Songs that give the wrong first impression about a band

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The first song I ever heard by the Smiths was "Asleep", on a mixtape a friend gave me. I loved it. But when I came home with my brand new first ever Smiths album the next day, I have to admit I was a bit dissapointed that it wasn't full of haunting, miserable quiet songs. Miserable, but not haunting or quiet.

The same sort of thing happened with the 13th Floor Elevators and "Dust".

― Zachary Scott (Zach S), Monday, 7 August 2006 02:40 (nineteen years ago)

I think "How Soon is Now" has lead to even more Smiths confusion than Asleep.

― Cunga (Cunga), Monday, 7 August 2006 03:05 (nineteen years ago)

'Only losers take the bus' deceived me into thinking Fatima Mansions were a good band....

― lexurian (lexurian), Monday, 7 August 2006 03:21 (nineteen years ago)

'round 'bout 90, a friend called me up and said "I think this band Nirvana might even be better than Mudhoney." At the end of his next mix tape was "Negative Creep." To which I thought, "These guys sound like Motorhead." When I got the album, I was a bit amazed how diverse the tempos and riffs were. I figured that if you pounded like that track, you'd do it all the time.

― bendy (bendy), Monday, 7 August 2006 03:32 (nineteen years ago)

Creep by Radiohead comes to mind...

― Anthony Lombardi (CCPO), Monday, 7 August 2006 03:36 (nineteen years ago)

"Teenage Riot" Sonic Youth

"Wouldn't It Be Nice" in some ways, at least in terms of Pet Sounds

I have a friend who never heard Belle & Sebastian until hearing "Your Cover's Blown"... I think that's pretty much worst case scenario

Not me, but I'm sure "Song 2" for a lot of peope

The first single from the first British Sea Power record

I could go on, I won't...

― sovietpanda (sovietpanda), Monday, 7 August 2006 06:26 (nineteen years ago)

"Creep by Radiohead comes to mind..."

This should be everyone's first answer.

― J-rock (Julien Sandiford), Monday, 7 August 2006 06:37 (nineteen years ago)

"I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred

― The Vintner's Lipogram (OleM), Monday, 7 August 2006 09:17 (nineteen years ago)

The first single from the first British Sea Power record

You mean "Remember Me"?

It wasn't that unrepresentative.

― steal compass, drive north, disappear (tissp), Monday, 7 August 2006 09:19 (nineteen years ago)

'creep' is unrepresentative now, but i think when 'my iron lung' came out, and it had that lyric about being a copy of their first hit, it was like, 'well, yeah'. obv 'MIL' is better but it wasn't that unlike 'creep'.

― Bashment Jakes (Enrique), Monday, 7 August 2006 09:24 (nineteen years ago)

Blur, "Song 2," which was a big hit in the US.
It's a scuzzy, catchy little number, quite fun but nothing to
write home about. You'd never guess that Blur was one of
the great rock bands of the 90s. Fortunately, "Coffee & TV" made
a big splash and showed that there was a bit more substance
lurking in there.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Monday, 7 August 2006 20:00 (nineteen years ago)

My first Blur song was 'Tender', which is even more unrepresentative, I'd say. I thought it was by 'some American band' for 6 months.

― Louis Jagger (Haberdager), Monday, 7 August 2006 20:07 (nineteen years ago)

Any "hit" by Chicago, in reference to the Guercio/Kath era of the band, that is... especially "If You Leave Me Now", the true evil start of the Cetera-zation of the band.

― dottie nuttie dach nach dtnt hhhhhhhh (donut), Monday, 7 August 2006 20:09 (nineteen years ago)

that's their best song!

I have a friend who never heard Belle & Sebastian until hearing "Your Cover's Blown"... I think that's pretty much worst case scenario

haha otm I really don't like that song. it was alright live but blehh

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Monday, 7 August 2006 20:11 (nineteen years ago)

that's their best song!

You're saying this, assuming you have not heard a note of Chicago Transit Authority, and hence "Poem 58", "Questions 67 and 68", "Free Form Guitar", "Prologue, August 29, 1968/Someday (August 29, 1968)" and their cover of "I'm A Man"?

Hell, even "25 Or 6 To 4"?

― dottie nuttie dach nach dtnt hhhhhhhh (donut), Monday, 7 August 2006 20:15 (nineteen years ago)

"Your Cover's Blown" is in my B&S top ten, which, admittedly,
is a rather chaotic list (there's about 45 neck-and-neck
contenders).

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Monday, 7 August 2006 20:16 (nineteen years ago)

"Die Die Die" by Chapterhouse. Their best song.

― dottie nuttie dach nach dtnt hhhhhhhh (donut), Monday, 7 August 2006 20:17 (nineteen years ago)

"white horse," laid back

― andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Monday, 7 August 2006 20:20 (nineteen years ago)

Status Quo-Pictures of Matchstick Men

"How Soon Is Now" pwns this thread tho.

― Picnics and Pixie Stix (Charles McCain), Monday, 7 August 2006 20:21 (nineteen years ago)

Sabbath - "Laguna Sunrise"

― Son of Spam (noodle vague), Monday, 7 August 2006 20:23 (nineteen years ago)

You're saying this, assuming you have not heard a note of Chicago Transit Authority, and hence "Poem 58", "Questions 67 and 68", "Free Form Guitar", "Prologue, August 29, 1968/Someday (August 29, 1968)" and their cover of "I'm A Man"

No pissing contest involved here, I've heard a lot of the scruffier stuff(at least some of those examples, but I'll check them all out at your behest) and found it wanting next to a song I love, and it doesn't necessarily reflect poorly on the early stuff at all. It's the same with Fleetwood Mac, I've heard it all and to me people's preference for Green-era just has to be an expression of preference for that style, cause there's simply no fucking with a Rumours on quality. You've stated your style preference clearly enough, but not everyone is so honest which bugs me sometimes.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Monday, 7 August 2006 20:44 (nineteen years ago)

heh, well keep in mind I just finished a weekend run of listening to every Chicago album until XI (right before Kath offed himself and the band split with Guercio as producer.) so a lot of that stuff is in my head now.

