The Smiley Smile Message Board

Pink Floyd - I think I am just being a weirdo and am not able to get over the very annoying guys at school who kept saying that Dark Side Of The Moon was the greatest thing ever because all the songs are like, ten minutes long, mate.

Led Zeppelin - Nothing has ever grabbed me, which is insane as I love ridiculous OTT shouty bluesy tunes and thus should really enjoy Zep. But Stairway To Heaven has A LOT to answer for. Maybe my distaste for prog is clouding my judgement?

Joy Division - See friends at school, although the production on those records is terrible and so I could never, ever listen to them for pleasure.

Scott Walker - when you say 'do you want to listen to lushly orchestrated miserablist pop', I'm normally on that. I also have a bit of time for avant-garde insanity. And yet, I just can't be bothered somehow? I have been played Scott 1 and it seemed so mannered as to be pointless.

Joni Mitchell - To the extent that I thought she had died ages ago. Maybe the insane hype surrounding Blue? I'm not so scared of hyperconfessional songwriting as I used to be, so maybe I'll give it a go. (TBH, Neil Young was on this list too until quite recently). However, I know of one song on Mingus that is the coolest - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgx9e-5_fE8

Al Green - I wish I could explain this other than the fact that I'm just a bad person, really. I listen to all of the other giants of 70's soul - Stevie, Marvin, Isaac, Curtis - so why not Al Green?

Heckling, advice, and your own examples most welcome...

Ach give Led Zep and some Joni  a go there is some real quality in there. Pink Floyd are appalling! Overblown, bloated theatrical nonsense, oh boy I really don't like that stuff, it reminds me of sitting getting stoned in my younger days with people going "oh wow man" and me saying "this sh*t is boring, anyone got a copy of Beach Boys Love You?". Other big acts I just dont want to investigate beyond what I have had the misfortune to hear on the radio are U2, theres just no justification for by that pompous, overblown, hectoring, purile nonsense. The Edge's (fucking silly name) guitar playing annoys the hell out of me. I've never understood what people get from their music, likewise Coldplay,  lame, just lame. Public schoolboy rock, horrible, Pink Floyd fit into that category too! Ah, I feel better for getting that out. Thanks

Pink Floyd's early stuff is way better than than darkside. ;D

Yeah, I'd agree with all of those. Not that I think any of them suck, they just aren't for me. Although I do love The Walker Brothers.

Give Led Zep a chance. Stairway to Heaven is great, but it's not the best of their works. 'Going to California' and 'Over the Hills and Far Away' are chill songs (they kinda remind me of the BB Holland album). The song 'The Ocean' is one of the greatest songs you can blast over a good stereo system.

As for classic bands I have no desire to listen to:

Pink Floyd......like you, I can't stand the hype. I own quite a few of their albums, and haven't gotten into any of them - even after multiple listens.
KISS......are they considered classic? I can't say I've given them a fair chance, but what I've heard I've never been blown away by.

I will second that. Once the millions of $$ started rolling in it was never the same again. Rick Wright was pushed into the background and Waters became obsessed with making every album 'concept' based on his dreary world views.
That's not to say I don't get much enjoyment from the Darkside to Wall era, but give me the stoned insanity of Piper, Umagumma and Atom Heart Mother anyday of the week.


The production on Joy Divisions two main albums are fantasic. Before that they were just thrashy punk.

I was a certified Joy Division disciple as a teenager but now Ian Curtis just kind of comes off as an overly dramatic 22 -24 year old silly kid.... I much prefer New Order these days.....

I'm only able to really embrace Zep from Physical Graffiti onward.....

Peal Jam is the one "classic" band that I simply can't stomach....

The Rolling Stones.

Gimme Shelter, Jumpin Jack Flash are two of my very favorite songs, but the rest of their catalogue I could never really get into. I honestly don't know why.

Barrett-era Floyd I like, since it's just weird, psychedelic pop songs. I have no time for the overworked later stuff. I saw The Wall a while ago and I was of course super high -- with the exception of some of the scenes in the movie (admittedly cool) and one section of music that sounded like it had Carl and Bruce doing Beach-Boys-y harmonies on it (I know they were on the album somewhere...) I just thought it was incredibly boring music.

I've never been into Led Zep either. I like my blues gutbucket, not some fantasy-styled guitar-pyrotechnics caterwaul fest...

