Musicians or bands you find OVER-RATED ( not a hate thread )

[Kotowboy]

Let's not just turn this thread into " THIS BAND SUCKS! " - but name bands or musicians where you just don't get the hype.

Me :

Bass - Cliff Burton. If you hear his isolated tracks there's a reason he was low in the mix and covered in distortion. He wasn't particularly tight.
It's sad that he died so young but the bass players we have nowadays run circles around him like Victor Wooten and Rob Trujillo and Flea and Billy Sheehan and Les Claypool
etc etc etc. Saying he was the greatest human to ever play bass is silly. If he had merely quit Metallica in 1986 - I doubt he'd have the reputation he does.

Drums : Neil Peart - Again - it's sad that he died - but his drumming has never done anything for me. Not like when I hear someone like Todd Sucherman or Jimmy Chamberlin
or Thomas Lang for instance. Peart can clearly play drums - but he always looked really stiff to me and really nervous - and as a drummer and degree musician myself -
sometimes I can't even work out what he's playing and it sounds like a mess.

Band : Rush - See Above. Not my thing at all. Dream Theater are way better in  my opinion.

Guitar : Steve Vai - obviously he can play guitar but he's never done anything that i've liked. It always sounds like he's using his bag of tricks rather than playing a meaningful solo.
Paul Gilbert however is great. PG is closer to Petrucci. PG is probably technically better than Petrucci - but his playing is just as tasteful and melodic.
You can add Guthrie Govan to my list of " Obviously amazing but i've never heard him play without completely overdoing it and showing off ".


Also INB4 someone helpfully points out that all the above are "better than you mate.."

[WildRanger]

I think Cliff Burton and Randy Rhoads are overpraised musicians because they died young. Randy Rhoads was not an innovative player, he was not as innovative as Blackmore, Eddie Van Halen, Uli Jon Roth and Michael Schenker, guys who came before him. 
I also think Ozzy solo is quite overpraised, esp. the first two albums featuring Randy: Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. I think those two albums get too much love and praise, because I never found songwriting on them to be GREAT. Black Sabbath stuff was way better.

Kirk Hammett (Wah-mett) is overhyped as a metal guitarist.

[Kotowboy]

Kirk would be the first to tell you that ! At least he has zero ego. But if you hear them live - his rhythms always match up to James.

[wolfking]

Solos on Mr Crowley, Revelation, Over the Mountain plus many others are actually incredible.  Check out Tribute for a great showcase for the great Randy.

And Steve Vai, if you haven't heard a meaningful solo from him, you haven't listened to much of him. Check For the Love of God, Windows to the Soul, Tender Surrender, Whispering a Prayer, the list goes on.  The man is a genius.

[Dream Team]

The Stones and K Richard
The Who and Townsend
Floyd

[kirksnosehair]

Radio Head
Smashing Pumpkins
Muse


Edit:


Haken

[Stadler]

I'm with Barry on Radiohead and Muse.     I'm really on board with anyone that is hyped by critics.  To me, music is about connection, and whether you're Cardi B or Robert Fripp, if you can establish that connection, that's half the ballgame right there.   The rest - the critical praise - is when things go sideways.  I kind of just assume at this point that music critics were the kids in high school that got beat up by someone wearing a jean vest with an Iron Maiden or Kiss patch on the back, and they've never learned to let go. 

In terms of my tastes (and independent of critics), I don't get the hype for:
- Radiohead (already mentioned)
- Muse (already mentioned)
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Anthrax
- Pantera
- Haken
- Steven Wilson

[Lowdz]

Solos on Mr Crowley, Revelation, Over the Mountain plus many others are actually incredible.  Check out Tribute for a great showcase for the great Randy.

And Steve Vai, if you haven't heard a meaningful solo from him, you haven't listened to much of him. Check For the Love of God, Windows to the Soul, Tender Surrender, Whispering a Prayer, the list goes on.  The man is a genius.

Yeah, I felt the need to jump in on this one too, on both counts. Of the guitarists that died young I would say Dimebag. He was a decent player but nothing spectacular about him at all. Death rather than talent appeared to lift his reputation.

