Here I am, a Johnny-Come-Lately getting on the tail end (again).
There are very few singers or bands whose recordings I strongly dislike. It’s more that I feel underwhelmed given their popularity.
Ive never been a Bruce Springfield or Grateful Dead fan. Same with Dave Matthew’s — I don’t get the attraction. I’m not impressed by most stuff from the Allman Brothers. I generally don’t care for Rod Stewart, though I very much enjoyed “Hot Legs” — I think some voices are just right for a given song, though generally dissatisfying.
I personally enjoy some of Australian singer Kasey Chambers’ music, though I understand how some find her “baby voice” grating. I’m not a fan of anything by White Snake of Black Crowes — radio station gets changed immediately. I don’t understand at all the popularity of Billie Eilish.
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@immatthewj I don't hate Brucey. I just think he is boring and unimaginative and his main talent is marketing. What triggered me is the trashing of the Queen. They are simply not in the same league. It's like Olympic finals vs. middle school little league.
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vague or meaningless unless you can enlighten us with some reasoning behind it
@mylogic
Maybe you can do the same and shine some light for us on your bizarre hatred of Edith Piaf.
Today, it is 99.9% impossible to accidentally hear Edith Piaf’s songs, unlike most of the sound makers on @bzawa ’s list, whose "art" is liable to assault our ears as we enter any number of tire stores, job sites and midbrow supermarkets. So what’s your problem with a largely forgotten white French chanteuse?
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@mylogic it was so much easier to just make a list. Anyway...
I like artists that experiment, are unique (at least to me), who don't rely on the same formula (Talking Heads, XTC, Yes, Eno, Genesis, Bowie, just to name a few of the more well known artists). Bad Company, Foreigner and BTO are formulaic. As are Motorhead, Motley Crew, Bon Jovi, Kiss, Guns n Roses and these guys have to add juvenile lyrics and awful vocals and dumb costumes. For me, none of these guys provide any emotional impact.
Frankie Valli and Natalie Merchant are probably very nice people, i just don't like their voices. Give me Kate Bush or Regina Spektor or Roger Daltry or Robert Wyatt.
I've know quite a number of people who loved Elvis but really didn't know much about or weren't interested in other music. I guess this isn't a good reason to not like Elvis, but I don't, especially the Los Vegas Elvis.
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@immatthewj That's Springsteen? That's quite good. Is it from Jungle Land?
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@immatthewj sorry they jumped you I was having some fun with it.
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@devinplombier
….shine some light on Edith Piaf
It may well be considered bizarre my knee jerk reaction/recoil often resulting when hearing Edith Piaf. I would like you to revisit my original post.
There was no mention on my part of any critical appraisal or any opinion as to whether her musical style was good or bad. This was intentional to keep critical comments off the table. This approach was to not taint my original posts question which was simply….’’Are there any recording artists you just can’t listen to?’’
All music is subjective and l was not wanting to start a slanging match from members just offering up different opinions and criticisms on each others musical tastes. I will however for the sake of clarity now offer up why l personally can’t listen to this artist.
Francophiles may well love the little sparrow but l find her voice nasal, not an attractive tone, has too much vibrato and with the exaggerated R’s tongue trilling a very bumpy ride. When the RRR’s come rattling off it reminds me of a machine gun, and that is why for me it triggers an emotional reaction for all the wrong reasons.
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it also freaks me out when people talk about God and Jesus so out of context. After all He gave us trump, inadvertently, like Tesla owners did.
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@bzawa
Thank you for your detailed reply regarding your list of artists.
So many replies are one liners. It is interesting your comments on experimentation and widening of some singers range and reinventing themselves. David Bowie springs to mind.
As regards Elvis, l single out ‘Any Day Now’ as a very short effective track that l believe was the B side to ‘In the Ghetto’ It’s amazing how many Elvis ‘fans’ don’t even know it.
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Somebody mentions XTC in a positive sense. Thanks.
Not a Queen fan, and perhaps a bit of a hater.
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In 10 years, nobody will listen to Bruce. In a 100 years, Queen will be bigger than today.
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I had a Basset Hound that would quietly get up and leave the room if I played any acoustic guitar...insulting, as I'm a damn good guitar player...he's gone but I'm still upset about it.
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@wolf_garcia
Similar reaction with my Fathers dog, a very alert Bob Martin terrier. The dog would start howling every time l played a particular Ennio Morricone composition with the dominant instrument being the flugelhorn played by Oscar Valdenbrini. It was a source of constant amusement…. Whenever l slipped the offending track on he thought he was part of a wolfpack.
Footnote:- @devinplombier
Invokes a ‘’similar reaction’’ from me when l am inadvertently ambushed by Edith Piaf on the radio. Thankfully l resisted the urge to do so in a cinema viewing Saving Private Ryan when that sequence appeared.
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To truly appreciate Edith Piaf you would have had to see her in person.
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@jpwarren58
I think you meant to say….. to have to hear her in person.
