Who's YOUR worst artist in music history?

[mvd]

At least WE will know this is only opinion. :)

I'd say Static-X. Worse than Limp Bizkit because I could even sing better, based on the times they do sing.

[MissMillie]

1. Bob Seger

Never has any man gotten so far w/ such a lack of talent (* excluded, of course).

[ForrestGump]

21. I kinda like the Segerster

:-)

I'll trade you several others for him, starting with (random pick off the list) Yoko Ono... :o

[BlueJazz]

45. Every Time I hear Seger singing,

I think of someone taking a Shit ...Like a rock..uggghghghghgg!

[ForrestGump]

57. Well, there is that, but

you're really hanging in with the dude 'til he finally finds relief, so it certainly counts as gripping entertainment.

"Hollywood Nights" has a certain personal meaning to me, really, that's what it is :-) Though I do like some of his other stuff.

And now I've got "Katmandhu" stuck in my head....

[jenk]

2. Rush

.

[DontBlameMe]

19. Um....

you did notice it said "worst", right?????

[jenk]

50. have you ever heard them? Rush is shrill techno crap

plus they're lyrically retarded.

[StopTheMorans]

22. I would second that except for all the prog rock that has followed

my worst: Dream Theater hands down.

[tarkus]

66. Dream Theater is the shaz.

Except for James Labrie, his vocals kind of ruin some things for me.

[StopTheMorans]

69. waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too

pretentious for me. I'm a guitarist/singer myself, but I like my music "catchy" or at least not "intentionally obtuse". different strokes...

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

3. cher

no one makes my skin crawl like she does

terrible actress/singer/infomercial host

as far as bands go, i'd have to say motley crue
the epitome of everything that sucked about music in the late 80s

[JitterbugPerfume]

4. Ted Nugent

NO ONE is more repulsive than the NUGE yuck

[mvd]

10. Completely agree here

I fail to see where the "great guitar work" is with him.

[Blue_Chill]

26. I agree and his music sucks

I hope a bear bites his fucking head off.

[demnan]

6. I'm with you

Cher makes me nauseous - Motley Crew makes me :puke:

[ronnykmarshall]

15. THEM'S fighting words!

You think you're mad about someone mentioning U2???? I wouldn't walk down a dark alley in West Hollywood if I were you pal!

[Sirius_on]

5. Master P

Na na na naaaah.......Lame.

[NightTrain]

7. Billy Joel

Boring, soulless music augmented by self-important pomposity. What's not to hate?

[Rabrrrrrr]

24. Abso-frickin'-lutely!

Talentless pompous piano-hacking idiot.

Always the first choice when I think of "most overrated rock dude".

What a loser waste. Heused to be so good, then, man, talk about selling out. Sold out as fast and utterly as REM managed to do it when they decided to sell out. Like, overnight.

[JVS]

34. Yes!

I consider Billy Joel's music career one of Hitler's darkest crimes against humanity. You see, if Hitler hadn't persecuted the Jews then Billy Joel would be the owner of a department store in Berlin instead of one of the crappiest musicians ever.

[catpower2000]

38. Here are the lyrics to "Allentown"...

Allentown

Well we're living here in Allentown
And they're closing all the factories down
Out in Bethlehem they're killing time
Filling out forms
Standing in line

Well our fathers fought the Second World War
Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore
Met our mothers in the USO
Asked them to dance
Danced with them slow
And we're living here in Allentown

But the restlessness was handed down
And it's getting very hard to stay

Well we're waiting here in Allentown
For the Pennsylvania we never found
For the promises our teachers gave
If we worked hard
If we behaved

So the graduations hang on the wall
But they never really helped us at all
No they never taught us what was real
Iron and coal
And chromium steel
And we're waiting here in Allentown

But they've taken all the coal from the ground
And the union people crawled away

Every child has a pretty good shot
To get at least as far as their old man got
But something happened on the way to that place
They threw an American flag in our place

Well I'm living here in Allentown
And it's hard to keep a good man down
But I won't be getting up today
And we're living here in Allentown

"Allentown" is one of the most moving songs I've ever heard in my entire life. You are way, way off base.