I've never understood the popularity of the Rolling Stones. I don't like other bands of their (original) era but I can see why they would be popular.

[HOF]

I guess I’ll second Steven Wilson. I do like some Porcupine Tree a good bit and generally find all the albums I have by him to be decent. I don’t care for his voice much at all though, and he seems to write the same types of songs over and over again (even if the style shifts between prog, metal, or pop).

[kirksnosehair]

The fact that so many people are gushing over Steven Wilson's latest album is proof positive that he's massively overrated.  I think there are a large portion of his fans who would rave about an album full of farts as long as he released it.

[WildRanger]

I'm with Barry on Radiohead and Muse.     I'm really on board with anyone that is hyped by critics.  To me, music is about connection, and whether you're Cardi B or Robert Fripp, if you can establish that connection, that's half the ballgame right there.   The rest - the critical praise - is when things go sideways.  I kind of just assume at this point that music critics were the kids in high school that got beat up by someone wearing a jean vest with an Iron Maiden or Kiss patch on the back, and they've never learned to let go. 

In terms of my tastes (and independent of critics), I don't get the hype for:
- Radiohead (already mentioned)
- Muse (already mentioned)
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Anthrax
- Pantera
- Haken
- Steven Wilson

I don't get your mention of Anthrax, since they were never hyped that much and they are far and away the least popular and appreciated out of "The Big 4". And I'm not much of an Anthrax fan.
I don't think I've ever seen an Anthrax album being ranked or rated high on any Internet list or poll of "best metal albums".

[ReaperKK]

Guitar : Steve Vai - obviously he can play guitar but he's never done anything that i've liked. It always sounds like he's using his bag of tricks rather than playing a meaningful solo.
Paul Gilbert however is great. PG is closer to Petrucci. PG is probably technically better than Petrucci - but his playing is just as tasteful and melodic.
You can add Guthrie Govan to my list of " Obviously amazing but i've never heard him play without completely overdoing it and showing off ".

I wanted to comment on these three

Steve Vai: I agree, he is a technical monster, I mean fuck look at his one handed guitar playing video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMjmjXHJoPg but I could never get into his music either. There are a few tracks I like but it's never really clicked for me. With that said I love watching Steve Vai play guitar. He is so fluid on the instrument.

Paul Gilbert: I disagree with you here. I think he has some great music and is also technically a monster player but I never really bought into the hype either.

Guthrie Govan: I can kind of agree with you here. He is one of my favorite guitar players but he really shines when he is being utilized as a studio musician. To my ears Guthrie's best work came from the Steven Wilson albums he was on. His live jazz album is pretty stellar too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtcPeX1QLWc

As far as bands I find overrated I'd have to go with Radiohead. I just never understood the hype, especially at the level that it is.

[Lonk]

I don't get your mention of Anthrax, since they were never hyped that much and they are far and away the least popular and appreciated out of "The Big 4". And I'm not much of an Anthrax fan.
I don't think I've ever seen an Anthrax album being ranked or rated high on any Internet list or poll of "best metal albums".

The fact that they are even included in "The Big 4" should tell you whether they are highly rated or not, even if they are "The least popular" of the group 

[MirrorMask]

I could name Jethro Tull because I didn't really get into them.... but I think they're rated just fine and they deserve all the accolades they got over the years. I just happened to not personally connect with their music and not going beyond "eh, this song, that song and that other songs are quite nice I guess", but I don't think they're overrated at all, it's on me, not everyone else who loves songs I just happen to moderately like.

[Stadler]

I don't get your mention of Anthrax, since they were never hyped that much and they are far and away the least popular and appreciated out of "The Big 4". And I'm not much of an Anthrax fan.
I don't think I've ever seen an Anthrax album being ranked or rated high on any Internet list or poll of "best metal albums".

The fact that they are even included in "The Big 4" should tell you whether they are highly rated or not, even if they are "The least popular" of the group 

That's kind of it, really.   I never really got that whole "Big Four" thing itself, to be honest.  Okay, I get that marketing sometimes has to color around the edges of actual truth, but those are NOT the only bands in the genre.  It seems very cartoon-y to me. 

