What musical artists do not deserve the credit they receive, or vice versa, should have much more success?

I do not want to offend anyone, but always thought Nirvana get too much credit. They are a great band, but to put them on a par with the classics of rock: Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd .... it's really strange and undeserved, imo.

[Edited 10/26/11 4:40am]

Overrated: Bob Dylan. Fantastic albums in the second half of the 60's, but that isn't enough to almost give him the Literature Nobel Prize.

Together with: Radiohead. Three very good albums (OK Computer, Kid A and Amnesiac), but several contemporary groups were more interesting and with less annoying singers than Yorke.

Together with: Marvin Gaye. In my opinion, none of his albums deserve the credit they have. Even What's Going On, which is brilliant, but not the masterpiece it is frequently considered to be.

Underrated: The Kinks. Ray Davies is in my opinion the best lyricist pop music has offered and The Kinks are the real masters in crafting perfect pop songs.

Together with: The Boo Radleys. Best pop group of the 90's.

Together with: Benjamin Biolay. He is as good as Gainsbourg, or even better.

Don't hate me for my overrated artists... It's just an opinion...

Javi said:

Overrated: Bob Dylan. Fantastic albums in the second half of the 60's, but that isn't enough to almost give him the Literature Nobel Prize.

Bob Dylan is certainly one of the best songwriters of all time.
But I agree that he is given too much credit, especially in the magazine Rolling Stone, where he was included in the Top 10 best singers of all time (Freddie Mercury they put only number 18), also he is in top 3 greatest artists of all time (VH1 100 Greatest Artists of All Time).

He is great but not SO great.

[Edited 10/25/11 6:45am]

LiLi1992 said:

What musical artists do not deserve the credit they receive, or vice versa, should have much more success?

I do not want to offend anyone, but always thought Nirvana get too much credit.

THIS X ∞

I think that it's just a bunch of people who got sick of hair bands and those who have their nostalgia goggles on too tight who act as if they Nirvana saved music from 80s pop and hair bands.

Oh god I will never forget that influx of shitty alt. rock from the 90s. Ugh.

Rock music underated and r.n.b overated in this forum.

Stevie Wonder - I don't get how he's constantly put in the greatest voices of all time category. With Stevie, to me at least, it's first and foremost about what he's saying rather than how he's saying it. There were and are people who could just flat out sing. Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Freddie Mercury...I wouldn't put him amongst those names.

Elvis Presley - Did not invent Rock & Roll. That seems to be a common misconception with many.

Bob Dylan - Genius songwriter but seriously needs to be kept off greatest voices of all time lists.

Michael Jackson - Talented songwriter but a bit overrated. Some material is borderline cheesy.

Most underrated:

I think his musical talents and abilities are acknowledged and yet most of his albums are very unappreciated & underrated. Most of the time simply because they are not "favorable". :eyeroll:

Even here, I usually don't agree with how old-timers rate his recent albums. Ugh.

And lol @ Rolling Stone They have a sick crush on Beatles and Bob Dylan. I hope no one here takes their 100 greatest artists/guitarists whatever list seriously

LiLi1992 said:

Javi said:

Overrated: Bob Dylan. Fantastic albums in the second half of the 60's, but that isn't enough to almost give him the Literature Nobel Prize.

Bob Dylan is certainly one of the best songwriters of all time.
But I agree that he is given too much credit, especially in the magazine Rolling Stone, where he was included in the Top 10 best singers of all time (Freddie Mercury they put only number 18), also he is in top 3 greatest artists of all time (VH1 100 Greatest Artists of All Time).

He is great but not SO great.

[Edited 10/25/11 6:45am]

Ranked BEFORE MERCURY... Are pigs flying outside? What the hell is wrong with Rolling Stones?

musicjunky318 said:

Stevie Wonder - I don't get how he's constantly put in the greatest voices of all time category. With Stevie, to me at least, it's first and foremost about what he's saying rather than how he's saying it. There were and are people who could just flat out sing. Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Freddie Mercury...I wouldn't put him amongst those names.

Stevie is not one of the best vocalists I have not seen the information that was generally accepted that he is one of the best singers. Maybe on this site, but nowhere else. But he's good.

Elvis Presley - Did not invent Rock & Roll. That seems to be a common misconception with many.

Bob Dylan - Genius songwriter but seriously needs to be kept off greatest voices of all time lists.

Yes, yes, yes. I agree 100%

Michael Jackson - Talented songwriter but a bit overrated. Some material is borderline cheesy.

