Overrated Bands
Music // Jim // 6th June 2003
First few weeks at university, sitting drunk on the floor at one of your new found friend's houses. Maybe a spliff is being passed round, perhaps a 15th generation copy of A Clockwork Orange is flickering across the rented TV soon to be stolen by the drug dealer from next door.
Suddenly the conversation turns to music, you keep quiet waiting to judge the tone of what follows – a record is mentioned, one you have heard of but never actually listened to, some bunch of NME darlings with interesting haircuts. Everyone tells you that you are really missing out and someone goes to get the CD from their room and before you know it, this legendary recording is being played for your benefit, with all of your new found friends watching your every reaction.
Only problem is the music isn't very good, in fact you would go so far as to say that it is rubbish. You are suddenly caught in the dilemma of the overrated band, do you grit your teeth, grin and go with the flow or make your excuses and leave hoping to find some more friends with an equally steady dope supply by the end of the week?
Even worse situations can occur when after much effort/pleading/bribery you manage to get into the bedroom of the young lady/boy/ladyboy that you have been after for months. “Wait a minute” she/he/it says with a mischievous grin “lets have some music on...Oh I really love this”, the cd player whirls into life, the sound of Travis fills the room. You want to die. This is the dilemma of the overrated band - squared.
Of course this whole thing is a question of taste, but here at paper-jam we feel
it is our duty to share with you what we feel is the start of a definitive list
of overrated bands at the current time, let us know what you think, we may even
have a vote about it in a week or so. The basic rules here are; Each nomination
must:
– have considerable critical and commercial success with bonus points for being
considered a bit alternative or clever, ideally appearing on the front of the
NME or in the Guardian at regular intervals.
– leave you completely unimpressed, or at least rather let down.
New Order
2 or 3 good songs, loads of really awful ones. I don't care about how good the
cover art is.
Radiohead
The fans will point at Ok Computer, I will point at Pablo Honey.
Stereophonics/Travis/David Gray
All the same really, who is buying these records? To slag them off would be like
kicking a dwarf.
U2
Even they realise the game is up. Expect to see them doing Eurovision next year.
The Strokes
Yes I am afraid so, not really bad, just soooooooo overrated.
Basement Jaxx
Leaves me cold.
Ryan Adams
Who is this man? Why should I care? Very dull indeed.
The White Stripes
Personally I think they are great, but who can live up to this much hype?
Smashing Pumpkins
My very own overrated band dilemma as described above. I turned on my heels and
fled. Then it turned out everyone else liked them. Aaaaarrrrgggghhhhh.
Linkin Park
Did I miss a meeting?
Comments
The Flaming Lips.
steve : 10/06/2003 20:51:16
noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
well maybe a little bit
Jim : 10/06/2003 21:05:53
The Smiths.
Yes Jim, you know what I’m talking about. Suicide inducing music for a generation.
Keith : 11/06/2003 21:07:34
Now Suicide, there’s an overrated band…
steve : 11/06/2003 21:53:40
Ah, Mr Dooley, nice to see you putting in an appearance before the pipe and slippers kick in.
Don’t panic, I don’t think Dub War will be making this list.
Jim : 11/06/2003 22:42:02
the beatles, oasis & one true voice. i know we all know they’re wank but i’d say that would be over-rating dem mudda fuckas.
oh! i nearly forgot bob marley, the doors, rolling stones, miss dynamite, anything with anything to do with dj shadow, motown, anything i don’t like (which is a fuckload), anything i aint not yeard done gone heard (cus if iaint listening it must be shite!).
dave house : 12/06/2003 12:22:11
Pink Floyd. Autechre. “Selected Ambient Works“-era Aphex. Boards of Canada.
Christ, Bob Marley is rubbish - Ad, erm, Dave rather, got to agree with that.
“No woman no cry” is painful - somebody shoot Wyclef Jean too, thinking of it.
And Massive Attack. “Protection” is bollocks. Don’t know about “Mezzanine”, but what I’ve heard is MOR.
steve : 12/06/2003 20:55:24
Sex Pistols. Elvis.
Although I agree with the drink and burgers.