[Stadler]

I could name Jethro Tull because I didn't really get into them.... but I think they're rated just fine and they deserve all the accolades they got over the years. I just happened to not personally connect with their music and not going beyond "eh, this song, that song and that other songs are quite nice I guess", but I don't think they're overrated at all, it's on me, not everyone else who loves songs I just happen to moderately like.

I tried to stay clear of artists I just didn't like, but stuck to those who had/have some measure of accolades.   I don't really like Slayer for example, but they get about the level of recognition that a band that sucks that badly should get.    I'm kidding.  Sort of. 

[TAC]

I could name Jethro Tull because I didn't really get into them.... but I think they're rated just fine and they deserve all the accolades they got over the years. I just happened to not personally connect with their music and not going beyond "eh, this song, that song and that other songs are quite nice I guess", but I don't think they're overrated at all, it's on me, not everyone else who loves songs I just happen to moderately like.

Yeah, I feel the same. I closely followed Orbert's Jethro Tull discography and it was a great experience.

[Stadler]

The only ones I disagree with so far are The Rolling Stones and Neil Peart.

I think it's hard to properly assess the Stones in hindsight; from that period of 1966 through, say, 1973, they were so engrained in the cultural zeitgeist, and their music reflected that.  I mean, "Let It Bleed" and "Beggars Banquet" are like travelogues.   They tapped into something that simply cannot be denied, and while they border on novelty act, I think their touring over the last 20 years is more adventurous and daring than the general perception allows.   They've done a couple tours now where each city was a club show, a theater show, and a stadium show, and they were able to tailor their set and performance to all three equally.  No small feat.   They are Dead-like, in that they have a repertoire of something like 100 songs for each tour, and they - I think it's Mick - write the set list on a clear plexiglass sheet that surrounds Charlie's kit before the show and that's what they play.  It's well-oiled, but it's not as rote as the jokes might imply.

As for Neil, I've just gone through a listening/watchign party as I rip my CDs/DVDs to hard drive, and watching Neil approach an almost three hour set, there are a lot of words one can use, but "stiff", "nervous" and "mess" are not in there.  It's methodical, it's studious, but he's one of the few musicians at the arena/stadium level that I get the sense he's pushing himself each night.

[Dream Team]

There’s no need to disagree with what people are posting in this thread. It’s musicians and bands YOU find overrated. So no need to defend yourself.

[MirrorMask]

I could name Jethro Tull because I didn't really get into them.... but I think they're rated just fine and they deserve all the accolades they got over the years. I just happened to not personally connect with their music and not going beyond "eh, this song, that song and that other songs are quite nice I guess", but I don't think they're overrated at all, it's on me, not everyone else who loves songs I just happen to moderately like.

Yeah, I feel the same. I closely followed Orbert's Jethro Tull discography and it was a great experience.

Same for me! I already tried to listen some Tull here and there back in the day, but that thread made me want to give them a second chance.

[Stadler]

There’s no need to disagree with what people are posting in this thread. It’s musicians and bands YOU find overrated. So no need to defend yourself.

Not really defending, as much as offering a different perspective.  If someone doesn't like the Stones, I'm not going to lose even a minute's sleep. 

[romdrums]

Personally, I've always found Kurt Cobain and Tom Morello incredibly overrated.  Maynard, too.

[Stadler]

Personally, I've always found Kurt Cobain and Tom Morello incredibly overrated.  Maynard, too.

I'm with you on Cobain.  I got a copy of the Nirvana box set, and while on paper it would have been an amazing thing - live tapes, rehearsals, a video from a jam session/rehearsal at a party back in Washington - in practice it was underwhelming.   There's a fine line between "raw" and "shitty".   If I got a box set by Dream Theater of that kind of stuff, or Genesis*, I'd be in heaven.  With Nirvana?  All I could think of was "I know people personally that can do that twice as good."

* On one of the live DVDs - I think it was Live Over Rome - there's a clip of the band meeting in a hotel room and Daryl and Mike start playing Ripples on their acoustic guitars, and Phil chimes in on vocals, and it's magical. 

