The Song Fight Bulletin Board

...just to move this along a bit. Apparently last year Blender magazine had a list of the 50 Worst Acts of All Time:

1. Insane Clown Posse
2. Emerson, Lake and Palmer
3. Michael Bolton
4. Kenny G
5. Starship
6. Kansas
7. Asia
8. Vanilla Ice
9. Lee Greenwood
10. Air Supply
11. Latoya Jackson
12. Tin Machine
13. Mick Jagger
14. Yngwie Malmsteen
15. Yanni
16. Oingo Boingo
17. Benzino
18. Pat Boone
19. Dan Fogelberg
20. Howard Jones
21. The Alan Parsons Project
22. Primus
23. Creed
24. Bad English
25. Jamiroquai
26. Celine Dion
27. Colour Me Bad
28. Crash Test Dummies
29. Skinny Puppy
30. Richard Marx
31. Arrested Development
32. The Hooters
33. Japan
34. Live
35. Paul Oakenfold
36. 98 Degrees
37. The Doors
38. Nelson
39. Bob Geldof
40. Blind Melon
41. Whitesnake
42. Rick Wakeman
43. Mike and the Mechanics
44. Manowar
45. Gipsy Kings
46. The Spin Doctors
47. Goo Goo Dolls
48. Master P
49. Toad the Wet Sprocket
50. Iron Butterfly

Good to see some Aussies in at no. 10, although there are plenty of others deserving - especially ex-soapie stars who don't have hit records at home but regularly have no. 1 hits in the UK (eg. Peter Andre, Danii Minogue, Jason Donovan, that blonde girl with the tits, etc, etc...).

Generally though, quite a fine list. About the only tweaking I would do to it would be remove Primus and Arrested Development and replace them with Bryan Adams and Matchbox 20. And Tears for Fears.

Oh, and Mick Jagger - I don't care how bad his solo stuff may be - I think he's done enough to be exempt from such a list. Replace him with Phil Collins. Or anyone who has ever had their name associated with P Diddy.

Caravan Ray wrote:list

it needs limp bizkit and puff daddy.

Caravan Ray wrote:...just to move this along a bit. Apparently last year Blender magazine had a list of the 50 Worst Acts of All Time:

I don't know what they could possibly mean by this..."worst acts" meaning "live" acts? Did they base this on one show or 20? and at what point in their careers?

2. Emerson, Lake and Palmer - I saw them a few times and it was at times like being on a really great trip...oh yeah I was a couple of those times, but they totally rocked! Once with a full orchestra, and that was great.

13. Mick Jagger - only saw him with the band, on the steel wheels tour, never really liked them, but that show totally rocked, and mick led it all!

16. Oingo Boingo - never saw them live. LOVED their early records.

20. Howard Jones - saw him solo, on grand piano and he was amazing. yeah yeah fluffy around the edges but great song writing.

22. Primus - i could see them sucking live but the albums are cool.

46. The Spin Doctors - THEY SUCKED LIVE!!!!! uh...the one show I saw them warming up for somebody.

Very big yes to ICP, Bolton, Kenny G, Starship, Asia, Latoya Jackson, Mick Jagger, Creed, Celine Dion, Colour Me Bad, 98 Degrees, Blind Melon, Mike and the Mechanics, The Spin Doctors, Goo Goo Dolls, and Master P.

Rather indifferent about the rest, except that they're full of shit for thinking Jamiroquai is bad.

roymond wrote:

Caravan Ray wrote:...just to move this along a bit. Apparently last year Blender magazine had a list of the 50 Worst Acts of All Time:

I don't know what they could possibly mean by this..."worst acts" meaning "live" acts? Did they base this on one show or 20? and at what point in their careers?
.

I think they just used "acts" meaning recording artists - bands, duos, solos whatever - I don't think it was referring to live performances as such.

john m wrote:Rather indifferent about the rest, except that they're full of shit for thinking Jamiroquai is bad.

...hate to be the one to break it to you, but Jamiroquai is bad

Any "best of" or "worst of" list by a music magazine must include out-of-place entries, as well as not including entries that deserve to be there. If they just listed 50 truly awful acts, their list would not be talked about.

"Music Mag Creates Thoughtful "Best Of" List; Nobody Argues, Cares"

roymond wrote:[
22. Primus - i could see them sucking live but the albums are cool.
.