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Small frame BIG sound.
Mireille Mathieu springs to mind…..The late 1960s rebirth version of the modern Edith Piaf sound. Often a quest on TV variety shows (with Topo Gigio) on Saturday and Sunday nights in the UK, even though not many viewers actually knew what she was singing about.
After thought with me thinking back….. Edith, Mireille and Topo do all kinda look alike
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Bruce Springsteen makes my skin crawl. My kid loves him, but I've always hated his voice, and I'm old. I'm also no fan of the xylophone (in rock - it's ok when it belongs), but Bruce seemed to use it allot (in rock).
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John Denver!! I have never heard a recording I could listen to. Very awful recordings everyone I have heard is very bright and very thin. It not the music it is the recordings.
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Only thing worse then Springsteen are his fans, what a tosser!
How did supporting Kamala work out for you? Did you get a Mill the same as Oprah and Sharpton?
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I cannot listen to springsteen or bono. I recognize they have talent but for many insulting reasons just not my cup of tea.
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I almost forgot because they are totally unforgetable - KISS
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@mylogic ....and, in the end....
the love and hate your share...with your friends.... ;)
I’ll put this forum in my "Personally, The Better Ones’ " site file; mentioned earlier, it deserved being on a Brit Hit List. Even if only a source of cathartic leeching, it’s been and hopefully not burn out....
Nothing like cheap therapy for the masses.
Anytime a counterperson asks "Anything else?"
Yeah, money and therapy. But if I have the former I won’t need the latter...
...stalls ’em nearly every time.... ’face blanks out’...but everyone agrees. *S* ;)
Anyway....
I don’t like everything, but I don’t hate anything in general, either. There’s the onehitwonders that stick in ones’ head, something that one trips over and later did that Better....’shuffle-dance’ shorts with a good backing track are just fun, makes you want to dance well beneath your years into some semblance of fitness or fits...
Lyrics that hook into a corner of the mind, riffs that ripple, beats that drive the heart a bit faster.....all too brief escapes from the daily fear ’n loathing...
Music as an escape hatch to a preferable plane...
Sometimes noticing a glitch that made it to the cutter are amusing....i.e. at 2:05~2:06... Sometimes one can just excuse using ’fame’ to make a better buck for the time.... it’s a commercial enterprise after all, friend @erik_squires, and fame is fleet of foot.... a movie on the inside of your forehead...a one man stand of a sad tale of bittersweet.....’roaring forties’, indeed....👍👏
Music as a mural for one’s ears...if you don’t like one view, there’s near limitless others to indulge.....or just go for a laugh...even if cheap...because this wasn’t. *L*
Indulge your own version of ’drain bamage’...
Cheers, J
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The Moldy Peaches. Saw them open for The Strokes. I was truly amazed. It was the first time I heard an artist that had absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
They were so completely awful I bought one of their albums out of sheer curiosity. Horrific.
Artists that get hate (Bieber, Bolton, Nickelback, Mitch Miller, One Direction, etc.) I at least understand why their target audience loves them. The only audience for The Moldy Peaches is talentless NYC art school music-haters trying to be "clever".
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@hickamore Jonathan Livingston Seagull - the height of my mother's Neil Diamond phase which scarred my pre teen ears mightily.
May as well add old Neil to the can't listen to list.
Just heard Michael Franks on my favorite streaming station this morning - his breathy lisp is tough to take too.
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@hickamore
Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
Poor old Neil. I had to go with my partner to see/hear Neil in London. It was one of his last concerts before retiring on medical grounds. The voice was still pretty good to be honest and he did a full two hour set without a break.
What did impress was his attention to detail as he covered music from his entire career. I thought he would leave out difficult songs that he may not have still been able to sing as well. What did surprise me was the three song medley with some very impressive back projection to the music of the above film soundtrack. For me, and not being a real fan, it was the main thing l remember from the night.
l know my post is about “what artists you can’t stand listening too”, but hearing Neil ‘live’ did improve my respect for the performer, and his music.
Has anyone else reversed an imbedded opinion of an artist after attending a live performance?
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Ace was the worst live band I've ever seen or heard. Kind of a one hit wonder but they were terrible live.
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Rap. And any other Urban style trash
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Neil Diamond was singing “Song Sung Blue” in the delivery room (where I worked) when my third son was born. This was unforgivable (I never liked him anyway). OMG. Later I got to know Ron Tutt, his drummer, who, without mentioning it, I forgave as he had earlier had the same job with Elvis.
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@mylogic I hope you are not under the mistaken impression that I dislike Neil Young. I love NY and always have! Southern Man and Ohio are at the top of all social conscience rock. They can inhabit my head for days, all these years later. Lyrics are few, spare, and evocative, while the guitar lines tell the tales. Who else can do that? Powderfinger is a work of genius on every level. Et cetera, et cetera. The one I can't abide is the talentless James Taylor. Let there be no confusion on this! NY forever, JT never.
