Do you see genius in any music artists that aren't known for it?

[mvd]

Michelle Branch is a new pop master IMO.

Abba was a pop genius group.

Kay Hanley is a pop genius.

Jimmy Eat World also has pop mastery.

Barenaked Ladies get too little credit for their wit and pop mastery. Just listen to "Maybe Katie" from the new album - it's a power pop great.

Linda Ronstadt was more than just a very good singer - her versions of songs held up, too. Some don't think they did.

And I'm sure some more.

There are other little known ones who are great, but from what I've seen, they are recognized.

What are yours?

[jimbo fett]

1. Fountains of Wayne and Wilco are two more contremporary groups that

I think are head and shoulders above what gets on the radio around here.

[mvd]

3. I agree

Just seems that those two get rave reviews. :-)

[jimbo fett]

5. I'm not sure what the critics say. I don't read too much music criticism..

anymore. I find most of it useless.

I happened upon both of them through a friend.

[mvd]

15. I don't care about critics either

I usually know what I like and don't like. :-)

But these groups do get a lot a praise that I agree with.

[Red_Storm]

33. Definitely agree about Wilco.....an enormously talented group.....

Being There, Summer Teeth, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, .....all great albums as well as their collaborations with Billy Bragg........

[RandomKoolzip]

2. Hall and Oates

I've always felt they've gotten short sheeted in the crtics' bed.

[jimbo fett]

4. Good call RKZ. I just bought their latest CD this week. They still are

producing great music. Their greatest hits album is always close at hand.

[Intelsucks]

6. Now I'm really confused.

H&O is about the last thing I ever thought I would see you praise... Based on your posts I've seen in other music threads. :shrug:

[jimbo fett]

8. They're a "guilty pleasure." PSSSST. don't tell Intelbytes but I like

Cheap Trick, .38 Special and ZZ Top.

[RandomKoolzip]

11. Cheap Trick's first album is sheer brilliance.

Probably my third or fourth favorite album of all time. Lots of great stuff after that too. Still a wonderful group; "Scent of A Woman," their last single, should have been a HUGE hit, it was fantastic.

38 Special? Enh.

ZZ Top? Sure, before they got synths, they were great.

[mvd]

14. Yes, I can add Cheap Trick to my list

I'm a big power-pop fan.

[RandomKoolzip]

18. Rigth on, me too.

HAve you heard the new Brendan Benson album, "Lapalco?" Total power pop elysium. Jason Falkner plays all the instruments on it.


Power pop, to me, is like the last vestige of what Rock and Roll is SUPPOSED to sound like. I can't hear a connsection between the Beatles and Techno or hip hop or Radiohead; but I do hear echoes of real rock in The Wrens, Guided by Voices, Sloan, Matthew Sweet, etc.

[mvd]

46. No, I haven't heard it

Thanks, I'll try to take a listen. I've also seen a lot of praise for the Wrens here.

[Intelsucks]

20. I like "speak now, or forever hold your peace" - Great song!

n/t

[RandomKoolzip]

22. That whole album....man....

Out of nowhere, y'know? "Oh, Candy?" SHit, where'd they get that stuff? Plus the production is PERFECT. The bass sounds like a bass, the drums are boomy and natural, there's a thin layer of distortion on everything, as it should be, and Zander...fuckin' Zander....If I could sing like that, I'd never leave the house, I'd just be going off all day to amuse myself!

[Intelsucks]

24. Oh, Candy...

I always wondered if they really knew a chic named Candy who killed herself. It sounds like she had a major self-esteem problem.

[RandomKoolzip]

26. It's about a gay male friend of their's...

Who did indeed kill himself.

[Intelsucks]

27. Hmmm... I didn't know that. I thought it was about a girl.

shit. I'm gonna have to play it tonight.

