Most Overrated Band Member of All TIme

[BostonBeaneater]

I don't know, Brian Jones.

[Flex]

I don't know, Brian Jones.

Mmmmmm, I feel like most normies don't even know who the fuck he is anymore.

I'm going with Robbie Robertson. After all those years, Kaleb finally convinced me.

[Flex]

Oh, and more for real tho, flava Flav

[Wolter]

In a band that dismissed a member for many years for being a little too openly anti-Semitic, Flav somehow still manages to be an embarrassment.

I’d say David Lee Roth, but honestly I might also want to add Eddie Van Halen.

[BostonBeaneater]

Oh, and more for real tho, flava Flav

DISAGREE

[Flex]

Oh, and more for real tho, flava Flav

DISAGREE

Love those songs, but Flav has gone out of his way in recent years to make sure we all know how inessential he is to what makes PE, and those songs, great. Sad.

[Flex]

Here's one that won't take the title, but I think is a good nominee: Luther Perkins. Obviously vital to Johnny Cash's beloved sound, but it's also obvious that Cash's backing band is stronger on At San Quentin than At Folsolm Prison and, generally, Perkins' limitations on guitar were holding Cash and his band back at that point. Still love me some Luther Perkins, but he wasn't the terminus of Cash's backing unit putting out great music by any stretch.

[Wolter]

Here's one that won't take the title, but I think is a good nominee: Luther Perkins. Obviously vital to Johnny Cash's beloved sound, but it's also obvious that Cash's backing band is stronger on At San Quentin than At Folsolm Prison and, generally, Perkins' limitations on guitar were holding Cash and his band back at that point. Still love me some Luther Perkins, but he wasn't the terminus of Cash's backing unit putting out great music by any stretch.

He’s a weird case because I love his sound and I don’t think Cash becomes Cash without his contributions, but yeah. Though it’s kind of unfair to use his replacement at San Quentin being better than him given that by any measure his replacement was a charismatic legend in his his own right.

[Dr. Medulla]

Generally speaking, drummers from classic rock bands (Keith Moon, John Bonham, Charlie Watts, etc). Yes, they are highly skilled and all that, no doubt about it. But to hear critics and fans tell it, the songs would completely fall apart with a lesser drummer. If you have to have a trained ear to appreciate all those special touches that they bring, they're overrated.

[matedog]

Generally speaking, drummers from classic rock bands (Keith Moon, John Bonham, Charlie Watts, etc). Yes, they are highly skilled and all that, no doubt about it. But to hear critics and fans tell it, the songs would completely fall apart with a lesser drummer. If you have to have a trained ear to appreciate all those special touches that they bring, they're overrated.

I could see an argument made for Charlie Watts, but Moon and Bonham were VERY distinct. It's hard to say "well, the music would sound different if someone else was playing it" without being able to hear it. I'm not talking about dusting off Kenny Jones takes of My Generation, but more of the hypothetical, "if Kenny Jones was in the band in 1963 or whenever, what would My Generation sound like?" We have no way of knowing, just speculation. Additionally, they (Bonham/Moon) are still thought of as lesser members of the band. If you ask someone who is more important to Zeppelin's sound, Page or Bonham, no one is going to say Bonham. I think they are properly regarded.

I may also be biased though.

[matedog]

Oh, and more for real tho, flava Flav

DISAGREE

Love those songs, but Flav has gone out of his way in recent years to make sure we all know how inessential he is to what makes PE, and those songs, great. Sad.

He is generally presented as an equal to Chuck D and probably as well known (certainly since his reality shows more well known) than Chuck D. That being said, remove his contributions from PE and you are still like 95% of the way there.

[revbob]

Generally speaking, drummers from classic rock bands (Keith Moon, John Bonham, Charlie Watts, etc). Yes, they are highly skilled and all that, no doubt about it. But to hear critics and fans tell it, the songs would completely fall apart with a lesser drummer. If you have to have a trained ear to appreciate all those special touches that they bring, they're overrated.

