Music: Most Overrated and Most Underrated Rock Band in History

[Eisen]

I was curious of people's opinions on who they believe is the most overrated rock band in history and who they believe is the most underrated rock band in history. Now there can be different ways to interpret this question, so you can answer in 1 or multiple ways or with 1 or multiple bands as answers. For example, you can gauge this overrating or underrating based on commercial success, or talent, or impact on music/future musicians, or impact on audience, or personal taste, or what have you.


I'll start.

Most overrated band in rock history to me would be Nirvana. I say this because I think their influence on music is overrated or misjudged, metal and punk/post-punk bands before and around the same time as them had been played around with what Nirvana was doing but just never hit commerical success or as much commercial success, post-grunge and nu metal bands that grew from/after their movement are imo a pretty bad genre with not many notable quality artists or music coming out of this sector, and lastly from a personal standpoint I just think their music is very rough on the ears. The elements in grunge, Nirvana's grunge specifically, for me just too many times sound like incoherent or unimpressive noise. I get heavy and distortion, I enjoy a bunch of metal bands that can do it harmoniously with much more appeal and intelligent feel to it. On the flip side of this topic, Elliott Smith is an artist who's place in history should be much greater than Nirvana. His lyrics, virtuosity, and overall talent are levels above Nirvana's work.



Most underrated rock band in history to me would be The Yardbirds. They started Clapton, Page, and Jeff Beck's careers. They played and influenced blues/blues rock, psych rock, pop rock, and early hard rock, showing a very wide range of successful music. The music and bands that directly and indirectly evolved from the Yardbirds were incredibly impactful and successful in rock. And of course they had a good amount of hit singles, with a decent range of music.

Nirvana brought punk back to the front page

 

[Roo Returns]

Nirvana brought punk back to the front page

I'm not here to debate or call the wrong, it's much more complicated than that.

Nirvana was never really a punk band in the purest sense, they took elements of a lot of underground college rock/indie rock along with 60s/70s in their songwriting. There's a lot of Pixies/Meat Puppets/REM/Killing Joke in Nirvana's sound.

What would be known as alternative music that was popularized from like 1991-1997 was brewing for over a decade in various territories, even earlier if you count the post punk British stuff like the aforementioned Killing Joke, Magazine, Siouxsie, Japan, etc.

Nirvana finished what Jane's Addiction and The Pixies started in terms of reaching a mass audience because both bands were essentially done by September 24th, 1991.

Green Day kind of brought back the traditional punk which turned into ska going mainstream from like 1994-1998.

 

[Eisen]

I'm not here to debate or call the wrong, it's much more complicated than that.

Nirvana was never really a punk band in the purest sense, they took elements of a lot of underground college rock/indie rock along with 60s/70s in their songwriting. There's a lot of Pixies/Meat Puppets/REM/Killing Joke in Nirvana's sound.

What would be known as alternative music that was popularized from like 1991-1997 was brewing for over a decade in various territories, even earlier if you count the post punk British stuff like the aforementioned Killing Joke, Magazine, Siouxsie, Japan, etc.

Nirvana finished what Jane's Addiction and The Pixies started in terms of reaching a mass audience because both bands were essentially done by September 24th, 1991.

Green Day kind of brought back the traditional punk which turned into ska going mainstream from like 1994-1998.

I agree with you. It's not just one band but Nirvana certainly played a popular part. It showed that you can still massively sell Alternative, Punk and Rock.

 

[cupcrazyman]

 

[Shareefruck]

I have a hard time considering any of these bands punk, personally-- even if they technically are. To me, a pretty critical part of what I like about the punk aesthetic is this nihilistic sense of dealing with your problems through aggressive taking the piss "even if I'm ****ed you can't hurt me because nothing matters anyways" energy, so anything melodramatically emotional, whiney, and self-pitying like Nirvana or Green Day feels pretty antithetical to that in kind of a pathetic way, for me.

There's nothing wrong with that other style, but I'd prefer if it were separated even if other punk qualities influence them.

 

[Ceremony]

Taking the piss.

 

[Shareefruck]

Taking the piss.

Is it, really? Had no idea. Feels awkward to me. What imagery is that supposed to be?

 

[Ceremony]

Is it, really? Had no idea. Feels awkward to me. What imagery is that supposed to be?

Who knows Taking the piss - Wikipedia

 

[frisco]

I think a lot of "corporate" AOR rock of the 70's and 80's (now classic rock) really gets underrated and skewered by critics. If you look at a band like Foreigner and their chart and sales success:

Album: Foreigner 5x Platinum. Hits: Feels Like The First Time, Cold As Ice, Long, Long Way From Home
Album: Double Vision 7x Platinum. Hits: Double Vision, Hot Blooded
Album: Head Games 5x Platinum. Hits: Blue Morning, Blue Day, Head Games, Dirty White Boy
Album: 4 6x Platinum. Hits: Urgent, Waiting For A Girl Like You, Juke Box Hero, Break It Up
Album: Agent Provocateur 3x Platinum. Hits: I Want To Know What Love Is, That Was Yesterday
Album: Inside Information 1x Platinum. Hits: Say You Will, I Don't Want To Live Without You
Album: Records (And Other Greatest Hits Compilations) 10x Platinum.