Cat

[Kolesar]

39. Iron and coal, chromium steel

He wrote that after the mills in my town closed. Steel towns are dirty and polluted, but there is this incredible connection to the mill when so many of your family works there. It is common in the steel industry for a worker to have a father or a son who works at the same mill.

Bethlehem Steel finally took a dive. I think Ross/ISG is buying out the assets like he did with LTV/Republic/J&L.

[catpower2000]

43. I grew up in PA, my grandfather worked for Bethlehem Steel...

Small world. :)

Cat

[Kolesar]

70. Youngstown, actually

The last integrated steel mill there closed in 1980 and my father lost his job. There is one blast furnace up the river in Warren. It was originally Republic Steel, but it was bought out by a small producer and it has changed ownership a few times.

[NightTrain]

56. So, he writes one good song in 30 years...

...and my low opinion of Billy Joel is "way, way off base"? I don't think so.

[catpower2000]

68. Oh, my dear...

"Summer, Highland Falls"

They say that these are not the best of times
But they're the only times I've ever known
And I believe there is a time for meditation
In cathedrals of our own

Now, I have seen that sad surrender in my lover's eyes
And I can only stand apart and sympathize
For we are always what our situations hand us
It's either sadness or euphoria

So we'll argue and we'll compromise
And realize that nothing's ever changed
For all our mutual experience,
Our separate conclusions are the same

Now we are forced to recognize our inhumanity
Our reason coexists with our insanity
And though we choose between reality and madness
It's either sadness or euphoria

How thoughtlessly we dissipate our energies
Perhaps we don't fulfill each others fantasies
And as we stand upon the ledges of our lives,
With our respective similarities
It's either sadness of euphoria

He wrote a hundred fantastic songs. I could do this all day.

Cat

[mac56]

74. Great song -

I know it first appeared on "Turnstiles", but I really like his version off of "Songs From The Attic" too.

[catpower2000]

75. He was part of my consciousness from my very first memory...

I remember my mother working her way through the "Turnstiles" songbook on the piano. That is the first memory I have, watching her pound on the keys and comparing it mentally to the record.

Songs From The Attic is a great album.

Cat

[Rabrrrrrr]

64. Yeah, fine, the words might be good - but the music sucks

and that is my opinion. I just can't believe he put the shitty musical arrangment he did to such wonderful (though somewhat sophomoric) lyrics. And that's the bane of Billy Joel - his music, regardless of the content or meaning of the words, is just shit.

So, fine - I'll change my mind - he's an occasional pointed and well-thought poet who happens to suck as a musician, instead of sucking in every capacity as a songwriter.

But what bothers me most about him is, he really isn't a bad musician - his first few albums are quite good - it's just that somewhere along the line he decided he wanted to be a rock musician instead of the kind of musician he is, and it's just been pure shit since then.

he should be what he was meant to be, which is not a rock musician.

[catpower2000]

76. Of course, I must disagree...

If you don't like pop music, I can understand your distate for his music, since he wrote some of the most purely pop songs I've ever heard. He was a genius with hooks, he referred back to folk, funk, and doo-wop styles in his music, and he was a terrific piano player.

Cat

[Rabrrrrrr]

82. Then we shall agreeably disagree!

I will admit, yes he was great with hooks and wrote some of the most purely pop tunes. But then, for me, that's why it's ick. But it is all subjective. And he is good at mixing disparate styles into his music, which is a good thing, in my book. He just does it sort of, you know, poppishly.

Anyway, we're still on for taking out children with pepper spray at restaurants, right? Heck, for you, Catpower, I'll even scream "You you you had to be a big shot, did ya?" at the kiddies. :evilgrin:

[catpower2000]

84. Hee!

Well, reserve judgement til you read my snotty comment about rap below. :)

Cat

(yes, we're still buds.)

