Overrated Music

[beau]

The interesting thing about the Jonas Brothers is that they've been recording long before Disney found them.

Nick Jonas even released a solo album about ten years ago when he was still a young kid.

 

[ryhoyarbie]

I heard the Jonas Brothers live when they attempted to sing at the Dallas Cowboys 2008 Thanksgiving day game.......They couldn't hold a tune and I was convinced they were nothing more than a manufactured product just like everything else that is being pushed out of the music industry.

 

[Drtooth]

The interesting thing about the Jonas Brothers is that they've been recording long before Disney found them.

Nick Jonas even released a solo album about ten years ago when he was still a young kid.

Truth be told, they audition these people. If Miley wasn't Hannah Montana, someone just as easily could have been. They basically stage these projects long in advance and just look for people to fill in generic roles.

So basically, I can't be mad at any of these groups or singers... just the production people who would make generic programming that could fit anyone of any kind into generic roles to further generic pop music.

Essentially, the same thing happened with the Monkees, but their show was much more fun than any of this stuff. Heck, I like the Monkees MORE for their show than their music.

 

[frogboy4]

One of the most overrated artists in my book is Kanye West. He's the self-professed "voice of a generation" but I can't really remember many of his songs or any of his lyrics off the top of my head. He’s neither a modest nor a gracious performer, but his songs are okay. I just don’t understand how all these artists sell so many albums when nobody I know owns any of them. Kanye is a good example of that.

 

[Drtooth]

His ego and his actions are a terrible turn off. Lemme just say that straight away. Sure, there are weird, wacky musicians (like a certain one that's been mentioned too many times) that are actually kind of fun, and some who's ego makes them think that they need to jump on a soap box and drone on whenever they have a chance. Jumping on the stage and saying someone else deserved that award (no one did that for the Oscars when Sandra Bullocks won for her tedious ego project? ) was pretty much the lowest.

To me, his only true call was that he was the least offensive popular hip hop/rap artist out there at the time (that didn't WILL SMITH only write movie WILL SMITH theme songs). That was it. Voice of a generation? Meh... By the way, is Weird Al considered the voice of the nerd generation? HE should be.

That said, not so much Will Smith's music... but I liked him MUCH better on Fresh Prince... uh.. and both Men in Black movies.

 

[dwmckim]

Truth be told, they audition these people. If Miley wasn't Hannah Montana, someone just as easily could have been.

Yep, and chances are it would have been Brittany Underwood (who plays Langston Wilde on One Life to Live) - she was in the running and made it through the final callbacks. I think Miley's being Billy Ray Cyrus' daughter and the chance to capitalize on the family casting was too irresistable (and in all honesty i think Miley was the stronger choice between the two)

 

[Convincing John]

Not to step on anyone's toes but...

Alternative music. Is it as dead as disco now? It was a big deal in the late 90's, then boy bands took it over. I loved the show "Daria", but anything else popular from that time was just too whiny and angsty for me. Alternative music was supposed to be alternative to everything else, mainly the meat-and-potatoes rock songs out there, right? Well...it's a paradox. When a bunch of people started playing it, it isn't really "alternative" anymore, is it?

Alternative is when you do something that no one else is doing, right? Doc on Fraggle Rock playing that party favor harpsichord fits the definition of "alternative music" better than the popular alternative musicans. Weird Al is also a perfect example of an alternative musician. Who else makes up songs about the stuff he does? I'd say the same for Jethro Tull (my favorite group) for the same reasons--intelligent, unique lyrics and subject matter, plus they don't stay in one specific genre of music. (Although the only Tull song disc jockeys know of theirs is "Aqualung").

Back to overrated songs: The Cranberries "Zombie". It was waaaaay overplayed on my local radio stations (and I was in college at the time, so it was everywhere). I looked up what the lyrics were about and the idea is original, but what was going on in the chorus? It was hard to take the song's message seriously when it sounded like Delores O'Riordan was accompanied by Honkers and Fozzie's horn from the El Sleazo Cafe.

As for Justin Beaker or whoever he is, he's just the new male McCelebrity. That's the way Hollywood and the music industry works now. They get some young teen or tween who will fit the bill, then when they get too old, they get replaced. It's like a box of tissues. You pull one out, use it, pitch it and there's another one exactly like it in its place.

