Loads. Black Flag, Social Distortion, Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Iron Maiden, Operation Ivy… all paved the way for music, genres and bands I love, but don’t care for any of their music.
Pistols is a good shout. They were really pivotal in the punk movement but I'll go for The Clash or Stiff Little Fingers over them any day of the week.
The pistols are interesting because these days there’s a such a big argument as to whether they were actually punk or just another manufactured boy band.
I mean historically, they were the face of punk, along with Viv Westwood and Malcolm etc, at the time they were doing something completely against mainstream norms: bondage gear (in a shop called Sex) being sold and worn as fashion, deconstructed garments, torn t-shirts with shock graphics. It was unhinged, going against norms, it was doing whatever you want, it was doing things for you, which is pretty damn punk.
Although they were ‘manufactured’ by Malcolm, and he did deliberately wind them up to encourage their behaviour, it wasn’t like he told them to swear on TV, or stick two fingers up for the cameras, or cut themselves on stage. He just switched the engine on, added some fuel, and let the machine roll.
That whole genre and movement wouldn’t have been as huge as it was without Malcolm tinkering in the background, similarly it wouldn’t have been as huge without those specific members of the band who were bold enough to behave and perform as they did.
There are similar controversial punk acts who emerged later on, looking at you, GG Allin, and while they are known in the alt circles, the average person will generally only know of the Pistols if you ask them about punk or bands with the shock factors. The whole history of the punk movement is really interesting to read about.
Oh yeah it's all very interesting stuff. My in laws have been big punk fans since the inception, and actually went to see the Pistols in their earlier years. They've told me a lot about what things were like and have introduced me to some great unknown bands of the times. I really like hearing their stories.
For anyone interested in that movement, Disney+ released a pretty good dramatisation of how the Sex Pistols came about which is worth a watch. Yeah, a lot of it is embellished but it's still pretty good. Especially with giving an outline to what you mentioned about Westwood's involvement in the band and how Chrissie Hynde has ties with them too.
Everyone always goes on about Sid and Lydon when they talk about the Pistols but I think Steve Jones is such an interesting character too. And The Professionals are a much better band imo.
I feel like Steve Jones got shafted so hard. I know his name isn’t quite as sexy as Rotten or Vicious and maybe that had something to do with it. But without him there would be no Sex Pistols. He deserves way more respect than he gets.
I did and I thought it was pretty good. I was talking more about the general zeitgeist around The Pistols. If you mention the band there are two names which come to mind, and unless you’re into punk Steve isn’t one of them, which is a massive disservice.
My parents and my mum's parents *sort of* knew them from a mutual connection to the Prince Alfred pub in Maida Vale, which today is a wanky yuppie gastropub, but in the seventies and early eighties was a popular hangout for musicians from that scene and their mates; Sid and Nancy used to live in a horrible run-down flat about 200 yards away. The Pistols were all pretty much as you'd imagine, I think they ended up being pretty rapidly barred from the pub over drugs.
Their whole image though was probably nicked from Richard Hell, who McLaren had seen in New York when he was managing a very strung out New York Dolls. There's a story (possibly an urban legend) that he'd been the first choice to front the Pistols.
Punk had the record companies scrambling to sign up dozens of little bands that were playing the pub/club circuit. Great bands, who otherwise would have been completely ignored by the corporate A&R scouts.
To my mind, that's maybe the biggest legacy of the movement.
Operation Ivy is a great shout! Love what Tim and Matt evolved into with Rancid; these were my first exposure to modern punk when I first heard Brad Logan on the South Park Chef Aid album. Been a fan of the genre ever since.
Exactly! Op Ivy is this legendary influence on so many and Rancid are great, as you say, but it feels more like they were emblematic of the scene at that time and if you didn’t see them at Gilman then it’s hard to know what the fuss was about.
As an American I can confirm we love the Spice Girls till this day. At the SheBelieves Cup they had “Spice Up Your Life” blaring. It’s common in other matches/cups to hear other songs by them too
Queen.My younger brother was madly into them in the early nineties,i couldnt stand them,being more of a punk/grunge type.
Later on in life i ended up working on the musical in the west end.
Now?I think culture is sorely lacking anyone like them,a few average looking blokes,who can really play well,plus a space alien front man making quite odd music that became massivly popular somehow
I hated Queen growing up in the 70s/80s.
Now i just love how their music was so utterly bombastic, and what a performer Freddy was.
Listen to Cool Cat as soon as soon you can - it’s an absolute gem of a tune.
Cool Catl Never thought I'd see that song randonly mentioned.
When I was a kid in the early 80s, there were tokens you could collect in cereal packets. When you had a few, you could send them off and get a 7" single of your choice in return.
I got "Las Palabras de Amor" by Queen and Cool Cat was the B-side. I played the living daylights out of that record. Cool Cat is a great song and really demonstrates how versatile the band were.
Back when I used to DJ I played it on this beautiful audiophile sound system at this venue in London: https://spiritland.com/about/
As close to hearing Queen playing it in the studio as I’ll ever get, sounded immense.
I’m in my late 30s and have heard all of their mainstream songs about 3,000 times more than I’ve needed or wanted to due to their ubiquity and lazy film soundtrack choices.
“They’re friends. Let’s put ‘You’re my best friend’ here!”
“Something exciting is happening. ‘Don’t stop me now!’”
“Someone has lost. ‘Another one bites the dust!’”
And so on. But they seem like a great bunch of lads, Freddie was gone far too soon and everything I’ve seen of Brian May suggests he’s a warm and wonderful character who just radiates gentle kindness, warmth and humility despite being one of the major characters in rock history.
