― DG, Tuesday, 20 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 20 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Edward Okulicz, Tuesday, 20 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
My pick is Celine Dion. I'm sure I don't have to convince you of how bad she sucks, but you cannot possibly have any conception of how *unavoidable* she is here in Québec. Every last sneeze and fart from her or her husband makes the damn front page of all the newspapers and magazines. It's hugely embarrassing. My apologies on behalf of the whole province for foisting her on y'all. I hope giving you Leonard Cohen makes up for it.
― Patrick, Tuesday, 20 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
dull dull dull dull
― dave bowman, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
They are : (in no particular order)
New Model Army
The Mission
The Levellers
― Dr. C, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
Killing Joke.
― Tom, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― kevin enas, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― the pinefox, 89, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Robin, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
i've said it before and i'll say it again: when indie rock becomes soap opera soundtracks is when i'll stick with metal.
― sundar subramanian, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― jel, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
no kitsch quotient will ever rescue this diabolical pairing.
― Graham, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Michael Jones, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Stevie Troussé, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
Everyone other than Killing Joke. EVERYBODY knows that!!
― Stephen Robinson, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― Robin Carmody, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― sundar subramanian, Friday, 23 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
Ah, right. I don't agree, as it happens, but I'm not about to go down the "you obviously haven't heard " route because that can only lead to perturbation and despair. I found Stevie T's answer a tad more convincing.― Michael Jones, Monday, 26 March 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
I found Stevie T's answer a tad more convincing.
― Michael Jones, Monday, 26 March 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
― the pinefox, Monday, 26 March 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link
Billy Joel, The Eagles, David Frishberg, Loverboy, Journey, Chicago (worst guitar solo- "24 or 6 to 4?) the dreck flows on.
"Everything from Woodstock to the Ramones was pure shit." - Billy Zoom
Something like that.
― Nick Bane, Saturday, 25 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― chris, Tuesday, 23 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
No contest. Hate them, hate their music, hate their fans.
Complaining about Blink 182, or Celine Dion or Backstreet Boys feels to me like complaining that Jim Davidson's Generation Game isn't Citizen Kane, by their own terms of reference Blink 182 seem pretty good to me in providing a quality product to their target market. I'm not in their target market and find they lack the emotional depth and breadth of cultural commentry I would prefer. But it looks like its fun to be a Blink 182 fan and where is the harm in that? Its all dumb shiney pop music isn't it?
But the gap between what they deliver and what they claim to deliver is much greater for The Manics. Never in, uh, the fabric of rock's rich tapestry has such a shabby second rate product been sold as its direct opposite.
― Sandy Blair, Tuesday, 23 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Alan Trewartha, Tuesday, 23 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― RickyT, Tuesday, 23 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― ethan, Friday, 26 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Ally, Friday, 26 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― fritz, Friday, 26 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Brian MacDonald, Friday, 26 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
2. U2
― Dan, Sunday, 28 October 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― bob snoom, Saturday, 3 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Nick, Saturday, 3 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Kirk H. Williams, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
p.s. Billy Zoom was guitarist for X.
― Mr Noodles, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― electric sound of jim, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― dan, Thursday, 21 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― alex in mainhattan, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Poops McGee, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― tav, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― chris, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― OleM, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Marcello Carlin, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Dr. C, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Jeff W, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
This is still one of the greatest "Hi, I'm a fucktard!" images anywhere:
my favorite part: the patches on his sleeves that say DESTROY
― stephen, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 18:18 (fifteen years ago) link
And then I would also vote for any funk-metal band. Is there anything worse than funk metal?
― thirdalternative, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 18:19 (fifteen years ago) link
I'm not convincing in my Chicago = Worst Band Ever campaign. Come on, y'all. It's GOTTA be Chicago. Apart from "Street Player," what ARE their good songs?
Who else is there really? Blood, Sweat & Tears? But they weren't as much of a menace as Chicago.
Jeff Buckley? Hideous. But he wasn't around long enough to really count.
Styx? Too grotesque to be the worst. And "Mr. Roboto." And one of their albums (something like Paradise Theatre) had a funky oil spill on the vinyl.
.38 Special? Molly Hatchet? xhuxk, gorge, scott, etc. would not let that stand.