I rather like Scott Walker's four numbered albums but if there's anyone who needs to revisit their earlier catalogue in a stripped-down form, it's him. I think some of the string arrangements are way too busy and it takes away from the songs. (Mostly on the Brel covers, which I could honestly take or leave anyway...)

Bruce is the only Beach Boy that sings on The Wall.

Oh, for some reason I thought they got Carl as well. Maybe I was confusing it for "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me"...

Syd-era Pink Floyd is indeed good stuff, but the later stuff is... 'not to my taste'.

I can agree on Led Zeppelin, too. Aside from the blues stuff they nicked from various sources, they're like proto-hair metal with slightly better writing and without the shitty 80s gloss and reverb all over it.

"IM GUNNA GIV U EVERY INCH OF MY LUV!!!! OGGGHHH!!!" No thanks.

I hate to say it but Kiss, why? Um well Gene Simmons somewhat whores out there name and a lot of other reasons as well, Though some of there songs are pretty good I might add

The Rolling Stones are at a weird impasse between the premise of this thread and a band I like, but I couldn't tell you why - maybe it's the notion of 'THE ROLLING STONES' that fucks me off. They are a bad caricature at this stage, after all, so maybe my gut reaction is based on that #punkrok4lyf

I do like the weirder cuts I've heard of them, but I only own Sticky Fingers so am not versed in the Stones weirdness.




I Did Listen to AL GREEN for most of today, and can confirm that AL GREEN IS ALL TIME. 

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I love all of pre-Wall Floyd, love Zep's first four albums, the Rolling Stones are probably my second favorite band after the Beach Boys...and intensely dislike much of the Beatles' early work. To tell the truth, I really don't like Fifties and early sixties music at all. I think I'm weird

Yea I never really got into there early stuff either, yea when I was younger I loved it cause I didn't know any better lol

See that's why when I was younger I didn't like the beach boys. I lumped them in with that bunch, all malt shops holding hands going steady and June Cleaver, with the white pocket fence, letterman jackets and ovaltine. Of course years later I realized how much better their early stuff was compared to what was out then. It was not until seeing them live this year that I truly got the magic of that work

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The Beatles sort of fill the title of this thread for me. An insanely overrated band for what they actually were. I own The White Album, Magical Mystery Tour, Anthology 3 and a copy of Abbey Road that was already on my mp3 player when I bought it, but I have zero desire to buy anymore of their stuff.

Same here! I do like some of their early stuff but other than that... no, thanks.

That said, I sort of regret having sold my copy of All Things Must Pass...

Laura Nyro's last name rhymes with hero. BTW, Eli & The 13th Confession and New York Tendaberry are essentials.

I always pronounced it 'Nigh-Row', but if this thread is proving anything, it's that I'm weird  :lol

And yes, she's great stuff. Sweet Blindess is my jam

AC/DC, and Aerosmith fit the bill for me. Can't stand either of them TBH, not sure why though, I guess I just don't "get" them.
Other the other hand, unlike others in this thread, I think Pink Floyd are bloody amazing, and one of the few bands I never get tired of listening too.

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Presuming you're a straight male, this video might get you a bit more interested in Joni. :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp3lJg07u4w

I used to dislike her, but even before I saw that video (and similar ones) I took a liking to her. Not a big fan, mind you, but I've gained some appreciation of her stuff.

As for classic bands, I can't believe I used to buy Styx records when I was around 14-15, now I can't stand them.

I hate AC/DC as well

Like I said in the "throw their CDs out the window" thread, I can't stand Led Zeppelin. They're great musicians, but for some reason I just can't get past all the "macho" c*ck-rock swagger. But it's not just Zeppelin, I just don't really care for that 70s hard rock/blues rock/proto metal sound. Deep Purple and Black Sabbath also fall in to "I can't stand them" pile. I'd, sadly, add Cream and Hendrix, as talented as they were, into that group. Perhaps it was hearing them played to death on classic rock radio throughout my childhood and adolescence, and hearing the DJs/VH1/my parents' friends/my few peers in school who preferred "the old stuff" to the post-grunge/shitty metal/country and western/top 40 that seemed to be the only acceptable musical tastes among the young folk of my little podunk hometown, go on and on and on about how those artists were "the greatest", like it's a religion that can't be deviated from. I remember this kid who was known in my school as the "guitar guy", played in a couple of high school bands, still trying to make a go at it to this day...one day in school he was going on about how he thought Zep was far superior to the Beatles and all my classmates were agreeing with him. I didn't say anything at the time, but if life gave me do-overs I'd start a fierce debate with him. I've actually got  into Facebook arguments with him over Syd Barrett vs. Waters and Gilmour Pink Floyd...see below.

