Most Over Rated Musician

[MNDude]

There are a lot of lousy musicians that are a lot more popular than they deserve, but in you opinion, who are the three most over rated musicians (or groups) of all time?

[IronJack]

1) The Beatles, hands down. The very model of talentless commercialism. Four Liverpudlian hacks with a good agent.

2) Elvis Presley. Decent enough singer but not good enough to be "The King."

3) Jimi Hendrix. Heckuva guitar player, couldn't carry a tune in a bushel basket. And drowned in his own vomit. I mean c'mon ...

(Dis)honorable mention to Elton John, Madonna, and ALL (c)rappers.

And as a musician, Bob Dylan. As a poet, probably none better. But that VOICE ... A razor blade for the ears ...

[Boogieman]

For underrated 80’s bands, I have to go with the Blasters. Pretty simple rock n roll band, but they wrote a lot of great tunes, and they could play real American rock, rhythm & blues, country, boogie woogie, gospel, any of those styles like nobody’s business. The Stray Cats got the MTV rotation, because they had a pretty lead singer, but the Blasters did their schtick ten times better.

[dfwgator]

For underrated 80’s bands, I have to go with the Blasters.

I'd pick The Smithereens.

[dfwgator]

You realize that had it not been for The Beatles, a lot of those other bands would not have existed....there are so many musicians that have stated that it was The Beatles that got them interested into becoming musicians themselves.

[Boogieman]

The Animals nailed it. Second for me is Leadbelly’s cover, but only his version with the kind of ragtimey walking rhythm.

[IronJack]

Never Cared much for Joplin though I did like a couple of songs. Grace Slick impressed me more. I heard her Live once and she had the most piercing loud voice of any female singer ever.

Have to agree with you about Joplin. She had ... something ... but I'm not sure it was musical talent. And I heard Grace Slick years ago. She blew my hat off in the 138th row.

[Revolting cat!]

Rule of thumb: (Jeez, it took almost 600 posts to get to it?!) Overrated - all the musicians my enemies listen to!

[Revolting cat!]

I was the oddball.

I remember you, you were the one listening to the industrial noise rock!

[IronJack]

But then they also sang Dust in the wind right?

Wrong. "Dust in the Wind" was Kansas.

[Revolting cat!]

One dude who could really, I mean REALLY sing, unlike Bob Dylan, who, remember “can’t sing!”, was Richard Harris. Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WHx0B90FUc

[cva66snipe]

When I hit port over in the Med I'd be walking down the streets and either Night Moves or Mainstreet would be playing in the clubs and you'd hear it out on the streets. A taste of the USA very welcomed to the ears back then. Mow though Against The Wind is my favorite song. I got floor seats about 5 rows back to see Bob Seger back in the early 1980's. One of the best concerts I ever went too. The Eagles in the late 1970's was another but I just don't remember too much about that one LOL.

[Revolting cat!]

One thing for sure, Shirley, you’re an overrated musician if you sell a single copy of an album recording your playing rock on a flute standing on one leg!

[Dysart]

I was the oddball.

Wow. You've really changed.

[Salamander]

Yoko Ono is the sound two chalkboards make while mating.

[stevio]

BB King.

[IronJack]

You realize that had it not been for The Beatles, a lot of those other bands would not have existed

And that's bad why?

[Fiji Hill]

U2 could also be the name of a German submarine.

[Revolting cat!]

U2, Brutus?!

[Dysart]

One who was not overrated was Don Williams who observed in his unmistakable baritone dulcet tones:

The smell of cape jasmine through the window screen John R. and the Wolfman kept me company By the light of the radio by my bed with Thomas Wolfe whispering in my head

[Dysart]

And no more fitting climax to a 600 post thread than my favorite verse-

I can still hear the soft southern winds in [my] live oak trees And those Williams boys, they still mean a lot to me Hank and Tennessee I guess we're all gonna be what we're gonna be So what do you do with good ole boys like me?

I tell you what you don't do, you don't forsake the gentle giant when discussing shoulders who others have stood on to reach their own pinnacles.

600 replies. My work is done here.