhat fresh.

― mike a, Tuesday, 17 February 2004 21:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Also the Kinks. So many great never-hits.

― mike a, Tuesday, 17 February 2004 21:32 (twenty-two years ago)

311
The Rolling Stones
Nick Drake
U2
Slipknot
Metallica
Pearl Jam
Sonic Youth

(These 2 Better Stop Making So Much Traffic By Giants Stadium)
Bruce Springsteen
Bon Jovi

― Dude (The Yellow Dart), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 21:41 (twenty-two years ago)

They don't embarrass me. They embarrass themselves.

stipe strikes me as a shy, somewhat awkward, and relatively smart guy who's tried pretty hard throughout his career to avoid being in the public eye while trying to continue making music and pursuing other artistic interests. the music has certainly gotten weaker in recent years, but i wouldn't call that embarrassing, just a drying up of the artistic well. i'm not sure how he's embarrassed himself.

bono strikes me as a not-at-all-shy, not-at-all-awkward, relatively smart guy who's tried pretty hard throughout his career to stay in the public eye and to more than occasionally put that huge spotlight in his face to good use. he seems like he's having fun and he makes no bones about who is, what he does, or how he does it. what's the embarrasing part?

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 21:41 (twenty-two years ago)

In late 1981, ABBA released their swansong album "The Visitors".

At the time, most fans were sick and tired of ABBA, and the fact that new romantics/synthpop had dominated the past year suddenly meant people were seeing them as very much a thing of the past.

Because of this, lots of people never discovered the fact that their last album was their best ever...

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 00:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, but who's doing the blaring?
critcs! which is why they make a lot more sense as an underrated overrated band. The other groups mentioned are only really overrated by their cult.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 00:55 (twenty-two years ago)

The original post clearly stated that overrated by their own fans is just as on-topic here. Grateful Dead, for instance, have never been particularly loved by the critics. Among their fans, they have a Godlike status though.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 01:10 (twenty-two years ago)

well yeah I'm just saying that U2 take this To Tha Next Level.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 01:24 (twenty-two years ago)

R.E.M., but I never knew they were ever considered overrated by anyone.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 02:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Monster was overrated at the time it came out. God knows I did.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 02:24 (twenty-two years ago)

White Stripes

― Mike Ouderkirk (Mike Ouderkirk), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 04:24 (twenty-two years ago)

all signs point to u2's bassist as being the principal melodist of that band, which i think is somehow appropriate because all signs point as well to his being something of a knucklehead--so there you have it, occasional musical brilliance and utter stupidity all wrapped up together

i don't know if the title of this thread signifies bands who are overrated generally but underrated on ilm, or bands who are misappreciated by their many fans. i certainly don't think u2 fall into the latter category; the qualities that brought them their fame are pretty evident to all (except momus perhaps, the perennial wilfull exception).

i think it's difficult to make a case for anything falling into the latter group simply because it's hard to avoid the trap of snobbery. who am i to say why people should appreciate something? i think dylan comes closest though.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 10:27 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

Clapton

― atumultofpubichairandbobbingflacidpenises, Friday, 18 March 2005 16:17 (twenty years ago)

Belle & Sebastian

― dronez are not ours to eat, dronez are not ours to wear (smile), Friday, 18 March 2005 16:44 (twenty years ago)

just saw this thread; haven't read it. the first three that immediately came to mind for me were the doors (which somebody already mentioned) and the eagles and jefferson airplane (which nobody did, til now).

― xhuxk, Friday, 18 March 2005 16:50 (twenty years ago)

I'll mention them again, The Doors

― Ther Return of the Son of Dadrockismus (Dada), Friday, 18 March 2005 16:56 (twenty years ago)

Another vote for Radiohead. Amnesiac is actually a breathtaking album, and The Bends is one of my favorite (More-or-less) straight-ahead rock albums of all time. I think the overratedness comes from two overrated albums -- OK Computer and Kid A.

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 18 March 2005 16:57 (twenty years ago)

Has anyone done a "Most Overrated Underrated Band" thread yet? (My vote would be Love)

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 18 March 2005 16:58 (twenty years ago)

Mine would be Jefferson Airplane

― Ther Return of the Son of Dadrockismus (Dada), Friday, 18 March 2005 16:59 (twenty years ago)

Led Zeppelin

One listen to How the West Was Won confirms this

― Keith C (kcraw916), Friday, 18 March 2005 17:03 (twenty years ago)

the Stones.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Friday, 18 March 2005 18:12 (twenty years ago)

Skynard.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Friday, 18 March 2005 18:19 (twenty years ago)

the Go-Go's.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Friday, 18 March 2005 18:32 (twenty years ago)

Manic Street Preachers.

Ludicrously overrated by their cultist fans, regularly produce large amounts of dross, drivel for lyrics these days, yet every album has at least a couple of classics on it*

*bar possibly the latest one, which I've listened to precisely once.

― Si Carter (Si Carter), Friday, 18 March 2005 18:44 (twenty years ago)

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