Keith : 13/06/2003 20:29:02
.......Clearly
Jim : 15/06/2003 01:31:04
badly drawn boy.
steve : 15/06/2003 22:22:12
not happy.
new order ?
the smiths?
this is for over rated bands not under-rated bands. you must have forgotten these big shite bastards.....
Travis,
RADIOHEAD… is it an anti-war album or do we actually want to sell it in america?
sorry muppet ass cocks ‘the twats’ sorry ‘the thrills’ (a case for the trading standards) ---- in fact there is a paper devoted to the subject --- its called the NME.
oh and the bloody flaming lips.... whhhhyyyyyy??????
did i mention the stereophonics ???? no ? cos it makes me want to swear.
FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG bland BASSSSSSTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAAARDS
oh and heard athelete? no ? good. theyre shite. scum .fuck.
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
the judge : 17/06/2003 22:05:32
If you can mention David Gray in an over-rated band section ( i hope he wobbles his head so much he triggers internal bleeding ) can i please throw a few names into the debate - not bands, but overrated and well, just shit frankly.
Whitney, shania, mariah need i say more?
Neil : 20/06/2003 22:28:50
Hmmm lets see.
Oasis for sure - at the weekend some 17 year old kid told me they were his favourite band. Get with the program - they are so 1995 (and they were shit then)!
Badly Drawn Boy
Coldplay
Travis and all the others of that ilk!
Oh and I agree with you Neil - definitely David Gray.
Know not strickly a band - but Robbie Williams!!!! At the end of the day where would he be now if it wasn’t for Take That!
Which reminds me - whatever happened to New Kids on the Block. Now they were good!
mrs peel : 23/06/2003 22:04:46
weezer
deftones
the white stripes
the vines
the hives
radiohead
the_bombmaker : 22/08/2003 22:23:05
i LOVE radiohead, they might be overrated but still they have made amazing records, ok they have made records that would cause genital failiure in porn stars but still..... I LOVE ‘EM
NIRVANA, kurt died. get over it.
LINKIN PARK, metal for minors.
andy : 27/10/2003 15:32:50
I completely agree David Gray is beyond over-rated ... what is the appeal?
Morose to the point of narcotic - thank goodness we share a name and I belong to the same performance rights organization… at least I get his royalties sometimes…
Pearl Jam…
A truly great band who are into the second decade of wasting their prodigious talent on their own third rate material, when they could have been illuminating actual songs…
David Gray : 14/11/2003 19:42:07
Pearl Jam over-rated? Fucking Hell you must be David Gray
Jim : 02/12/2003 23:03:40
Well I’d like to contest putting the Vines on this list, I noticed the bombmaker put them right in the middle of the ‘the’ bands of last year. I fell into that trap, then realised a year later that I actually really liked the Vines, anyway my nomination is the Smiths, seconding previous messages, jingly monotone rubbish.
Alex : 26/12/2003 01:07:39
Overrated:
The Thrills
The Rapture
The Strokes
Jet
Kings Of Leon
Guns and Roses
ACDC
Duran Duran
Ash
Foo Fighters
Metallica
Stereophonics
The Music
I can’t go on....just thinkin of the above pile of shit makes me sick.
Swine : 26/12/2003 01:27:57
I’d like to add the darkness. At first they made me sick, then I noticed they were everywhere. Cock rock should have never tried to come back IMO. Now I have channel 4 telling me how much ‘they rock’ all the frucking time.
alex : 26/12/2003 01:35:12
Yes, the darkness are appalling, hopefully the joke is wearing a touch thin by now and they will vanish up their own arses fairly soon.
Jim : 26/12/2003 13:32:19
yeah yeah yeahs (yawn)
the strokes (exposed themselves with their second album to be nothing that amazing)
Carlos : 09/01/2004 23:55:58
MADONNA MADONNA MADONNA !
get over it!
gel : 26/01/2004 17:14:32
where d’ya get them jeeeeens?
Jim : 26/01/2004 18:47:58
the bland brit rock seen of the mid 90s was really overated. bands like blur, oasis, suede and cast.
danny : 08/02/2004 18:46:09
Cast.........shudder.......