[jimbo fett]

35. Intelsucks... that's not geezer rock. What are you doing listening to it?

It was recorded AFTER color TV came. ;-)

[Intelsucks]

37. It's kind of on the "geezer" cusp, I guess.

n/t

[jus_the_facts]

71. Ooooooo.....LIVE AT BUDOKAN......

....and ONE ON ONE....I LOVE CHEAP TRICK!!! :o :o :o

....there's a DU'er who toured with 'em...and played my town in the 80's in fact "...the dream police...*POLICE....POLICE*..." :D

.."...I'm on my ooown...home all alone..." :evilgrin:

[RandomKoolzip]

9. Not trying to be willfully contrary or anything...

It's just my tastes are pretty catholic (and I'm an atheist!).

As I said on some other thread, for every artist I hate, I can name ten more I LOVE.

[lazarus]

7. Amen

Incredible artists. Some of the vocals they've put together are just astounding.

I'd add the Bee Gees to this list. Very underrated group.

[RandomKoolzip]

10. Oh yeah, the BeeGees. Another great one.

Barry Gibb...a white guy wrote "To Love Somebody?!?!" ANd he's AUSTraLIAN?!? Amazing.

Seriously, they were very talented and came up with some great songs and a unique sound.

[Character Assassin]

12. The only group whose harmonies made the Beach Boys jealous

Man, could those sumbiatches write (and perform) songs.

[Whitacre D_WI]

13. "Sara Smile" is possibly the best "blue-eyed soul" record

EVER.

[RandomKoolzip]

16. And should push come to shove...

"Rich Girl" is my favorite song OF ALL TIME. Seriously, there's an underrated song, talking about class in America in an innocuous pop song (and the arrangement is pure milk and honey.)

19. anybody Fripp likes

gets my vote.
http://www.elephant-talk.com/rfmusic/sacred.htm
Daryl Hall - Sacred Songs
Personnel:
Daryl Hall (vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, mandar)
Robert Fripp (guitar, frippertronics)
Roger Pope (drums)
Kenny Passarelli (bass)
Caleb Quaye (guitar)
Charlie de Cahnt (saxophone, backing vox)
David Kent (backing vox)

[dawn]

53. Funny you mentioned them

My husband and I secretly like to listen to their Greatest Hits CD.

[XNASA]

17. Todd Rundgren, perhaps.

His best best known work is "Hello, It's Me" and "Bang the Drum All Day". But his fans consider those songs throwaways. Well maybe not HIM so much, but his best work, the stuff that is genius, is not well known.

I'll second Cheap Trick.

I'll also put the Raspberries and 10cc on the list.

I can't think of any artist that's current that I'd put in that category. Seems like all the well-known new artists are tremendously over-rated, not under-rated.

[musiclawyer]

40. Todd Rungren No 10CC yes Zombies maybe

I think Todd Rungren is pretty well known as a musical great. So he's probably off this particyular list. 10CC on the other hand, pure genius-- all four could sing, play, write, produce. Could you imagine how great they could have been had they stayed together past 1976. I swear that if their lyrics were a little less cartoonish and more serious, they'd be hall of famers already. But musically, they are ahead of their time. Still ahead of their time..........
Zombies are considered genius by a lot of people especially in the UK. But that perception might not be shared enoough such that they might be on this list. Any serious fan of progressive rock music must listen to "Oracle and Odyssey" LP

[jimbo fett]

21. "The Darkness" is getting a lot of great press but I think that

other than that one single "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" that they're just complete ripoff artists.

Look at their cover art and costumes. Their CD cover is a ripoff of every Kansas/Boston/Journey album ever made. And the lead singer hops around in a white jumpsuit just like Freddie Mercury.

[jimbo fett]

23. Marshall Crenshaw and (I can't believe I'm about to say this)...

Icehouse.