Michael is not overrated songwriter among the general public (only among his fans) . I think he's even underrated songwriter because so many people do not know that he is the author of most of his hits, they think he's just a performer.
Even the lists of the greatest songwriter in the history of Michael takes places from 30 to 80. Do you REALLY think this place is too high for him?

He has written several very good songs: Don`t stop ..., Billie Jean, Beat it, Dirty Diana, Earth song, Stranger in Moscow ...
He's a good songwriter, but not in the top 10.

LiLi1992 said:

musicjunky318 said:

Stevie Wonder - I don't get how he's constantly put in the greatest voices of all time category. With Stevie, to me at least, it's first and foremost about what he's saying rather than how he's saying it. There were and are people who could just flat out sing. Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Freddie Mercury...I wouldn't put him amongst those names.

Stevie is not one of the best vocalists I have not seen the information that was generally accepted that he is one of the best singers. Maybe on this site, but nowhere else. But he's good.

Yes, yes, yes. I agree 100%

Michael Jackson - Talented songwriter but a bit overrated. Some material is borderline cheesy.

Michael is not overrated songwriter among the general public (only among his fans) . I think he's even underrated songwriter because so many people do not know that he is the author of most of his hits, they think he's just a performer.
Even the lists of the greatest songwriter in the history of Michael takes places from 30 to 80. Do you REALLY think this place is too high for him?

He has written several very good songs: Don`t stop ..., Billie Jean, Beat it, Dirty Diana, Earth song, Stranger in Moscow ...
He's a good songwriter, but not in the top 10.

Whoooaaa Stevie Wonder is definitly one of the greatest singers of all time..

Michael was a very underrated talented songwriter. Most of all his MAJOR hits were written by HIMSELF.I definitly would rank him on a greatest songwriter list for a pop star... I am not sure what number I would place him but I'd say definitly higher than 50 but lower than top 20.

LiLi1992 said:

Javi said:

Overrated: Bob Dylan. Fantastic albums in the second half of the 60's, but that isn't enough to almost give him the Literature Nobel Prize.

Bob Dylan is certainly one of the best songwriters of all time.
But I agree that he is given too much credit, especially in the magazine Rolling Stone, where he was included in the Top 10 best singers of all time (Freddie Mercury they put only number 18), also he is in top 3 greatest artists of all time (VH1 100 Greatest Artists of All Time).

He is great but not SO great.

[Edited 10/25/11 6:45am]

Well Dylan is like..... my boy I think he is an absolute genius BUT

Top 10 singers of all time he is not, idk what RS was thinking.

musicjunky318 said:

Stevie Wonder - I don't get how he's constantly put in the greatest voices of all time category. With Stevie, to me at least, it's first and foremost about what he's saying rather than how he's saying it. There were and are people who could just flat out sing. Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Freddie Mercury...I wouldn't put him amongst those names.

Elvis Presley - Did not invent Rock & Roll. That seems to be a common misconception with many.

Bob Dylan - Genius songwriter but seriously needs to be kept off greatest voices of all time lists.

Michael Jackson - Talented songwriter but a bit overrated. Some material is borderline cheesy.

Wait so you think Elvis is a better singer then Stevie? i mean to be Elvis is not even that amazing of a singer.... And certainly not better then Stevie. Stevie had more range

Underrated i would say

Frank Zappa

Diamanda Galas

Terence Trent D'Arby

Pet Shop Boys

Living Colour

W.A.S.P

A-HA

Megadeth

Prince

Kings X

Overrated

Metallica[ I have loved them since i was a kid still do.. but they get WAY to much credit in the metal field]

Michael Jackson[I like him, just think he is beyond overplayed and overrated]

Jay-Z[ I Love The Blueprint, Reasonable Doubt & The black Album.. but he has released so much lackluster material i don't consider him the greatest he thinks he is]

Grateful Dead[ ick]

Kiss[ Actually a fan of them have almost all there albums, but to me they are nowhere near Zeppelin, The Stones, Kinks, The Who, Aerosmith, Van Halen]

mjscarousal said:

LiLi1992 said:

Michael is not overrated songwriter among the general public (only among his fans) . I think he's even underrated songwriter because so many people do not know that he is the author of most of his hits, they think he's just a performer.
Even the lists of the greatest songwriter in the history of Michael takes places from 30 to 80. Do you REALLY think this place is too high for him?