Jim : 08/02/2004 22:40:08
My point is this, some of you have been slating Oasis, some of you even have the nerve to call the beatles shit, however none of these bands can be called spank. If Oasis werent around we wouldnt have the Killers, and if Elvis wasnt around we wouldnt of had Robert Plant. Admittably some/most of these bands have lost their shine they are still classics of their time and not to be dismissed easily. I listened to the Beatles’ Rubber Soul album yesterday and thinnk it is one of the best albums ive ever heard. It is quite clear that most of you dont know what your talking about. thanks for your time ha ha ha.
Do any of you actually like music : 22/04/2005 19:09:35
talking heads (simple song structures coupled with pretentious lyrics)
nirvana (boring ragged guitar sound)
the strokes (sounds artificial)
beck (odelay is all he can claim to be decent)
dr.dali : 08/06/2005 20:27:51
U2 are so overrated - crappy no matter how many idiots buy their records
NEWSFLASH U2 SUCKS ASS
MEMEME : 12/11/2005 15:52:51
how can you say AC/DC, Guns n Roses etc were overrated??
fuck off!!
Amy : 12/11/2005 15:54:01
Nirvana
Smashing Pumpkins
The Replacements
U2
The Eagles
The Grateful Dead
R.E.M.
Aerosmith
Van Morrison
Jeff Buckley
Tim Buckley
Guns N’ Roses
Van Halen
Pink Floyd (underrated with Syd Barrett)
Coldplay
Pearl Jam
Bright Eyes
mustafa : 01/12/2005 20:48:28
ok your mainstream now too popular for you own good you’re overated? why not just put the whole list of music that’s become mainstream on the list yeah that’s a fucking great idea
jack : 06/12/2005 04:32:20
franz ferdinand. they had a couple good songs. but THEY GETS SO NERRRRVERACKING after a while
holly golightly : 10/01/2006 04:45:24
Now let’s just clear this up. Does everyone think that “overrated” makes something bad? Some of the above mentioned band, while being quite overrated, are really amzingly good.
Jake : 05/02/2006 03:16:08
GNR IS NOT OVER RATED SO SHUT THE FUCK UP,METALICA AND ADDONA ARE BOTH OVERATED AND ONLY MAKE MUSIC FOR MONEY AND THEY BOTH SUCK LOTS OF COCK
devan : 28/02/2006 00:00:08
sorry maddona
DEVAN : 28/02/2006 00:00:56
i have to disagree with the strokes. theres nothing that sounds artifical about them. They use the same amps (fender deville), pedals (jekle N Hyde, and MXR Microamp), in everysong. The drums are really standard, and the whole first two albums were recorded by gordon rapheal using 3 mics on the drum set, a mic for each amp, and the singers mic onto a 300 program in gordons basement studio in like 2 weeks. That is such a simplistic setup, far more basic than any other band mentioned here. if anything you should put beck as sounding artificail, or reserve the description for radiohead.
the strokes deserve credit for not trying to show off to the world thier most complicated skills and keeping things simple and about the music. becasue as youve seen from their new single “heart in a cage” or “vision of division” the guitars are extremely skilled. and in razorblade that drum fill in the beginning is no simple feat. the strokes music is so layered and well thought out.
despite all the hype that only exsisted when they came out with Is This It, which even you guys have addmitted you were a part of “exposed themselves with their second album to be nothing that amazing” that strokes deserve NO place in the same list is fuckers such as JET, ACDA, of the YEAH YEAH YEAHS.
spencer : 28/02/2006 22:40:29
Two words: Franz Ferdinand.
ZenDaddy : 21/03/2006 20:56:24
I’m not here to judge anyone’s taste in music, I’m sure you all like what you like because that’s what does it for you.
Well it’s the same with me.
But i have to put my point accross..
Of course Guns N Roses are overrated.
Look at how many “fans” they have, and look at how little they’ve acheived.
Not to say that they aren’t good, just saying that they could do with a little less hype.
Nirvana, I’m a huge Nirvana fan, and of course I get upset when people talk shit about Kurt and stuff. But I mean there is not one single person in the world who should say Nirvana aren’t overrated
My list goes something like this:
Green Day
ACDC
Guns n Roses
ABBA
Nirvana
Trivium
Metallica
Sex Pistols
The Rolling Stones
Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Iron Maiden
The Smashing Pumpkins
Pearl Jam
Slipknot
The Smiths
THE BEATLES!!
