Bands and artists you "just don't get"

[tremoloman]

What bands or artists out there do many people love that you just never understood or got the fascination with that others do?

For me, the bands I never got were:

KISS
Pink Floyd
The Grateful Dead

This is not meant as a dig to those who like these bands. I just never saw how people fell in such love with them. I do like a few songs from each of these artists but not enough to make me say "WOW THESE GUYS FRIGGEN ROCK!".

To be honest KISS just make me sick... Gene Simmons is such an ego maniac and IMHO their music isn't all that good. Having said that, I do respect the fact they have stayed together for so long and have millions of fans. I'm just not one of them.

I do however love Ace Frehley's solo albums (Frehley's Comet, Second Sighting, Trouble Walkin', and the latest Anomaly).

 

[tjcurtin1]

Hmmm, that's interesting - those three would also be high on my list... and all this time I thought there must be something wrong with me

 

[Spudman]

Grateful Dead I've never gotten. Same with Bob Dylan. That will do for starters.

 

[street music]

I guess we all solo or group acts that we don't take a like'n too. What is so great about LADY GA GA, PINK,PUSSYCAT DOLLS, or this stuff they call to music Alternative METAL RAP? SAY WHAT?
It's more about circus acts today than it is talent, at least you can repeat most of the words from songs of the 60s 70s 80s without getting arrested.

 

[marnold]

Just about any modern "alternative" stuff like Kings of Leon, Death Cab for Cutie, et al. It's not enough for me to change the station. I usually have to yell "Shut up!" while I'm changing it. Problem is that my wife and a number of my relatives really like that stuff.

 

[Heywood Jablomie]

For me, the list would be very long, but as for the Grateful Dead:

What did one stoner say to the other stoner after they ran out of dope at a Dead concert?

Wow, this band sucks!

 

[ZMAN]

+1 for Kiss
Slash very ordinary guitarist
Bruce Springstein
Neil Young. I know a fellow Canadian but. Can't sing, can't play the guitar but every one of his songs is an anthem mega hit.
As I get more "into" weekend mode, I might come up with some more.
This is Victoria day long weekend in Canada.

 

[hubberjub]

Kiss does not do it for me. I also can't get into the Stones. Never been a big Zeppelin fan either.

 

[Tig]

Gotta agree with not getting Kings of Leon, the Stones (love Keith's riffs, but Mick comes along and ruins the song), Bob "just find the key, please" Dylan could write, but the singing is scary, KISS has no songs that you can just listen to on their own merit, and the Grateful Dead remain a mystery to me.

Luckily, we have plenty of great choices available to us, especially when you avoid 95% of the radio! uke:

EDIT: Add Jack White/White Stripes, Amy Winehouse to the list.

 

[Katastrophe]

I don't get any band that refuses to use guitars prominently.

 

[Eric]

My list is miles long, but here are the ones that come to mind.

Readying myself for the coming firestorm...

Stevie Ray Vaughn
Iron Maiden
Yngwie Malmsteen

And possibly more understandable to some:

Slipknot
Captain Beefheart
Ponytail
Sun Ra Arkestra

Honestly, I just never quite got any of these groups. That's not to say that I won't eventually, or that they have no redeeming qualities, but they just all seem not to click with me for whatever reason.

 

[Eric]

Bruce Springstein

I feel you on this one.

 

[Tig]

I feel you on this one.

Bruce was really great up until the Born In The USA album, IMO. Those early albums had some great songs. I'll admit he's has a few decent songs sprinkled in the most recent couple of albums.

Bruce is worth seeing live, however. You'll not likely see a more energetic, nor longer concert!

 

[deeaa]

Depends a bit what you mean with 'get'. I never liked many of the bands mentioned here, but in a way I 'get' what they're all about anyhow and how some people might like them.

I suppose the biggest 'I don't get' is blues and country music, always thought it was like if there are musicians who seriously lack creativity they can find salvation in playing the blues. JAzz sometimes seems the same to me. BUT there are some, like Grateful Dead's two country-rock albums, that are great (Those two are incredibly sweet vocal work and really nice. I don't like any other Grateful Dead stuff.)

I dunno - I was always amazed why people like liked Rolling Stones, IMO they sound horrible and clumsy and can't play or sing proper. I never understood why Beatles was _so_ big, although I have great respect for them for inventing most of modern rock. And Ozzy...do people really like that wailing voice? I suppose there's plenty of examples.

I also wonder if people would really listen to that crap they do on the radio, if they were given a choice and not just have whatever the industry forces them to listen to.

 

[Tig]

Stevie Ray Vaughn

Yngwie Malmsteen

Malmsteen, Satriani, and Vai are incredibly talented virtuosos, but their songs are somewhat boring to me.

Studio SRV is OK, but SRV live is a huge step up! One of those "you had to be there" kinda things, I guess.

 

[deeaa]

I don't get any band that refuses to use guitars prominently.

