Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

[Land Waster]

A sister to the football thread.

'The Doors are little bit overrated' - see this phrase appears from time to time in the music press and I think it's been mentioned on here.

Two questions: Who exactly is overrating them? And why?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not an uncritical fan of their music, but it just seems to be one of those lazy cliches trotted out by music buffs.

[Come along, Min]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

Oliver Stone overrates them I'm sure.

The cult of Jim has never done nowt for me. I'm born 74 so I'm not sure he's meant to. They're not total crap. For me they have about ten tunes of which 5 or 6 are a either a bit overplayed or a bit boring. L.A. Woman will always be great though.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

This question has come up with regularity on here over the years.

The depth of antipathy — towards Jimbo, I'm not sure it extends to the rest of the group — is odd. To me, it appears to be stronger in the UK than over here, and concentrated in people in their 40s to mid 50s. Not sure why. Sure he was a rubbish poet, but he's not the only pop star you can say that about. As a lyricist he was decent, and as a performer one of the most interesting and influential I've seen. Apparently the albums still sell extremely well, so there's continues to be an audience of some sort out there. The movie certainly didn't help much and neither did (do) the pilgrimages and circus at Père Lachaise.

Jerry Hopkins, who wrote the book the movie was based on, is completing an extensively revised edition maybe he'll address the issue.

[George]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

"This is why Punk had to happen" - phrase uttered to the backdrop of footage of Gentle Giant performing on the OGWT.

"Thank God for Acid House" - Phrase uttered to the backdrop of footage from a Rare Groove night.

[RobM]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

George wrote: "This is why Punk had to happen" - phrase uttered to the backdrop of footage of Gentle Giant performing on the OGWT.

"Thank God for Acid House" - Phrase uttered to the backdrop of footage from a Rare Groove night.

Aye poor Gentle Giant, Rick Wakeman was of course the reason punk had to happen.

[Land Waster]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

Amor de Cosmos wrote:

Apparently the albums still sell extremely well, so there's continues to be an audience of some sort out there. The movie certainly didn't help much and neither did (do) the pilgrimages and circus at Père Lachaise.

The band's official Facebook page is very active, especially in comparison to the Beatles. There are regular updates and photos of young fans in Doors t-shirts clutching their precious vinyl copies of the albums.

[G-Man]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

Surely saying an act is overrated isn't the same as saying that the act is rubbish.

The Doors' reputation certainly profited from the early demise of Jim Morrison. It's not unusual that premature death leads to canonisation and a concurrent inflation of the individual's qualities.

In some cases, the legacy justifies the hype: Hank Williams, Buddy Holly, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix or (with some caveats) John Lennon spring to mind.

In other cases, the hype that spikes after a tragic music death has been sustained by a loyal fan base to the point that supposed genius has become conventional wisdom. Janis Joplin comes to mind, possibly Eddie Cochran and (perhaps and then contentiously) Patsy Cline*. All good, or very good artists, but not as outstanding as their reputation suggests. The Doors would, to my mind, fall within that group whose reputation is exaggerated.

* I'm really in two minds about including her. But if her fame and reputation precedes that of Kitty Wells, then surely that is attributable to her early death.

[Sits]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

Ringo was the musical weak link of the Beatles.

I love Ringo's drumming especially in the latter albums. Maybe it's my imagination but I'm sure I've heard this one now and then.

Was it because he held his sticks incorrectly?

[Borracho]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

When I was about 14, almost everybody in my class at school was into The Doors. Bizarrely, this trend predated the Oliver Stone movie by about a year.

They really are one of those bands of whom you can truthfully say you liked the early stuff and not much else. The first album's good and, after that, slim pickings for the most part.

[Reed John]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

Land Waster wrote:

Two questions: Who exactly is overrating them? And why?

This guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xillqqt0Y0

[anton pulisov]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

Sits With Rivelinho wrote: Ringo was the musical weak link of the Beatles.

I love Ringo's drumming especially in the latter albums. Maybe it's my imagination but I'm sure I've heard this one now and then.

Was it because he held his sticks incorrectly?

If he was responsible for the drumming arrangement on Tomorrow Never Knows, then he may have single-handedly invented house music. That track is, quite literally, decades ahead of its time.

[matt j]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

The only one I can think of to fit the thread is (maybe): "Disco Sucks".

At the time, I can certainly understand the tendency, considering what was going on, but frankly... as long as took me to admit it... and this was pretty much accepted wisdom of my childhood, lasted well into my teens, and only really got broken in my college years when it became obvious.... but...

Disco doesn't suck.

[Reed John]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

Disco produced some worthwhile music if you're into that kind of thing, but overall, as a scene and a pop cultural trend, it sucked.

[Come along, Min]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

Reed John wrote: Disco produced some worthwhile music if you're into that kind of thing, but overall, as a scene and a pop cultural trend, it sucked.

[anton pulisov]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

Disco 2000 is decent enough.

[Wouter D]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

António Pulisão é um gênio wrote: If he was responsible for the drumming arrangement on Tomorrow Never Knows, then he may have single-handedly invented house music. That track is, quite literally, decades ahead of its time.

It is decades ahead of now.

[George]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

For his infraction Reed will now be forced to listen to I Love America (extended +13 minutes long version) by Patrick Juvet on repeat for 24 hours.

[Reed John]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

Case closed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1zN-oLCKo4

[Come along, Min]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

that's like saying Rock n' Roll sucks then sticking up a jive bunny record and the declaring end of

[Reed John]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

I changed my argument, so check again.

[Come along, Min]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

it makes even less sense. Is that story now your closing case?. Stadium level herd stupidity.

[Reed John]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

No, but it compelled you to watch that, which you might not have otherwise, so win-win.

I don't really have an argument. I just don't like disco - the sounds, the clothes, the coke, the unsafe sex. None of it.

[Come along, Min]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

I was aware of it before. It's not really a secret history or anything.

but, Mr.Reed, have you seen this video though?

[WOM]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

I agree with Reed about the whole '70s disco 'scene'. It just looked so friggin' sleezeball. But I didn't/don't mind the music at all.

Hell, the lack of hair/glitter was a not-insignificant amount of the appeal of post-punk/new wave, for me.

[WOM]

Great Myths/ Accepted wisdom in music history

Pre-roll ads on Youtube take a lot of the spontaneity out of Rick-rolling.