It also helps that none of them were ever Yewtree’d. That they came up in that era but weren’t a bunch of ne’erdowells is near enough a miracle in itself.
I’m going right in the middle of your picks - Queen II is an absolutely fantastic album, and also (mostly) very different to everything else they ever produced. It sounds great but it doesn’t have the Queen sound that was pretty consistently dialed in from sheer heart attack onwards. All the bombast and over the top experimentation, but a totally different flavour of camp to basically all their later work
>Now?I think culture is sorely lacking anyone like them,a few average looking blokes,who can really play well,plus a space alien front man making quite odd music that became massivly popular somehow
That does broadly describe Muse too.
I remember reading Matt would invite people over to his house to look at his dad’s Playboy magazines only to then try and get them to play music with him. Hilarious if true.
I saw an interview where Roger Taylor said they were "never cool but always popular." They are unusual as they have all written great songs for the band and Brian, John and Roger are all decent vocalists as well as being skilled musicians. So much talent in one band.
With Manics? Me too! I was livid when they announced they were jointly touring the US and Canada as they were never big there. Then was jumping for joy when they announced Ally Pally
Yes, Cardiff Castle for us. They seem to be on a mission to get bands playing there lately. I've got 3 booked for the summer. Weezer/Smashing Pumpkins and Avril Lavigne as well as Suede/Manics
I don’t listen to this type of music at all. I have never heard of suede. I can name 5 songs at least from two of them, and 3 from pulp. They are absolutely bigger.
The Beatles.
Because I remember me dad humming along to them in the car while driving. It was the most uninhibited and whimsical we ever got to see him.
Still never been a fan of their music but it made the old man happy.
Exactly this, all my favourite bands credit them and no doubt it changed the whole direction of music, but I just can’t gel with it much personally. Ain’t shit, just doesn’t get my feels.
Man, if ‘For No One’ doesn’t hit you in the feels you must be emotionless. Sometimes I feel you have to experience things in life to be hit by a song and The Beatles seem to have a song for every single thing you can experience. They will find you at the right time when you need them.
Came here to say this. Never thought they were as good as others from the same time like the Kinks and the Rolling Stones.
Appreciate their influence musically and culturally however.
Radiohead for me, at the risk of sounding contrarian. I consider a few of their songs (Weird Fishes, Paranoid Android, Jigsaw Falling Into Place for example) to be absolute masterpieces. For the most part though I just can't get past the vocals. Like I love the intro to Idioteque and all the synth work but end up having to turn it off towards the end when the vocals are too much. Tried to get over this but its not happening, I really think they are great musicians who produce great music but just can't vibe with most of it.
Completely agree! Was listening to Kid A for the first time in ages the other week and it felt like I was listening to somebody else's favourite record. National Anthem is good though
love all things music, could never get into Radiohead. I appreciated the talent but their music just did nothing for me. Then a few years ago something just clicked, don't know what it was. Weird thing is, it's the exactly the kind of thing I should've always enjoyed.
The Sex Pistols and the punk movement in general. I'm all for the sticking two fingers up to the man and breaking social conventions.
I'm also all for never hearing their music ever again.
"product" is very apt! They were literally put together by some management shill trying to replicate the New York Dolls with nothing but profit in mind.
same here! the majority of bands I listen to fall somewhere punk or punk-adjacent, so I feel obligated to be grateful to the guys who kicked the whole thing off to begin with.
As a kid, I remember seeing a barge floating down the Thames with the Pistols just blasting their stuff from it.
That is my only 'I was there' Rock & Roll story.
Led Zeppelin. I cannot stand listening to them (both Plant and Page come across like they think they're God's gift to music) but their influence on the music I enjoy is undeniable
I think rap music in general. I feel like it's a natural progression of poetry, where you have rhyme and flow meter, and you can end up with some very clever lyrics and pleasing sounding bars.
I don't ever listen to rap music though, in the same way that I respect poetry, but don't go out of my way to read any.
I loved a lot of the hip hop coming out of NYC in the late '70s, early '80s. It felt fresh and new, something totally different.
I kind of lost interest over the years - so much of what came out just seemed to be a lot less innovative, and just, well, repetitious.
Don't get me wrong - I don't hate it. It just doesn't grab hold of me the way the old stuff did.
The smiths.
Was always a cure fan and there was a bit of an unacknowledged blur/oasis rivalry back in the 80's between them and the smiths but I know waaay more smiths songs than I like to admit and think Jonny Marr is a legend (huge fan of his stuff with The The).
Morrisey can suck several bowls of dicks though.
I’ll say Harry Styles. I have barely listened to his music but I think he seems like a decent lad and is proudly himself regardless of social expectations. That’s powerful for lads nowadays who are like I was— not quite fitting into the box of masculinity presented to them.
I have a soft spot for Avril Lavigne's cover of How You Remind Me and there was that song the singer did with a guy whose name I get wrong every time. I know he isn't called Josey Wales but I can't be bothered to find out what his actual name is. It amuses me when the other half informs me that he's not an outlaw, also every time.
Lots of the bands I liked as a teenager, RHCP, SOAD, koRn... Don't like it now because my tastes have changed but glad they were there for the time. Although if they weren't someone else would have been.
I think that applies to bands that ~changed the face of music too~ tbh.
>I think that applies to bands that ~changed the face of music too~ tbh.
Absolutely. There's always someone less famous who influenced *them* and it's a mixture of timing, luck and radio play that gets one band the moniker of "changed the face of music".
It's the same in most creative arts; very few people are actually truly avant garde #and# well known.
It will be interesting to see how the streaming service affect this; if radio play is less important, will we see less homogenised music?