[RandomKoolzip]

25. Everyone is a rip off artist.

There is no originality left. What makes an artist distinctive is how they synthesize their influences and WHICH previous artists they're ripping off. Me, I'd much rather hear a new group ripping off Freddie Mercury than hear the latest "thug" ripping off Tupac or the latest pop commodity ripping off Madonna or Alanis....plus, they ARE playing actual ROCK (on real instruments; it's sad, but the standards have really become THIS low that actaully playing instruments is no longer a given), which is a definite plus in my book.

[Susang]

28. Thomas Dolby

Like it or not, his influence as a performer and producer helped change the way music was recorded.

[RandomKoolzip]

29. Yeas, but for the worse...

It took about ten years before we started to hear a natural drum sound again on major label rock/pop records after his "innovations."

I HATE Synth-pop, synth drums, synth every-damn-thing.

[jimbo fett]

31. Oh, nooooo, RKZ. Don't diss synthpop. Synths can be used for good.

[RandomKoolzip]

34. I can think of a few examples off the top of my head...

Of good synthy music:

The Blue Nile: "Hats"
Brian Eno: "Another Green World"
Blue Oyster Cult: "Shooting Shark" (great single)
some random Krautrock
Bruce Cockburn: "The Trouble With Normal"

and maybe (MAYBE) a few others.

But I cannot stand the rest of it. That tinny, brittle synth-rock sound we suffered thru in the 80's left a very negative impression on me....

[Whitacre D_WI]

43. Mmmm... Krautrock.

I see plenty of love on this board for Can, Faust, Kraftwerk -- and I suppose there must be a Tangerine Dream fan or two here as well, but...

Anybody here like Neu! or Amon Daal II? Good stuff.

I actually like quite a bit of synth music as long as the synthesizer is treated as an instrument of its own accord, not something to use in a sad attempt to mimic the sounds of other instruments. You know Joe Byrd? He was a true innovator with the synth, and made a couple of great records.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

48. THE ASSOCIATES! THE ASSOCIATES! THE ASSOCIATES!

No one has a damned clue who I'm talking about, do they?

[Susang]

39. Are you an analog snob?

:evilgrin:

[RandomKoolzip]

41. Damn skippy!

I just prefer the sound of music made in the small band format, utilizing guitars, bass, and drums. You know, ROCK.

[jimbo fett]

42. Well, heck, let's go completely anti-technology and record in mono. ;-)

[Susang]

75. Ahhhh.....Rock

Not a word that has a very specific definition, is it? Tends to mean something differerent to everyone.

It always amazes me how many musicians demonize new technology, not understanding that it's how it is used that makes the difference. Remember, a lot of people were very, very angry at Bob Dylan when he used an (gasp!) electric guitar. }(

[Red_Storm]

32. Really ?

[Susang]

38. Yes.

n/t

[OneBlueSky]

30. Robert Randolph . . .

is something of a genius on the steel guitar, imo . . .

[rppper]

36. had brad nowell not offed himself with heroin......

sublime would be huge right now...nuff said

in that vein, i think people give 311 way to much grief...they have a lot of talent, and they get better with each record they make.

[dawgman]

47. 311 has always been one of my guilty pleasures.

[FDRrocks]

76. I second 311

Chad Sexton is the reason I picked up drumsticks. To this day I'm convinced hes a robot. Thier guitarist Tim comes up with some an amazing lines and is the nicest guy ever. SA and Nicks vocals mix real well and P-nut has such obvious genius.

Propagandhi would be another band that I think is amazing. Thier last record and thier new sound is sick.

[jimbo fett]

44. INXS. I know they were popular for awhile but the critics didn't really

like them much.

Their early albums like "Shabooh Shoobah" and "The Swing" were genius.

"Listen Like Thieves" and "Kick" are great even though they had mass appeal as well.

And "Elegantly Wasted" really reflected the angst that pushed lead singer Michael Hutchance to committ suicide.