[playahata1]

79. When I read/hear those lyrics,

I am reminded of my grandmother's siblings and their families -- all of whom live in the Lehigh Valley area (Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton).

I have not been to Easton since 1994, but I do know that the whole area is still economically depressed; there are no jobs there, period. Two of my great-uncles had lost their jobs in the 1980s, and it has been a struggle for them ever since. Quite a few of my male cousins have been unable to find work; unfortunately, some of them have had to resort to extralegal means of supporting themselves, and they have been in and out of jail.

[catpower2000]

86. It's still the same.

All the coal towns in PA are unbelievably, heartbreakingly poor. They're approaching Appalachia-poor levels. And there's no help to be had from the government, either (big surprise, eh?)

Cat :hi: Playa! How goes the job hunt?

[StrongBad]

80. Lyric question

Every child has a pretty good shot
To get at least as far as their old man got
But something happened on the way to that place
They threw an American flag in our place

I have always thought that the lyric to the last line was "They threw an American flag in our face".

That's what is sounds like on the record to me, but I might be wrong.

[catpower2000]

83. You are correct...

I copied and pasted the lyrics from a website, scanned them quickly, but didn't catch that mistake. It is "face". Thanks for the headsup.

Cat

[Arbustosux]

Tiny Tim

barf...wretch!

[roughsatori]

31. I love Tiny Tim, I am a weirdo and freak lover

Not in a put down camp kind of way; but I look at them as heros in transgressing societies norms.

And I dislike U2's music, too derivative and self-loving to be good rock: they are more over-rated than anyone in history; except maybe Jesus and Shakespeare. But then again, Bono thinks he's Jesus and Shakespeare in one, and that his band is the Clash.

[playahata1]

81. Henry Rollins said:

"The Clash is everything U2 WISHES they could be."

[thom1102]

8. Rod Stewart

eeewww!

[kmla]

9. Steve Miller

Abracadbra. I wanna reach out and grab ya.

Words that changed my life.

Not.

[ronnykmarshall]

14. I HATE that song!

Thanks a lot! I thought I had that damn thing erased from my memory for GOOD!

Oh NO!!! You had mention it!

But to be FAIR & BALANCED one of the reasons I hate that song is because it reminds me of this guy I dated. He LOVED that song!

[kmla]

17. Did he wear parachute pants...

... and have a mullet? Most of the people who liked that song did. And most who like it now still do..

[ronnykmarshall]

52. Worse!

He wore a god-damn HEAD BAND!!

[Magleetis]

11. U2

All of thier songs use the same chord progression.

"If you like it its good if you don't its shitty"
Frank Zappa

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

13. What!?!?

those are fighting words, my friend

[mvd]

27. They are!

U2 is a favorite of mine. Great emotion, unique and good playing, and insightful lyrics IMO.

[Blue_Chill]

25. I agree

I can't stand U2's music. But they do a lot of good in the world so they are cool by me.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

12. also

bon jovi-probably the most inexplicable longevity ever for a no-talent

metallica
limp bizkit
puff daddy

n sync (and their solo ventures)
eminem (despite his critical raves, i see him as just more empty teenybopper mtv garbage - and he's a petty homophobe)

celine dion (has been known to cause genitals to shrivel up and recede into the body cavity of her listeners)

lee greenwood
darrel worley
toby keith
and all other good ol' boy GOP shills

eddie money
foriegner
journey
reo sppedwagon
and all other bands that djs refer to when they loosely throw around the term 'classic rock'

[mvd]

18. Agree on..

Limp Bizkit
Puff Daddy
'N Sync
Lee Greenwood
newer Toby Keith
REO Speedwagon

For time's sake, I'm only responding to posts I agree with.

[lpbk2713]

16. I would say all rap "artists".........

.......but then your question is about "music" history so they of course would be excluded. :eyes:

[Magleetis]

20. I could not agree more

The five elements of music are rhythm, melody, harmony, texture and form. Rap has only two at best.

