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Good songs by bad artists

jimmyjazz

By jimmyjazz
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irishtexan

irishtexan 11518

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I mean, I like the idea of those three people singing that song. And I know that Laura Jane Grace is actually living that song. The Mats version conveys the struggle of androgyny and the shit people who society called "a freak" had to deal with. But this version just feels wrong. It's FAR too upbeat/happy for my tastes. I suppose it's a reinterpretation to put a positive spin on the transition transexual people go through - that it doesn't have to be depressing and it's a beautiful thing to embrace your true identity. It just sits wrong with me

 

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 45909

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9 minutes ago, irishtexan said:

I mean, I like the idea of those three people singing that song. And I know that Laura Jane Grace is actually living that song. The Mats version conveys the struggle of androgyny and the shit people who society called "a freak" had to deal with. But this version just feels wrong. It's FAR too upbeat/happy for my tastes. I suppose it's a reinterpretation to put a positive spin on the transition transexual people go through - that it doesn't have to be depressing and it's a beautiful thing to embrace your true identity. It just sits wrong with me

 

I agree, that's pretty much the gut take I had although the performance is good.  But one thing this version did was make me appreciate how prescient Westerberg's lyrics were.  Not that androgyny or transgender issues were rare in that time, but I never really took the song as seriously as it deserved to be taken.  My fault, no doubt, but true just the same.

Edited by jimmyjazz
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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12461

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12 minutes ago, irishtexan said:

I mean, I like the idea of those three people singing that song. And I know that Laura Jane Grace is actually living that song. The Mats version conveys the struggle of androgyny and the shit people who society called "a freak" had to deal with. But this version just feels wrong. It's FAR too upbeat/happy for my tastes. I suppose it's a reinterpretation to put a positive spin on the transition transexual people go through - that it doesn't have to be depressing and it's a beautiful thing to embrace your true identity. It just sits wrong with me

 

I always found something sort of upbeat in the original's piano part.  By Westerberg standards, anyhow.

I get what you're saying though.

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Ollie Slatt

Ollie Slatt 289

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I was actually going to nominate Miley's "We Can't Stop" for this thread . . . but after watching some of these videos, I think she just does not belong in the thread.  

Definitely nuts though.  And I find her friendship/collaboration with Wayne Coyne odd (see https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jan/12/flaming-lips-wayne-coyne-on-miley-cyrus-acid-asap-rocky).   That guy somehow went from being one of the coolest guys in music circa 2001 to a sad, weird creepster.  His shtick is not aging well.    

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Mole

Mole 4330

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5 hours ago, Celery Man said:

Miley Cyrus actually fits in a weird sub category of .... artists who get hate but actually tend to be pretty good.  Or at least, Party in the USA and Wrecking Ball are both great songs and she's a monster vocalist.  But I doubt she wrote any of those songs.  Taylor Swift would as well except I don't think she gets lumped into that category.  Katy Perry also in that category.  But again I take this as being about songwriting.

1

I'd throw Lady Gaga in that same weird category. She's an outstanding singer and musician but you don't notice it with the act.

 

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12461

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2 minutes ago, Mole said:

I'd throw Lady Gaga in that same weird category. She's an outstanding singer and musician but you don't notice it with the act.

 

She doesn't have the child star/famous parent baggage though.  While it's not my thing, it was easier for me to respect Lady Gaga off the bat than it was to respect Miley Cyrus.

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ajax

ajax 2611

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Driving home late last night and this song came on. Didn't know who it was but was blown away by how good it was, especially the drum work.

Don't know if they're necessarily a bad band, I always hated their stupid name and I hated their big hit "Good". 

This song kicks ass though.

 

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TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 31456

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On 6/7/2018 at 8:29 AM, irishtexan said:

 

 

I absolutely think he's a bad artist. Don Henley writes self-indulgent soft-rock schlock that espouse all of the absolute shittiest values of the baby boomer generation. Boys of Summer included. BoS only kicks ass because Mike Campbell wrote the music. Don Henley is a shitty artist, and an even shittier human. #HotTakes #ComingInHot

Dude.jpg

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Grandioso

Grandioso 2592

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On 7/25/2021 at 2:02 PM, ajax said:

Driving home late last night and this song came on. Didn't know who it was but was blown away by how good it was, especially the drum work.

Don't know if they're necessarily a bad band, I always hated their stupid name and I hated their big hit "Good". 

This song kicks ass though.

 

Despite being a one-hit wonder nationally, Better than Ezra was a pretty legendary New Orleans band. I saw them at the Houston Rodeo cookoff on an outdoor stage and they fucking rocked everyone's asses off. I definitely hated "Good" and was a nonbeliever until then. 

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ztejas

ztejas 43419

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1 hour ago, Bender Bending Rodriguez said:

I had free tickets to a Better Than Ezra show at Numbers in Houston in the early 2000’s and liked the show enough to catch them again at a some HOB shows over the years. Good band that puts on a good live show. 

Third Eye Blind kills it live, too, if anyone ever gets a chance to go. You don't really have to love their music to have a good time. 