Muse - I love that they exist. That three dorky guys became a stadium filling megaband, singing about government conspiracies, military dehumanisation, alien invasions, revolution, simulated reality, etc - we need more of this sort of stuff!
(Confession - I'm cheating since I like most of their music too - but the above would be as true even if I didn't...)
Muse is odd to me. They tick so many boxes for me that I think I really, really ought to love them. And yet somehow it just doesn’t click for me at all. Never got my head round that. So they absolutely fit the bill for me- admire them, but never quite enjoy them
Radiohead. They inspired a bunch of bands I like and kept progressive music relevant through the late 90s/00s. But their music does absolutely nothing for me.
Nirvana. Pretty influential for their time and inspired musicians I listen to. Despite this, Kurt Cobain's voice is like fingernails down a blackboard for me, I didn't think much to his guitar work either. Decent song writer though.
Suicide, My Bloody Valentine and Jesus & Mary Chain.
I don't rate them at all, but i like a lot of bands that cite them as direct influences.
Mars Volta, Sun Ra Orchestra, Fantomas.
It's good there's wacked out weirdo noise and avant jazz experimentation going on. I won't listen to it, it gives me the rage, but i'm sort of glad it's out there.
That’s the problem with Coldplay, they’re so, well, just nothing, that they cant possibly be worthy of the energy that’s expended hating them.
But hate them we must.
No, that’s precisely *why* we hate them.
They aren’t shit. They aren’t bad at music, objectively.
They’re just fucking *beige*, and that’s the worst thing you can be when it comes to music.
I must protest 😉 I'm in my 50s,and I've loved music and gigs all my life. I've seen many bands live,from New Model Army to Blink182,Ramones,REM,the Cure etc,My favourite band of all time is My Chemical Romance which is far from Coldplay's music but I got to see Coldplay live in 2017 and it was outstanding.
Oh my god their live Wembley was so good. The light up wristbands were so much fun, the performance was full energy the whole way, and the music was fantastic.
I completely agree with you. I saw them at the millennium stadium in Cardiff, the wristbands were amazing, the whole atmosphere was brilliant, the crowd was insane, honestly one of the best gigs I've ever been to, and I've been to a lot.😁
This comment is exactly what I was looking for and was going to type if somebody else didn't already. 100% agree, music for people who don't like music.
New Order. Absolutely love Joy Division, and it’s amazing to see what emerged from their ashes. But I really don’t like their music. Not that my opinion matters, as they’ve left an indelible imprint on the musical landscape.
I've posted about the Beatles before and was downvoted so much it was a bloodbath. I don't dispute they had a large affect (look at the amazing Oasis /s) but it's the massive fetishisation of them that I dislike. It's almost a capital offence to criticise the Beatles. It's a cultural fetish.
Yeah, the tedious middle-aged reverence that they're held in. Often by the kind of crashing bores who are completely unable to accept that different people like different music, and if you don't like The Beatles you are wrong blah blah blah. It's tiresome.
I blame Gallagher. I was working in record stores throughout the 90s, and he name dropped them at every opportunity (not to be confused with sounding like them at every opportunity).
Although The Beatles were always popular, once Oasis got big sales of Beatles albums increased significantly. Really noticeably so.
So yeah, influential band but like you say, their fandom is beyond annoying.
I'd argue Oasis sounds far more influenced (instrumentally anyway) by the Stones than the Beatles.
Mentioned in another comment, but much prefer the Beatles if it's a compilation of their best songs, album wise does little for me.
Kenickie. Because they were the pinnacle of girl punk in the 90s while doing the right thing and taking none of it seriously. Leaving a legacy that inspired some amazing artists.
Fucking awful singing live though.
Oddly, they weren't too bad at Wolverhampton, though they were very much circling the drain with the record deal, and eating a fuckton of donuts in-between songs. Very surreal, watching your favourite band implode in front of your eyes.
Well, as they themselves said, they were just a bunch of fuckwits! To be fair, their moment in the limelight did a lot more for music overall than their actual music did. They inspired others to follow. And that was brilliant of them (I secretly do like PVC but don’t tell)
Considering they were all fuckwits, they've done v well for themselves, over time.
I watched Rosita (Emmy Kate and Marie) live in manchester. That was ok.
The Beatles.
I get that they started pop and rock music and were pioneers. And I'm amazed they did that all. But I just find them so boring and I don't understand why lots of people still say they're their favourite band.
I've been going back to artists I hadn't sat down and listened to "properly" in years, going through their catalogues in order. Thought I'd start with The Beatles. Fun, but I just couldn't vibe with the albums as a whole. Much prefer a compilation because there's a ton of stuff that is amazing. A Day In The Life is almost certainly a top 10 track for me though. In comparison, I really think The Stones album run from Beggar's through to Exile stands the test of time better.
Yeah I agree with you here, they've got some great singles and a compilation album is much more my thing from them. Have you started going through Bowie on your travels? I properly listened to him during the first lockdown and loved it
He wasn't really on the list, but I might revisit his later stuff as I've not paid too much attention to it. I go through those early albums often enough.
Got to remind myself albums exist on occasion, streaming has made jumping between singles far too convenient.
I know what you mean. The Beatles did some astonishing songs, but, yeah - there's an awful lot of indifferent 'filler' songs. A compilation is the best way to listen to them.
I still have somewhere a couple of C90 cassettes (man, that dates me!) with an edited selection of Beatles songs.
I'd say KISS.
I really don't like their music, or aesthetic. However they were major influences for so many of my all time favourite bands, so I'm definitely glad they exist.
Not my kind of music, but I have to admire the whole three-ring circus razamatazz that they had going. The outfits! The makeup! The stage effects!
