Music is something that truly everyone enjoys. Rock, pop, classical, hip-hop, rap, country, there’s something out there for everyone. And while there may be several individual musicians that everyone focuses on in a group, the thing everyone remembers the name of is the band. However, not all bands are really that good. Some are downright terrible. And others just aren’t as good as someone might think they are. This is a list of the most overrated bands to have been in the entertainment business. That’s not to say that they’re bad, just not as good as most people seem to think they are. A band can’t be overrated unless people think it’s good in the first place after all.
Motley Crue
The Motley Crue didn’t exactly reinvent the wheel when it came to music. They had a few great songs, but their overall career wasn’t remarkable. Their songs are fun and upbeat, but don’t have much else to them. Being an okay band in the 1980s just isn’t enough to warrant long-lasting praise.
Rolling Stones
It’s probably controversial that the Rolling Stones are even on this list. The most popular music magazine even took their name! Keith Richards is certainly a rock icon. But if you sit down and listen to an entire album, the music just starts to blend together. Back in the day, they were certainly one of the best bands out there, but now it seems as though they’ve outlived their own fame.
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac was launched into superstardom when Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joined the band. Their album, “Rumors” is considered to be one of the best classic rock albums as well. They had a few songs that stand the test of time, but there isn’t much consistency in the quality of their sound. Their catalog was never really that deep.
Deep Purple
Deep Purple was actually one of the great rock bands of the the 1970s, but since then, they’ve entered a period of overcorrection. They’re not even a particularly bad band, what makes them overrated is that people say that they’re underrated. Their songs also aren’t exactly that timeless.
Bruce Springstein And The E-Street Band
Bruce Springstein is one of the most prolific songwriters of our time. Although, he’s not quite as legendary as people might say today. Although, that isn’t to say he wasn’t talented, just that people give him far too much credit. It just seems as though all of his songs sound the same. There isn’t much to say about the E-Street Band individually, as all of the focus goes to Springstein.
Kiss
These four were masters of showmanship. Just look at the way they dress. But once you look past their flashy exterior, there isn’t a particularly interesting sound. They were professionals and capitalized on a great opportunity, but their catchy music is really just that.
Iron Maiden
Fans of Iron Maiden really just get their music. The problem is that that number of people isn’t terribly large. They’ve managed to produce some real classics in the past, like their Powerslave album, but more often than not, they just end up producing generic heavy metal. Much like Kiss, they were masters of showmanship, but that was their whole persona. And it seems as though the quality of their music suffered as a result.
Crosby, Stills, And Nash
This trio from the Woodstock period represented the “hippie ideal” on several different levels. However, their lyrics seems a bit pretentious. With each member of the band coming from an already commercially successful group, they certainly had the talent. Their singing was particularly smooth. However, the lyrics, themselves, just seemed overly self-indulgent.
Nine Inch Nails
Quite a few critics called frontman, Trent Reznor, a genius. He managed to weave together synthetic and electronic sounds and compelling song-writing, but his ego seemed a little too big. But looking past all of the different gadgets he used, Nine Inch Nails’ songs were pretty weird. They just lacked a certain traditional aesthetic that made them sound like songs.
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam was such a strong representative of the early 90s Seattle grudge scene that they’ve been immortalized there, and amongst their fans around the world. There’s nothing wrong with their singing or instrumentation, but the songs themselves lacked interesting compositions.
The Doors
The Doors themselves are not exactly overrated, it’s just Jim Morrison. His lyrics and voice were the cherry on top to an already incredible band, but then his fans began to treat his words like gospel. After his passing, it seems as though this got even worse.
Foo Fighters
Dave Grohl started the Foo Fighters after the tragic death of Kurt Cobain. Turns out the drummer also knew his way around an electric guitar, and could certainly carry a tune. However, his singing voice still had something to be desired. It always just seemed forced, as if he’s trying to emulate the Rock N’ Roll legends of the past.
The Eagles
The Eagles had reach harmonies and a steady backbeat. They truly had a great sound. Although, even the greatest bands can receive too much praise. One of the best selling albums of all time was their Greatest Hits album, but all the songs sound the same. It can just get a bit boring listening to the same four-four beat and idealistic, clean vibe.
Mumford And Sons
Mumford and Sons produces lovely music, while also presenting themselves as both heartfelt and just a little bit dangerous. However, their songs are just too sweet. The level of “danger” seems overblown, considering how nice all of their songs are.
Bon Jovi
A lot of Bon Jovi’s songs are classics, hits everyone knows the lyrics to. But the thing about that is that they were designed that way. Fans would become addicted to these songs, showing up in droves to listen to them live. They’re not bad songs, otherwise people wouldn’t listen to them, but it’s hard to ignore that the arena effect is really all they have going for them.
Nirvana
Nirvana became the rightful air to grudge music in the early 90s. They just always seemed to have a slight edge over their contemporaries. Following Kurt Cobain’s death, his band became immortalized and mythologized. Their legacy became frozen in time, to a point where people only have nice things to say about them.
Joy Division
Joy Division seems like a hard band to like. It’s not that they’re bad musicians, but Joy Division’s music was overly edgy. It just seemed like that was all they had going for them, and only appealed to a very specific demographic.
Rush
Rush is an incredibly polarizing band. People either hate them, love them, or just haven’t listened to their music yet. The biggest point of contention seems to be whether or not bassist, Geddy Lee has a good singing voice or not. The members of the band are certainly skilled musicians, but they also take advantage of their talents to make needlessly complicated pieces. A lot of these overrated bands make songs that are too catchy and lack substance. Rush songs seem to have the exact opposite problem.
Sex Pistols
Did you know that the Sex Pistols only had one album? It’s probably easier to find a band or musician to have more skill when they have a smaller body of work to criticize. They heavily influenced punk music, but that was more of their look than anything. They don’t have any hidden gems or deep cuts to really convince naysayers to switch sides either.
U2
If you’re an iPhone user, you may remember that time an entire U2 album got downloaded onto everyone’s phones. You may also remember everyone trying to get that album removed from their phone. As it turns out, originally the album cost money, but then nobody bought it. Then they made it free, and nobody still bought it. U2’s songs and albums seem almost too polished and that certainly seems to make people want to listen to them less.
The Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews and his band produce amazing music. It’s great live, it’s great on an album. They even improvise some of their music live. However, what makes them so overrated is how rabid the band’s fans are. No one thinks that their music is bad, but when hounding someone so egregiously to try something, it only makes them want to do it less.
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 debuted with an impressive an interesting alternative rock album, and it’s been downhill from there. Their music doesn’t just sound the same, but it’s all about the same thing too; a man scorned by a woman. Their music really just falls into the same hole that most top 40 songs go into.
Metallica
Metallica is considered one of the greatest heavy metal bands in history, but other than that, they’re alien outside of their genre. They’re actually great songwriters, but it’s heavily distorted by the loud screaming and noises that their music makes.
Yes
The music of Yes is so bizarre. Everything they make sounds like a science experiment. It’s not to say that none of that music is weird or interesting, but it’s certainly difficult for a non-fan to get into it.
Pink Floyd
The songwriting craftsmanship of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd’s early albums were certainly phenomenal. And while some of their later work is great, it’s not exactly life-changing. But some of their music can get ridiculous and pretentious. And it seems as though people just ignore that aspect of the music.