That's a lot of units moved and a lot of sold out stadiums. Seems like most critics thought punk/new wave/alternative were where it was at, and rightly or wrongly they lambasted Foreigner-type bands.

My Best-Carey

 

[TheGreenTBer]

I'm not here to debate or call the wrong, it's much more complicated than that.

Nirvana was never really a punk band in the purest sense, they took elements of a lot of underground college rock/indie rock along with 60s/70s in their songwriting. There's a lot of Pixies/Meat Puppets/REM/Killing Joke in Nirvana's sound.

Speaking as someone who is a huge fan of late 70's/early 80's punk music, I 100% completely agree with this statement.

What would be known as alternative music that was popularized from like 1991-1997 was brewing for over a decade in various territories, even earlier if you count the post punk British stuff like the aforementioned Killing Joke, Magazine, Siouxsie, Japan, etc.

Nirvana finished what Jane's Addiction and The Pixies started in terms of reaching a mass audience because both bands were essentially done by September 24th, 1991.

Green Day kind of brought back the traditional punk which turned into ska going mainstream from like 1994-1998.

Green Day is one of the very few bands that has brought at least semi-legitimate punk music to the mainstream successfully. Their sound tends to be too polished for my taste but their roots are solid, you can tell they came from the Gilman St. crowd. NOFX is another case where their punk roots are overwhelming and obvious but their sound has changed (and in my opinion, not for the better). Both bands are very different from say The Offspring, who spawned from the OC and LA punk scenes of the 1980s' (especially from TSOL) but have changed their sound so much that their punk roots are basically undetectable and their corporate drone status set in stone.

 

[DaaaaB's]

Nirvana brought punk back to the front page

Uh what?

Nirvana wasn't a punk band in any way, shape or form.

 

[Eisen]

Uh what?

Nirvana wasn't a punk band in any way, shape or form.

No, they had punk elements. But that's beside the point. They were the figurehead of a music development that showed you can still make money with rock, punk and alternative. Right after grunge was over, the third wave punk had it's heyday.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Funny how the Doors and Queen were both headed off the map until they suddenly got a big bump from being featured in hit movies.

 

[NyQuil]

Funny how the Doors and Queen were both headed off the map until they suddenly got a big bump from being featured in hit movies.

Gotta get that Journey movie going to pass U2.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Gotta get that Journey movie going to pass U2.

What the world needs right now is Johnny Depp playing Bono in a U2 biopic.

 

[NyQuil]

What the world needs right now is Johnny Depp playing Bono in a U2 biopic.

I think it would have to be Colin Farrell or people would complain about the accent.

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as the Edge.

 

[MVP of West Hollywd]

Speaking as someone who is a huge fan of late 70's/early 80's punk music, I 100% completely agree with this statement.



Green Day is one of the very few bands that has brought at least semi-legitimate punk music to the mainstream successfully. Their sound tends to be too polished for my taste but their roots are solid, you can tell they came from the Gilman St. crowd. NOFX is another case where their punk roots are overwhelming and obvious but their sound has changed (and in my opinion, not for the better). Both bands are very different from say The Offspring, who spawned from the OC and LA punk scenes of the 1980s' (especially from TSOL) but have changed their sound so much that their punk roots are basically undetectable and their corporate drone status set in stone.

I never really saw GD as a punk band, not that I listened to them a lot. They just seem like a normal pop rock band with a twinge of stoner and then they go political try hard but in a way that still felt way too accessible compared to punk political songs.

The Offspring are the definition of pop punk in my opinion. I feel like they have the "attitude" right. They definitely feel like the type of band who started as more punk and then went for the money.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I think it would have to be Colin Farrell or people would complain about the accent.

He would be perfect for the earnest Oscar-winning speech about saving the world with music.

 

[DaaaaB's]

No, they had punk elements. But that's beside the point. They were the figurehead of a music development that showed you can still make money with rock, punk and alternative. Right after grunge was over, the third wave punk had it's heyday.

Well, I'm sure you know a lot more about punk music than I do so I'll take your word for it. I definitely agree with your main point. Out of curiosity, was the 3rd wave punk bands like Nofx, Rancid and Screeching Weasels?

 

[Mikeaveli]

NOFX is another good candidate for most overrated band of all time. Straight up unlistenable imo

 

[Eisen]

Well, I'm sure you know a lot more about punk music than I do so I'll take your word for it. I definitely agree with your main point. Out of curiosity, was the 3rd wave punk bands like Nofx, Rancid and Screeching Weasels?

Yup, that's the guys I mean with 3rd wave punk, among others.

 

[Eisen]

NOFX is another good candidate for most overrated band of all time. Straight up unlistenable imo

You take that back, sir.

 

[67 others]

IMO, the most underrated are The Tea Party...

Skip ahead to 1:35 to avoid the small talk:




Skip ahead to the 0:50 mark:

Tea party was fantastic.

One of my top 3 bands all time

 

[Incubajerks]

Never received GD as punk, but frankly we can't compare. They completely lack that attitude but above all that social conscience that was the fuel for bands like SP and the Clash. I mean, we can talk about sound as much as we want, but when we go to read the lyrics we can understand all the differences.

 

[Nemesis Prime]

Nirvana is overrated af.