He has written several very good songs: Don`t stop ..., Billie Jean, Beat it, Dirty Diana, Earth song, Stranger in Moscow ...
He's a good songwriter, but not in the top 10.

Whoooaaa Stevie Wonder is definitly one of the greatest singers of all time..

Michael was a very underrated talented songwriter. Most of all his MAJOR hits were written by HIMSELF.I definitly would rank him on a greatest songwriter list for a pop star... I am not sure what number I would place him but I'd say definitly higher than 50 but lower than top 20.

Stevie is a very good singer, but there are simply better. Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant, Steve Perry. I do not know if I would include him in the Top 10 or not, but he obviously is not in the top 5 best.

Michael - a good songwriter. I like almost all the songs that he wrote from 1976 to 1997. He is not in the Top 10 best songwriters of all time, but he apparently one of the best among pop singers, and I think that in the Top 30 as a whole.
If I had assessed his ability, then:
1. Dancing
2. Singing (in childhood)
3. Songwriting
4. Singing (as an adult).

I wonder which of his songs are cheesy? He has a lot of banal lyrics, but this is his strength: the social songs, the lyrics banal, repetitive phrases constantly, which can memorize people of any race, nationality and language. This is one of the factors that made him the most global star ever.

But at the same time he was able to write a masterpiece.

Earth Song - rather banal, but very powerful thing. The most successful and respected his song in Europe. Together with a clip makes a great impression on most people.
Incidentally, Prince also has a song with an absolutely idiotic lyrics. He has them even more.

Wait so you think Elvis is a better singer then Stevie?

I'm not a hater, I love Stevie much more than Elvis (he is one of the overated, by the way ), but Elvis, in my opinion, the better singer.

WELL HEY.. Everyone has there own likes

I personally would pick Ray's voice over Freddy, Stevie & the rest.. but that is just me

LiLi1992 said:

mjscarousal said:

Stevie is a very good singer, but there are simply better. Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant, Steve Perry. I do not know if I would include him in the Top 10 or not, but he obviously is not in the top 5 best.

Michael - a good songwriter. I like almost all the songs that he wrote from 1976 to 1997. He is not in the Top 10 best songwriters of all time, but he apparently one of the best among pop singers, and I think that in the Top 30 as a whole.
If I had assessed his ability, then:
1. Dancing
2. Singing (in childhood)
3. Songwriting
4. Singing (as an adult).

I wonder which of his songs are cheesy? He has a lot of banal lyrics, but this is his strength: the social songs, the lyrics banal, repetitive phrases constantly, which can memorize people of any race, nationality and language. This is one of the factors that made him the most global star ever.

But at the same time he was able to write a masterpiece.

Earth Song - rather banal, but very powerful thing. The most successful and respected his song in Europe. Together with a clip makes a great impression on most people.
Incidentally, Prince also has a song with an absolutely idiotic lyrics. He has them even more.

Wait so you think Elvis is a better singer then Stevie?

I'm not a hater, I love Stevie much more than Elvis (he is one of the overated, by the way ), but Elvis, in my opinion, the better singer.

I dunno I guess this is all opinion. Of course their are better singers than Stevie just like Michael etc(love both of them) but I still would rank Stevie on a greatest singer list. Like Michael, Stevie has a very distinctive voice with incredible range which alone puts him on that list. I'd say he definility deserves to be in the top 10. I would rank him 10 and the ones you mention obviously higher. I cant defend the Elvis comparision though Thats definitly ALL opinion

I find that alot of people prefer Mikes younger singing than his older... Me personally, I love both! He was very versatile and still was an amazing singer. Yea I agree some lyrics were cheesy...

mjscarousal said:

LiLi1992 said:

I dunno I guess this is all opinion. Of course their are better singers than Stevie just like Michael etc(love both of them) but I still would rank Stevie on a greatest singer list. Like Michael, Stevie has a very distinctive voice with incredible range which alone puts him on that list. I'd say he definility deserves to be in the top 10. I would rank him 10 and the ones you mention obviously higher. I cant defend the Elvis comparision though Thats definitly ALL opinion

I find that alot of people prefer Mikes younger singing than his older... Me personally, I love both! He was very versatile and still was an amazing singer. Yea I agree some lyrics were cheesy...

Because in his childhood he was very natural, crystal clear, powerful and natural voice, just the angelic voice.
Personally, I prefer his voice in the 90s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN7HNqFIKpI

But frankly, if we're talking about vocals only:
60s - 70s> 80s>> 90s >>>>>>>>>>>>>> 00-ies...