ELP? Not around these parts.
The Kind? Only Chicagoland folk remember them.
Jefferson Starship/Starship? This is a serious contender, esp. if ignoring The Airplane counts.
But Starship <<<<<<< Chicago? But Starship serves the purpose of knocking down the 1960s counterculture a peg. What purpose did (do?) Chicago serve?
― Kevin John Bozelka, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 18:43 (fifteen years ago) link
Chicago > A slate of faceless, shieking, tuneless, knuckleheaded nu-metal bands. "Funk metal," too, to the extent that's different from nu-metal.
― Daniel, Esq., Tuesday, 29 April 2008 18:45 (fifteen years ago) link
"We Can Fly." It's awful. I'd transcribe some lyrics but you would go blind upon reading them.
Very hilarious.
― Kevin John Bozelka, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 19:04 (fifteen years ago) link
GOTTA be Chicago. Apart from "Street Player," what ARE their good songs?
I always had a soft spot for "America's Calling, Harry Truman" myself. But seriously: "25 Or 6 To 4," "I'm A Man," "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is," "Old Days," maybe even "Saturday In The Park" and "If You Leave Me Now" and "Wishing You Were Here"....That's more non-horrible songs right there than 95 percent of the bands who've ever lived.
― xhuxk, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 19:15 (fifteen years ago) link
I'd also like to nominate Foo Fighters - if they've ever made a song that doesn't kind of suck, I can't remember hearing it.
― o. nate, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 19:28 (fifteen years ago) link
Yeah, Foos are a good choice. (If not the worst band ever, then quite possibly the most overrated one.)
― xhuxk, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 19:29 (fifteen years ago) link
i love baby what a big surprise by chicago. it's really beatlesy. power pop people should love that song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oda-ClZ5wlI
― scott seward, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 19:31 (fifteen years ago) link
Ok I blitzkrieged through the thread.
ICP doesn't count cuz at least you can get a decent academic paper out of them.
Michael Bolton doesn't count cuz without him, we never would have had Jim Carrey's genius "When A Man Needs A Big Hit" from In Living Color. Also, John Leland like him, called him "my man" in Newsweek.
Celine Dion doesn't count cuz she inspires reams of fascinating debate. And the Jim Steinman track was pretty good. And no doubt Michael Freedberg could put together a fine CD of her nuttier French tracks. And there was an unnaturally beautiful boy with glasses in one of her videos (something like "And That's The Way It Is").
I really think the worst band/artist has to have been around for a while to truly make a negative impact. That's why none of the 1990s/Aughties alt and nu-metal mentioned counts. Gawd, does even Train's mom remember them?
Other possibilities I didn't see mentioned:
Wet Wet Wet Enya Yanni (although even there, some cornball comes through...plus I could kinda imagine him going poo; Enya, by contrast, effaces her pooing necessity)
John Tesh?
I'm still sticking with Chicago.
― Kevin John Bozelka, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 19:32 (fifteen years ago) link
plus I could kinda imagine him going poo;plus I could kinda imagine him going poo;plus I could kinda imagine him going poo;plus I could kinda imagine him going poo;plus I could kinda imagine him going poo;plus I could kinda imagine him going poo;plus I could kinda imagine him going poo;plus I could kinda imagine him going poo;plus I could kinda imagine him going poo;plus I could kinda imagine him going poo;
― Mr. Que, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 19:34 (fifteen years ago) link
foo fighters are terrible. boring. pointless. bland. vague.
but probably not the worst.
― scott seward, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 19:35 (fifteen years ago) link
"25 Or 6 To 4" is ruined by Peter Cetera's voice (or whatever robot was standing in for him in the studio that day). And the harmonies in the chorus are harmful to the environment.
And as with "Street Player," so with "I'm A Man." We don't need their version. I much prefer Macho's anyway.
All the other songs mentioned are very bad.
― Kevin John Bozelka, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 19:38 (fifteen years ago) link
Man, you guys are weird. Foo Fighters have some really good songs. Not the best band ever, certainly, but I think you could put together a respectable best of package for them.
― Jeff Treppel, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 19:39 (fifteen years ago) link
foo fighters are bullshit
― omar little, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 19:40 (fifteen years ago) link
The ability to imagine an artist going poo is important in rock 'n' roll.
