h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Watching U2's "The Edge" performing on acoustic guitar, I wondered which other very famous musicians are seriously over-rated?

Bono for starters.

Nigel Kennedy. There's no doubt he's a great violinist, and if he stuck to just playing the violin, that would be great. But that new-age, whiny crap that he plays makes me want to curl up and die.

I don't think the Edge ever claimed to be a great guitarist. He's just a guitarist.

>>I don't think the Edge ever claimed to be a great guitarist.

I'm not asking which guitarists are deluded as to their abilities, just which ones are seriously over-rated. I've even heard his technique discussed reverently on a BBC4 show about great guitarists.

All of Status Quo. On an average night you can find a band of more skillful musicians in any live pub in the country.

There's a danger in rating individual musicians when the noise that matters comes from the band combo.

Status Quo produce very accessible party rock and roll, and in the words of Carly Simon, nobody does it better.

Why did nobody say "Bob, you write some good lyrics, and you're OK with an acoustic guitar... your voice is a bit whiny and nasal but people seem to not hate it too much... but for the love of Bod, put DOWN the harmonica and back away from it and never, EVER pick it up again."

George Michael.

Blur n Oasis.

Frank Sinatra.

John Lennon. (I don't think McCartney's over-rated, because I don't get the impression he's that highly rated).

All opera.

Mozart.

Clapton.

KB:

>>All of Status Quo. On an average night you can find a band of more skillful musicians in any live pub in the country.


Don't get me wrong - I don't like 'em. But the same could be said of any number or truly great bands - The Ramones, The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers...

SoRB:

>>Why did nobody say "Bob, you write some good lyrics, and you're OK with an acoustic guitar... your voice is a bit whiny and nasal but people seem to not hate it too much... but for the love of Bod, put DOWN the harmonica and back away from it and never, EVER pick it up again."

Well, firstly, Dylan achieved true genius when he went electric.

Secondly...those words could only have been written by someone who hasn't heard 'Blonde On Blonde' or 'Highway 61 Revisited.' Yes - his harmonica is a painfully noisy, screechy caterwaul...*but in a good way*!!!

Thirdly...his voice is a *bit* whiny and nasal? It's horrible! But it's what he does with it that counts.

Fourthly...I have reached the conclusion that his lyrics are an elaborate joke on listeners who struggle to distil profundity from them. Genius!

Fifthly... I think you'll find that he didn't actually pick up a harmonica. He had it on a wee stand thingy sticking out in front of him.

Dylan is a good example of someone making a limited technique go a long way. The ultimate exponent of this is IMO Bill Withers, who seemed barely able to play an instrument at all*, yet still made great music. (Arguably, punks did the same sort of thing, but in their case it was more of a celebration of their limitations)


*I used to be surprised that he used such extraordinarily simple arrangements, but following an excellent documentary on him a month ago, I learned that he only started playing an instrument shortly before he had his first hits.

Beethoven. I still think the man is incredibly good, but could have done with a good editor.

Wagner. Yes, you are clever. Yes, you can create tension and drama and romance and angst. Now kindly resolve a chord or two, there's a good fellow.

Jim Morrison was a fairly crap singer. Not sure that mattered though.

Van Morrison

in a lot of cases with bands (see the comments about Quo and the Edge and Jim Morrison) their total is greater than the sum of their parts.
Def Leppard are probably another good example.

Can't think of anyone right now so I'll be off. Oh except to add that Bowie got it spot on about Dylan: a voice like sand and glue.

I shall fight you over Van 'The' Man, Doc. There are a couple of times I've seen him live that are the nearest I've come to an epiphany. (Although admittedly there are even more times I've seen him live when he'd been pretty rubbish).

Tell you what it is about him...every single sound that comes out of his mouth is precisely the sound he wanted to make.

Plus he's the tightest band leader this side of James Brown.

Technique going a long way...

Yes - but with some genres that's the whole point. Yer Blues is meant to have boundaries. It's a matter of doing extraordinary things within strict confines.

When it gets too flashy and polished all it means is that the performer has disappeared down a rabbit hole of their own.

Sho



Agreed.

Def Leppard, when you listen to them, are mostly rhythm guitar driven with small bits of lead solo stuff BUT they instinctively knew how to fit all of that together to create a unique style of rock which was 'theirs'.

Staus Quo - very similar as well..although they do have some nice twiddly stuff and did begin as a more sofest sounding mainstream band in the 60s. Also, the technique that they use and the 'solidness' of the whole sound takes skill as well...and yes pub bands cover their stuff all over the country BUT it was Quo that created that unique sound.

AC/DC, some may say are limited...same album every few years with a different cover as they say too..BUT they a) have Angus Young who is an astounding guitarist, b) have Malcolm Young is as a superb rhythm guitarist and c) use rhythm, stonking riffs, rests within the music to gives texture to the sound and are locked into each other as a band when they play which creates a sound like no other band.

The Edge...his skill is being able to create music with very simple riffs and notes - that in itself takes skill - the minimalism of what he does - he has been quoted as saying if he could play one note through a whole song he would if it worked and why not. I saw them at a 'secret' gig at the Astoria in London years ago and they were incredible...just them on a bare stage...

To get more contemporary.

Lady GaGa.

Really, she's _quite good_. Obviously named well as she is loop-da-loop but most of her tracks are pretty formulaic as far as I can tell.

Jessie J. She's bod-awful for me and the constant drooling about both her looks (?) and her music on the popular radio astounds me - sadly she also seems to fit into the delude category as she clearly believes her own publicity.
Now her classmante Adele however... awesome.