Guilty Displeasures... (Those adored acts you just don't like!)

The Beatles - It's not that I dislike them, I just don't care for them that much. The same goes for The Rolling Stones, Springsteen and Dylan.

U2 - Never liked them. Just sounds dull to my ears.

Led Zeppelin - I can't stand Plants voice and most of their stuff does nothing for me. Plus they stole a lot without giving cred.

On the other hand, I loooooove Zappa.

 

Led Zeppelin, as most people I know say, musically I think they're exceptional. Then. Robert Plant comes in...! The music is so good I can listen to some but get fatigued pretty quickly by Plant's histrionic vocals.

Dylan, if "Blood On the Tracks" was all he ever released, for me, that would justify his entire existence. Not a lot of else of his extensive back catalogue does much for me...

 

U2 is a funny one, I feel people are more against them because of Bono and his huge ego. Up until "The Unforgettable Fire" I can listen to them, and even enjoy it. After that they just became bloated America-centric rockists in my opinion.

 

Eric Clapton

 

Prince.

 

This thread is interesting to me...in the sense of I'm very curious to hear of the opposite of what's posted!
For example, someone posts what they "don't get".
I wanna hear what floats their boat...!

Then, it would all make sense, they don't like "A", because they love "Z" !!!
As only if there would be a simplistic logic to all the things that connect with us.

 

Wow; open season on disliking. I love it! So, take all of this with a grain or 12 of salt; enjoy what you like and I'll do the same - vive la difference. I'll stick to R&R through the 70s and perhaps early 80s. I don't know enough about most '85-current music to comment other than I probably won't like much of it based on how sore my finger has been from switching radio stations in my car when I've dared to listen to something other than sports radio here in Boston (that Under the Milky Way Tonight is an exception, whatever band that is). A few major bands/musicians I just can't listen to, plus some commentary:

AC/DC
Bruce Springsteen
Lou Reed (everything but Take a Walk on the Wild Side, despite rhyming head with head; and no, the live Sweet Jane intro has nothing to do with Lou Reed, sorry)
Prince
REM
Talking Heads

Regarding Grateful Dead and Zappa: they fall into a similar category for me. I find about 20-30% of Zappa's output to be fantastic. The rest is absolute/borderline tripe. Pretty much the same thing with the GD. From '69-74, there's about 50% of the material that's great, with about half of that in the upper pantheon of all music I've ever heard. Considering their longevity, overall, I only worship about 15-20% of their output. But that can't be touched by anyone/any band except for a few Dylan tunes and a few Beatles' tunes.

Jazz?
Classical?
Bluegrass?

I don't have the time or the impetus to make my case.

 

I'm going to paraphrase Dylan here - if all of my criticisms could be seen, they'd probably put my head in a guillotine.

 

The Grateful Dead
Rush
Black Sabbath

 

RE U2
I don't have anything against them personally, I hope Bono recovers fully from his accident, he acts like an ass, but so do many, many other performers, including a lot of those that I like. I don't hate their music, but I don't like it either. I can go back to 1980-1981 when Boy came out. My girlfriend at the time loved that album and I heard it several times. Didn't like it, I didn't like the Joshua Tree and there's no way you could avoid hearing that if you were around in 1986-87. I've heard just about everything they recorded through Pop, and didn't like it. There are far worse bands and far worse music, and far more irritating performers. Ted Nugent is a grade A ass--he seems like a repugnant human being, I wouldn't urinate on him if he was on fire, but I love his first album.

The OP asked about ADORED acts YOU don't like. I get that they're popular. That still doesn't make me like their music. I wouldn't ask someone to turn them off if they were enjoying them, but I wouldn't buy their music.

 

Blood on the Tracks is probably 5th on my list of Dylan albums. The early stuff is generally what gets to me. So again, vive la difference!

 

I'm with you. I wouldn't ask anyone to turn something off if they were into it and wanted to listen to it. I might even find something to enjoy about it. But I wouldn't put the stuff on myself or spend any money on it. I pretty much LOVE all music - but there's a bunch of it that just gets in the way of me listening to the huge amount of music I like and need in my life.

Interesting reading your take on U2 as well. It reminded me of my journey with them.

I remember when Boy came out and there were a couple of guys we knew raving about it. Some of my musician friends sounded convinced too - but I just could not get it. I saw them at a festival and fell asleep (I even met Rory Gallagher later that day, he'd missed them and wanted to know what we thought... my mate had loved them... I said I'd fallen asleep, Rory looked a bit disappointed/surprised!).

When they started doing stuff that I could recognise more as songs, eg Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Year's Day, then I started liking them more.

I saw them live the night that New Year's Day went to No1 in the UK. They were a completely different band than earlier - really superb. Bono got a guitar out (that he couldn't really play) for the encore and announced Johnny B Goode to celebrate ... The Edge threw his guitar away in disgust and walked off! They played it without him.

