I love garage and punk music, but every now and then I find that my taste doesn't jive with popular opinion -- meaning there's bands or records that everyone in the garagepunk community loves, but I just don't.  Let's share our unpopular opinions.

I'll start... I don't like the Swamp Rats.  I think they're overrated.

Except "Pshycho" and "Louie Louie"!  No?  I didn't need to buy their LP.

 

Alex said:

 

I'll start... I don't like the Swamp Rats.  I think they're overrated.

I always thought that the Ramones was an average forgettable pop punk band who wished they were a boy band

There's room , here , for people who do and don't like The Swamp Rats. Since so damn few people even seem to know who they were , even in "Garage " circles , if some people don't like them , I'm OK with that.  i'VE ALWAYS LIKED THEM. By "Always" , I mean , since I found the average - sounding bootleg on Eva , about 20 years ago , and finally graduated to the Get Hip LP with extra tracks.

Unpopular Opinions of my own : Love DMZ , but I always found The Lyres to be overrated. I saw them in '88 , I think it was , and , it just was'nt happening. "Don't Give It Up , Now" , "Help You , Ann" , real good songs , mind you , but , I've heard album after album , and compared to the foot - in - ass JOHANSEN MEETS IGGY vocal delivery of DMZ , Connolly frequently sounds disinterested to me. GOOD MUSICIANS HAVE PASSED THRU THE BAND ( Inc. Ex - DMZ members .) , but , I still don't know why FUZZ is a dirty word. Don't overdo it , but , smoke 'em if you got 'em.

I think what makes the Ramones the coolest band ever is just that...they wished they were a top 40 boy band (in the bay city rollers sense). They are the definiton of punk because they weren't trying to be "punk"...they were just naturally fucked up guys who thought were were being normal. They wanted to be the biggest band ever on their OWN terms. That's way cooler than trying NOT to be popular in fear of losing street cred.

But back on topic....I think Turbonegro sucks.

YOU SAID IT. Dee Dee said that he really thought The Bay City Rollers were their competition , or the yardstick by which they should judge themselves. The Bay City Rollers were'nt a Boy Band , tho' , just because they were teen and pre-teen idols. They played ROCK'N'ROLL on real instruments , no computer - assisted backing. Their early stuff was just an extension of Glam Rock , and they were regarded as contempoparies to that stuff , even tho' , yes , they had more of a "Pop" edge. It's like this - "Ballroom Blitz" + "Saturday Night" = "Blitzkrieg Bop".

Anyway , Nick Lowe would'nt have recorded two , count 'em two , songs about N'Sync or Backstreet Boys .

The Ramones really felt gyped , in that they did'nt become huge. But they wanted to make it , you're right , Tyler , on their own terms. Sure , people like The Bay City Rollers made it by listening to someone else. But , how did you corral a force like The Ramones ? They were "Punk" in that they were unmanageable. They inadvertently kick - started the UK Punk movement , and , of course , showed a lot of their countrymen that it CAN be done . Or could be , back when it did'nt cost a fortune to tour , and venues actually promoted shows.

OK , so The Ramones were naive. They admitted that , to some degree. That's the beauty part of it. We'd seen enough boring bands that planned every move they made , and came out ahead , when their best could'nt beat The Ramones' worst.

Turbonegro , agreed. I don't get it. But , I don't have to. More good stuff for me.

JOHN: I absolutely agree with everything you wrote. Greatest band ever.

  I should point out that when I said "boy band" (regarding the bay city rollers), I didn't mean it in the non-instrument playing vocal group sense of the word. I just meant boy band in the "teen-heartthrob/On every girls bedroom wall" sense. I love the Bay the City Rollers.

Regarding Turbonegro...it always bothered me that I didn't like them, because I feel like I should.  People always assume that I like them because I love the Dictators and the Devil Dogs. But Turbonegro just comes off like Cheese metal to me.

Typos...no edit button..

Yeah yeah, Premium member change possible in the near future :)

Tyler , Oh , no , I did'nt get the impression that you did'nt like The Bay City Rollers , or thought of them as a "Boy Band" ,as you well put it , just because they made it up on a lot of young girl's walls.....And The Ramones.....they were FICTIONALLY idolized by teenage girls.   Well , in more recent years ,two of my friend's Daughters loved The RAMONES, and

 idolized Riff Randall when they were little.  Seek out the EARLY version of "Saturday Night" , which was a hit in Germany , if you don't have it , already. It sounds like a real Boot Boy stomp !    IT WAS RECORDED LIKE IN '73 , MAYBE TWO OF THE GUYS STAYED IN THE ROLLERS AND BECAME STARS....

I don't give it much thought . TURBONEGRO NEVER DID ANYTHING FOR ME. But , some of my friends are ga - ga for them. When I was pacing the floor , waiting for the next Dictators reunion (Dictators NYC IS The Dictators , from where I stand.), my friends were raving about the Turbonegro reunion.

IT DON'T MEAN ME NO NEVER MIND.

I thought i was the only one that didn't likeTurbonegro.......everyone says i should like them, but nope, doesn't do anything for me.

John....I've seen The Lyres many times over the years, but never DMZ. If like you, i saw DMZ first, i probably would be thinking the same thing as you, as DMZ were a huge kick to the balls for me when i first heard their records!! They blew away so many bands from their era and still stand above to this day!!