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@hickamore
Neil & Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
Just to clarify that @gdoke and myself were talking about the other Neil….not Neil Young of Southern Man, and Ohio
No objection to Neil Young or when ‘older’ in CSN&Y myself.
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@bzawa
@immatthewj That's Springsteen? That's quite good. Is it from Jungle Land?
The lyrics are the opening verse of Thunder Road, from the same lp as Jungleland.
At the risk of beating a dead horse, I have a slightly different take on Springsteen than I’ve seen represented in this discussion. If you didn’t see the E St. band perform before 1976, it may be hard to believe that they were among the most vital bands in rock ‘n’ roll at the time. They were stunning.
While I don’t listen much to them anymore, I think the first three Springsteen albums reveal genuine songwriting talent. After that, I feel Springsteen lost his muse. There are the occasional gems scattered among his songs of the last 50 years, but I’m not inclined to search them out.
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Forgot to add Crosby Stills & Nash. Epitomizes much of what dislike most in popular music.
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George Thorogood, Billy Joel any Rappers.
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George Thorogood, Billy Joel any Rappers.
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Reviewing this thread over the nine days.
May l thank all the members on here for taking an interest in this, my first posting on Audiogon.
7444 views and 347 postings in racking up a near 5% response rate which is way above the normal ‘posting’ averages. Those who contributed pushed the post to the top section of the charts.
Many replies have been straight lists but some have been very comical, analytical, bizarre and entertaining. Although my original idea for this subject was to ask if anyone had a physical negative reaction to artists and their music, it became a top discussion point for other reasons too. A sense of banter and light hearted ribbing unintentionally added to the fun element for the neutral reader.
The only negative l can draw was for one particular artist that was mentioned continually and was more prevalent than any others…..poor old Bruce (followed by the runner up, Bob) No need for surnames…….
The post will probably be confined to Audiogon history in a few days, but many thanks from myself to all those who have taken time out viewing and commenting.
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Apologies typo …. 337 posts.
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OP..."I had to go with my partner to see/hear Neil in London" No...you didn't have to go, you did that to yourself...
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I agree with quite a few of these like Dylan ( I like a few songs) Bruce S., like someone else said Tori Amos and all those other gals from that era. Rap, country, most females singers period as I'm a 90% instrumental person.
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@chrisoshea
‘’l had to go with my partner to see/hear Neil in London’.
Your comment…. ‘’No…you didn’t have to go, you did that to yourself…’’
Hmmmmm
No…l REALLY ‘’had to go’’
1. It was her birthday treat from her son.
2. The son was an exec working for The Bank of Canada and had reserved all the tickets in the Banks corporate hospitality box, complete with bar and waiter service.
3. Concert was at the O2 and all expenses paid.
4. Last point…most important. l did not say l disliked Neil Diamond.
This post has brought out the best and worst in responders, but l’m not really complaining….just saying.
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Too bad "Katy Perry sings the Edith Piaf Songbook" wasn't the opening act....Yeah.."Concert was at the O2 and all expenses paid." What an inducement...all the Zima you could drink ??? NO you didn't HAVE to go...
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@chrisoshea
“Katy Perry” with the “Champagne Perry”
Lovely thought!
“Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker”……Gene Wilder
I’m more of a chocolate and nuts guy! Oh what am l saying….that was on display in abundance too.
The real deal….for you and the neutral readers.
I admire the British composer Christopher Gunning and his TV and Film scores, but l couldn’t drag myself screaming to see “La Vie en Rose”. Avoiding the cinema I also decided not to buy his original music from the film even though l have the majority of his output in my collection. I wanted to ward off hearing the songs and the whole thing. I mean…..”l don’t mind a bit of pain, but l do draw the line at excruciation” Frankie Howard from the film, “The House in Nightmare Park”.
l found l “had to go” for the sake of family harmony, haven’t you ever had too?
By the way l still have in my collection the lovely fold-out original soundtrack LP and DVD of “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” and a few of Neil’s albums bought over 50 years ago. Nuff said l think, but l do enjoy the banter….As we say in the UK, bottoms up, Cheers!
Final thought….whats your fav Edith song?
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@immatthewj
“After reading this thread l’m going to look for some Edith Piaf CDs to buy”
11 days later……
Just wondering if you did (brave man uprising) what you threatened to do and actually go down that long and winding road?
lf you have bought some CDs…..did you later require any medical assistance?
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Michael Franks…I feel creepy just typing it.
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@chrisoshea
….this gem of an LP
l have learnt something tonight. Did not realise she vocalised in English. Apparently it was a peculiarity that Edith dropped a lot of the tongue warbling rrrrr’s in English. Plus the songs were a little less furiously rattled off.
Maybe l will have no regrets if trying to listen in English?
Didn’t Neil Diamond also sing a song with “no regrets” in the lyrics?
NOOO, it was Waylon Jennings …….and a few others.
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Just went to YouTube to hear Edith Piaf.
She sounds not unlike an operatic munchkin.
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