Anyone here seen the South Park episode "Britney's New Look"? They nailed it perfectly. Apply it to today. This is just a guess, but I think Justin Beaker is the replacement for either Ashton Kutcher or Justin Timberlake (as Hannah Montana was Britney's replacement).

They touched on this in "The Simpsons" too. It was a parody of "Logan's Run." There was some VJ in a bikini on waving to the TV audience. A huge crowd behind her is on the beach. "Hi, I'm your MTV host rockin' it at Spring Break! Woooo!" A beep is heard and she sees a glowing red crystal in her hand. "I'm 25?" she cries. "No! No! I'm still attractive! I need this job! I--" Security guards drag her away and she is replaced by another younger girl who shouts "Hi! We're rockin' here at Spring Break! Wooooo!"

We don't really have the number of legendary, long-lasting A-list musicians and celebrities like we used to. Think about truly talented, non-autotuned musicians that are up there in age and still draw a crowd. Tony Bennett, Paul McCartney, folks like that. They're a dying breed. See them while you can.

Convincing John

 

[Drtooth]

Yep, and chances are it would have been Brittany Underwood (who plays Langston Wilde on One Life to Live) - she was in the running and made it through the final callbacks. I think Miley's being Billy Ray Cyrus' daughter and the chance to capitalize on the family casting was too irresistable (and in all honesty i think Miley was the stronger choice between the two)

Definitely. Something tells me that Disney wanted to start up the Country Music being cool again fad, and having a country singer's daughter in the title role (and putting him in the series... right?) was a no brainer. That's what really bugs me about the whole thing. The fact that they made these shows well in advance and basically just cast whatever singer/actor they audition WELL after the concepts were drawn up. And they wind up giving us CD's with identical music both In character and the artist's own name. Doesn't matter who they cast, since the results are always the same. I'm glad she's decided to move it away from that whole inorganic mess.

 

[ryhoyarbie]

Alternative music. Is it as dead as disco now? It was a big deal in the late 90's, then boy bands took it over. I loved the show "Daria", but anything else popular from that time was just too whiny and angsty for me. Alternative music was supposed to be alternative to everything else, mainly the meat-and-potatoes rock songs out there, right? Well...it's a paradox. When a bunch of people started playing it, it isn't really "alternative" anymore, is it?

Alternative music was great because it was something different and had it's own unique sound to it. "Flagpole Sitta" by Harvey Danger, any song by Nirvana, "Closing Time" By Semisonic, Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day, Weezer, The Cranberries, Third Eye Blind, etc......

Back to overrated songs: The Cranberries "Zombie". It was waaaaay overplayed on my local radio stations (and I was in college at the time, so it was everywhere). I looked up what the lyrics were about and the idea is original, but what was going on in the chorus? It was hard to take the song's message seriously when it sounded like Delores O'Riordan was accompanied by Honkers and Fozzie's horn from the El Sleazo Cafe.

I love that song........Zombie was such a great rock song that was full of edge. But when that song came out I was in middle school and wasn't listening to it at that time. I didn't even know that song or the band even existed. Speaking of the Cranberries, there's a song they did back in 2001 called "Animal Instict". Really good song that is on youtube if you want to take a look.


Back on topic...Never been a fan of the 60's band Hermans Hermits. I hate them while my dad thinks they're awesome.

 

[Yorick]

a band who's not overrated

Just gotta put my 2 cents in about "Alternative" music....(and again, people have every right to disagree with me, because labels on music are a pain anyway, but...) the early 80's brought true alternative bands like The Replacements (most people love their 1984 album "Let It Be" best, and it is very good, but I suggest people check out their 1985 album "Tim" - that's the best, to me) wheras the whole 90's alternative thing was commercial and only got more commercial as time went by. Not my thing, though. However, The Replacements wouldn't play the fame game, and that's a good part of why they didn't make it (along with a hefty helping of bad luck, of course).....there are other alternative bands from the time, but that's my favorite...and not overrated

But I do agree that the whole 90's rock thing was mostly lousy...(and a lot of crud now, too!)and certainly can't hold a candle to the 80's (either true alternative of the time, or new wave, or whatever...sometimes they weren't mutually exclusive, though)