Your Pick for Most Overrated Rock Singer of All Time

[George]

I haven't liked a Radiohead album since Kid A, and I thought even that was wildly overrated, save a couple of tracks. What does Jonny Greenwood and the rest of the band do now that their records are a collection of bleeps and bloops?

No clue. And it's a real shame, too, because I think Jonny Greenwood is very talented, unique, and creative. He deserves better than what they're doing now (or maybe he doesn't if he's willing to buy into whatever it is Radiohead's doing these days).

[DA#23]

Thank god Billy Gibbons can play a guitar.....

And Daryl Hall drowned out John Oates too much imo.

[Joneslab]

It's hard for me to answer this because I'm musically illiterate, so I don't really know if music is "good" or not. I just like what I like and can't really articulate why.

That said, U2 sucks.

I like Dylan but I don't think anybody likes him because of his vocals. It's hard to listen to a lot of Dylan because he immediately sounds like a knock-off. You listen to his early stuff and think, "Man, I've heard this before a million times." The reason for that is obviously that there have been a million Dylan impersonators over the years. It's hard to see his music as inventive as it would've been fifty years ago.

[KCKUKFan]

No clue. And it's a real shame, too, because I think Jonny Greenwood is very talented, unique, and creative. He deserves better than what they're doing now (or maybe he doesn't if he's willing to buy into whatever it is Radiohead's doing these days).

He's been scoring Paul Thomas Anderson movies, so there's that.

[KCKUKFan]

It's hard for me to answer this because I'm musically illiterate, so I don't really know if music is "good" or not. I just like what I like and can't really articulate why.

That said, U2 sucks.

I like Dylan but I don't think anybody likes him because of his vocals. It's hard to listen to a lot of Dylan because he immediately sounds like a knock-off. You listen to his early stuff and think, "Man, I've heard this before a million times." The reason for that is obviously that there have been a million Dylan impersonators over the years. It's hard to see his music as inventive as it would've been fifty years ago.

THE JOSHUA TREE, MAN! lol

[George]

Thank god Billy Gibbons can play a guitar.....

And Daryl Hall drowned out John Oates too much imo.

Hey, if this were about showmanship, we'd be having an entirely different conversation.

[George]

He's been scoring Paul Thomas Anderson movies, so there's that.

Which is cool, but not exactly what I'm looking for.

[George]

It's hard for me to answer this because I'm musically illiterate, so I don't really know if music is "good" or not. I just like what I like and can't really articulate why.

That said, U2 sucks.

I like Dylan but I don't think anybody likes him because of his vocals. It's hard to listen to a lot of Dylan because he immediately sounds like a knock-off. You listen to his early stuff and think, "Man, I've heard this before a million times." The reason for that is obviously that there have been a million Dylan impersonators over the years. It's hard to see his music as inventive as it would've been fifty years ago.

Well, that, and the fact that he's always played a lot of old folk singer's songs.

[Joneslab]

I've always hated Jeff Tweedy's vocals and most (not all) of Wilco's catalog.

A teacher of mine in New York told me once that if you like Son Volt, you were likely going to hate Wilco. And vice versa. I tend to agree. I love Uncle Tupelo, but I was drawn way more to Farrar's stuff. There are only a few Uncle Tupelo songs that Tweedy does that I really like ("New Madrid").

Tweedy's vocals have always seemed...juvenile (?) to me. Just a weird voice. I never got into Wilco at all.

Now Son Volt, different story. Genius.

[George]

I've always hated Jeff Tweedy's vocals and most (not all) of Wilco's catalog.

A teacher of mine in New York told me once that if you like Son Volt, you were likely going to hate Wilco. And vice versa. I tend to agree. I love Uncle Tupelo, but I was drawn way more to Farrar's stuff. There are only a few Uncle Tupelo songs that Tweedy does that I really like ("New Madrid").

Tweedy's vocals have always seemed...juvenile (?) to me. Just a weird voice. I never got into Wilco at all.

Now Son Volt, different story. Genius.

I have a friend who tries to get me to listen to Wilco every time we see each other. I've never been able to get into them, either.

Do you like Will Oldham (Bonnie "Prince" Billy)? (I do.)

[Joneslab]

Do you like Will Oldham (Bonnie "Prince" Billy)? (I do.)

Absolutely. Discovered him years ago when he was Palace Music (also performed as just Palace, and maybe Palace Brothers).

You probably already know this: Oldham photographed the famous cover of the Slint album.

(And this is for another topic, but Slint is a fascinating story. They were at the height of their talent when they were all about 16. Then they fell off the face of the earth. Made one earth-shattering album. There's a good documentary about their rise that features the rock scene in Louisville in the early '90s.)

And related: I like Jim James though I tend to gravitate toward early My Morning Jacket. Love the silo stuff they were doing on At Dawn and The Tennessee Fire. I only found out recently that I may have seen My Morning Jacket perform in front of about 20 people at Centre College back in 1997. They were called Month of Sundays.

[Joneslab]

The band Dawes told an interesting story on WFPK when they came to Louisville a couple of years ago.

The band went out together the night before their show. They were over in the Butchertown area on the way to the Butchertown Grocery to eat dinner. On the way they were talking about Will Oldham and how he apparently lived in Louisville. They were all fans and he was a huge influence on their music.

They go into the Butchertown Grocery...and there's Will Oldham. Performing in front of just a few people.

[George]

Absolutely. Discovered him years ago when he was Palace Music (also performed as just Palace, and maybe Palace Brothers).

You probably already know this: Oldham photographed the famous cover of the Slint album.

(And this is for another topic, but Slint is a fascinating story. They were at the height of their talent when they were all about 16. Then they fell off the face of the earth. Made one earth-shattering album. There's a good documentary about their rise that features the rock scene in Louisville in the early '90s.)

Slint. Hell yes. Did you know Steve Albini worked on their first album? I'd like to see that doc you're talking about.

And where can Palace Music be found these days?

[surveyor]

Elton John, if you call him Rock. Jeff Buckley. I'd put Chris Cornell up there, too. Stevie Nicks.

Elvis? Joe ****************er, maybe, if his band was big enough to count in the conversation. The Eagles weren't great, either, but Don Henley could sing.

Oh, and I know I'll catch some grief for this, but Michael McDonald, if we're only talent pure vocal talent. I don't like his music, but the guy could/can sing.

Stevie Nicks is one of those who's voice fit the songs, but vocally she had a range of an octave at her best and now is less than that. The South Park episode involving Stevie Nicks as a goat wasn't far from the mark. That said, I've got both of her first solo albums and love most of the songs thereon, but a pure singer...............

Any solo artist I don't consider in the discussion because they aren't "bands", per se.

[George]

The band Dawes told an interesting story on WFPK when they came to Louisville a couple of years ago.

The band went out together the night before their show. They were over in the Butchertown area on the way to the Butchertown Grocery to eat dinner. On the way they were talking about Will Oldham and how he apparently lived in Louisville. They were all fans and he was a huge influence on their music.

They go into the Butchertown Grocery...and there's Will Oldham. Performing in front of just a few people.

Nice.

Not sure if any of you are familiar with a guy named Dax Riggs, but he's been in a few bands over the years, beginning in the early 90s (went from metal to hard rock to rock/folk stuff). Weird guy, not for everyone, but good voice. Saw him in Asheville one night, had a few beers with him after the show, then he gave me and my friends directions to his motel room and told us to come hang. We drove out there, figuring he'd given us some far-flung address in the opposite direction, but sure enough he and his band showed up a few minutes later. We sat up with them until about 4:00 in the morning listening to them jam on acoustics in a Super 8.