Artists You're "Supposed To Be Into" But Just Don't Care About That Much

I used to hate them as well, but had only heard their studio recordings until last year. Then I bought the Cornell '77 show and was pretty impressed. I've heard a lot since then and it's about a 75/25 love/hate ratio now. I'm not saying you need to like them, but the live stuff is what turned me around. I don't mind Jerry's voice, but Bob Weir has the voice of a dog getting choked by his collar IMO and he often ruins an otherwise good song.

When they're good they are amazing, but when they're bad it's embarrasing. Often in the same song.

 

Excellent point. Listening to music is a personal experience. How do you explain why you don’t connect with a record? Take for example, John Lennon’s “Plastic Ono Bond.” It’s universally praised as a “brilliant artistic statement” and one of the best, if not the best, of all of the Beatles solo records. I personally find most of it to be unlistenable. It’s makes no connection to me whatsoever. But, other people love it because they connect with it. And I have no idea how to explain that.

 

Elvis Costello
Talking Heads (love about 3 of their songs)

 

I didn't have a chance to listen to that before, which is why I'm commenting on your post instead of an earlier post . . . anyway, the vocals are amusingly Brian Johnson-like.

 

Hi Courtney!

 

Does she hate them? I don't know the scoop

 

Beach Boys and Brian Wilson.

 

The Beatles - I like a few of their songs but I just can't get past something with the Beatles.
Genesis
Peter Gabriel
Moody Blues

 

Agree - good in a way but all sounds the same

 

Oh and I loath Kiss

 

I can think deep enough to understand why I may not like something.

 

In my opinion it's not so difficult to explain. As you said 'it's a personal experience'. That in itself might suffice as the explanation. We all have our own subjective responses to art with our sensory and mental and emotional receptors.

'Plastic Ono Band' in particular is an album that can be expected to provoke a wide array of responses. It's one of those very personal works where one of the art's primary functions is to express and release the pain of the artist. Songs don't get much more painful than the opening track 'Mother' which concludes with those harrowing primal screams. There is a lot of stuff on the album that is just hard to listen to because of all the angst and bitterness in the words, and much of the music is not easy listening either.

 

True , agree

 

I like most rock artists from the 1960's and 1970's but can't stand The Who. I have tried too and just can't do it.

 

Roxy Music - All their stuff sounds like the same song, sorry.

 

Tons. Any of the Beatles (except Ringo), Jeff Buckley, Tim Buckley, Van Morrison. More modern stuff like Thom Yorke, Feist, Alvvays, Broken Social Scene. These days I lean towards women that sing in bands just because I think on average they have more vocal range and can be more emotive. But I enjoy more gruff male singers as well. Just don't care for Fogerty.

 

Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones, The Who, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Kanye West, too many to list.

 

I'm quite capable of articulating and I'm happy to explain my opinions, but in general I think I just don't connect with these artists on an emotional or personal level. There are plenty of reasons why that could be:

Arcade Fire: My friends and I are in our mid 30s-mid 40s. These guys and Radiohead are probably the biggest rock acts of our generation, that rare modern rock band that is both critically acclaimed and is actually relevant outside of a genre or sub-genre. But Arcade Fire just feels stiff to me and all of the anthemic qualities that people seem to enjoy in many of their songs sound fake or unearned to me. I'm not a fan of Win Butler's voice, and I'll readily admit that "Sprawl II" which Regine sings is probably my fave track of theirs. And, finally, I've always thought that Broken Social Scene (another large Canadian band birthed in the same era) unfairly get overlooked when they're actually a more interesting band to me. So I have a chip on my shoulder in their name, if that makes any sense (it probably doesn't).

LCD Soundsystem - Again, there's something robotic or mechanical about a lot of their songs I just don't care for. It's another act that rose up out of the morass of modern indie-rock to have actual name recognition in pop culture. Since I love music and indie rock specifically, I feel like I should support these sorts of groups. While I like some of Sound of Silver, overall I just don't get the adulation for these guys. Even saw them at Red Rocks a few years ago and I was just sort of confused.

Talking Heads - Similar reasons to LCD (which have been heavily influenced by Byrne and Co.), everything David Byrne does feels kind of disconnected and disassociated to me at least on an emotional level. Some cool grooves, but nothing I connect to or come back for. I like some of their songs, but overall I've never spent a ton of time pouring over their catalog. And to me they were always the lesser of the 70s NYC punk scene to bands like the Ramones, Television etc.

The Stones - I actually do like their earlier pop singles, and in general their material from the 60s. But the swaggering-cock style of rock just seems like an empty put-on to me. I appreciate Keith Richards guitar playing but Jagger grates on me. I went through a brief phase where I thought Goat's Head Soup was pretty cool, but come to find out a lot of fans consider it a let down. And pretty much every thing the Stones have released since the late 70s is just standard blues rock to me with some flare and stage histrionics thrown in for the sell.

Father John Misty - He just seems like he's very smug and full of himself. Many artists are of course, but he feels like a mix of a less playful Harry Nilsson and a less earnest Iron and Wine. (Both artists I love.) Yes, he's very literate and informed but it just doesn't do it for me.

 

That's okay. I don't need to sell you on them.

 

Fleetwood Mac
Zeppelin (casual fan)
Slayer
Public Enemy
Ryan adams

 

I blame Susan Sontang Against Interpretation

 

The Beatles
The Beach Boys
My Bloody Valentine

 

Steely Dan

Another band I've tried to get into multiple times. Kept listening to Aja over and over to see if I could find some sort of magic in it. Couldn't. I don't care that I don't like them as much as I want to know WHY. Does that make sense? What is it about them that either I don't like or that other people do like?

I know with people who hate Rush it's usually Geddy Lee's voice that they can't deal with. So maybe it's as simple as that with Steely Dan. That's my best guess.