That's good sig material...well said. Pretty much how I tend to find things. Very few good non-guitar songs out there...can only think of some Depeche Mode songs but I think they also have some guitar. Like 'I Feel You', quite a strong tune. I have to check out the guitar content now!



Phew! There is indeed guitar there

 

[deeaa]

Heh, this Ash band is pretty cool---thanks to Spotify I'm now listening to it what a great concept Spotify indeed is.

 

[Eric]

Studio SRV is OK, but SRV live is a huge step up! One of those "you had to be there" kinda things, I guess.

I guess you're right that I did have to be there, but there are SO many SRV fans these days...it just confuses me. I really wish I did get it.

 

[syo]

Springsteen, AC/DC, Ozzy, Motley Crue for starters.
Certainly my feelings can change. I used to hate the Eagles with a passion and now find I like a fair amount of their stuff. Same with the Stones.

What did one stoner say to the other stoner after they ran out of dope at a Dead concert?

Wow, this band sucks!

Obviously the author of this joke has never been to a Dead show. It is IMPOSSIBLE to run out of dope at a dead concert. :messedup:
As for not getting the Dead, I can fully understand. I didn't get them either until I actually went to a show, and... I guess substances were involved :messedup: ...and... I thought they were great!

 

[marnold]

I don't get any band that refuses to use guitars prominently.

Normally I would agree with you, but I love 80s New Wave which sometimes didn't even have so much as a bass player. I also like Baroque music that at least initially wasn't written with guitar in mind. People from Christopher Parkening to Yngwie Malmsteen have changed that though.

 

[markb]

Well I'm glad Eirc said it first, but:

SRV, in fact most of that school of electric blues.
Most (nearly all) metal.
Most (not all) prog.
Oh, and I really hate pre-WWII cajun music. Whoever said Dylan was out of tune above has obviously never heard any of this stuff :nope

 

[R_of_G]

(Most) metal with vocals. I definitely get the appeal of metal musically, but I never really understood the appeal of most metal singing. It's not that I don't appreciate the vocal talent some of these guys have because it's undeniable, it's the style itself. That's why I enjoy bands like Pelican which bring all the fun of metal music without the vocals.:dude

PS. Given what I said about nostalgia in the other thread (about bands you are ashamed to like) I will add this caveat to the above, I still love Judas Priest.

 

[kiteman]

Jimi Hendrix. oke

 

[Eric]

One more big one that has confounded me in recent years:

The National

 

[deeaa]

(Most) metal with vocals. I definitely get the appeal of metal musically, but I never really understood the appeal of most metal singing. It's not that I don't appreciate the vocal talent some of these guys have because it's undeniable, it's the style itself.

I hear you, although I wouldn't say most, but there are plenty of vocal styles in metal I really can't listen to. Already in Finnish bands; I could probably like some of them just fine without vocals - or with different ones. Children of Bodom, HIM, Nightwish and lots of black/death metal bands I can't listen to because of excessive wailing and/or growling. And I don't really get this 'hero heavy' genre, which is what we call these bands like Sonata Arctica (another finn band I dislike) and Hammerfall etc. You know, heroes, magic, swords, fast, larger-than-life songs and blazing solos and always super-high wailing voices. Yechh. NOT my genre. I suppose Manowar is the granddaddy of the genre.

 

[kiteman]

I hear you, although I wouldn't say most, but there are plenty of vocal styles in metal I really can't listen to. Already in Finnish bands; I could probably like some of them just fine without vocals - or with different ones. Children of Bodom, HIM, Nightwish and lots of black/death metal bands I can't listen to because of excessive wailing and/or growling. And I don't really get this 'hero heavy' genre, which is what we call these bands like Sonata Arctica (another finn band I dislike) and Hammerfall etc. You know, heroes, magic, swords, fast, larger-than-life songs and blazing solos and always super-high wailing voices. Yechh. NOT my genre. I suppose Manowar is the granddaddy of the genre.

I agree all that. I luv metal guitar but the singing, good lord! I know they're singing like that on purpose but no appeal there.

Take Black Sabbath, plenty of metal and terrific singing, that's music.

 

[red]

KISS
Pink Floyd
Led Zeppelin, when it works it's brilliant, but you have to sit through so much crap to get to the good bits.
Dream Theater

And the winner is, and most likely everyone will hate me for this, The Beatles. I force myself to try and listen to The White Album every 6 months or so and always end up stopping it halfway and going about my business.

Give the man who said Slash isn't worth much a cigar. The guy's all rock and roll attitude and leather pants and not much else.

I love Bob Dylan, BTW. The man can do no wrong.

Nobody having a problem with Tom Waits yet? I like him, but I'm just surprised that he didn't make anyone's list, thought he would. He's that kind of artist.

 

[Heywood Jablomie]

Is it just me, or is this a strange question with endless possibilities that really won't indicate a thing? "What are the foods you just don't 'get'" would be about the same.

BTW: caviar

 

[red]

Is it just me, or is this a strange question with endless possibilities that really won't indicate a thing?

It's just you .

 

[Heywood Jablomie]

It's just you .

It often is.