Dislike the Artist, but Like the Song

Cornfed Hick

Ancient Mariner
This is pretty simple. Perhaps a corollary to the "guilty pleasures" thread. Artists you don't care for, even dislike, can still knock it out of the park on a single song. Post your favorite examples. Here are a few of mine, top of mind:

The Eagles, "Hotel California" -- I really really don't like the Eagles. Their soft, urban contemporary beach-country sound bores and irritates me. But, let's face it, this is one of the greatest rock songs ever written, and the guitar duet between Don Felder and Joe Walsh is justifiably legendary. Simply an awesome track.

Kiss, "Black Diamond" -- I have written repeatedly of my dislike of Kiss. I think untrained second-graders could write better songs. But this song is great, very powerful riff. But the Replacements' cover version is better. :p

The Doobie Brothers, "China Grove" -- The Doobie Brothers are boring. Easy-listening, adult contemporary bullshit, sort of like the Eagles. For the most part, they are one step up from Muzak. But the guitar riff and bass licks on this song kick ass.

The Beach Boys, "Good Vibrations" -- I get it, the Beach Boys were revolutionary. Pet Sounds supposedly inspired the Beatles to write Sgt. Pepper (or was it Revolver?). Whatever. I don't like 'em. But this song, once you get past the fact that it was used in a soda commercial, is actually well constructed and surprisingly complex. Lots going on here -- Brian Wilson crammed many different musical ideas into 3.5 minutes.

Oasis, "Don't Look Back In Anger" -- For the life of me, I never understood why Oasis got so big. It's as if they tried to have the most annoying vocals ever recorded. And they probably succeeded. Plus, they dared to compare themselves favorably to the Beatles while shamelessly trying hard to sound like them, which is a hubris I find offensive. But this song is actually quite lovely.

Madonna, "Like a Prayer" -- Younger people on this forum probably don't remember this, but Madonna used to be considered extremely hot. As an adolescent male in the 80s, I must say I enjoyed her videos. The songs were another matter. They sucked. She couldn't sing. Stripped of the images of her prancing around with her bare midriff, the music cannot hold my interest. The lameness of Madonna's songs even inspired one of the more memorable scenes in the film Reservoir Dogs (opening line of the movie: "let me tell you what 'Like a Virgin" is about"). But "Like a Prayer" is a legitimate masterpiece. Even the church-choir backing vocals were a nice touch. There were a million ways she could have fucked this song up, but she didn't.

Miley Cyrus, "We Can't Stop" -- Miley DID fuck this song up. It has over-produced, unnecessary, stupid, cutesy, throw-away sonic add-ons and irritating, auto-tuned vocal affectations. Pretty much what you'd expect. And the ridiculous music video inspires near-homicidal hatred. But, the second or third time I heard it, I realized something: the song itself is brilliant. I don't know who wrote it, it presumably wasn't her, probably one of the 3 or 4 hitmakers who write all the songs for today's pop stars. No matter. As much as I want to hate this song, I can't help myself, it is great. God help me. The message is actually pretty cool too. Bonus fact: I bought my house from a former producer/writer of the Hannah Montana TV show.
 
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Oh yea, I have lots of these.

Helloween - Victim of Fate: Really not a power metal guy, but I have to admit this is a pretty cool song. It makes me want to like the band, but unfortunately I find much of the other material I've heard to be pretty bad.

Jethro Tull - Locomotive Breath: Can't stand Jethro Dull. But this song does rock pretty hard, has some killer grooves, and some tasty flute playing. I can't stand any of their other material, but this is a good one.

Testament - The Legacy: Most bands tend to grow on me, I find things to appreciate about them after giving them multiple chances. Other bands I dislike instantly, and it usually stays that way. Testament is one of the few bands that I hated even more after giving them more chances. I still regret all those hours I wasted listening to their discography to participate in the survivor a few years back. With all that said though, The Legacy is a pretty cool song.

These are the first three that pop into mind but I'm sure I'll think of more later.
 
Great idea for a thread, Cornfed. Lots of these for me. Here's some that spring to my mind right now:

Helloween - Halloween: I really dislike power metal. I think it sounds extremely cheesy and frigid. However, this one has a very rich composition, great flow and atmosphere.

The Doors - People Are Strange: I find The Doors dull. But this one has a very deep edge to it, sounds fun and sad at the same time and has a very nice rhythmic flow.

Alice in Chains - Would?: This was the first Alice in Chains song I've ever heard. I loved it. I was extremely excited about discovering their material but they don't come anywhere near the quality of this song. One of my favorite "Shorter Than 4 Minutes" rock tracks ever.

Tyler, the Creator - Yonkers: I'm not the biggest hiphop fan in the world. And Tyler the Creator's material is far from being exciting. However, this song sounds wicked and twisted and I love it. Tyler's deep voice is just astonishing on this track.

Cannibal Corpse - Hammer Smashed Face: Cannibal Corpse is as boring as they're technical. Most of their material sounds like a machine working in a factory. Even though the vocals on this thing are absolute garbage, the riffs are sick.