― Kevin John Bozelka, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 19:40 (fifteen years ago) link
Your well reasoned argument has swayed me, Omar Little.
― Jeff Treppel, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 19:41 (fifteen years ago) link
Greatest band/artist ever: Cephus and Reesie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AdblS6Y3iI
― Kevin John Bozelka, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 19:42 (fifteen years ago) link
I was right about the Manics, but I think I over estimated how long they would be around (I know they are still around, technically, I meant.. um relevantly).
― Sandy Blair, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 20:10 (fifteen years ago) link
who was that Kath guy in the C.T.A. Does he count and is he enough to keep Chicago from not becoming that big black hole of suckiness designate "Worst Band Ever"? Stay tuned.
― Drugs A. Money, Tuesday, 29 April 2008 22:33 (fifteen years ago) link
We really need a "Most Average Band/Artist Ever" thread. Seems like we'd be twice as likely to arrive at some kinda consensus. Mathematically speaking
― Myonga Vön Bontee, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 01:00 (fifteen years ago) link
but most bands are average! you'd be here all night.
― scott seward, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 01:10 (fifteen years ago) link
But then the answer would be definitive!
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 01:18 (fifteen years ago) link
My vote: Average White Band!
― xhuxk, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 01:22 (fifteen years ago) link
I just remembered Amateur Transplants. The UK's answer to Weird Al, but my god probably ten fucking million times worse than you could even begin to imagine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9tWpR5HZnQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq0lUjajjlM
warning: they're the biggest cunts ever
― i'm elf-ein lusophonic (imago), Saturday, 19 July 2014 22:12 (nine years ago) link
the worrying thing is that these hateful fucking smears of shat liquid were a relatively 'big hit' with the medic crowd at university, leaving me to wonder if all doctors are cunts, or just students
― i'm elf-ein lusophonic (imago), Saturday, 19 July 2014 22:14 (nine years ago) link
i can't think of a single rock band playing today that is as good as lynyrd skynyrd.
― scott seward, Monday, April 28, 2008 10:42 PM (6 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
This is still true today, assuming of course Scott meant pre-plane crash Skynyrd
― Prince Kajuku (Bill Magill), Sunday, 20 July 2014 03:23 (nine years ago) link
Elbow
― PaulTMA, Sunday, 20 July 2014 23:02 (nine years ago) link
Mean Machine
― OutdoorFish, Sunday, 20 July 2014 23:06 (nine years ago) link
P.S. I agree with most of this thread, but not pre-post-Richey Manics, he was an unbelieveably GOOD lyricist, even if the music didn't always match their quality.
― OutdoorFish, Sunday, 20 July 2014 23:12 (nine years ago) link
Scouting For Girls are the worst band ever. I honestly can't think of one worse.
― ...and the trees are all kept equal by hatchet, axe and SAW! (Turrican), Sunday, 20 July 2014 23:19 (nine years ago) link
seriously, listen to what I just posted (or don't)
I guess the argument would be that SFG aren't being deliberately offensive in the service of bants, but this is possibly what redeems them (in such a context)
― i'm elf-ein lusophonic (imago), Sunday, 20 July 2014 23:22 (nine years ago) link
i.e. they're just fools, not cunts
Amateur Transplants seem more like terrible stand up comedy in musical form rather than a band as such, they are certainly more reprehensible than anyone else mentioned on this thread, though
― bus people are fine broad thinkers (soref), Sunday, 20 July 2014 23:25 (nine years ago) link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Parody_musicians
― Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln (nakhchivan), Sunday, 20 July 2014 23:31 (nine years ago) link
The Lancashire Hotpots are a comedy folk band[1] from St Helens, Merseyside (formerly part of Lancashire), England, formed in December 2006.[2] The group record songs about Lancashire, technology and British culture (e.g. "Chippy Tea", "He's Turned Emo", "eBay Eck").[3] Their songs make use of Lancashire dialect. Their first single, "He's Turned Emo", gained over 230,000 plays on MySpace (as of 17 March 2008) and was featured on BBC Radio One by Colin Murray.[4]
The current members are Bernard Thresher (vocals, guitar, ukulele, drums), Dickie Ticker (accordion, mandolin, melodica, hand percussion), Bob Wriggles (bass guitar, acoustic bass), Billy McCartney (keyboards), and Kenny Body (drums),[6] the latter two joining following the death of founder member Willie Eckerslike.
― Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln (nakhchivan), Sunday, 20 July 2014 23:33 (nine years ago) link
this is a one-way ticket to hell, or the shirehorses, whichever comes sooner
― i'm elf-ein lusophonic (imago), Sunday, 20 July 2014 23:34 (nine years ago) link
Oliver Callan (born 27 December 1980) is an Irish vocal and performance satirist and impressionist known for featuring on Nob Nation, Green Tea and The Saturday Night Show
His impersonations of Eamon Dunphy and David Norris led to a warning from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BAI) in July 2008. The BAI deemed his impersonations "offensive to homosexuals" and said they "promoted binge drinking".[7]
― Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln (nakhchivan), Sunday, 20 July 2014 23:35 (nine years ago) link
For example, in 1990, following the execution of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu, Russell did a parody song on his show to the tune of "Chattanooga Choo-Choo." ("Pardon me, boys / Are you the cats who shot Ceauşescu / You made my day / The way you blew him away.")
― i'm elf-ein lusophonic (imago), Sunday, 20 July 2014 23:42 (nine years ago) link
Eläkeläiset mainly play cover versions of famous pop and rock hits in a fast humppa or slow jenkka style (both sound somewhat similar to polka music the way "Weird Al" Yankovic plays it) with Finnish lyrics — the original songs are barely recognizable. They also publish bootleg recordings of their own concerts. Eläkeläiset are very popular among some OpenBSD developers and frequently played at their hackathons, where they claim they are "thwarting evil with humppa and math."[1]
^^ the science student / prolific wikipedia contributor appeal of this stuff is clearly cross-cultural
― Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln (nakhchivan), Sunday, 20 July 2014 23:42 (nine years ago) link
Richard Cheese is the other one who was very popular at university. think he's slightly, but only very slightly, less egregious than some of the others
― i'm elf-ein lusophonic (imago), Sunday, 20 July 2014 23:45 (nine years ago) link
CORRECTION
The worst band ever is Sugar Ray (the reason is Mean Machine)
YOU CAN'T ARGUE WITH THIS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjb7UD7jPqM
― OutdoorFish, Monday, 21 July 2014 00:09 (nine years ago) link
...rolf harris
but seriously
― micah, Monday, 21 July 2014 02:41 (nine years ago) link
...holf rarris
sut beriously
― switching letters guy, Monday, 21 July 2014 03:51 (nine years ago) link
The Canadian band with the really deep voiced singer who sang something like "once....there was a boy who......" or some crap like that. Thats the worst band of all time. THe name escapes me
― Prince Kajuku (Bill Magill), Monday, 21 July 2014 14:40 (nine years ago) link
you must be thinking of the crash test dummies. this is one of the funniest videos ever:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoaIBDKUYcA
― global tetrahedron, Monday, 21 July 2014 14:46 (nine years ago) link
no wait, it's actually sad and i feel bad for posting it
― global tetrahedron, Monday, 21 July 2014 14:47 (nine years ago) link
youtube user Aman Offaith agrees:
1 month ago Then recording artist is skillful, and his voice has got a lot better over time. But this is such a sad song, and I am concerned about Brad Roberts. I do not want to see him die in his sins. If he does not ask Jesus into his life and live and trust him I am terrified for this person. He is smart, but not wise enough to find God yet through Jesus.
― global tetrahedron, Monday, 21 July 2014 14:48 (nine years ago) link
http://www.lyricsmania.com/london_underground_song_lyrics_amateur_transplants.html
assuming that ^this didn't hit LJ's radar during his brief root around the Amateur Transplants' catalogue
― Kiss Screaming Seagull Her Seagull Her (DJ Mencap), Monday, 21 July 2014 15:05 (nine years ago) link
It's like God realised Ben Elton wasn't quite bad enough and made another
― i'm elf-ein lusophonic (imago), Monday, 21 July 2014 17:29 (nine years ago) link