The Canon of the Overrated

Q

qwerty south

no use for a witticism
I would like to propose:

Chemical Bros
DJ Shadow
Fat Boy Slim
APhex Twin (has a couple of great songs but remains v.overrated imo)
 
mixed_biscuits

mixed_biscuits

_________________________
qwerty south said:
I would like to propose:

Chemical Bros
DJ Shadow
Fat Boy Slim
APhex Twin (has a couple of great songs but remains v.overrated imo)
Click to expand...
I think some of these guys are overrated because they represent a genre or a new turn in the river of artistic development; Aphex Twin is a metonym for the intersection of experimental and danceable electronica. DJ Shadow was the best of the Trip-Hoppers by far.

They also don't seem as great now because the background noise of their respective genres has softened and they are then judged against music in other genres, music which is incongruent.
 
Q

qwerty south

no use for a witticism
mixed_biscuits said:
I think some of these guys are overrated because they represent a genre or a new turn in the river of artistic development; Aphex Twin is a metonym for the intersection of experimental and danceable electronica. DJ Shadow was the best of the Trip-Hoppers by far.

They also don't seem as great now because the background noise of their respective genres has softened and they are then judged against music in other genres, music which is incongruent.
Click to expand...
I think Massive Attack's Protection was the high point of trip hop personally.
 
DLaurent

DLaurent

Well-known member
There's a lot of bands I call Dad Rock I don't like but would struggle to call overrated from Pink Floyd to Fleetwood Mac to Queen. It's not that I don't like the music but the fans irritate me as they dismiss anything else, so not really music fans despite being aloof about it.
 
DLaurent

DLaurent

Well-known member
I would add worst music doc I've watch recently. If ever there was anything to take a buzz out of anything... worse than the Krautrock doc.

 
william_kent

william_kent

Well-known member
ok, I'll say it ( again )

The Congos - Heart of The Congos

one of Lee Perry's worst efforts ( and there are many to choose from, don't get me wrong I'm a fan, but he did miss once or more than twice)

I love reggae, I once had an ultimately unsuccessful attempt at limiting my vinyl hoarding to only reggae or reggae influenced records but my love of other genres ruined this feeble effort to keep my spending in check...

but

the Congos album seems to be in loads of people's top ten lists except mine and I fail to see why.... I can only presume that those who rate it haven't heard any other reggae tunes

it's a mystery to me why this album is worthy of mention when there is so much better vocal harmony reggae out there

I feel like the little boy in the Emperor's New Clothes tale

and I've tried to like it - I have multiple copies of the album, the UK Go-beat LP, the deluxe Blood and Fire reissue, err, maybe that's it, so maybe i have two versions, so what ... but I also have the rhythm and sound 7 inch do-overs, the Carl Craig edits on 12" .... and I just can't find "a way in"

what's the fuss?

why the love?

It's not bad, but it isn't "all that"

IME def overrated IMHO
 
william_kent

william_kent

Well-known member
not to say, divorced from Perry, some of the Congos could feature on some amazing tunes


Prince Far I - 83 Struggle - featuring Congo Ashanti Roy

I once played this as the second tune on my warm up set on a "free party sound system" to an almost empty "second room", but it had the magickal effect of summoning one lady from the back of the room to a position "behind the decks"
 
william_kent

william_kent

Well-known member
One afternoon I once played "out" in a field on another "free party sound system" and I was struggling with their crappy two channel mixer and "the breaks guy" from a local record shop stepped in and suggested that we play "back to back" ( B2B ) and he stuck on "Congoman" by the overrated Congos but after a minute or two he sort of shrugged and said "fade this out, it goes on a bit doesn't it?" so I cut to this:


Devon Russell & The Yoruba Singers - Roots Natty Roots

and the mood lifted and we all had an arms in the air sing-a-long:

Dreadlocks the time the is now
err
erm
stand up for your rights
err
roots..
err natty

you probably had to be there...


so, basically, I'll favour any Soul Jazz Studio One compilation over the Heart of The Congos album, no matter how much it hurts to admit it *

* have to stress that I actually played the studio one 7 inch, the Soul Jazz comp reference was purely for comedic effect ( although it's true that ANY Soul Jazz studio one compilation is superior to the Congos album, there will be more than two good tracks on any of their Studio One comps, it was just that I was just boasting that I own some studio one 7 inches... )
 
WashYourHands

WashYourHands

Cat Malogen
One American legend who foolishly stayed on for post Venus dove mania, walked into a house in forest fields with a full rig in the living room, scraped the needle off an infamous techno tune and dropped right into The Beloved

I loved his contempt for it, the drag of the frrrrrp, gtfo we’re taking over
 
R

rubberdingyrapids

Well-known member
Agree on the congos (i think its too subtle so the appeal must be a connoisseural thing... like fine wine tasting)
Also, bunny wailer - blackheart man. Just seemed flat and limp to me.
 
M

martin

----
Never got it either:

Albums/artists you just DON'T GET.

I also absolutely do not get Prince. Aside from the "this is what it sounds like when doves cry" song. It's the epitomy of the shitty 80's sound. Those big gaps in the sound, the absolute lack of bass. Nothing hummable and it for sure doesn't rock my body. Where's the so called funk? What...
www.dissensus.com
Fisherman Dub on Megaton Dub Vol 2 is OK

Sonic Youth still seem the most overrated pile of indie shit to me. Like chemistry teachers pretending to be hip.
 
william_kent

william_kent

Well-known member
this is one of my treasured 10" disco plates


Congo Ashanti Roy - African Blood

but why are my favourite Congos tunes not off the "Heart of" album?

because it's totally overrated
 
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