im not to about to start arguing about the merits of band that split up decades ago... BUT (s**t, cant help myself) in my opinion, Beach Boys had a far bigger impact RE production, which was completely inovative, unlike the Beatles material which followed a linear legacy of guitar based music already laid.

Mogwai. One of those pointless acts that every critic and fanboy with a typewriter is always praising. Awful band

Is it just me or are Arcade Fire very overrated.....? *runs for cover*

Huh?

They have released one classic album 'Funeral', one of THE debuts of all time.

The follow-up 'Neon Bible' is rubbish (apart from No Cars Go).

They're good live but I've seen much better.I saw them at EP 2005 but I was much more impressed by Goldfrapp and Kraftwerk at the same festival. I think this frighteningly intense level of adoration for the band is out of control, especially in Ireland.

Good band but, yes,overrated.

(That's 2 of us now, Trix, where are you going to hide? I've changed my identity already and am about to fly to Australia for a new life. But I think the Church of Arcade Fire are on to me already, they're going burn me at the stake as warm-up entertainment for the Big Top gig at Phoenix Park if I don't get out of the country by midnight.)

Dont like them either, some of the tracks on the first album were excellent and pretty inspiring but I cant get excited about them at all...

killers....crap live

Mogwai...agree, seen em live twice....zzzzzzzzzboring....i guess its all about taste though......

joy division are overrated..extremely overrated...and anything with pete ffing doherty....

and that london set, lily allen and kate nash etc...if they were singing in a dublin accent would they sell? i think not

In a world where Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Greenday are the biggest bands in the world, I reckon you can’t rate Arcade Fire highly enough.

Don't know about the most over-rated bands of all time (Nirvana do spring to mind though) but for me the most over-rated Irish bands of recent times are -

The Immediate
The Blizzards
Delorentos

The reason 'Every critic and fanboy is praising them' is because they are one of the best bands on the planet. Live, they are utterly, completely and unequivocally without equal.

Its worth noting too that the Beach Boys had an important influence on the Beatles, especially McCartney. Hearing Pet Sounds spurred them onto grander things with Sgt Pepper. Like that album or not you can hear Brian Wilsons influence all over it - the chamber-pop strings of She's Leaving Home, the calliope on Mr Kite, the childhood nostalgia on Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane.

I think the Beach Boys were certainly one of the best bands to ever come out of America. Is that overrating them? Maybe they're slightly overrated in that they've produced more s**t than good over the decades but their output from 1964-1972 alone sets their legend in stone. The Beach Boys influence is fairly evident today. You can hear them in Jim O'Rourke, Beachwood Sparks, Wilco etc… No, they're not as influential as the Beatles, I agree. But who is?

I realise their twee-ness and soppy nature can be an issue though, but it doesn't bother me, I love'em.

Just joined this thread... rolls up sleeves..

now... where is that F****r who said Kid A was Radioheads only good album..!!?

well The Who suck... and in my opinion Zeppelin deserve their acclaim.

Kid A is not the best radiohead album but its a really good album. I actually would place Hail To The Thief up there though, despite tracks like The Gloaming...

surely The Beach Boys Pet Sounds sound really came to the fore after Brian Wilson heard the Beatles producing music in the studio that didnt necessarily have to be produced live on stage.....

PQ

Posted By JamesT on 8/20/2007 8:59:51 AM
Subject: RE: The most over-rated bands of all time
Message: Don't know about the most over-rated bands of all time (Nirvana do spring to mind though) but for me the most over-rated Irish bands of recent times are -

The Immediate
The Blizzards
Delorentos

Yer awful sore on decent Irish bands....
The Immediate were a quality band, on record and live. Delorentos too are a decent band.

Over-rated for me, Bjork, pants. Springsteen, zzz

PQ

Sure. I never said there wasn't any give and take.

its all about the give and take for sure

PQ

I'll chip in with the following;

-Queen: Abba with guitars

-Manics: agree with most points made up till now. Impressively average

-White Stripes: I'll take the point that they may be excellent live and I know the blues can be repetitive but cmon! It's the same thing over and over, and much of the stuff I've heard sounds so top heavy that it's virtually unlistenable - to my ears - at high volume. Grating.. Although I do like Doorbell

-U2: Maybe this one has been mentioned before, but I think the most damning fact about U2 is that after all the albums are sold, tour records are broken and Bono has become the famous man on Earth there will remain the point that their influence on the music that has followed them is minimal. I, for one, can not recall any music interview with a respected band/artist naming U2 as inspiration.

Why can't I think of anymore?!? I used to hate so much music...I just don't seem to have the time these days..

Probably because they aren't a cool band to namedrop right now? "Oh yeah, loike, we're totally into gang of four/joy division/*insert uber-hip obscure band from the past here*"

I think many bands lie about their actual influences, or choose only to be influenced by "cool" stuff, or don't actuall recognise what has actually influenced them, perhaps subliminally. Either way there's often a bit of artistic dishonesty going on.

Great bands often have cheesy influences. Take Smashing Pumpkins, their influences were Cheap Trick, Black Sabbath, ELO, etc. in 1995, when it wasn't cool. I'm not saying U2 are the most out-there revolutionary band by any stretch of the imagination, and have co-opted a lot of other peoples ideas, but I do think a number of bands have been influenced by them, in the case of the more obvious ones though (Coldplay, Keane etc.), I wish they hadn't.

I can guarantee you though that somewhere out there, some kid out there is discovering Achtung Baby or Zooropa for the first time and getting exicited about music...

Absolutely spot-on, Binokular.

New bands will never name U2 as an influence as they are perceived as being deeply uncool (the same way serious music fans will never mention them also) but Interpol and especially Editors owe a huge debt to U2, especially early U2. 'War', 'Boy' and 'October' is ALL OVER Editors first album...and any band that is prepared to put on a huge stage show will always have 'Zoo TV' at the back of their minds, hoping they can top it, but they never will as I honestly can't see how Zoo TV can be bettered, and that was 15 years ago! Even watching it on TV is mindblowing.

''I can guarantee you though that somewhere out there, some kid out there is discovering Achtung Baby or Zooropa for the first time and getting exicited about music...''


So true.

A lot of young kids probably think of Bono as that small man in the sunglasses always banging on about Africa etc but when they hear 'Achtung, Baby' they will probably have trouble thinking it's the same guy. 'Achtung, Baby' is a masterpiece and probably the greatest album ever by an Irish band. IT's such a pity that the quality of their output has taken such a nose-dive in the 15 years since.

I suppose I should have added to my U2 comments that I do rate highly Achtung Baby in particular and bits & pieces of the two following albums. However if you take some tracks away from the earlier stuff and listen to the later stuff you will hear a band that have been good but not great for much of their career.

Achtung Baby one of the best Irish albums of all time? Undoubtedly, but will it ever be seen as important in the greater scheme of music history? I doubt it.

It is possible that other musicians do not think it cool to namedrop U2 as an inspiration, but I still think they would be mentioned much more were they truly an influence. An example of Smashing Pumpkins - a good band with one great album - namedropping older 'cheesier' music does not back up your argument really. Particularly as Cheap Trick were from the same city and were huge when Corgan was growing up, and ELO have written some absolute classic pop songs.