Pink Floyd with Barrett was mindfuckingly awesome. While Dark Side is a good sounding/well-engineered record, I could take it or leave it. Same goes for the rest of their post-Barrett stuff. Though I wouldn't lose any sleep if I'd never heard "Wish You Were Here" (the song) again for the rest of my life. See above paragraph.

I've said this a thousand times before, not a huge fan of Radiohead from OK Computer and onward. Two halfway decent records, a lot of strong songwriting, but with a few duds here and there. Starting with OKC, they start relying more on production and "sound experiments" to make up for a lack of decent songs. Still a few good track every now and again, the duds outnumber the strong tracks, but everyone wets their pants over it anyway, probably due to Nigel Godrich's production. The latter day RH stuff sounds good on the stereo, but THE SONGS ARE JUST NOT THERE. RH is nothing without Nigel Godrich.

Grateful Dead...Yes, I said it! Another one of the "classic rock radio religion" acts. Good musicians, a few good songs, and as much as I'm pro-cannabis, I feel like what they do is a lot of overrated stoned-out jamming. Nothing wrong with that, per se, I just don't have the patience to sit through things like "Dark Star". That may be a little hypocritical since I love the 10 minute live versions of "Feel Flows" and "All This Is That". I think the difference is I know the BBs songs will go the last verse and then end after the Charles Lloyd flute/sax solo, where the GD will just drag it out for an hour and a half. I found it kind of funny reading Peter Ames Carlin's book when Carlin mentions how Jerry Garcia couldn't figure out how to improvise to "Help Me Rhonda" (That particular arrangement of the song didn't really sound good to me until they sped it up and gave it to Dennis to sing).

Yes, ELP, King Crimson, Genesis, Uriah Heep, Jethro Tull, Rush, Zappa's more "serious" stuff (also Dream Theater, Queensryche, Vai/Satriani, etc.)
Good musicians...but...do we really need concept albums about Dragons and Wizards and Aqualungs, 45 minute keyboard and guitar solos, songs that take up the entire side of an LP, endless (to borrow a British term) wankery...when a few Hey Ho, Let's Go's would do the trick. Again, maybe just a lack of patience on my part.

Nine Inch Nails...whiney "nobody likes me" teenage bullcrap (says a guys who loves Pet Sounds  :lol  ). Same category as Linkin Park, just with slightly better lyrics, no cheesy rapping, and put in more "artistically legitimate" packaging.

Rage Against the Machine, Henry Rollins...though I tend to agree with both Rage's and Rollins' politics, and I like Morello's guitar work, I just don't care for the angry, violent, macho thing they did, nor the "every song sounds the same" rap-rock style, at least in Rage's case. The Clash at least put their politics through a catchy rock and roll song filter (as did Bad Religion), AND dabbled in a variety of musical styles.

Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Tool, STP (sorry Billy C!), Bush, Silverchair, Seven Mary Three, Live, Godsmack, (plus Creed, Nickelback, Three Doors Down, Fuel, and all their third rate latter day imitators) grunge sludge... I'll get my early to mid 90s fix from MBV, Teenage Fanclub, Edwyn Collins, Barenaked Ladies, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Gin Blossoms, the less-grungy sounding Smashing Pumpkins songs, Blur, Oasis, Lush, early Radiohead, Stone Roses, even small time indie stuff like Black Tambourine, the Swirlies, the Magnetic Fields, etc.

I don't really care for metal and all its subgenres, but I really wouldn't mention it and just let it be if it weren't for a small minority of pretentious metalheads that sometimes pop up on the internet. Once in a while I'll see someone who posts on a message board, or in the old days a chatroom, and hype up metal for being based on "classical music" and vehemently denying any influence of rock and roll, the foundation their genre was built on, dismissing it as "blues-based", as if that's a bad thing. Do they not realize metal is, or at least at one time was, a subgenre of "rock"?

Maybe at one point. A little later, though, they were capable of mind-fuckingly brilliant stuff like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cPq78av2Ow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cPq78av2Ow)

Orchestral arrangement courtesy of our own Van Dyke Parks, it should be noted, who said he hadn't heard anything like Daniel Johns' songwriting since working with Brian.

