Bands that are touted as influential but nobody actually liked them, really

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Case in point: Two Domino issues:

Orange Juice - We love your early singles and the unissued till later first album

against..

The Fire Engines - We don't give tuppence for your acetate with your first lousily recorded gig.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 10:00 (nineteen years ago)

Velvet Underground, Can, Neu!... the list is endless

― You'll Never Put a Better Bit of Butter On Your Knife (Dada), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 10:05 (nineteen years ago)

kraftwerk.

― the Enrique who acts like some kind of good taste gestapo (Enrique), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 10:13 (nineteen years ago)

juan atkins.
modern lovers.
the slits.

― the Enrique who acts like some kind of good taste gestapo (Enrique), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 10:13 (nineteen years ago)

you people are fucking morans

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 10:15 (nineteen years ago)

Kraftwerk

They sold shitloads of records

― You'll Never Put a Better Bit of Butter On Your Knife (Dada), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 10:17 (nineteen years ago)

yeah but no-one really *likes* them, seriously.

― the Enrique who acts like some kind of good taste gestapo (Enrique), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 10:33 (nineteen years ago)

Yes, they love them

― You'll Never Put a Better Bit of Butter On Your Knife (Dada), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 10:34 (nineteen years ago)

i sense another car crash of a thread. i think mark must be a ballard fan

― zebedee (zebedee), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 10:36 (nineteen years ago)

why in god's name?

xpost

― the Enrique who acts like some kind of good taste gestapo (Enrique), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 10:46 (nineteen years ago)

the Enrique who acts like some kind of good taste gestapo but is actually a member of the Waffen No Taste

― You'll Never Put a Better Bit of Butter On Your Knife (Dada), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 10:47 (nineteen years ago)

IT IS TIME FOR

http://www.lynwodemanor.co.uk/g/stress.jpg

― There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvish (noodle vague), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 10:59 (nineteen years ago)

-abandon thread!!-

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 13:37 (nineteen years ago)

Girls Aloud
Daft Punk
The Knife
Marissa Marchant
Luomo

― fandango (fandango), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 13:49 (nineteen years ago)

delete thread, ban everyone

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 13:50 (nineteen years ago)

I can't think of a single band about which this is actually true -- though Sonic Youth seems like it has one of the bigger ratios of people who claim them as influential to people who will actually put on one of their records.

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 14:00 (nineteen years ago)

The. Velvet. Underground. Not now but in the frickin' 60s!!!!!

― You'll Never Put a Better Bit of Butter On Your Knife (Dada), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 14:02 (nineteen years ago)

Sorry, I'm misreading this thread as "Bands that are touted as influential but nobody much actually liked them, really"

― You'll Never Put a Better Bit of Butter On Your Knife (Dada), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 14:03 (nineteen years ago)

This would be the ultimate flame thread. Anything you say here is GUARANTEED to piss somebody off.

I think velvet underground was mainly listened to by andy warhols posse or those who wanted to be part of andy warhols posse in the 60s. That's still a pretty important group of people. Plus Lou Reed is awesome.

― andrew b (klik99), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 14:46 (nineteen years ago)

re: Velvet Underground. Well, not quite. Andy never really listened to them either. Eventually Andy & the VU split, because people WERE listening to them, and then Andy couldn't keep the albums his Name anymore.

― superstar666, Tuesday, 2 May 2006 18:59 (nineteen years ago)

is this a thread for influential bands that weren't liked at the time or bans that are 'influential' but not really actually liked by anyone at anytime? ...or maybe 'influential' bands that now that you think about it kinda suck and anyone who says they're great is actually kinda stupid?

there are a lot of bands that fill the first question, the second is more interesting but more polemic and the answer to third is obviously Suicide.

― dingo, Tuesday, 2 May 2006 19:41 (nineteen years ago)

Ghostrider is awesome and unfuckwithable. Perhaps you're thinking of The Microphones, who I've heard called influential despite sucking.

― js (honestengine), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 20:43 (nineteen years ago)

Were The Microphones influential? On whom? Love 'em though. Sucking? Pah! They wrote The Moon!