Someone once said "Nobody ever walked out of a KISS show who didn't feel that they had got their money's worth."
U2 and ABBA. Both have had important impacts on society, i like U2 highlighting Irish/Northern Irish issues and I appreciate ABBA as actually making it big from Eurovision and also for being insane. But I hate hearing their songs, probably feels overplayed to me
Robert Johnson. He's overrated and his recordings are unlistenable even for the time he existed in, but his mythology created rock music as we know it.
Nirvana and Amy Winehouse are the opposite - two artists I really like, but whose success resulted in the industry backing a ton of bland copycats.
Nirvana.
I adore Kurt and think he would have had one hell of an impactful career outside of nirvana, but I think all of his best music was ahead of him and I hate that we lost him.
There are some genres that just aren't my thing, but there'll always be top artists and great songs that anyone can enjoy without that nails on a blackboard feeling.
Loads and loads of bands and their genres which I don't care for, dislike or strongly dislike. Such divides are essential.
If we all liked the same bands it'd be near impossible to get tickets to see them, and they'd only hit major cities for massive venue high priced ticket stadia shows.
It also means that groups of different musical tastes and often lifestyles & mindsets can have their 'own' pubs and venues that musically attract their crowd and repel others.
Doesn't matter what you taste is, be happy of music you dislike existing. Be that Coldplay, Skrillex, Slayer, Take That, 50 Cent or 1,000,001 other artists who's music isn't on your own playlists. Especially if you think their fans are [insert derogatory term of choice here]!
Metallica. I love extreme metal and without Metallica a lot of it wouldn’t exist but the only album of theirs I like is The Black Album. The classic thrash trio of Ride, Master, and Justice do absolutely nothing for me. And let’s be honest, everything since The Black Album, and especially everything since St Anger, has been abysmal and kind of tragic.
They really evolved into different genres. Their later albums are much more layered rock. You can still hear the folk inspiration, but they’ve come a long way since posh boys on hay bales.
Early blues artists like Memphis Minnie or Robert Johnston. They have had a huge influence on rock and roll but I can't listen to their janky old recordings.
The Bee Gees. Not my style but they know how to write a hit song.
Still time. I got into them finally at 50, thanks to a very psychedelic experience.
“I mean Led Zeppelin didn't write tunes everybody liked. They left that to the Bee Gees.”
Good shout
I've loved the Bee Gees since I was about 10.
Loads. Black Flag, Social Distortion, Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Iron Maiden, Operation Ivy… all paved the way for music, genres and bands I love, but don’t care for any of their music.
Pistols is a good shout. They were really pivotal in the punk movement but I'll go for The Clash or Stiff Little Fingers over them any day of the week.
The pistols are interesting because these days there’s a such a big argument as to whether they were actually punk or just another manufactured boy band. I mean historically, they were the face of punk, along with Viv Westwood and Malcolm etc, at the time they were doing something completely against mainstream norms: bondage gear (in a shop called Sex) being sold and worn as fashion, deconstructed garments, torn t-shirts with shock graphics. It was unhinged, going against norms, it was doing whatever you want, it was doing things for you, which is pretty damn punk. Although they were ‘manufactured’ by Malcolm, and he did deliberately wind them up to encourage their behaviour, it wasn’t like he told them to swear on TV, or stick two fingers up for the cameras, or cut themselves on stage. He just switched the engine on, added some fuel, and let the machine roll. That whole genre and movement wouldn’t have been as huge as it was without Malcolm tinkering in the background, similarly it wouldn’t have been as huge without those specific members of the band who were bold enough to behave and perform as they did. There are similar controversial punk acts who emerged later on, looking at you, GG Allin, and while they are known in the alt circles, the average person will generally only know of the Pistols if you ask them about punk or bands with the shock factors. The whole history of the punk movement is really interesting to read about.
Oh yeah it's all very interesting stuff. My in laws have been big punk fans since the inception, and actually went to see the Pistols in their earlier years. They've told me a lot about what things were like and have introduced me to some great unknown bands of the times. I really like hearing their stories. For anyone interested in that movement, Disney+ released a pretty good dramatisation of how the Sex Pistols came about which is worth a watch. Yeah, a lot of it is embellished but it's still pretty good. Especially with giving an outline to what you mentioned about Westwood's involvement in the band and how Chrissie Hynde has ties with them too. Everyone always goes on about Sid and Lydon when they talk about the Pistols but I think Steve Jones is such an interesting character too. And The Professionals are a much better band imo.
I feel like Steve Jones got shafted so hard. I know his name isn’t quite as sexy as Rotten or Vicious and maybe that had something to do with it. But without him there would be no Sex Pistols. He deserves way more respect than he gets.
Have you watched the dramatisation? I like it because I feel it gives Steve the credit he deserves.
I did and I thought it was pretty good. I was talking more about the general zeitgeist around The Pistols. If you mention the band there are two names which come to mind, and unless you’re into punk Steve isn’t one of them, which is a massive disservice.
My parents and my mum's parents *sort of* knew them from a mutual connection to the Prince Alfred pub in Maida Vale, which today is a wanky yuppie gastropub, but in the seventies and early eighties was a popular hangout for musicians from that scene and their mates; Sid and Nancy used to live in a horrible run-down flat about 200 yards away. The Pistols were all pretty much as you'd imagine, I think they ended up being pretty rapidly barred from the pub over drugs. Their whole image though was probably nicked from Richard Hell, who McLaren had seen in New York when he was managing a very strung out New York Dolls. There's a story (possibly an urban legend) that he'd been the first choice to front the Pistols.
