Having spent the last couple of days on t'tractor cutting hedges, I have listened to much radio...And I just wondered something...

Who, does everyone else think is (are) the most Overrated Music Legend™...

NO SLANGING MATCHES!!... ...

One person's "I don't like" could be another's fave artist in the world ever...

So an "I hate blah-blah because he's c*ap." is not allowed...

The three I've wondered about, off the top of my head...

Stevie Wonder.

Van Morrison.

Bob Dylan.


I can listen to Stevie Wonder songs done by someone else. I just bought an old version of "Isn't She Lovely". But no, I don't get it...

Van Morrison...Nope...I got nothin...

Bob Dylan. I love him in the Travelling Wilburys...And without him there would be no Tom Petty...(Discuss)...But I really really can't see the fuss...

There are more, but these will do for now... ...

Anyone else?...

I have to agree on all three. Stevie Wonder gets props because he's a blind man who can play the piano. That is hard enough to do when you can see the keys. But his actual music never did anything for me. Just a matter of taste is all. I like Motown, but my likes run to the Temps and the Tops instead.

The other two I am in complete agreement. Bob Dylan wrote some really good songs. But that nasally voice he has is just awful. His songs are always much better when someone else performs them!

Van Morrison is one I always drew a blank on too.

Stevie Wonder...I've got some stories on Stevie Wonder. Let's just put it this way. He does not make for a good neighbor. If you move into his neighborhood, or he moves into yours ... and you own a dog that barks (like there is any other kind) - he will not do the neighborly thing. He calls the law.

And that is not the only thing he will call the cops on you for. It seems with his limited sight, the only thing he can dial easily is 911. Although any of his servants could dial your number and tell you to have your dog shut the hell up - no. The law will show up at your door to tell you.

That's when you rig up a catapult and begin bagging up your giant dog poops and making sure that what he can't see, he will slip in when he steps out that door.

Wow...I wasn't starting a "Let's bash Stevie Wonder" thread, but it does seem like I hit a nerve... ...

I have to say about the piano playing thing though...Yes, it's cool that he and Ray Charles can play the piano...

But...So can I...(Yes I know I'm not blind )...

It's not actually that hard...

And if you can touch type...Like I can ...Then they can play the piano...'Cause it's all about hand placement...Oo-er...



Trying to think of other "Legends" that I don't get...

Oooh!!...The Beatles...I love some of the songs, but really?...Not all that...

And Led Zepplin...Some good...Some bad...Don't think they deserve all the hype...But Trampled Under Foot is ace... ...

I'll agree with you on the beatles, but not Zeppelin.

Robert had a slighly unnerving thing happening this morning... ...

Last night, we caught Whitney Houston's Saving All My Love For You...And I thought to meself "Oooh, there's another overrated one..."

...I haven't seen anything of her for ages...

Bless her...Wished she hadn't gone down the road that she did...

I will admit she had an amazing voice...

Hope her family get through this...

Can't agree on any of the three. If their respective outputs consisted of nothing other than Talking Book, Astral Weeks, and Blood on the Tracks, respectively, they would be worthy of being remembered. As it stands, all three of them have released many outstanding albums even outside of these.

In any event, I think the word "overrated" is overrated. What does it actually mean? One would think that it means "They get more praise than they deserve," but in practice, what it really means is "Lots of people like this thing which I do not." It's why I avoid using it - it's a word that, in practice, aspires to be more than what it actually means. It attempts to make universal what is in fact particular.

So rather than saying that Bruce Springsteen is "overrated," I would instead say that I don't really care for his music. I would also say that Led Zeppelin never quite did it for me, even as a middle schooler. Indeed, I may be the only American male born since 1960 who DIDN'T go through a Zeppelin phase in middle school. I do like some of their songs, but I was always more of a Who guy.

Dude...While there could be a serious element to this...It's me...So there isn't... ...

I absolutely agree with -



And I have no problem with that whatsoever...My step-dad likes Van Morrison and Bob Dylan and I enjoy winding him up with this very topic ...But...My opinion is that they get more praise than I can understand why...And my mother is the hugest Led Zep fan...

I have no problem with anyone liking anyone musically...I wholeheartedly applaud anyone listening to whatever they want because they like it...It's what I teach my kids...If you like it, listen to it and enjoy it...It does not matter one iota what anyone else thinks of it...

I'm just saying that these people seem to get more praise than necessary...Like The Who... ...

It's only messing...

Seriously...I'm a Marillion fan...We get more stick than anyone I think... ...

The flip side of this is artists whose influence exceeds their own fame. Like John Mayall, whose band members included Clapton and Bruce, Fleetwood and McVie, Mick Taylor, Aynsley Dunbar and others. All the songwriters whose work has been covered by more famous artists (too many to mention). Then there are all the pioneers. The bands that were the first to try something new. They're often regarded as overshadowed by the bands that copied them once the new genre was established, but they're legends for starting it.