Bands you can't imagine anyone not being a fan of

[Jockice]

Abba, The Undertones, The Human League, All Saints, Buzzcocks...

[wosl]

Abba are more divisive, possibly, than the Beatles.  Many love and appreciate their skill and craft, but others are having none of it (I can remember Bob Geldof being almost violently anti-Abba on a music show once), and to them Abba are Eurovision hype-driven corny gimmick pastel fondant bollox for now and for ever.

[rue the polywhirl]

Abba, The Undertones, The Human League, All Saints, Buzzcocks...

I'm a fan of literally none of those bands. I've always thought John Peel's singular devotion to Teenage Kicks was some kind of absurdist affectation on the most supreme level.

Most 60s groups - Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks, The Who. Imagine anyone not being a fan of either of those groups. Can't think of many today - Daft Punk? Brand New Heavies?

[wosl]

I've always thought John Peel's singular devotion to Teenage Kicks was some kind of absurdist affectation on the most supreme level.

Wasn't that devotion in danger of getting torn asunder by Sheena Easton's Nine To Five at one point?  Fickle bugger.

[wosl]

Beezer of a track, to be fair.  Not in Teenage Kicks' league, but better than The Love Parade or Here Comes The Summer.

[hummingofevil]

Daft question as no matter how good something is there will always be some awkward cunt who doesn't like it either because they are a fucking middle aged drippy cunt or a pucker-faced teenager.

[thenoise]

Any band can get overplayed to death as well ... every time I hear one of the big Beatles hits nowadays my reaction is 'oh no this again', although I recognise it as being good.

[Pearly-Dewdrops Drops]

Most 60s groups - Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks, The Who. Imagine anyone not being a fan of either of those groups. Can't think of many today - Daft Punk? Brand New Heavies?

I'm not really a fan of the Rolling Stones and I don't think it's a juvenile contrarianism like people who claim not to like the Beatles. They had some good singles, but the albums in general are full of mush and even the classic singles tend to veer into white-guys-doing-black-music posturing.

The two Stones singles that I unconditionally love are "Paint It Black" and, strangely, "Waiting on a Friend"

[Pearly-Dewdrops Drops]

The two Stones singles that I unconditionally love are "Paint It Black" and, strangely, "Waiting on a Friend"

Well this is clearly wrong now that I think about it, but I'm still not a fan damn it!

[the]

KERLASSIC LEGEND ANFEMS

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Most 60s groups - Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks, The Who. Imagine anyone not being a fan of either of those groups. Can't think of many today - Daft Punk? Brand New Heavies?

I can *not* stand The Who, I think they're a horrible group. Also, the Rolling Stones have produced a grand total of five good songs in their career. The Kinks have produced a lot of dross too, like, say their entire recorded product of the1980s.Also, your assertion is grammatically incorrect.

[Jockice]

Most 60s groups - Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks, The Who. Imagine anyone not being a fan of either of those groups.

Like Lisa above, I simply don't get The Who. As for the others, decent singles bands but I wouldn't go out of my way to hear any of their albums.

To my original list can I add Slade, Wizzard and Adam And The Ants? Thank you.

[Jockice]

The two Stones singles that I unconditionally love are "Paint It Black" and, strangely, "Waiting on a Friend"

Even more strangely (and this is despite (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction being number one when I was born) by far my two favourite singles by them are Have You Seen Your Mother Baby Standing In The Shadow? and Respectable.

[grassbath]

Apart from the Beatles, I'm not a huge fan of 60s Brit stuff really. The Who and the Stones I could take or leave. Dylan and the Beach Boys are much better as the towering artists of the decade go.

Speaking of which, does anyone dislike the Beach Boys?

[DrGreggles]

Speaking of which, does anyone dislike the Beach Boys?

Only one of them.

[ajsmith2]

Speaking of which, does anyone dislike the Beach Boys?

Noel Gallagher.

[PaulTMA]

Speaking of which, does anyone dislike the Beach Boys?

Jimi Hendrix said he "didn't care much for The Beach Boys" and described them as a "psychedelic barbershop quartet" when asked his opinion on Heroes & Villans.  Not too harsh really and the description to most would be considered a compliment.

John Peel liked the early stuff but was dismissive of the 'Brian's a genius' era.

[imitationleather]

I'm not a huge fan of 60s Brit stuff really.

Me too, bro. #metoo.

I just don't get it.

[sevendaughters]

I can't imagine anyone looking at the varied career of Brian Eno and saying "this man has done nothing that I could be into" but for actual bands it's harder. I once assumed everyone liked Talking Heads and then I met some gobby cunt who said David Byrne was a complete prick. I didn't like him, but he really didn't like Talking Heads at all!