Coldplay
System Of a Down
The White Stripes (Wow, i love them.. but still overrated)
Tool
NIN
Korn
My Chemical Romance
REM
Creed
Morrissey
Led Zeppelin
Def Leppard
Staind
Eminem
And.. i think you get the point.
Lisa : 30/04/2006 11:12:40
I will once more (unsurprisingly) defend The Smiths from any accusations of being over-rated.
Everybody slags them off for being miserable and dull, that is until they actually listen to something at which point they realise that actually they are the complete dogs bollocks, and really rather amusing.
A perfect illustration of their under-rated-ness.
Definitely with you on Metallica though. Total cobblers.
Jim : 02/05/2006 18:34:35
system of a down! most over-rated band ever! there music’s way simple.. and yet they suck at it.. i mean.. just listen to them live
trev : 11/05/2006 03:22:37
Basically everyone who has made a comment on this website is wrong. Oasis are undeniably the most overrated band of all time, but everyone has their opinion. If anything, U2 are underrated.
john : 26/11/2007 18:43:13
anyone saying gnr is overated is an idiot...nirvana definetely though, compared to alice in chains they’re nothing...and the beatles are not overated; most people who say they are, are teens who listen to what mtv tells them to listen to and are ignorant of how revolutionery they were...i’m young myself (18) but at least i do my research before talking
mercedez : 28/11/2007 15:21:46
New Order, 2 or 3 great songs? You have never listened to a New Order album now, have you?
Oh, wait...that was before I realised your strange list comprised Travis and....Linkin Park? Linkin Park is the SHITTIEST band in the history of music and every living person and his dog knows it,—I can see why you’d say they’re bad, but “overrated”? They have no positive reviews.
I agree with the U2 comment. Bland.
Adriane : 11/11/2008 10:03:08
Trust me, I have.
To be honest I have no memory of Linkin Park at all but I’m sure it meant something at the time. Something bad.
Jim : 11/11/2008 19:36:58
I subjectively judge artists how they inspire people by their music and if they write timeless and ageless music or not. So, first off I must say I’m not really gonna play up how they can make and perform complicated music in here.
Overrated
Strokes...are just a good band. That’s it.
50 cent… indirectly makes people violent and
encourages to kill people by knife or by gun.
System of a down...has some songs which has a good point but, let people stay in anger and madness unnecesarily.
Linkin Park...sounded interesting when the first album came out though their lyrics aren’t so important except “breaking the habit”.
Nirvana....was a great existence at the time as an alternative against fashion fags, but their music are just literally grunge except few songs.
Marilyn manson....could be a dictator of facism.
Korn… has spreaded dark and twisted energy.
My Chemical Romance....Emo
Slipknot....is just for angry teenager. They just make
teenager waste their energy at their concert.
Eric clapton...is just a fine guitar player.
Radiohead… are definitely a talented band and intellectual yet, they can’t go higher level where is just outstanding. Many of their songs which are considered experimental are inspired by Autecure, Apex twin, Jazz and trip hop music.The beatles has more experimental songs musically by themselves like “A day in the life” , “Tomorrow never knows”
Bon Jovi....they already disappeard.
Nickelback… wrote immature and myopic lyrics for their age.
Underrated
Oasis.... This band might not so special technically and the music style is a classic, they don’t perform a great staging phisically, but the working class people really do understand “music”, freedom, right of people, economy and rock&roll fundamentally. Even without considering where they are from, their music especially lyrics are universal and strong.
Jimi Hendrix......experienced one of the extreme of self-expressions which can also set people free and imaginative.
Bob Marly....fought for a right and spreded love & peace by songs.
Muse… is a bit narcissistic but, the front man is musically talented.
Deftones....even though they have a powerful single like “Be quiet and Drive”.....well, they have shitty songs too though they are underrated.
My Bloody Valentine.....are loveless, druggy and not really life-related but, they are a pioneer of unique approach called shoegazer.
Jeff Beck..... one of the greatest rock guitarists.
Jessy : 14/07/2010 07:43:51
One things for sure is that Jeff Beck,certainly doesn’t underate Jeff Beck.
: 29/07/2010 12:14:20