With allowance for spottiness, I thought the band were great until VIII, and slipped a bit with X (from whence "If You Leave Me Now" came) and XI. The first two, and VII (the half instrumental jazz-pop/half Beach Boys one) are especially great.

And no offense taken at all, obviously. Hope the feeling's mutual. :)

― dottie nuttie dach nach dtnt hhhhhhhh (donut), Monday, 7 August 2006 20:53 (nineteen years ago)

SAME TO YOU A~~MICAB~~*****LE

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Monday, 7 August 2006 21:18 (nineteen years ago)

First Smiths song I heard was the live Rank version of "What she said." I sort of assumed that Johnny Marr would be that ferocious on everything...

― paulhw (paulhw), Friday, 11 August 2006 20:25 (nineteen years ago)

Smash Mouth - Walking on the Sun

― Sir Dr. Rev. PappaWheelie Jr. II of The Third Kind (PappaWheelie 2), Friday, 11 August 2006 20:57 (nineteen years ago)

Every hit by Genesis from "Follow You Follow Me" onwards.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 11 August 2006 21:54 (nineteen years ago)

Also, great as it is as possibly the best AOR single ever, "Owner Of a Lonely Heart" by Yes.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 11 August 2006 21:58 (nineteen years ago)

re: British Sea Power

i was talking about "apologies to insect life", which i thought was the first single (in the US anyway)

― sovietpanda (sovietpanda), Friday, 11 August 2006 22:32 (nineteen years ago)

Blur - Essex Dogs (also, IMO, their best song)
Pulp - I Love Life (for the last two and a half minutes)

― Louis Jagger (Haberdager), Friday, 11 August 2006 22:38 (nineteen years ago)

I'm told (repeatedly, vehemently, by various people) that not everything by the Flaming Lips sounds like "She Don't Use Jelly".

I have not been moved to investigate.

Speaking of another song I hate, how about "The Lovecats"? Not that Robert Smith hasn't written (more than) his share of silly lyrics elsewhere, but at least they're not usually that kind of silly.

― Pessimist (Pessimist), Friday, 11 August 2006 23:14 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs--Maps

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Friday, 11 August 2006 23:44 (nineteen years ago)

The Cure - Lovecats and 20 other Jazz Grebts

― Sir Dr. Rev. PappaWheelie Jr. II of The Third Kind (PappaWheelie 2), Saturday, 12 August 2006 00:06 (nineteen years ago)

Mercury Rev - Boys Peel Out

― Louis Jagger (Haberdager), Saturday, 12 August 2006 00:13 (nineteen years ago)

Can - I want more

― jimnaseum - formalist rigour! (jimnaseum), Saturday, 12 August 2006 00:20 (nineteen years ago)

"Jane Says"

― less-than three's Christiane F. (drowned in milk), Saturday, 12 August 2006 00:50 (nineteen years ago)

Bands you'd totally get the wrong idea about if you just heard the famous song

― musically (musically), Saturday, 12 August 2006 01:00 (nineteen years ago)

All of Cheap Trick's Top 40 hits from "Lap of Luxury": "The Flame," "Don't Be Cruel" and "Ghost Town." I was 14 at the time, and had no idea of the band's history. It was a bit baffling a few years later when Nirvana appeared and drew comparisions to CT's early work.

― John Fredland (jfredland), Saturday, 12 August 2006 01:37 (nineteen years ago)

How about album covers and artwork that give the wrong first impression about a band: The Grateful Dead.

As a tyke, all I knew was their omnipresent death imagery before I ever heard any of their sleepy, decidedly non-threatening hick rock. I was sure they were playing the wrong record.

― Hideous Lump (Hideous Lump), Saturday, 12 August 2006 04:36 (nineteen years ago)

Bauhaus - "Bela Lugosi's Dead"

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Saturday, 12 August 2006 05:30 (nineteen years ago)

Ramones "Poison Heart"

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Saturday, 12 August 2006 05:37 (nineteen years ago)

i wouldn't call "Bela Lugosi's Dead" giving the "wrong first impression" about Bauhaus

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Saturday, 12 August 2006 05:45 (nineteen years ago)

"St. Tropez" by Pink Floyd.

― EZ Snappin (EZSnappin), Saturday, 12 August 2006 14:01 (nineteen years ago)

"touch me" by The Doors

― george gosset (gegoss), Saturday, 12 August 2006 14:16 (nineteen years ago)

I'm struggling with a good answer for Wire.

"Outdoor Miner" was unusually poppy, but they had their fair share of ambient pop mixed in with the more roughshod early stuff, so it doesn't feel 100% unrepresentative.

"Kidney Bingos" totally wouldn't have prepared someone for Pink Flag, but it would have been an easy line to IBTABA or A Bell Is A Cup or The Ideal Copy.

― Myke. (Myke Weiskopf), Saturday, 12 August 2006 18:32 (nineteen years ago)

Two Depeche Mode songs - both of them among their biggest hits - that both give a wrong impression of their style, although in completely different ways, are "Just Can't Get Enough" and "I Feel You".

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 12 August 2006 22:24 (nineteen years ago)

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