90 percent of anything post 1981 or so except by artists who started before and even that isn't hardly ever as good with a few dozen exceptions.
Kansas-drek
Rush-more drek
Janis Joplin screechy
Joni Mitchel-boring
Genisis-Phil Collins in general too
Yes-boring
Emerson Lake and Palmer-boring
Herman's Hermits-wimpy
Neil Young-except Buffilo Springfield
Bee Gee's disco era and on
Fleetwood Mac 1975 on don't hate just don't need to hear again
Bread-yawn
Carpenters-too mellow
Olivia Newton John-just so dopey especally the Greece stuff.
Donna Summer-disco....
Yoko Ono-nighmare time
VIllage People-more disco
Barry Manilow-corny crap
Neil Diamond-I like some of his songs but not how he sings them
Wayne Newton-no soul
Engelbert-yikes
Julio-double yikes.

Between my Spotify and my new overtly huge external HD, am remedying my transgressions of taste. Joni tonight, if I manage to stop listening to The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines off Mingus. Shall report back.


God, speaking of Charles Mingus, there's probably vaste swathes of Jazz that fit this category. Although I do like Miles Davis and Bill Evans. Time to think.

C'mon, Mike - don't hate on Donna Summer! Some of the greatest music ever! To quoth George Clinton, 'Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow' ;D Also, what's your beef with Neil Young?

Oh sh*t, Hendrix is also the other HUGE example/transgression of this for me. To the extent that I feel really bad for not listening to Hendrix and never do anything about it. Although I do hate his 'reimagining' (and the subsequent canonisation) of him doing The Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock. It was pretty much the worst thing in that movie for me, especially after the sheer party jam that was Sly Stone, and then The Who ripping the place a new one, and John Sebastian being cute, and then.... oh sh*t, Hendrix falling asleep with his foot on the wah pedal in front of 25 people on the Monday morning....


I know I shouldn't judge him on that, but it's such a strong image of him.

Also, STP was never really grunge , apart from their first album. In fact, they're more of a 60s and 70s influenced band than anything else.

Billy was there ever a more ill defined musical genre than 'Grunge'? It seemed in the early 90's anything rock that didn't look or sound like Motley Crue was termed grunge.
Anyway time to slaughter the sacred cow that is NIRVANA. It's been 20 years people, time to get a bit of perspective on this group. Yeah they wrote the alt rock anthem with 'Teen Spirit, but everything else was rather average and had already been done better by Mudhoney and The Pixies. And Kurt was such a twat, "I hate corporate rock so I'm gonna sign a deal with Geffen". Yeah right! Nobody would give a sh*t about them now if he hadn't shot himself.

I do love Nevermind, but my favorite disc Nirvana ever put out is the Unplugged album, followed by Incesticide.


Exactly.

I mean, is this grunge?!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p9hzcx5PEU

Alex, we're pretty much on exactly the same page except I like a few Deep Purple songs like Hush and think that Hendrix is great. Otherwise though, I could have said much of this myself.

Early Deep Purple is actually close to progressive rock and I am a sucker for that sound. ELP ruined that genre with their ego trip performances and stage show. The best best prog/art rock bands had a solid background in playing rock and roll.

hypehat reminded me that I think Sly & The Family Stone are some of the most un-funk, boring music ever. Maybe I should snort some Roxis before listening to There's a Riot Goin' On or something but goshdarn is that and their preceding albums snore-inducing.

To say that Riot isn't 'funky' enough is kind of missing the point (although the drumming on the very first tune is enough funk for most men). I don't go to it for a good time, I guess? It's a really dark and uncomfortable record, helped of course by the lo-fi home recording/mixing techniques and vast amounts of drugs being consumed. His lyrics are insane and he sounds strung out as f***! It's like Smiley Smile if they'd invented the drum machine in 1967.


To say that Stand! is nothing but a good time is, however, insane. I will fight for Sly Stone to the death!

Sly Stone sadly never got off the drugs like Brian did... :(

So I listened to Blue, and it's pretty amazing. I think the range of imagery is a lot to unpack on an initial listen, mind, so will definitely give that more listens.

Anyone who hates AC/DC has some serious issues..... Just sayin...

But to each their own. I used to hate The Beatles and got some serious sh*t for it, so I know the feeling.

I...really don't like Brian Johnson's voice, and that style of rock is not to my taste, for the same reasons I hate Guns & Roses (just to name one example). That whiny, screechy, nails-on-a-chalkboard vocal mixed in with brain-dead dunderhead rock really does not appeal to me.