― Treblekicker (treblekicker), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 20:48 (nineteen years ago)

Jellyfish. OK, I love Jellyfish, and I know about lots of other people who do to. But their actual sales don't reflect the influence they have had on traditional pop from after their time.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 21:53 (nineteen years ago)

Strangely, Geir pisses no one off on a thread in which every post is guaranteed to piss someone off.

― Matt McEver (mattmc387), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 22:55 (nineteen years ago)

and Jellyfish influenced...?

― bodomfeeder, Wednesday, 3 May 2006 01:12 (nineteen years ago)

P.I.L. comes to mind. I admire what they were trying to do on their early albums - it was certainly more interesting than the Sex Pistols or the Clash - but when it comes to actually putting the records on and listening to them, I just don't do it very often.

― John Hunter, Wednesday, 3 May 2006 01:30 (nineteen years ago)

Jellyfish. OK, I love Jellyfish, and I know about lots of other people who do to. But their actual sales don't reflect the influence they have had on traditional pop from after their time.

How can you "influence" traditional pop? By definition, doesn't that genre just keep regurgitating the same Beatles/Byrds/Beach Boys influences?

― John Hunter, Wednesday, 3 May 2006 01:32 (nineteen years ago)

Bringing back something that is seemingly lost is also a kind of influence.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 02:18 (nineteen years ago)

FEEL TEH INFLUENCE OF MY INTERPOLE

― ----->~~~~~, Wednesday, 3 May 2006 02:44 (nineteen years ago)

There are tons of bands that get a critical rediscovery and get touted as being highly influential that had far less fans when they were actually around... which, by definition, means that "'nobody' -- stressing the quotes -- actually liked them, really"

Relatively speaking, Pixies come to mind, if you consider that they could only manage to fill 1000 seats at best near the end of their original run. They had to be openers to bigger bands to play stadiums. Their last tour was opening for U2. Now, Pixies would almost compete with U2 for crowd draw...

Devo qualifies similarly, in that -- past Freedom Of Choice -- they were pretty outright ignored.. whereas now New Traditionalists and Oh No! It's Devo! have been rediscovered bigtime. (Can't say the same for Shout, Total Devo, or Smooth Noodle Maps though)

Charles Bronson are a great example of this in the hardcore rock scene.

Mission Of Burma in underground/college rock, etc.

And many mentioned above like VU, Suicide, etc.

― DOQQUN (donut), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 02:48 (nineteen years ago)

Now, Pixies would almost compete with U2 for crowd draw...

This is intentionally wild hyperbole, yes?

― Sundar (sundar), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 03:35 (nineteen years ago)

Hyperbole, but not wild.

Both bands draw thousands... U2 can still draw a few thousand more, but that's dwindling every day. (I suppose this depends on the city, really.)

― DOQQUN (donut), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 03:47 (nineteen years ago)

Um, are you sure? I'd be impressed if the Pixies draw 1/5 as many people as U2.

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 03:57 (nineteen years ago)

U2 and Pixies both filled a stadium within a year from each other here. It probably depends on the city. That said, even 20% is still better than "who are these whiners opening? YOOOOO TWOOOOOOOOOO!"

― DOQQUN (donut), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 04:01 (nineteen years ago)

Erm, what definition of "nobody actually liked them" is being used here? "They didn't make the top 40, ever" kind of "nobody"? I mean come on, at the time the Pixies were way popular and everyone I knew loved them and was happy when a new album came out.

They've also glaringly influenced people like Weezer for example; listen to "Sweater Song" and sing the lyrics for "I Bleed" along to it, FFS.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 04:32 (nineteen years ago)

Mind you: people are now saying Pixies influenced Nirvana. I didn't hear it then and I dont hear it now.

Also, nobody liked Nirvana. QED. Or something.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 04:33 (nineteen years ago)

Nobody liked the Beatles.

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 04:34 (nineteen years ago)

Interpol are shit and hardly anybody likes them. Yet they have influenced a lot of better bands.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 05:18 (nineteen years ago)

Mind you: people are now saying Pixies influenced Nirvana. I didn't hear it then and I dont hear it now.