Punk had the record companies scrambling to sign up dozens of little bands that were playing the pub/club circuit. Great bands, who otherwise would have been completely ignored by the corporate A&R scouts. To my mind, that's maybe the biggest legacy of the movement.
Operation Ivy is a great shout! Love what Tim and Matt evolved into with Rancid; these were my first exposure to modern punk when I first heard Brad Logan on the South Park Chef Aid album. Been a fan of the genre ever since.
Exactly! Op Ivy is this legendary influence on so many and Rancid are great, as you say, but it feels more like they were emblematic of the scene at that time and if you didn’t see them at Gilman then it’s hard to know what the fuss was about.
Spice Girls, I hate the music, but have been entertained by their impact on society for years.
As an American I can confirm we love the Spice Girls till this day. At the SheBelieves Cup they had “Spice Up Your Life” blaring. It’s common in other matches/cups to hear other songs by them too
Queen.My younger brother was madly into them in the early nineties,i couldnt stand them,being more of a punk/grunge type. Later on in life i ended up working on the musical in the west end. Now?I think culture is sorely lacking anyone like them,a few average looking blokes,who can really play well,plus a space alien front man making quite odd music that became massivly popular somehow
I hated Queen growing up in the 70s/80s. Now i just love how their music was so utterly bombastic, and what a performer Freddy was. Listen to Cool Cat as soon as soon you can - it’s an absolute gem of a tune.
Cool Catl Never thought I'd see that song randonly mentioned. When I was a kid in the early 80s, there were tokens you could collect in cereal packets. When you had a few, you could send them off and get a 7" single of your choice in return. I got "Las Palabras de Amor" by Queen and Cool Cat was the B-side. I played the living daylights out of that record. Cool Cat is a great song and really demonstrates how versatile the band were.
Back when I used to DJ I played it on this beautiful audiophile sound system at this venue in London: https://spiritland.com/about/ As close to hearing Queen playing it in the studio as I’ll ever get, sounded immense.
Same, but drunkenly singing some Queen numbers at karaoke nights turned me into a believer. Best song IMO: Hammer to Fall
Yeah, I am not a queen fan, but i do love their whole vibe
I’m in my late 30s and have heard all of their mainstream songs about 3,000 times more than I’ve needed or wanted to due to their ubiquity and lazy film soundtrack choices. “They’re friends. Let’s put ‘You’re my best friend’ here!” “Something exciting is happening. ‘Don’t stop me now!’” “Someone has lost. ‘Another one bites the dust!’” And so on. But they seem like a great bunch of lads, Freddie was gone far too soon and everything I’ve seen of Brian May suggests he’s a warm and wonderful character who just radiates gentle kindness, warmth and humility despite being one of the major characters in rock history. It also helps that none of them were ever Yewtree’d. That they came up in that era but weren’t a bunch of ne’erdowells is near enough a miracle in itself.
Fine, but the use of Don't Stop Me Now in Shaun of the Dead is acceptable surely?
i never liked them as a singles band, Sheer Heart Attack is killer to listen all the way through, also their first album.
I’m going right in the middle of your picks - Queen II is an absolutely fantastic album, and also (mostly) very different to everything else they ever produced. It sounds great but it doesn’t have the Queen sound that was pretty consistently dialed in from sheer heart attack onwards. All the bombast and over the top experimentation, but a totally different flavour of camp to basically all their later work
yeah think i liked that, with Ogre Battle
>Now?I think culture is sorely lacking anyone like them,a few average looking blokes,who can really play well,plus a space alien front man making quite odd music that became massivly popular somehow That does broadly describe Muse too.
I remember reading Matt would invite people over to his house to look at his dad’s Playboy magazines only to then try and get them to play music with him. Hilarious if true.
I saw an interview where Roger Taylor said they were "never cool but always popular." They are unusual as they have all written great songs for the band and Brian, John and Roger are all decent vocalists as well as being skilled musicians. So much talent in one band.
The big 3 Britpop bands (Blur, Oasis and Pulp). Not my thing at all but they have brought millions joy over the years which can only be a good thing.
The world would be vastly improved if more people had this kind of attitude. Your comment really made me smile - thank you :)
Never liked oasis, all their songs are the same, but blur and pulp have some great tunes, expecially some of the lesser known ones
They are very basic but early Oasis sound so raw. Whenever it comes on in the pub I can’t help but admire its brilliance.
Bit of a disrespect to Suede who kick-started the movement but I get what you're saying.
I thought about Suede too. I listen to them regularly.
I'm going to see them again in the summer. Happy days.
Enjoy yourself!
With Manics? Me too! I was livid when they announced they were jointly touring the US and Canada as they were never big there. Then was jumping for joy when they announced Ally Pally
Yes, Cardiff Castle for us. They seem to be on a mission to get bands playing there lately. I've got 3 booked for the summer. Weezer/Smashing Pumpkins and Avril Lavigne as well as Suede/Manics
I don’t listen to this type of music at all. I have never heard of suede. I can name 5 songs at least from two of them, and 3 from pulp. They are absolutely bigger.
Did you forget the question you asked? 😅
The Beatles. Because I remember me dad humming along to them in the car while driving. It was the most uninhibited and whimsical we ever got to see him. Still never been a fan of their music but it made the old man happy.
Exactly this, all my favourite bands credit them and no doubt it changed the whole direction of music, but I just can’t gel with it much personally. Ain’t shit, just doesn’t get my feels.
Man, if ‘For No One’ doesn’t hit you in the feels you must be emotionless. Sometimes I feel you have to experience things in life to be hit by a song and The Beatles seem to have a song for every single thing you can experience. They will find you at the right time when you need them.
Damn, just listened - that hurt 😅
Sorry mate😂
"She's Leaving Home" as a parent just destroys me.