[greenman]

Jimi Hendrix said he "didn't care much for The Beach Boys" and described them as a "psychedelic barbershop quartet" when asked his opinion on Heroes & Villans.  Not too harsh really and the description to most would be considered a compliment.

John Peel liked the early stuff but was dismissive of the 'Brian's a genius' era.

He wasn't too much of Syd Barrett either preffering Floyd when they went space rock.

[dr beat]

Chic?

[Jockice]

Chic?

I hated that sort of stuff when I was a punky teenager. But I was wrong. So very very wrong.

[NJ Uncut]

Interesting meeting fellow Liverpool musicians re: the Beatles

One bearded fella I met outside the Magnet a few years back is memorable for his vehemence in how shite the Beatles were. We were both in bands so had a nice, normal, positive, right-on-my-man back slapping mutually pleasant conversation about music, but he lurched negatory with Ringo and pals.

I get being tired of the comparison or even the fact the music is fuckin thrown at you even walking down the street but that was a bit too rich for my blood. I take long breaks from em and find em on my terms again.

But that fella. Called em all sorts of shite, just... Lambasted the Fab four, top to bottom. I even, being the Woody Woodpeckeresque instigator I am, tossed in concepts like "maybe you're kicking against the ubiquity rather than the music per se" or "are all periods of the Beatles equally shite? Like, is She Loves You as bad as Strawberry Fields, no iota of difference?"

Was having none of it. Beatles =shite, he "fuckin hates" them.

Mind you, I think loads of music is toss. Beatles though. Funnily enough it's not an intensely rare comment for musicians to slate the Beatles as musicians (usually borne from their non-touring change, and perhaps some snobbery re:actual capabilities live, like in the rooftop gig vs touring hardworking bands without studio trickery most'f the time)

[pigamus]

I hated that sort of stuff when I was a punky teenager. But I was wrong. So very very wrong.

I love the Chic style but the records leave me cold. I much prefer Sister Sledge.

[The Culture Bunker]

I've never been able to hack Abba, I find everything I've ever heard by them absolute tosh.

[wosl]

I love the Chic style but the records leave me cold. I much prefer Sister Sledge.

Chic and SS are one group, in effect, at times (e.g. on Lost In Music - lead vocals by Joni Sledge; backing vox some perm of Chic's Norma-Jean Wright, Alfa Anderson and Luci Martin, plus same backing band, I'd wager)

[NoSleep]

On another forum I frequented it was finally decided that nobody hated The Kinks.

[purlieu]

I think I dislike more bands mentioned in this thread than I like (or at least only like a few songs / maybe one album by them).

I can't think of a single group who fits the description, really. Largely because of how different people's reason for listening to music is. When it comes to song-based stuff, I'm much more into songwriting than performance or authenticity, and along those lines I prefer either more emotive or whimsical songwriting, so that means there are huge swathes of rock music that do nothing for me at all. Other people favour energy, authenticity, rawness, whatever. In which case, our tastes might be completely at odds with each other. Others prioritise production and 'sound'. For some, lyrics are everything. Others actually dislike music with vocals. So even before we get to personal experiences / associations with particular acts, the opening question is unanswerable because everyone is starting from a different page in the first place.

I could easily nominate, say, Tears for Fears, as I think in the '80s, at least, they made the most superb pop music imaginable. But anyone not into polished sounds, '80s production or big/bombastic music would immediately be turned off. I don't think I've come across a fan of electronic music who doesn't at least quite like Orbital, but then people not really into electronic and/or instrumental music probably wouldn't get anything from their music.

(usually borne from their non-touring change, and perhaps some snobbery re:actual capabilities live, like in the rooftop gig vs touring hardworking bands without studio trickery most'f the time)

It's funny, because they're one of a number of bands in my 'they got better once they stopped touring' list. But I don't particularly like live music anyway, which is in itself something a lot of people find hard to believe.

[wosl]

Bands with short careers and/or a slender back catalogue stand about the best chance of having hardly any to zero 'anti-fans'.  The longer a band goes on, the more chance there is of dislike both from unsympathetic fresh ears, and ones familiar, that have either grown tired of the music, or become unhappy with the band's evolution.  On that basis, I'll go for one album wonders Young Marble Giants and The La's. 

_{^{("Can't bear those revivalist scallies with the foghorn vocalist" reply in five, four, three...)}}

[Puce Moment]

It's hard for me to imagine that anyone could possibly dislike either Otis Redding or Dusty Springfield songs. Even the mediocre songs have THOSE voices on them.