Please give examples of cheese lyrics.

[Edited 10/26/11 7:29am]

LiLi1992 said:

mjscarousal said:

I dunno I guess this is all opinion. Of course their are better singers than Stevie just like Michael etc(love both of them) but I still would rank Stevie on a greatest singer list. Like Michael, Stevie has a very distinctive voice with incredible range which alone puts him on that list. I'd say he definility deserves to be in the top 10. I would rank him 10 and the ones you mention obviously higher. I cant defend the Elvis comparision though Thats definitly ALL opinion

I find that alot of people prefer Mikes younger singing than his older... Me personally, I love both! He was very versatile and still was an amazing singer. Yea I agree some lyrics were cheesy...

Because in his childhood he was very natural, crystal clear, powerful and natural voice, just the angelic voice.
Personally, I prefer his voice in the 90s.
But frankly, if we're talking about vocals only:
60s - 70s> 80s>> 90s >>>>>>>>>>>>>> 00-ies...

Please give examples of cheese lyrics.

Have you heard Butterflies?

Not entire songs just some segments in songs maybe cheesy isnt the right word but cliche not as complicated as other lyrics this coming from a HUGE fan

I think his greatest moments lyrically were in the 90's... ima give examples.

[Edited 10/26/11 7:28am]

bobbyperu said:

It's not possible to overrate Bob Dylan.

We talked only about singing.
He's a bad singer, that's all.

In other aspects, Bob is phenomenal, no one denies

mjscarousal said:

LiLi1992 said:

Because in his childhood he was very natural, crystal clear, powerful and natural voice, just the angelic voice.
Personally, I prefer his voice in the 90s.
But frankly, if we're talking about vocals only:
60s - 70s> 80s>> 90s >>>>>>>>>>>>>> 00-ies...

Please give examples of cheese lyrics.

Have you heard Butterflies?

Not entire songs just some segments in songs maybe cheesy isnt the right word but cliche not as complicated as other lyrics this coming from a HUGE fan

I asked for an example not because I think that all the songs of Michael brilliant. Lol.

I just do not understand very well the value of the word (Russian - my native language).

It is synonymous with banal, stupid? Yeah?

I wrote 1976-1997.
I really do not like Invincible, terrible album, just awful
But this song I like (one of the few)

I think his greatest moments lyrically were in the 90's..

I agree 100%

bobbyperu said:

It's not possible to overrate Bob Dylan. He is the one who made pop music into more than a 3 minute bubblegum hits genre. As Springsteen said, Elvis freed our body while Dylan freed our mind. Anyone who picks up a guitar and starts writing songs places him or herself in a line that ultimately leads back to him. And if that isn't enough, he has written some of the best love songs ever. Check out Blood on the Tracks if you don't know what I'm talking about. And if that isn't enough he has been able to come back strongly in his later years, releasing albums that are as good as his best 60s work. He has been able to grow as a songwriter, allowing us to peak into his mind and his life rather than repeating himself over and over again. And to top it all off, at 70, he still takes his show on the road, performing 100 shows a year and playing a different set list every night. How many can do that?

I like Bob Dylan, especially his classic albums of the second half of the 60's, but sentences like the one I have stressed are what makes me think he's overrated. If that's true of Dylan (I think it isn't), you could say the same of several artists.

I think the sentence I have stressed is only true for The Beatles regarding pop music and for Kraftwerk regarding electronic music.

LiLi1992 said:

overrated/underrdated = "people don't think exactly the same way about an artist as I do." The terms have no meaning any more.

coltrane3 said:

overrated/underrdated = "people don't think exactly the same way about an artist as I do." The terms have no meaning any more.

Of course it is subjective.
I am interested in your opinion.

coltrane3 said:

coltrane3 said:

overrated/underrdated = "people don't think exactly the same way about an artist as I do." The terms have no meaning any more.

I disagree.

Especially when you got facts to back it up and their not solely opinions.

LiLi1992 said:

mjscarousal said:

LiLi1992 said:

Because in his childhood he was very natural, crystal clear, powerful and natural voice, just the angelic voice.
Personally, I prefer his voice in the 90s.
But frankly, if we're talking about vocals only:
60s - 70s> 80s>> 90s >>>>>>>>>>>>>> 00-ies...

Please give examples of cheese lyrics.