[Rich Hunt]

30. not THIS again

That's a pretty huge genre you're knocking, and by far the most significant development in popular culture in the past thirty years.

Why does hip-hop get trashed so much on DU?

[Rabrrrrrr]

65. Why does it get trashed?

because, musically, it's totally uninteresting. And lyrically, it leaves much to be desired - though I'm sure there is a certain amount of wonderfully important lyrical stuff out there. But musicially, hip hop and rap, like top 40, is mostly just shit. It's shit in very different ways, but ultimately, they all reek of corporatism and lack of creativity.

Rap, before it was a money maker, was great.

Now, it's assholes making 10 million a year living in gated mansions in Florida, et. al., and offering their own brands of $100 t-shirts, $200 sweatshirts, and other name-brand clothing, who sing about how the poor in the 'hood are being screwed by the man. Like FUBU clothing. What an ironic joke - "Clothes for the poor and oppressed of the hood, only $150 for a sweatshirt that says 'FUBU'". Well, guess what? The rapper and the hip-hopper (not all, but anyone on a label of any largeness) has become "the man", and that offends me, and the music itself offends me (like top 40, or pop country, or any other "pop" genre). Corporatized/industrialized music is generally and mostly garbage and uninteresting.

[catpower2000]

78. You overgeneralizing just a HAIR, doncha think?

I suggest educating yourself. Start here.

Rawkus

[TrogL]

23. Johnny Cash

There's no excuse for singing out of tune.

[kmla]

28. Well, the singin' out of tune club would have to include

Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Tom Petty. I think all three of these guys are great, as well as Johnny Cash, because their music style fits their voice.

That's how I rationalize it, at least.

[ScreamingMeemie]

85. Johnny Cash is a national treasure.

Tenessee Flat Top Box, I walk the line....I love him, out of key or not.

[joshdawg]

29. Willie Nelson

Too nasal. 'Nuf said!

[bif]

32. Bruce Springsteen

n/t

[StrongBad]

77. Good thing you don't live in NJ my friend

You'd get tarred and feathered for professing such blasphemy :)

That being said, I do like Bruce a whole lot, but could do without a lot of his latter day California influenced work.

I mean c'mon, listen to Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, Nebraska, The Ghost of Tom Joad, etc.

I actually don't care for Born in the USA that much however.

[mvd]

87. I love Springsteen

And I love all his albums, except for a little period before The Rising. Born In The USA is glossy, but that doesn't matter when it's catchy, gritty, and tastefully sentimental.

[mac56]

33. Barry Freakin' Manilow.

Yes, I know he's a good Dem, but good god, his voice makes my skin crawl.

[JVS]

35. I've always admired singers who have a good measure of creepiness

It just makes things more fun. Kind of like how Cristopher Walken's creepiness makes me happy.

[catpower2000]

36. Three-way tie--Pink Floyd, Rush, and Jimmy Buffet nt

[bif]

37. Buffet is one of the worst

I could never figure out how he became so populat. Had to listen to his greatest hits CD for about 300 miles in the car with a couple kids who loved his music. I was ready to strangle them by the time I got home.

[mvd]

40. I'm a definite fan

It's the breezy feel of his music that appeals to me. Breezy but with substance.

[ForrestGump]

58. I like Buffett

Not a raving fan, but I like a lot of his stuff and he's got a wry sense of humor flowing through a lot of it.

I've spent a lot of time on islands and in and on the sea and I think that makes a difference, too. You kinda had to be there to fully appreciate some of his stuff, I think.

Ever read any of his books?

[tarkus]

67. I agree about Jimmy Buffet, But Rush and Pink Floyd are excellent.

[MercutioATC]

41. Charlene , of the infamous

"I've Been to Paradise, but I've Never Been to Me"

[ForrestGump]

59. Well, THIS is embarrassing

Always kinda liked that song. :-)

[kmla]

42. Let's not forget Terry Jacks

We had joy, we had fun.
We had seasons in the sun.