Velvet Underground influenced Pixies and Sonic Youth. Pixies and Sonic Youth hardly influenced anyone at all.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 05:21 (nineteen years ago)

re: Pixies influence on Nirvana. I've often thought Smells like teen spirit riff is same as UMass?

― badg (badg), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 05:25 (nineteen years ago)

Interpol are shit and hardly anybody likes them. Yet they have influenced a lot of better bands.

I can't listen to the Editors because they sound so much of a carbon copy of Interpol. Face it Geir, they're better... and they're suave motherfuckers too!

― Treblekicker (treblekicker), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 08:13 (nineteen years ago)

>> Mind you: people are now saying Pixies influenced Nirvana. I didn't hear it then and I dont hear it now.

People aren't NOW saying that. People have been saying that since '91. Including one Kurt Cobain.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 08:50 (nineteen years ago)

Suicide

― Alone, Jealous and SSRI'd (kate), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 08:51 (nineteen years ago)

Destroy All Monsters

― Treblekicker (treblekicker), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 08:58 (nineteen years ago)

Kurt himself said "Teen Spirit" was little more than a Pixies rip-off. It doesn't take any kind of intense study to hear it, either.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 10:37 (nineteen years ago)

" Interpol are shit and hardly anybody likes them. Yet they have influenced a lot of better bands.

-- Geir Hongro (geirhon...), May 3rd, 2006 2:18 AM. (GeirHong) (later)

Mind you: people are now saying Pixies influenced Nirvana. I didn't hear it then and I dont hear it now.

Velvet Underground influenced Pixies and Sonic Youth. Pixies and Sonic Youth hardly influenced anyone at all. "

Wait, Interpol influenced bands (not Joy Division/New Order), but the Pixies and Sonic Youth didn't? Is this another trip to the alternate dimension known as the Hongroverse?

"Destroy All Monsters"

Point!

― js (honestengine), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 11:23 (nineteen years ago)

Wait, Interpol influenced bands (not Joy Division/New Order), but the Pixies and Sonic Youth didn't?

I consider the first band in a retro trend to be influential. Interpol were the first recent band to draw influence from Joy Division, which means they have influenced lots of others.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 11:26 (nineteen years ago)

Probably someone who inspired through mediocrity. Who spurred other musicians to show that they could do better. You know: "Jesus fuck! If this rubbish can get on the radio, I surely stand a chance!" I can't think of a good example off the top of my head. The Bravery may take this honor in the future.

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 11:48 (nineteen years ago)

Destroy All Monsters

a)nobody actually heard DAM #1 until 20 yrs later
b)nobody who actually heard DAM #2 would admit to liking them

actually I've always thought Niagara influenced Madonna!

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 11:55 (nineteen years ago)

Huh? I assume DAM #1 = the 74-76 stuff on that insanely expensive OOP box set, and DAM #2 = the Cherry Red singles.

If so, you're nuts. I cheerfully admit to owning and liking all 3 of them.

Unless you mean DAM #2 is the reformed 90's version, which I haven't heard. But if you do, then saying no-one heard #1 is wrong!

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 13:48 (nineteen years ago)

I wasn't aware Destroy All Monsters were touted as all that influential, though!

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 13:52 (nineteen years ago)

Mind you: people are now saying Pixies influenced Nirvana. I didn't hear it then and I dont hear it now.

hello? mcfly?

― the Enrique who acts like some kind of good taste gestapo (Enrique), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 13:57 (nineteen years ago)

I wasn't aware Destroy All Monsters were touted as all that influential, though!

yeah that was my point. #1 = 74-76 group which must have been heard originally by what, a couple dozen party-goers in Annarbor? #2 = Ron Asheton's DAM, who I saw play live "more than once" and even bought their singles on DBKeeps Records, too. That lineup was ah special, inspiring a sort of like/hate relationship.

But I'm telling ya, Niagara paved the way for Madonna...

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Thursday, 4 May 2006 09:20 (nineteen years ago)

The Silver Apples

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 4 May 2006 13:26 (nineteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.