Many of the voters on here can't possibly be rock fans voting for bands like Zep, Black Sabbath, Dylan, Floyd, ACDC. If you don't like these then you don't like Rock - so quit giving input on a rock thread and go listen to your jazz or easy listening or whatever . . .
Nickelback is the worst rock band ever. KISS also really, really sucks.
Jack White is okay by me if he convinced Jimmy Page and The Edge to make a great movie with him. That's very good company.
Ascension to worst-ever R&R band should require a multi-part test, something like the Supreme Court's definition of pornography: (1) high bombast + (2) pretentious self-seriousness + (3) technical incompetence + (4)broad if ephemeral popularity. In my lifetime it's Grand Funk Railroad.
I chuckle at some of the responses, as I remember, for some odd reason, one of the Lp's I bought in 1970 was Black Sabbath, "Paranoid". Can't listen to it today.
I also have in my Lp collection many of the bands mentioned, plus more that should be listed in this thread, but haven't yet. Do they get air time? No. Will I get rid of them? Probably not. I have purchased many in bulk, and I know there is an Adam Ant in there, along with a Boy George, just two off the top of my head. Some day after I'm gone somebody will get a good laugh as they go through the collection and wonder just what on earth was wrong with that guy???!!!
Kiss Rolling Stones Dylan Springsteen Aerosmith Styx after 2nd album punk Patti Smith New York Dolls most SANTANA after Gregg Rolie Journey after Gregg Rolie new wave Elvis Costello Sting GENESIS since Dude ska reggae most metal death metal LOL
Deep Purple after Ian Gillan, so 1973 already Uriah Heep after great David Byron, Spring 1976 already Blue Öyster Cult after Albert Bouchard Procol Harum after B.J. Wilson Black Sabbath after Ozzy Osbourne and especially WITH Ian Gillan Queen after 1976
Very special nominations: 1) Yes without Jon Anderson 2) Boston without Brad Delp
New thread for me, and though I haven't read them all (love Harold's nomination of Procol Harum, but for me it was with Matthew Fisher's departure, after which Robin Trower's guitar playing came to the fore, which ruined them for me), conspicuous by their absence is the worst of which I'm aware, Blue Cheer. P f*ck*ng U!
Singers are often what I find most annoying in Rock Bands, so Geoff's nomination of Guns 'n' Roses is a great one. My choices are Michael McDonald/Doobie Brothers, Steve Perry/Journey, and Steven Tyler/Aerosmith.
The nominations above covered most of the bases, but Yoko is in a class by herself. You really couldn't call it music, and she rendered some of Lennon's work unlistenable with her screeching.
I would say that many bands go through a lot of phases, from stoned soul, out of sight, to trying to recreate their former boogie and not quite ever getting there. Its understandable (because I would also) how some people could not like certain bands that they did not hear during the bands best years which are often their earliest.
With that in mind, IMHO, I would remove from the worst rock band ever list: Pink Floyd, Springsteen (Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out), Grateful Dead (Loved Anthem to the Sun), Dylan, Buffet, Rolling Stones, Grand Funk (Some Kind of Wonderful, I'm Your Captain), Led Zeppelin, Steve Miller (Your Saving Grace) and BDP24, I agree with you on Blue Cheer but I did get into "Summertime Blues" on whatever album it was. Kind of had to be there then for that one.
You all are wrong! I was in a rock band and trust me it was the worst!!! We couldn't even come up with a name, and used a Wollensak reel-to-reel from school for recordings. Awful. Kenny
For anyone who hasn’t heard it yet, the sole album by The Shaggs is a real trip. They were a three-sister garage band out of New Hampshire in the late 60’s. That album became legendary for the girls complete ineptitude, and the perverse sense of humor of the members of NRBQ lead them to re-released it in the 70’s. Oh, it’s bad. But not as annoying to me as the singing of Michael McDonald, Steve Perry, and Steven Tyler. Or the enormous pretentiousness of the "classically-influenced" music made by "classically-trained" musicians such as Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. In fact, pretty much all "progressive" music. What’s the matter guys---not good enough to make it into a professional orchestra, playing genuine Classical music?
Brian Wilson took the knowledge gained by studying music theory and composition to write great songs, not record Classical music with 3/4/5 "band" instruments, music that was written to be performed by an orchestra. Hearing "Pictures At An Exhibition" performed by a Pop group is torture to me---ridiculous and disgusting.
Ah man, how could I have forgotten Iron Butterfly? Those first two albums are about as bad as it gets for me. And for narcissistic self-congratulatory music making, few bands are as bad as was Vanilla Fudge (except perhaps Journey). Absolutely dreadful. I lost a lot of respect for Jeff Beck when he hired those two clowns---Bogart and Appice. They are the kind of players who give musicians a bad name. Absurdly tasteless.
I would like to make mention of something that is not directly related to the topic. There were some albums/CDs that I loved the whole album or CD. But for a lot of albums and CDs, if not most, there might be four or five, or even just one song that I loved and after a once over of the rest of the songs I would just play that one song, over and over and over. Never got bored of it.
Darn, I almost forgot THE worst ones. Well, you see.... Back in 1975 in a record store I was looking at Kiss´ 1st album cover and I thought that is really bad. Not surprisingly, they were :) Years later when I saw those stupid poser faces of Guns´n´Roses dudes I realized I have been wrong all the way. They sucked even harder.
Here they instantly were start calling as Gunnarit, funny nick name isn´t it :) And in the 70´s we had Gary Glitter, aka Kari Kiilto
REO SPEEDWAGON....Thank god I dont have to listen to this @#$% anymore......I hated how some radio stations back in the 80's would play it non stop! Also, why are you all hating on STYX?? this band started young in High School and Had a Big 1st hit with "Lady" and then went on to make many records, the best of them was "The Grand Illusion", If you havent listened to it you should give it a spin. Maybe you'll change your mind.
STYX first albums with the lead guitarist John Curulewski are interesting because they approach to rock music is kinda progressive which is my fav (pop) music genre. However the "Man of Miracles" album saw them begun to turn into "mainstream", and I lost interest. Nevertheless, their leader Dennis DeYoung is kinda intellectual as he summarizes entertaining business on the "Return to Paradise" DVD, 1996 as "it´s somebody else´s fantasy, it´s all BS". Funny guy, isn´t he :)
At a live concert, Grand Funk Railroad. Unbelievably F... Got booed and still played on and progressively got worse. Thank the Lord and rainstorms, lightening scared them away.
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.