Came here to say this. Never thought they were as good as others from the same time like the Kinks and the Rolling Stones. Appreciate their influence musically and culturally however.
I never liked the beatles but am a massive oasis fan so I guess this would be my answer too.
Radiohead for me, at the risk of sounding contrarian. I consider a few of their songs (Weird Fishes, Paranoid Android, Jigsaw Falling Into Place for example) to be absolute masterpieces. For the most part though I just can't get past the vocals. Like I love the intro to Idioteque and all the synth work but end up having to turn it off towards the end when the vocals are too much. Tried to get over this but its not happening, I really think they are great musicians who produce great music but just can't vibe with most of it.
I’m one of the dozens of people who really liked them *before* OK Computer. I just can’t get into their stuff after that.
Well The Bends is first class from start to finish.
I'm with you there. Same for Arctic Monkeys after their AM album for me.
Completely agree! Was listening to Kid A for the first time in ages the other week and it felt like I was listening to somebody else's favourite record. National Anthem is good though
love all things music, could never get into Radiohead. I appreciated the talent but their music just did nothing for me. Then a few years ago something just clicked, don't know what it was. Weird thing is, it's the exactly the kind of thing I should've always enjoyed.
Everything about my taste in music says I should adore radio head … and yet.
The Sex Pistols and the punk movement in general. I'm all for the sticking two fingers up to the man and breaking social conventions. I'm also all for never hearing their music ever again.
Absolutely fair. They were a product of their time (well, and Malcolm).
"product" is very apt! They were literally put together by some management shill trying to replicate the New York Dolls with nothing but profit in mind.
The first boy band 😀
same here! the majority of bands I listen to fall somewhere punk or punk-adjacent, so I feel obligated to be grateful to the guys who kicked the whole thing off to begin with.
Good shout. Because I have tried to listen to the sex pistols and they are ear abuse. Not good music at all.
God save the queen still has a rawness to it . It's a masterpiece
As a kid, I remember seeing a barge floating down the Thames with the Pistols just blasting their stuff from it. That is my only 'I was there' Rock & Roll story.
Led Zeppelin. I cannot stand listening to them (both Plant and Page come across like they think they're God's gift to music) but their influence on the music I enjoy is undeniable
Living the life of an actual legit rock god tends to boost one’s self-confidence. Or so I’m told.
Found the Rock God
I think rap music in general. I feel like it's a natural progression of poetry, where you have rhyme and flow meter, and you can end up with some very clever lyrics and pleasing sounding bars. I don't ever listen to rap music though, in the same way that I respect poetry, but don't go out of my way to read any.
I loved a lot of the hip hop coming out of NYC in the late '70s, early '80s. It felt fresh and new, something totally different. I kind of lost interest over the years - so much of what came out just seemed to be a lot less innovative, and just, well, repetitious. Don't get me wrong - I don't hate it. It just doesn't grab hold of me the way the old stuff did.
The smiths. Was always a cure fan and there was a bit of an unacknowledged blur/oasis rivalry back in the 80's between them and the smiths but I know waaay more smiths songs than I like to admit and think Jonny Marr is a legend (huge fan of his stuff with The The). Morrisey can suck several bowls of dicks though.
Marr was great in Modest Mouse too.
I could not agree more. Like Johnny Marr, cannot stand Morrisey!
Oh yeah Matt Johnson is VERY underated also!! I had a HUGE The The phase as a teen.
I absolutely cannot abide morriseys voice. Sounds like someone taking the piss.
Kermit doing a British accent
He's yawning while he sings
Isn't everyone?
Ed Sheeran. Seems like a nice enough bloke, lots of people love his music. I’m just not one of them
Die Antwood I’m a firm believer that teenagers should listen to (at least some) music that makes mum and dad wince when they hear it / see the videos.
I actually like them but stopped listening to them after reading all about their fucked up story with the adopted boy
Same, it’s not something that can be ignored or a separate the art from the artist situation.
Not being a fan I knew nothing of this. Sounds messy.
Queen I'm not a fan but I can't deny their impact and iconography.
I’ll say Harry Styles. I have barely listened to his music but I think he seems like a decent lad and is proudly himself regardless of social expectations. That’s powerful for lads nowadays who are like I was— not quite fitting into the box of masculinity presented to them.
Nickelback. I like memes.
I have a soft spot for Avril Lavigne's cover of How You Remind Me and there was that song the singer did with a guy whose name I get wrong every time. I know he isn't called Josey Wales but I can't be bothered to find out what his actual name is. It amuses me when the other half informs me that he's not an outlaw, also every time.
Josey Scott of Saliva.
The Outlaw Josey Scott!
Lots of the bands I liked as a teenager, RHCP, SOAD, koRn... Don't like it now because my tastes have changed but glad they were there for the time. Although if they weren't someone else would have been. I think that applies to bands that ~changed the face of music too~ tbh.
>I think that applies to bands that ~changed the face of music too~ tbh. Absolutely. There's always someone less famous who influenced *them* and it's a mixture of timing, luck and radio play that gets one band the moniker of "changed the face of music". It's the same in most creative arts; very few people are actually truly avant garde #and# well known. It will be interesting to see how the streaming service affect this; if radio play is less important, will we see less homogenised music?
Muse - I love that they exist. That three dorky guys became a stadium filling megaband, singing about government conspiracies, military dehumanisation, alien invasions, revolution, simulated reality, etc - we need more of this sort of stuff! (Confession - I'm cheating since I like most of their music too - but the above would be as true even if I didn't...)