I saw them in Vancouver last year... they most definitely did NOT suck live!!!

I believe they have the gigs all available for download at their website... so you could possibly hear for yourself!

It was a "reunited" tour with Tim Alexander back on drums. and it was the best damn concert I'd been to in years.

Primus says they suck, but they don't.
Of course, I've only heard the live recordings (including some of non-legal origin) but I liked them quite a bit.
You guys inspired me to interrupt my songfight-a-thon with LZ "Kashmir" which is probably my favorite of theirs.
-bill

Caravan Ray wrote:...hate to be the one to break it to you, but Jamiroquai is bad

Tough argument to beat, there.

Leaf wrote:I seriously doubt you've actually listened to Iron Butterfly ..... Moby Dick is pretty good, not really mind blowing, but In a gadda da vida??????

yes, i have. at least, i listened to side 2 of that record approximately once anyway, i know full well how dull that drum solo is, and i was using it as comparison to say how truly bad i think the "moby dick" solo is...

tviyh wrote:the drum solo in "moby dick", ...... is WAY WAY WAY overrated ...... essentially it is even less exciting than the solo in "in-a-gadda-da-vida".

Ok, but c'mon. Moby Dick isn't bad. Maybe from your perspective, you didn't dig it, but as a definitive statement deservering of comparision to a dull, boring wacked out goof fest like IB's In Gadda...well, you deserve to be called to task on that one!
OPINION: I didn't like it.
ATTEMPT AT A FACT: Here's my proof.

See the difference?

The section where Bonham plays very quick, precise triplets with his hands... no sticks... that is very tough to do... without bashing your hands,and he gets great tone on that part too.... ah... forget it. You are entitled to your opinion. Even if it's wrong.

Caravan Ray wrote:list

The Doors? Who's the foo' writing this list?

tviyh wrote: as are the stories behind some of the parts (like the one about "four sticks" which i'm sure everyone has heard so i won't repeat it here ...

I actually haven't heard it. Please repeat.

how could anyone put manowar on a 'worst' list?

jute gyte wrote:how could anyone put manowar on a 'worst' list?

C'mon!!! I like my metal, but Manowar is terrible!! They make King Diamond look like a plantinum selling artist!!!


Have you ever seen or heard Thor??

I'd gladly replace Manowar with Thor...and throw Anvil in there too... they were god awful.

Anyone compiling a "worst" list needs to tread lightly, because usually, to make a worst list, the people you're naming also need to be relatively popular, and thus more successful than the person writing the list.

Generic wrote:Anyone compiling a "worst" list needs to tread lightly, because usually, to make a worst list, the people you're naming also need to be relatively popular, and thus more successful than the person writing the list.

Fame, success and wealth are all different things. One can be famous, yet unsuccessful or poor...

c hack wrote:

Caravan Ray wrote:list

The Doors? Who's the foo' writing this list?

I'm very fond of The Doors myself. I think Jim was a wonderful singer and Robbie Krieger did great guitar stuff.

BUT

I can step back and look objectively and see that a lot of people could very easily consider them to be a pack of total toss-pots.

I think an 'I love/hate the Doors' argument would end up similar to our 'I love/hate Pink Floyd' argument. (...I won't even dare to suggest that Pink Flyd should be on the list)

Yeah, the Doors were one of those bands where they managed to concoct a great but relatively narrow "sound", and had pretty much explored all there was to that sound by the time Morrison died. Great band? No. Important band? Definitely.

Bar band? Totally.

c hack wrote:

tviyh wrote: as are the stories behind some of the parts (like the one about "four sticks" which i'm sure everyone has heard so i won't repeat it here ...

I actually haven't heard it. Please repeat.

well, okay.
according to legend, led zep had laid down most of the tracks for the (as-yet-untitled) song but bonham couldn't come up with a drum part he was happy with. frustrated, they decided to put the song aside. then, they took a break from recording to go check out cream in concert. it's a fairly well-known fact that there was some friendly rivalry going on between john bonham and ginger baker. anyway, after seeing the show and being blown away by baker's playing, bonham was inspired to do some pretty impressive stuff himself, so he went back into the studio and grabbed a pair of sticks in each hand and attacked the drums with some degree of ferocity. the song became known as "four sticks" after that.