[Kotowboy]

Radio Head
Smashing Pumpkins
Muse


Edit:


Haken

I loved Radiohead until and including Ok Computer . Kid A was like..ok ...i guess?  Amnesiac onwards I was like NOPE.

Smashing Pumpkins haven't done anything good since Machina. Oceania was alright. Didn't hear Elegy... Actually Shiny And Oh So Bright was not bad but CYR was like listening to paint dry.

I'll check out the Mellon Collie / Machina Sequel when it comes out but i'm not counting the days.

[Kotowboy]

Paul Gilbert: I disagree with you here. I think he has some great music and is also technically a monster player but I never really bought into the hype either.

Actually I was saying I LIKE Paul Gilbert and was just comparing him to Vai and that he's more like Petrucci. I was saying PG's solos don't exclusively sound like LISTEN TO WAHT I CAN DO...

[Kotowboy]

I don't get your mention of Anthrax, since they were never hyped that much and they are far and away the least popular and appreciated out of "The Big 4". And I'm not much of an Anthrax fan.
I don't think I've ever seen an Anthrax album being ranked or rated high on any Internet list or poll of "best metal albums".

The fact that they are even included in "The Big 4" should tell you whether they are highly rated or not, even if they are "The least popular" of the group 

I've never got into Anthrax - but out of the big 4 - after Metallica - they're the band I should prolly check out more since I can't stand Slayer or Megadeth.

Personally, I've always found Kurt Cobain and Tom Morello incredibly overrated.  Maynard, too.

Morello absolutely. Guitarists praise him to high heavens for always using some FX pedal when soloing - even when it's completely self indulgent and isn't for the song....

..yet they'll rip the piss out of The Edge for using FX - when he is the definition of tasteful and playing for the song.

Imagine if - instead of the echoing 16th notes riff at the beginning of Where The Streets Have No Name - The Edge instead tapped the pickups with a biro

and wanked about on a killswitch on his guitar. Yeah. The Edge FTW.

[KevShmev]

Kiss.

They should not be rated at all, so the fact that some do, by definition, makes them overrated.

[Stadler]

Radio Head
Smashing Pumpkins
Muse


Edit:


Haken

I loved Radiohead until and including Ok Computer . Kid A was like..ok ...i guess?  Amnesiac onwards I was like NOPE.

Smashing Pumpkins haven't done anything good since Machina. Oceania was alright. Didn't hear Elegy... Actually Shiny And Oh So Bright was not bad but CYR was like listening to paint dry.

I'll check out the Mellon Collie / Machina Sequel when it comes out but i'm not counting the days.

I like not love the 'Pumpkins; I have a bunch of their CDs from over the years.  There are few bands that veer so quickly from profound to crap like they do; I think Mellon Collie is an absolute masterpiece, a genius work of art, but everything else is sort of like throwing darts in a dark room.

[Stadler]

Kiss.

They should not be rated at all, so the fact that some do, by definition, makes them overrated.

Top Five American Rock Bands:
- The Beach Boys
- Van Halen
- The Grateful Dead
- The Eagles
- Kiss

Next Five:
- Aerosmith
- Journey
- Creedence Clearwater Revival
- The Allman Brothers
- Guns 'n' Roses

Next Five:
- Metallica
- Pearl Jam
- The Byrds
- REM
- The Doors

[Ben_Jamin]

Metallica is one of the big over-rated bands.

Mostly All the bands you hear on the mainstream radio I find Over-Rated.

Funny because I never bought those mainstream albums at all. Only Metallica and those were only Ride The Lightning and Master of Puppets. Their best songs for me are their two instrumentals Orion and The Call of Ktulu. I still enjoy some of their other songs, but I could just put on the radio to hear those songs because they're played constantly and can hear them while driving when someone is blasting them, and it's usually Enter Sandman.

But then also, I don't hear songs or bands that I used to hear played on the radio anymore. And that is due to the censorship of music and what the FCC determines can be played on the radio.

What I do find funny about not liking these bands I find Over-rated is when people look through my Music Player or ask me to put on music. The looks when they can't find these bands, and the looks when something unexpected plays. I just laugh and say, yeah I like music.