But you're not SUPPOSED to like Brian's voice. You're supposed to be attacked and mauled and by it as he puts his love into you babe!!!

But, I hear ya!

And I agree with you completely about G&R (though Axl sounded good when he sang in his low register)

For what she did Donna Summer is fine, I just don't like that kind of disco. Don't hate her, just have no desire to hear her. I like funk from earlier in the decade, just not too much disco. I like some of the sounds Gene Chandler, James Brown, and the Jacksons did with disco, even stuff like Miss You by The Stones, but there was always a little more meat or funk influence to it.

Neil Young comes off kind of depressing to me half the time and too political the other half. Maybe the tone of his voice isn't to my taste. I again have respect for who he is, but he's never moved me. I do like some of the Buffilo Springfield stuff. More peppy I suppose.

I'm unmoved. It's all just boring to me, whether it's meant to be upbeat or not. I'll pass

Probably for the best. There's a My Little Pony episode about to begin anyway.

You're not very good at trolling dude

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh burn!

 It was Dr.V's  opinion, which is he entitled to.  I mean, sh*t, there are several bands listed here that I personally really like, but you don't see me throwing jabs, do you?

Of course he is. Just a little joke.

I can't stand the Bon Scott era AC/DC, but the Brian Johnson era is some of my favorite Rock n Roll.

Wall to wall speakers + Back in Black....I can't imagine anyone not liking that.

I'm aboard with the people that don't get The Grateful Dead.

But props to the people who actually get into them - never seen such devoted followers.

I don't get Van Morrison - (bar Gloria (to be obvious) -  I can't get through a single item, and have nearly self-euthanased to avoid hearing Moondance.

I'm glad to see Blue is off the sh*t-list; it always hit me as being 2 amazing albums (stylistically speaking - ie the lush piano tracks (eg My old man, Richard, Blue) vs the guitar based items (Carey, This flight tonight, A case of you)

I really like Blue but I also can't help but feel a little annoyed when I listen to it sometimes because I'm thinking, "Man, I sure wish I was rich enough to flee to Europe when I get depressed about breakups!" What a hard life that must be, heh.

I tend to stay away from bands that take themselves oh-so-seriously, so of course I avoid most Pink Floyd (especially The Wall era), or Zep. If you can't enjoy a good laugh, as our BB's, especially Brian, often did, or the Kinks, forget it. You didn't just come down from Mt. Sinai with the stone tablets, dude, you're just a wealthy musician.

Tiny Music is a brilliant album. People who think they only did grunge music and "I AM I AM I AM" and sh*t should check it out, particularly stuff like "And So I Know" or "Adhesive" which totally stand out in comparison to their peers of the day.

Much more a fan of the Bon Scott era. Brian Johnson's cool, but his voice gets a little grating at times, and the band weren't so predictable when Bon was around. I'm sure they would've went the same way had he lived, just sayin' - the original sound and style were formed when he was around, and a lot of the better ideas came in the earlier days, too. They remain good to this day (should note I'm definitely a casual fan), but Bon's voice was so good, so much character, and like I said the songwriting in those days does a bit more for me.

Fair enough  ;D

I actually like the fact that they had both singers/both eras because, frankly as a big fan, I get tired of both guys after a while and it's nice to be able to switch back n forth between eras...

Bon was the better lyricist but Brian's voice was more powerful and more instantly recognizable as being AC/DC. The band got lucky twice with stumbling across the only two guys in the world who's voices fit the band like a glove....

I'm going to throw Morrisey/The Smiths into the ring, absolutely cannot fucking stand them! Motley Crue can also go die in fire, possibly the worst band ever.

I'm very surprised at the amount of people who don't like Joni Mitchell but hey ho, different strokes and all.

Couldn't agree more regarding Motley Crue! One of the worst bands ever and one of the worst in their on genre...

Hell, most of those 80's hair/glam bands come off pretty well these days but the Crue still sound horrid....

I don't mean to get 'thread police' up in this bitch, but posts going 'I can't stand X or Y suck' is sorta missing the point - I never said I didn't like Joni Mitchell, Led Zep or Pink Floyd, but that I've never listened to them ever of my own choice and had no desire to remedy that situation.

I'm definitely a Bon girl,  but I LOVE Back in Black.  The Bon years were fun,  he had character in spades,  was cheeky and had the devil in him.  One of my favorite clips of him is Let There Be Rock, in the church.   I respect Brian but for me It's Bon all the way.