[jus_the_facts]

68. Michael was a GOD...who never failed to get MY ASS up and dance....

.....waste of talent...and HE WAS SO FINE!!!:cry:

[qwertyMike]

45. The Kinks

Mountain
Rory Gallagher

51. yes, Rory!

as you can see I put him on this poll the other day, cause I've got a high opinion of him

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=591318

[qwertyMike]

54. Too bad his liver exploded

two years ago.

We Irish!!!!!!!!!!
I used to watch him play at college dances in Ireland.
He was a GOD in Europe - he had no interest in conquering the USA

Crrcted fr drnkn Irsh spling

[musiclawyer]

72. No . the Kinks are one of the rock gods

well know fact to anyone with a clue over 30 and to the establishment. Hell, they were one of the first in the hall of fame. They don't satisfy criteria on this list.

[felonious thunk]

49. Jimmy Buffett

I don't think he's ever been much of a critical favorite, but he's written many witty/clever songs that span many topics, and creates some really great character sketches. They aren't all wonders of poetry, but he has a nice niche and there's at least one real gem on every album.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

50. Julian Cope, when he's on form.

But that's all too rare.

[Whitacre D_WI]

57. I really like half of "My Nation Underground,"

half of "Peggy Suicide," half of "Fried," half of "Autogeddon," and half of "St. Julian."


My God, "World Shut Your Mouth" is a dreadful album, though.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

58. Yeah, that's the problem. He seriously needs an editor.

But when he's on form, like Safesurfer, Reward, Treason, Laughing Gas, I come from another planet, baby et al, he's great.

[Bertha Venation]

52. Dixie Chicks

They're not just pretty faces who can sing. They're all accomplished instrumentalists, and their harmonies & blend are sublime. Genius? I don't know. But I think their musicianship is vastly overshadowed by pop success (not to mention controversy).

[qwertyMike]

55. OOOOH YEAH!!!!!!!!!

[Bertha Venation]

56. dude... your tag line has me ROFL

thanks :7

[qwertyMike]

63. rlly?

nobdy evr mntned tht bfr

[Bertha Venation]

74. stop!

:7

[jimbo fett]

59. The Fixx

They were great before, during and after their peak in popularity.

I love their greatest hits.

[jus_the_facts]

67. "....One thing....ooooo one thing leads to annnoooother!"

.....LESS THAN ZERO!!!:loveya:

[musiclawyer]

73. I love the Fixx, have all their LPs...

they had a unique own style and were very innovative--but not genius in my humble opinion

[proud patriot]

60. Yes ..My Dad

:hi:

[dawgman]

61. Faith No More.

They rocked....

[jimbo fett]

62. Good one!

[Karenina]

64. Yeah.

Every time I look in a mirror! :silly:

[jus_the_facts]

65. GOV"T MULE......

....comes to my mind first in this catagory....their stuff is beyond awesome! :loveya:

[jus_the_facts]

66. OZZY too in fact.....I LOVE BLACK SABBATH..."they BLOW ME AWAY!"

...GOTTA SEE THE ROCK 'N' ROLL DOCTORS....OZZY...BILL WARD...GEEZER BUTLER...AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST TONI IOMMI...OOOOO RIGHT AWAY!!! :evilgrin:


.....so listen to me...hear what I say yeah....if you don't hear the things that I say....today....Nobody will change me anyway....NO WAY.....nobody's gonna change my world that's something to unreal...Nobody will change the way I feel.....:o TECHNICAL ECSTASY

[Insider]

69. Destiny's Child

for what it is, their repertoire is quite good.

remember Level 42? always thought they deserved more credit. love 'em still.

[cedahlia]

70. Tori Amos, anyone?

She's one of those artists that usually evokes a passionate response...you either absolutely love her, or can't stand her. Of everyone I know, I only know two other people who are into really into her. I'm definitely one who absolutely loves her, so I'm biased, but to me she deserves the label of genius. Her body of work is just amazing...it can be haunting, raw, and heartbreaking, while also melodic, beautiful, and uplifting.