Painful just to think about that song...

:hurts:

[ForrestGump]

60. Well, THIS is embarrassing, too

Always kinda liked that song. :-)

Undoubtedly solely because, like "Billy, Don't Be A Hero" and many other songs (I'm leaving aside "The Night Chicago Died" 'cos I still think that's kinda cool) it's a reminder of my early kidhood back in the early '70s. Yes, it's fairly dire on many levels, but so are a lot of songs I have a nostalgic soft spot for.

[ozymandius]

44. Hasil Adkins

So disturbing as to maintain his popularity.

www.hasiladkins.com

[CO Liberal]

46. William Shatner

"MR. TAMBOURINE MAN!!!!!!"

:-)

[SmileyBoy]

47. NO, you mean MIS-ter..... TAM-bour.........INE............MAN......

:-)

[FloridaJudy]

53. Nah. I've seen worse.

There's a video of Leonard Nimoy singing "The Ballad of
Bilbo Baggins" floating around the internet. I don't
remember the exact URL, but a decent search engine should
find it handily.:hippie:

Shatner's not the only former Trekker to make a complete
idiot of himself!

[ForrestGump]

63. Oh, no, you don't.....

I had the %$#@ing song stuck in my head for about six weeks straight a while back. The mental damage is still being tallied.....

[ForrestGump]

62. His recordings go so far beyond dire that they regain a certain

quality. Okay, so they're total garbage....but, oh, what comic relief. :D

[chaska]

48. Neil Sedaka, Neil Diamond, Helen Reddy, Hootie

[VOX]

49. Sky Saxon and the Seeds...

And those "great" hits "Pushin' Too Hard," "Can't Seem to Make you Mine," "Mr. Farmer," etc. Awful stuff.

The Seeds were a garbage band, not a garage band. Always out of tune, vocals flat/sharp, sophomoric lyrics (at best), repetitive two-chord songs -- and six variations of the same song on one album (*before* "bonus tracks!).

Some critics have tried to praise the Seeds as "minimalist" (I'll say)and as "prefiguring punk," but that's a bunch of crap -- just listen, if you can bear it longer than five seconds, and you'll hear some of the worst "music" ever committed to vinyl/cd.

[OneBlueSky]

51. Kenny G . . .

anyone who would phony up a duet with Louis Armstrong the way he did should have his clarinet inserted bell-end first . . .

[Rick Myers]

54. Kaajagoogoo!!!

80's drek!!! :thumbsdown:

[Euphen]

55. the Sex Pistols

[carpetbagger]

61. Wham. They still suck as nostalgia.

I listened mostly to metal and rock (before some marketer looked at his Coke can and decided to call it "Classic") in the mid-80's. I can actually enjoy most of those horrible pop bands now, in small amounts. Boy George, that other guy(s) who looked like Boy George, Duran Duran (Boy George X Boy Band). Small amounts don't impact me negatively, and it provides welcome relief from the rap, the Tejano, and the same damn hundred songs that blare out from the "Classic" rock station. Yeah, my tape player's broken.

But Wham still makes me want to vomit mightily.

[mac56]

71. "Wake Me Up And Make Me Cocoa"

And "Careless Whisper" has one of the worst lines in all music:

"I'm never gonna dance again
Guilty feet ain't got no rhythm.."

And as far as Georgie's solo career goes, "Father Figure" is a creepy, incestuous song.

[elcondor]

72. Metallica and The Doors

I just cannot stand their music and it doesn't help that they are overrated, in my humble opinion. Of course, there are other "artists" nipping at their heels such as, Springsteen, any boy band, and *hides under the table* The Rolling Stones.

I know I will get flamed for the last one--but I don't like Mick Jagger's voice, that turns me off to the rest of the band. Though, for some reason, I do like "Paint it Black" a little. Only a bit.

[jayfish]

73. Vanilla Ice.

Need I say more?

Jay