I would also say...Eminem...Lots of rappers are better than him and their music is better. He is a good rapper, I respect him for that. I find more rappers that at lesser known to have better beats, most create them themselves. I guess I enjoy underground hip-hop rather than the mainstream which is over-rated.

Let's see, what else...And for this forum...Steven Wilson. I do enjoy his stuff but it's not the best thing ever, like how some fans treat Steven Wilson as the Prog God and it's funny too. The Future Bites is a good example of the people treating him like that and then he does something out of the realm he is known for and the God of and people freaked out. I for one loved that he did that album because I am having a blast laughing at those fans.

[EPICVIEW]

U 2

The Monkeys

The Clash

Smashmouth

Madonna

Ozark Mountain Daredevils


: )

[EPICVIEW]

Personally, I've always found Kurt Cobain and Tom Morello incredibly overrated.  Maynard, too.

easy tiger   : )

[TheCountOfNYC]

I’m gonna do an overrated list as well as an underrated list.

Overrated

Vocals: Lou Gramm. His voice is so grating to my ears.
Guitar: Angus Young. Of all of the “guitar gods”, he feels the most out of place among the other giants.
Bass: Flea. Don’t get me wrong I love his playing, but he’s very much a one trick pony.
Drums: Carl Palmer. His internal metronome is notoriously terrible. It’s less glaring in ELP, but listen to Heat of the Moment by Asia to hear what I’m talking about.
Band: Kiss. The facepaint and stage show is there to cover up the fact that their music really isn’t that good. I love Detroit Rock City though.

Underrated

Vocals: Brad Delp. He never gets talked about in the same breath as guys like Freddie Mercury when he has just as good of range and is arguably more on pitch.
Guitar: Prince. Just listen to Let’s Go Crazy then ask yourself why he’s not considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
Bass: John Paul Jones. I guess this is what happens when you’re the bassist of a band with one of the most influential frontmen, guitarists, and drummers of all time, but JPJ is the glue that held Led Zeppelin together. Amazing bass player and musician in general. I consider him the most underrated, underappreciated musician ever.
Drums: Ringo Starr. He gets so much shit for being a bad drummer because his stuff is simple, but people are missing the point. Jazz chops would sound terrible in the Beatles. Ringo is a tight, in the pocket drummer who experimented with different styles to best match the sound of each song, whether it be the open hi-hats on Eight Days a Week, the bombastic wash riding on Helter Skelter, the complete lack of cymbals on Penny Lane, the double tracked drums on Come Together, or anything else that served to enhance the song and not his accolades. The Ringo hate needs to stop.
Band: Avenged Sevenfold. The hate train has more or less stopped, but it never should have started in the first place. They are a group of super talented musicians who have always written the music THEY wanted to write, exactly the type of band you would think metal fans would love, but because of their silly stage names (because Hellhammer and King Diamond are somehow less ridiculous), they decided that the band was lame when in reality, A7X are the best metal band to come of of the 2000’s and it’s really not close. They experiment with different styles while still maintaining their sound, they can shred (Synyster Gates is an absolutely incredible guitarist and The Rev is one of the greatest metal drummers of all time), and they above all write great music. There’s a reason they’re my third favorite band of all time only behind Dream Theater and Metallica. Avenged Sevenfold rocks.

[ReaperKK]

Guitar: Prince. Just listen to Let’s Go Crazy then ask yourself why he’s not considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time.

I see your "Let's Go Crazy" and raise you "Bambi" I love Prince's playing on that.

[Lowdz]

Paul Gilbert: I disagree with you here. I think he has some great music and is also technically a monster player but I never really bought into the hype either.

Actually I was saying I LIKE Paul Gilbert and was just comparing him to Vai and that he's more like Petrucci. I was saying PG's solos don't exclusively sound like LISTEN TO WAHT I CAN DO...

Gilbert's solos in Racer X were exactly LOOK AT WHAT I CAN DO!. He settled down after that -  I love PG. I love shreddy guitar playing from back in the day when you could tell who it was just by hearing it. I can't do that nowadays as everyone really does sound the same.