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0xdeadbeef

0xdeadbeef 1650

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On 6/5/2018 at 2:35 PM, jimmyjazz said:

So enough talk about shitty songs, bad bands, etc.  Share with me some good songs by artists who . . . weren't good.  Basically, "yeah, I can't stand that band, but you know that ONE song was pretty great".  This is tricky, because it forces the admission that maybe some horrible singer or band actually put 2 and 2 together one time and got 4.  A couple of examples:

 

 

You crazy bro.

You may not like Bryan Adams but there is no reality where he's a horrible singer or a 'bad band'.  Top 10 singles across 3 decades, 5 top 10 albums, and a shitload of great songs.   Cuts Like a Knife and Reckless are still listenable today. 

 

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ztejas

ztejas 43419

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2 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Holy autotune, Batman.

It's still Kid Rock. And a PJ backing, obviously. But I've always adored that song. The lyricism and subject matter is pretty poignant.

And I feel like it's just as much reverb and tremolo than autotune. 

And autotune or not it's the message behind it that I think far out does anything else he ever made. The mixing and production is great too in my book (again, again - a lot if it is ripped).

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DonkeyCigars

DonkeyCigars 144

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On 7/27/2021 at 2:20 PM, Grandioso said:

Despite being a one-hit wonder nationally, Better than Ezra was a pretty legendary New Orleans band. I saw them at the Houston Rodeo cookoff on an outdoor stage and they fucking rocked everyone's asses off. I definitely hated "Good" and was a nonbeliever until then. 

I knew of them from "Good" which I loved as a teenager and that's it.

One year, I think it was 09?, during Mardi Gras I ended up getting swept into a House of Blues where Better than Ezra was playing. Apparently Drew Brees and some Saints were there somewhere and the Lombardi Trophy made it's way to the stage.

You think Mardi Gras is cool? Mardi Gras + Super bowl celebration of a Saints win that happened a week or so prior = Insanity. But I digress, probably. Listened to that song linked above and think it sucks.

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66BUFF

66BUFF 2562

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On 6/7/2018 at 8:29 AM, irishtexan said:

 

 

I absolutely think he's a bad artist. Don Henley writes self-indulgent soft-rock schlock that espouse all of the absolute shittiest values of the baby boomer generation. Boys of Summer included. BoS only kicks ass because Mike Campbell wrote the music. Don Henley is a shitty artist, and an even shittier human. #HotTakes #ComingInHot

Saw him at Red Rocks back in the day and he wasted half of his 1.5 hour set talking politics.  Fuck that guy.

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Underdog

Underdog 28620

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On 6/5/2018 at 3:35 PM, jimmyjazz said:

So enough talk about shitty songs, bad bands, etc.  Share with me some good songs by artists who . . . weren't good.  Basically, "yeah, I can't stand that band, but you know that ONE song was pretty great".  This is tricky, because it forces the admission that maybe some horrible singer or band actually put 2 and 2 together one time and got 4.  A couple of examples:

 

 

What is it about Adams that galls your gizzards?  I rather dig his Top40 hits. 

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Mileslong

Mileslong 4727

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Britney Spears - Toxic 
Was actually written by a pop music dream team and originally "offered" to Kylie Minogue. All the sampling, guitar, etc. had nothing to do with the actual "artist." That said, Beyonce would have been perfect.

I don’t know a single song of hers except this one and it’s a catchy pop tune and a GREAT video





When I was a DJ as a freshman in college I take credit for being the first person in Dallas to play the Motels “Only the Lonely”, The Cars “Down Boys” and my submission here. CSB

Soft Cell “Tainted Love”. The B side was a single called Memorabilia.

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Napoleon

Napoleon 8676

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On 7/28/2021 at 2:27 AM, Rimbo said:

"we're mad that the actress in our video became more famous than we are so we're going to act like fuckheads"

 


Saw them in a group show at South Park Meadows in about 1994, which was good, because it was before the singer died.

They played this song... which was good, because it was the only song of theirs that anyone knew.

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hookem48

hookem48 4687

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On 7/28/2021 at 12:32 AM, 0xdeadbeef said:

You crazy bro.

You may not like Bryan Adams but there is no reality where he's a horrible singer or a 'bad band'.  Top 10 singles across 3 decades, 5 top 10 albums, and a shitload of great songs.   Cuts Like a Knife and Reckless are still listenable today. 

 

dude was in studio at 101 KLOL in Houston back in the '80s in the afternoon before his concert that night and sang 2 or 3 songs, fucking nailed them too.

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BarStella

BarStella 13

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On 7/29/2021 at 3:54 PM, jimmyjazz said:

Cheesy, populist crap sung by a guy who really isn't all that great a singer?

Sorry... let me totally redo this comment. Bryan Adams on the whole sucks. Not disagreeing. But I did see you use Bieber as an example and that's you showing your age. He has close to 10 great pop songs at this point. He's also one of the most impressive male vocalists since MJ - easily. 

But I know you're old school. That fantastic Kid Rock song bothers you so I'm sure Bieber as a whole would, too.

Nothing wrong with that. We have different tastes. But try and expand your horizons 🙂

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smuggs

smuggs 9353

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On 7/31/2021 at 3:01 PM, Napoleon said:


Saw them in a group show at South Park Meadows in about 1994, which was good, because it was before the singer died.

They played this song... which was good, because it was the only song of theirs that anyone knew.

Smashing Pumpkins and The Rev. I was at that show.

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