Have you heard Butterflies?

Not entire songs just some segments in songs maybe cheesy isnt the right word but cliche not as complicated as other lyrics this coming from a HUGE fan

I asked for an example not because I think that all the songs of Michael brilliant. Lol.

I just do not understand very well the value of the word (Russian - my native language).

It is synonymous with banal, stupid? Yeah?

I wrote 1976-1997.
I really do not like Invincible, terrible album, just awful
But this song I like (one of the few)

I think his greatest moments lyrically were in the 90's..

I agree 100%

O okay...

Invincible was definitly his weakest albums while I do think a few songs were underrated...

Ex. Heaven Can't Wait ..... I exactly like the 90's r&b sound but the lyrics are very cliche.

It not my opinion, simply article.

Solo Artists: Most Underrated And Overrated

Andrew Payne
Starpulse Contributing Writer

Underrated

5. Rakim

Those in the know consider Rakim to be the most gifted MC ever to put his lips behind a mic. The vast majority of the mainstream, however, have never even heard of him. This is a real shame, because he is perhaps the most influential rapper of all time. His work with the Eric B. remains essential listening for any young artist, and became legendary mostly because of Rakim's skills on the mic. Rakim was the man who introduced many of the complex rhymes and lyrics that would come to dominate hip-hop in his wake, departing from the simple lyrics of his predecessors. It's easy to see how he became underrated as a solo artist: He's only released two albums on his own, and the last one dropped in 1999. Since that time, he's been blowing up the concert scene and adding memorable track after memorable track as a guest artist and soundtrack contributor. He may have started in a duo, but the success and acclaim of his earlier work was mainly due to him, and he certainly deserves to be more than a footnote in the minds of modern-day rap fans.

4. Peter Gabriel

How many classic songs does a guy have to record to get a little respect? Gabriel gave the world the movie trailer stander "Solsbury Hill" and the staple of any mix-tape "In Your Eyes". In addition to that, he scored some massive pop hits with "Sledgehammer" and "Steam" and was one of the first artists to use the music video as an art form. His album "So" remains a landmark for sophisticated pop, with its South African-influenced Motown sound mixed with the New Wave of the time. Gabries is often a bit too avant garde to appeal to the mainstream, but he certainly deserves to at least be considered the best former member of Genesis.

3. Warren Zevon

In the 70s four different piano-based rockers debuted. Billy Joel and Elton John went on to superstardom while Jackson Browne became the darling of the singer/songwriter movement before devolving into saccharine pop in the 1980s. Somewhere in all this confusion, the most talented member of the foursome got completely lost. Warren Zevon composed songs that sounded like they were written by a heartbroken bar singer, but had lyrics worthy of a poetry book. Nobody ever made cynicism sound so beautiful. He could be funny when he wanted to, he could tell a story, and he could make you feel his heartbreak. All this set against expertly constructed piano melodies that could rock out or feel delicate depending on the song. Zevon was a true classic who everybody forgot until his untimely death a few years ago.

2. Otis Redding

Dying young is usually the most surefire path to becoming overrated (see below) but in the case of Otis Redding, the 1967 plane crash that claimed his life at 26 caused the soul legend to be forgotten amid the swirl of excellent music created during his era. Otis Redding is still the undisputed King of Soul despite a catalog of only about a half-dozen albums and a career that didn't really take off until after his death. Talented beyond his years, his classics like "(Sittin on) the Dock of the Bay" and "I've Been Loving You Too Long" both sound like they were recorded by world-weary bluesman near the end of his life. Unfortunately, this turned out to be half-true. Of all the musicians who died under the age of 30, Redding was the most talented, and unfortunately the least remembered.

1. Michael Jackson

Well, everybody knows the reason Jackson became so underrated. The allegations of molestation, the bizarre plastic surgery, and the dangling of a child named Blanket from a balcony are all going to end up superseding his sterling musical career in the memories of most. It's really a shame, because from the late-70s through early-90s there was nobody better than Michael. The dance moves, the event videos, the endless stream of huge hits and the best-selling studio album of all time are all on his musical resume, a resume that would cement him as a true legend if it were not for his personal life. There haven't been many artists who can claim a catalog even a tenth as strong as Jackson's. This is a guy who wrote and recorded classics like "Thriller", "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", and those were all just off one album. Jackson will continue to become more and more underrated as the distance from his musical career grows and he adds more wrinkles to his bizarre personal life.