Then came Joshua Tree. It is what it is, I liked it but didn't get the mass hysteria about it. To my regret, I didn't bother going to their London residency for that album - apparently it was a different set every night, loads of off-the-cuff covers... just the sort of thing me and my band-mates would have loved.

Then Rattle and Hum - amazing stuff, I adored what they'd done. The Edge had come to terms with the sort of music that I liked and, personally, believed was needed as an influence behind good pop-rock-whatever music. It looked and felt like they were about to embrace the spirit of rock and roll and go on to create some amazing music in the tradition of... of... I dunno... "real music" (whatever that is - you know, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding, Bob Marley, you pick your favourite, what ever you want... all the folks who have created timeless "oh my goodness how did they do that from three chords and make me cry" music).

Rattle and Hum, I believe was a turning point. They could have become something that I adored. Instead, I bought Achtung Baby the day it came out and it was... "oh"

I have a huge amount of respect for what they've done, but I don't want any of the product they've created since Rattle and Hum. I won't make my wife turn them off when she plays them - it's OK stuff. I try not to take the p1ss out of her when she pays huge amounts to see them.

PERHAPS U2 actually have gone on to create the amazing music in the tradition of "real music" that I so wanted... Perhaps, for some reason, I've missed the point. Perhaps it's me, not them...

And actually, "Perhaps it's me, not them" is how I regard all bands/artistes/music that don't move me. I strongly suspect that most folks on here look at it the same way - that's how I'm reading this thread

 

Steely Dan and Little Feat both leave me cold. I can accept it's good music, but I'd actively avoid hearing them, if they were within earshot.

 

Nirvana
All Neil Young solo except Harvest and Harvest Moon
Dylan
The Who

 

Music is so personal and I don't like damning other people's favourites 'cos they can sure damn mine but usually if I dislike something I either fast forward/skip it if I'm watching on a TV or just ignore it if it's on a radio or some other audio device.

However, the one band I truly despise is Radiohead. If ever there was a case of the Emperor's New Clothes then they are it. Only dead fish go with the flow etc....

 

I think some of these are examples of people getting tired of overexposed bands. I like Zeppelin and U2 very much, but I have gotten sick of them at times. Other artists held my interest for a time with their early albums, then lost it with later releases (AC/DC, Radiohead).

But these are the artists I've NEVER gotten into:

Beach Boys
Grateful Dead
Zappa
KISS
Van Morrison
King Crimson
Yes

 

I think some of these are examples of people getting tired of overexposed bands. I like Zeppelin and U2 very much, but I have gotten sick of them at times. Other artists held my interest for a time with their early albums, then lost it with later releases (AC/DC, Radiohead).

But these are the artists I've NEVER gotten into:

Beach Boys
Grateful Dead
Zappa
KISS
Van Morrison
King Crimson
Yes

 

I think some of these are examples of people getting tired of overexposed bands. I like Zeppelin and U2 very much, but I have gotten sick of them at times. Other artists held my interest for a time with their early albums, then lost it with later releases (AC/DC, Radiohead).

But these are the artists I've NEVER gotten into:

Beach Boys
Grateful Dead
Zappa
KISS
Van Morrison
King Crimson
Yes

 

I think some of these are examples of people getting tired of overexposed bands. I like Zeppelin and U2 very much, but I have gotten sick of them at times. Other artists held my interest for a time with their early albums, then lost it with later releases (AC/DC, Radiohead).

But these are the artists I've NEVER gotten into:

Beach Boys
Grateful Dead
Zappa
KISS
Van Morrison
King Crimson
Yes

 

I think some of these are examples of people getting tired of overexposed bands. I like Zeppelin and U2 very much, but I have gotten sick of them at times. Other artists held my interest for a time with their early albums, then lost it with later releases (AC/DC, Radiohead).

But these are the artists I've NEVER gotten into:

Beach Boys
Grateful Dead
Zappa
KISS
Van Morrison
King Crimson
Yes

 

I think some of these are examples of people getting tired of overexposed bands. I like Zeppelin and U2 very much, but I have gotten sick of them at times. Other artists held my interest for a time with their early albums, then lost it with later releases (AC/DC, Radiohead).

But these are the artists I've NEVER gotten into:

Beach Boys
Grateful Dead
Zappa
KISS
Van Morrison
King Crimson
Yes

 

Nick Drake is occassionally beautiful but his voice doesn't move me at all. Flat, dull.

Same thing with the 'operatic' voice of Jeff Buckley. When I hear him sing Hallelujah I get annoyed. When I hear John Cale sing it it's close to tears.

 

Love The Dead but I was never able to get into Phish. I've tried repeatedly but it's a no go for me. Same thing with Dave Matthews.

I never much cared for Nirvana (I think I was too old for the angst) but I kind of dig theFoo Fighters. Nice big ROCK sound.

 

Robert Johnson
Charley Patton
Blind Lemon Jefferson...etc etc

All those blues 'greats' who we are supposed to revere, but I just find unlistenable.

 

Joni Mitchell
There is a new vinyl copy of Blue at the Barnes & Nobles down the street. Do you think it could change my mind?