I could see an argument made for Charlie Watts, but Moon and Bonham were VERY distinct. It's hard to say "well, the music would sound different if someone else was playing it" without being able to hear it. I'm not talking about dusting off Kenny Jones takes of My Generation, but more of the hypothetical, "if Kenny Jones was in the band in 1963 or whenever, what would My Generation sound like?" We have no way of knowing, just speculation. Additionally, they (Bonham/Moon) are still thought of as lesser members of the band. If you ask someone who is more important to Zeppelin's sound, Page or Bonham, no one is going to say Bonham. I think they are properly regarded.

I may also be biased though.

Yeah I would agree with this. Some drummers bring a distinct sound/style but how many people notice that?

[matedog]

I’d say David Lee Roth, but honestly I might also want to add Eddie Van Halen.

Not sure I get either choice. Overrated in terms of their actual skill or their importance to the band? Because DLR and Eddie are both super important to the band. DLR is a shitty singer, so I could see the skill argument there, but not Eddie. There's too many soundbites of guitar players talking about how much of a game changer Eddie was.

[Dr. Medulla]

Generally speaking, drummers from classic rock bands (Keith Moon, John Bonham, Charlie Watts, etc). Yes, they are highly skilled and all that, no doubt about it. But to hear critics and fans tell it, the songs would completely fall apart with a lesser drummer. If you have to have a trained ear to appreciate all those special touches that they bring, they're overrated.

I could see an argument made for Charlie Watts, but Moon and Bonham were VERY distinct. It's hard to say "well, the music would sound different if someone else was playing it" without being able to hear it. I'm not talking about dusting off Kenny Jones takes of My Generation, but more of the hypothetical, "if Kenny Jones was in the band in 1963 or whenever, what would My Generation sound like?" We have no way of knowing, just speculation. Additionally, they (Bonham/Moon) are still thought of as lesser members of the band. If you ask someone who is more important to Zeppelin's sound, Page or Bonham, no one is going to say Bonham. I think they are properly regarded.

I may also be biased though.

Yeah I would agree with this. Some drummers bring a distinct sound/style but how many people notice that?

And that's my point in saying they're overrated. It's not to suggest that they were crappy drummers or weren't influential or anything like that. Far from it. It's that critics and ardent fans over-emphasize how crucial they are to the band. But if most listeners focus on melody, harmony, voice, and/or guitar, going on about what the drummer brings is appealing to a distinct minority set of listeners. Those critics may argue that that demonstrates that the role of strong drummers is actually underrated, but they tend to overcompensate in their rebuttal.

[matedog]

Generally speaking, drummers from classic rock bands (Keith Moon, John Bonham, Charlie Watts, etc). Yes, they are highly skilled and all that, no doubt about it. But to hear critics and fans tell it, the songs would completely fall apart with a lesser drummer. If you have to have a trained ear to appreciate all those special touches that they bring, they're overrated.

I could see an argument made for Charlie Watts, but Moon and Bonham were VERY distinct. It's hard to say "well, the music would sound different if someone else was playing it" without being able to hear it. I'm not talking about dusting off Kenny Jones takes of My Generation, but more of the hypothetical, "if Kenny Jones was in the band in 1963 or whenever, what would My Generation sound like?" We have no way of knowing, just speculation. Additionally, they (Bonham/Moon) are still thought of as lesser members of the band. If you ask someone who is more important to Zeppelin's sound, Page or Bonham, no one is going to say Bonham. I think they are properly regarded.

I may also be biased though.

Yeah I would agree with this. Some drummers bring a distinct sound/style but how many people notice that?

And that's my point in saying they're overrated. It's not to suggest that they were crappy drummers or weren't influential or anything like that. Far from it. It's that critics and ardent fans over-emphasize how crucial they are to the band. But if most listeners focus on melody, harmony, voice, and/or guitar, going on about what the drummer brings is appealing to a distinct minority set of listeners. Those critics may argue that that demonstrates that the role of strong drummers is actually underrated, but they tend to overcompensate in their rebuttal.

Serious question I have not through myself: If a component of music is less obvious, does it mean it's less important?