Overrated:

5. Aretha Franklin

There's no denying her voice. It's huge, it's pure, it's clean, she sounds like a soulful opera singer. Great singers, however, are a dime-a-dozen and great songwriters are priceless. Aretha's never touched a pen to paper, yet her recording's of other people's classics have long been held in a regard that make them seem like Aretha originals. Sure, she's absolutely killed a few songs, and turned Otis Redding's "Respect" from a misogynist footnote into an anthem of empowerment for women, but her career also disappeared into a black hole for the entire decade of the 70s only to re-emerge with a string of horrible 80s pop trash that made her seem like a poor woman's Whitney Houston. You can't doubt her vocal ability, but to call her a transcendent artist is vastly overrating her.

4. John Lennon

Lennon's overratedness applies only to his solo career. Anybody who would call his musical contributions as a member of the Beatles shouldn't be allowed to listen to music. His solo career was a bit more inconsistent. For every "Imagine" he wrote there was a Yoko Ono-influenced mess to nearly negate it. He produced a ton of great songs after he left the Beatles, but it's hard to say his catalog compares to the work of Paul McCartney and certainly not to George Harrison. Yet somehow, he's been raised to the nearly the status of a deity among music fans. This has a lot to do with his political activism and the belief of some that his "Give Peace a Chance" rallies actually made some sort of a difference in the shape of history. Also, his tragic death created a sort of mythical quality around him causing him to be heralded more than he deserved. For his solo career, Lennon should be remembered as a solid songwriter who never quite lived up to the promise of his previous work and not as the nearly Christ-like figure that's become so common in the memory of many.

3. The Notorious B.I.G.

Like Lennon, Biggie was tragically gunned-down far before his time. Unlike Lennon, his murder is the sole reason he's been hailed as a great artist. The Notorious B.I.G. had a few nice songs that turned into club staples, but this is mostly due to the work of ace producer Puff Daddy whose innovative use of samples made old songs feel new again. As an MC, Biggie was very clumsy with a lazy flow and simplistic lyrics that could not match the work of his contemporaries on the West Coast. Had he not been murdered, he would have probably emerged as a poor man's Jay-Z (an overrated artist in his own right), a commercial gangsta with great producers to drown out his shortcomings as an MC. Instead, he's a legend in the world of Hip-Hop despite a sorely lacking skill set.

2. Bob Marley

Much like John Lennon, Bob Marley made some good music and somehow was hailed as a sort of deity after his death. A good indication was the recent performance of "I Shot the Sheriff" by Jason Castro on "American Idol" that led Simon to remark, "You just don't do Bob Marley." Why not? What was Bob Marley but a good time dude who made some fun, laid-back tunes to listen to at the beach? His deeper cuts did reveal a political fire burning within, but essentially he was a rich man's Jimmy Buffet with his most well-known songs being "One Love" and a cover of "Stir It Up". Somewhere, somehow, somebody got the idea that Marley was a sort of modern-day saint, that his political songs are anthems for the oppressed and that he did more for the underprivileged than any other man of the 20th century. Well, Bob Geldof and Bono have both done a tremendous amount more that is tangible for these suffering countries than Marley ever though of. Maybe it's because he was too busy fathering 11 children with nine different women, the exact type of behavior that would brand modern-day rock stars with the type of scorn reserved for Hester Prynne. Bob Marley should be remembered as a gifted musician who created some fun tunes that sound great on the beach, and not the prophet of the third world that many critics have dubbed him.

1. Janis Joplin

What exactly did Janis Joplin ever do? How exactly did she come to be hailed as the pinnacle of sixties music? It's incomprehensible. Joplin did her best work with Big Brother and the Holding Company and then went solo, covered a good Kris Kristofferson song, sang a poem a capella, drank more whiskey than a high school football team in Alabama and died. That's it. She never did anything more than that. Other than running around half-naked in San Francisco with a bottle of Jack Daniels in her hand and screaming about this that and the other thing, her whole career fits into one sentence. Yet somehow, she's held in similar regard to Jimi Hendrix, CSNY, and other legendary acts of the sixties. It's unreal. Her career was a blip at best. Joplin would be inconsequential if it weren't for her becoming so massively overrated over time. Most cases of overratedness can be explained, but aside from her dying young, this is a complete mystery. Making her the most overrated solo artist of all time.

http://www.starpulse.com/news/Andrew_Payne/2008/05/16/solo_artist_most_underrated_and_overrate