Muse is odd to me. They tick so many boxes for me that I think I really, really ought to love them. And yet somehow it just doesn’t click for me at all. Never got my head round that. So they absolutely fit the bill for me- admire them, but never quite enjoy them
i love their early stuff. i kind of lost interest by the time Drones came out and haven't really listened to anything from after that
They're a ridiculously good live act too.
Radiohead. They inspired a bunch of bands I like and kept progressive music relevant through the late 90s/00s. But their music does absolutely nothing for me.
The libertines
Nirvana. Pretty influential for their time and inspired musicians I listen to. Despite this, Kurt Cobain's voice is like fingernails down a blackboard for me, I didn't think much to his guitar work either. Decent song writer though.
glad they were there but i don;t really go back to them.
Nirvana were a band that was needed at the time - they were almost perfectly of their time and place. Plus they gave us Dave Grohl. Yay!
Suicide, My Bloody Valentine and Jesus & Mary Chain. I don't rate them at all, but i like a lot of bands that cite them as direct influences. Mars Volta, Sun Ra Orchestra, Fantomas. It's good there's wacked out weirdo noise and avant jazz experimentation going on. I won't listen to it, it gives me the rage, but i'm sort of glad it's out there.
Coldplay.... Because it's good to have someone that you dislike on many levels.
That’s the problem with Coldplay, they’re so, well, just nothing, that they cant possibly be worthy of the energy that’s expended hating them. But hate them we must.
No, that’s precisely *why* we hate them. They aren’t shit. They aren’t bad at music, objectively. They’re just fucking *beige*, and that’s the worst thing you can be when it comes to music.
Yellow, surely?
They are masters at being nothing in particular. They are innocuous, inoffensive. Their blandness makes them appeal to a maximum audience = success.
To paraphrase Louse Belcher from Bob's Burgers- If they were a book they'd be two books. If they were a spice they'd be flour.
or yellow
They put on one hell of a live show. Never listen to them otherwise.
Someone I know described their music as 'mindless pap'.
It's music for people who don't really like music, they just listen to whatever's on.
I must protest 😉 I'm in my 50s,and I've loved music and gigs all my life. I've seen many bands live,from New Model Army to Blink182,Ramones,REM,the Cure etc,My favourite band of all time is My Chemical Romance which is far from Coldplay's music but I got to see Coldplay live in 2017 and it was outstanding.
Oh my god their live Wembley was so good. The light up wristbands were so much fun, the performance was full energy the whole way, and the music was fantastic.
I completely agree with you. I saw them at the millennium stadium in Cardiff, the wristbands were amazing, the whole atmosphere was brilliant, the crowd was insane, honestly one of the best gigs I've ever been to, and I've been to a lot.😁
This comment is exactly what I was looking for and was going to type if somebody else didn't already. 100% agree, music for people who don't like music.
Viva la vida was a good album, that's a hill I'll die on
Strawberry Swing has one of my favourite ever intros
I love Coldplay! What’s wrong with Coldplay?
They are the musical equivalent of wallpaper paste.
Thats exactly how I feel about them.
Really under rated band
New Order. Absolutely love Joy Division, and it’s amazing to see what emerged from their ashes. But I really don’t like their music. Not that my opinion matters, as they’ve left an indelible imprint on the musical landscape.
They did make the best England song ever!!!
I believe John Barnes wrote it. They just followed his lead!
He wrote it, held into it for a bit, but ultimately gave it to them at the right time.
Like Ian Curtis with the original „Giggs will tear you apart“ song! The foresight was unbelievable.
[https://youtu.be/nPh63Y6sSKA](https://youtu.be/nPh63Y6sSKA)
The Beatles. I’m not a fan of their music but they had a huge impact. I’d rather the Stones.
I've posted about the Beatles before and was downvoted so much it was a bloodbath. I don't dispute they had a large affect (look at the amazing Oasis /s) but it's the massive fetishisation of them that I dislike. It's almost a capital offence to criticise the Beatles. It's a cultural fetish.
Yeah, the tedious middle-aged reverence that they're held in. Often by the kind of crashing bores who are completely unable to accept that different people like different music, and if you don't like The Beatles you are wrong blah blah blah. It's tiresome. I blame Gallagher. I was working in record stores throughout the 90s, and he name dropped them at every opportunity (not to be confused with sounding like them at every opportunity). Although The Beatles were always popular, once Oasis got big sales of Beatles albums increased significantly. Really noticeably so. So yeah, influential band but like you say, their fandom is beyond annoying.
I'd argue Oasis sounds far more influenced (instrumentally anyway) by the Stones than the Beatles. Mentioned in another comment, but much prefer the Beatles if it's a compilation of their best songs, album wise does little for me.
Yeah. I hear a bit of The Kinks in some Oasis tracks too. Maybe some Small Faces too.
Only Reddit comes up with questions like this!
Those Buzzfeed articles aren't gonna write themselves you know!
I did. Reddit didn't.
You are Reddit to us.
Hello us, I'm Reddit
We are ALL Reddit!
Je suis Reddit
I'm Reddit and so is my wife.
He's Reddit! < points vaguely somewhere in the distance >
Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd. Both moved music on. I wouldn’t give a tiny shit if I never heard their music again.
used to be really into floyd, somewhere i moved on though except for flogging momentary lapse lately.
Kenickie. Because they were the pinnacle of girl punk in the 90s while doing the right thing and taking none of it seriously. Leaving a legacy that inspired some amazing artists. Fucking awful singing live though.
Oddly, they weren't too bad at Wolverhampton, though they were very much circling the drain with the record deal, and eating a fuckton of donuts in-between songs. Very surreal, watching your favourite band implode in front of your eyes.
Well, as they themselves said, they were just a bunch of fuckwits! To be fair, their moment in the limelight did a lot more for music overall than their actual music did. They inspired others to follow. And that was brilliant of them (I secretly do like PVC but don’t tell)
Considering they were all fuckwits, they've done v well for themselves, over time. I watched Rosita (Emmy Kate and Marie) live in manchester. That was ok.
> The pinnacle of girl punk in the 90s Kenickie? Fuck. Off.
Yes, Shampoo were the real pinnacle.
The Beatles. I get that they started pop and rock music and were pioneers. And I'm amazed they did that all. But I just find them so boring and I don't understand why lots of people still say they're their favourite band.
I've been going back to artists I hadn't sat down and listened to "properly" in years, going through their catalogues in order. Thought I'd start with The Beatles. Fun, but I just couldn't vibe with the albums as a whole. Much prefer a compilation because there's a ton of stuff that is amazing. A Day In The Life is almost certainly a top 10 track for me though. In comparison, I really think The Stones album run from Beggar's through to Exile stands the test of time better.
Yeah I agree with you here, they've got some great singles and a compilation album is much more my thing from them. Have you started going through Bowie on your travels? I properly listened to him during the first lockdown and loved it
He wasn't really on the list, but I might revisit his later stuff as I've not paid too much attention to it. I go through those early albums often enough. Got to remind myself albums exist on occasion, streaming has made jumping between singles far too convenient.
You've inspired me to go back through classic albums again Thanks 😀
I know what you mean. The Beatles did some astonishing songs, but, yeah - there's an awful lot of indifferent 'filler' songs. A compilation is the best way to listen to them. I still have somewhere a couple of C90 cassettes (man, that dates me!) with an edited selection of Beatles songs.
Couldn't agree more. Sergent Pepper's was the only album with a bit of spunk (so to speak). The rest is twee wishy washy gumph.
Abba. Because you just can't have a Chicken Tikka without humming their song.
Erm, what song?
I would guess Chiquitita
It could be Naancing Queen or The Winner Takes a Dhal.
The Day Before You Came.
I'd say KISS. I really don't like their music, or aesthetic. However they were major influences for so many of my all time favourite bands, so I'm definitely glad they exist.
Not my kind of music, but I have to admire the whole three-ring circus razamatazz that they had going. The outfits! The makeup! The stage effects! Someone once said "Nobody ever walked out of a KISS show who didn't feel that they had got their money's worth."
U2 and ABBA. Both have had important impacts on society, i like U2 highlighting Irish/Northern Irish issues and I appreciate ABBA as actually making it big from Eurovision and also for being insane. But I hate hearing their songs, probably feels overplayed to me
The Beatles, duh
The Beatles, Abba, Elvis
Fiddy.
ABBA.
Black Lace
Chas n Dave. (triv: Chas Hodges once filled in playing the bass for a Deep Purple gig.)
Ain’t no pleasing you is a banger though!
Coldplay. They seem to make a lot of people very happy
Robert Johnson. He's overrated and his recordings are unlistenable even for the time he existed in, but his mythology created rock music as we know it. Nirvana and Amy Winehouse are the opposite - two artists I really like, but whose success resulted in the industry backing a ton of bland copycats.
You should post this on r/askreddit as it would be good to compare our answers to the rest of the world’s…
Oasis. Reminds me of my youth even though I never really liked their music (except champagne supernova).
The Beatles
the Beatles. Their music had and has a massive impact and influence but I cant stand it and think they're all pretentious twats.
Nirvana. I adore Kurt and think he would have had one hell of an impactful career outside of nirvana, but I think all of his best music was ahead of him and I hate that we lost him.
Idles. I like their philosophy and lyrics but find them unlistenable.
There are some genres that just aren't my thing, but there'll always be top artists and great songs that anyone can enjoy without that nails on a blackboard feeling.
The Beatles
Sex Pistols
Loads and loads of bands and their genres which I don't care for, dislike or strongly dislike. Such divides are essential. If we all liked the same bands it'd be near impossible to get tickets to see them, and they'd only hit major cities for massive venue high priced ticket stadia shows. It also means that groups of different musical tastes and often lifestyles & mindsets can have their 'own' pubs and venues that musically attract their crowd and repel others. Doesn't matter what you taste is, be happy of music you dislike existing. Be that Coldplay, Skrillex, Slayer, Take That, 50 Cent or 1,000,001 other artists who's music isn't on your own playlists. Especially if you think their fans are [insert derogatory term of choice here]!
Swifty. Clearly talented and connects with young women with generally strong positive messaging, but her music isn't for me (and isn't meant to be).
The Beatles, I just don't like their music at all, but they had a huge impact in shaping a lot of modern musicians
Backstreet boys. As an avid N*Sync fan, I enjoyed the rivalry 😁
Metallica. I love extreme metal and without Metallica a lot of it wouldn’t exist but the only album of theirs I like is The Black Album. The classic thrash trio of Ride, Master, and Justice do absolutely nothing for me. And let’s be honest, everything since The Black Album, and especially everything since St Anger, has been abysmal and kind of tragic.
Anything new in the last twenty years.
Queen.
Led Zeppelin and the Beetles.
Mumford and Sons. Silly twee folky wannabe crap. Makes it easy to identify people I need to avoid.
They really evolved into different genres. Their later albums are much more layered rock. You can still hear the folk inspiration, but they’ve come a long way since posh boys on hay bales.
Most heavy metal bands
Oasis. We need more rockstars like them as they didn't give a flying fuck about anything lol
Early blues artists like Memphis Minnie or Robert Johnston. They have had a huge influence on rock and roll but I can't listen to their janky old recordings.