Necrophagist - Fermented Offal Discharge: The same thing that applies to Cannibal Corpse. Only difference is that this band doesn't sound like a machine in a factory but just boringly "too technical". Fermented Offal Discharge, despite its terrible lyrics, has nice riffs and a gorgeous solo.

Laura Branigan - Self Control: There are lots of pop tracks like this that can be named under this thread. Most of Laura Branigan's material is the same ol' boring pop. But Self Control is a legendary synthpop track that I play quite often. Great stuff.

Pantera - Cowboys from Hell: I hate Pantera with a ferocious passion. They sound incredibly boring to me. But the main riff on this one is unmistakable. What a groove.

Lady Gaga - Bad Romance: The backing track of this song is legendary. Listen to its instrumental version and you'll see what I mean. Vocals aren't bad on this one either. Guilty pleasure for sure.

Inna - Inndia: I heard this song just a couple of weeks ago. Inna is one of the most annoying "artists" there is. Her constant shouting with her godawful voice is hard to bear. I was surprised when I heard this track because it has a great groove and vocal melodies are fantastic. The credit goes to the songwriter, though, I'm sure it'd sound pretty good even if I sang it. And I'm not a good singer.

Taylor Swift - I Knew You Were Trouble: I can't stand Taylor Swift's moaning about her former relationships, her voice or terribly basic songs. This one though, has a great chorus and a very nice vocal delivery by her.
 
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In Flames - Embody the Invisible
This was on the soundtrack of some video game back in the early 2000s although I can't remember what it was. It was about 6 months after I had gotten into Maiden and as soon as the first note hit I knew I loved this track. Even with the Death Metal vocals that I still don't particularly like (the only Death Metal band I actively listen to is Amon Amarth), I'm willing to overlook them in this song.

Cannibal Corpse - Hammer Smashed Face
Have to agree with Flash here. Vocals are bad and the lyrics are even worse, but the riffs are killer. There's one other Cannibal Corpse song I like again because of the riffs but I can't remember what it is.

Creed - My Sacrifice
Yes, I assume everyone will ignore this because I said Creed as the first word but bear with me. Stapp's vocals are quite good overall even if his vocals are still of the love it or (mostly) hate it variety. But I listen to this track for the crushing guitars that this song features. There's also another song that is really good as well, although the rest I have actually heard is rubbish.

Rolling Stones - Paint it Black
An absolute classic for good reason. The whole band is on fire here with great musicanship featured and even vocals that suit the song very well. I absolutely love the basslines featured throughout the entire song.

Distrubed - Stricken
The vocal delivery isn't the best but the riffs, bass and drumming behind it more than make up for it. The solos are kickass as well.

Led Zeppelin - Rock and Roll
I dislike Led Zeppelin immensely and think they are very overrated but this is one track I can get behind. The fast tempo of the song really helps it chug along at a frantic pace (compared to other songs released in the same era) although Plant's vocals are as annoying as ever.
 
Oh yea Rolling Stones. I actually like a couple of their songs: Gimme Shelter and Monkey Man. Everything else I've heard is garbage though.
 
Off the top of my head...

Bruce Springsteen - "Adam Raised a Cain". I usually have a hard time with the Boss, but he has written a few really good songs, especially this overlooked number from his best album. In a sane world, this would be played on the radio instead of nonsense like "Thunder Road".

Metallica - "Creeping Death". Yeah, I know, they revolutionized metal and all that, but I've never cared for them. Except this song.

The Stone Roses - "She Bangs the Drums". I get tired of this band quickly - both their albums are mood pieces that rarely fit my moods (though you have to admire the audacity of calling your sophomore effort Second Coming!) - but this is a damn near perfect pop song.

Uriah Heep - "Lady in Black". I know a lot of people here like this band, but to me they're just hopelessly second-rate at everything they attempt. Still, this is a lovely folksy ballad. In the hands of a band like Fairport Convention, it might even have been great.

Oasis, "Don't Look Back In Anger" -- For the life of me, I never understood why Oasis got so big. It's as if they tried to have the most annoying vocals ever recorded. And they probably succeeded. Plus, they dared to compare themselves favorably to the Beatles while shamelessly trying hard to sound like them, which is a hubris I find offensive. But this song is actually quite lovely.

That one's sung by Noel rather than Liam Gallagher, so maybe that's the reason. Add it to my list, it's one of the few Oasis songs that don't bore me.
 
Rolling Stones - Paint it Black
An absolute classic for good reason. The whole band is on fire here with great musicanship featured and even vocals that suit the song very well. I absolutely love the basslines featured throughout the entire song.
...
Led Zeppelin - Rock and Roll
I dislike Led Zeppelin immensely and think they are very overrated but this is one track I can get behind. The fast tempo of the song really helps it chug along at a frantic pace (compared to other songs released in the same era) although Plant's vocals are as annoying as ever.

You don't like the Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin?! Now I feel really old!
 
Every decent song by Megadeth, and there are quite a few. I find nothing likeable at all about Dave Mustaine, but boy, he can write, play and sing.
 
Hmmm, sounds to me like you actually don't dislike Megadeth.

To me, Dave Mustaine is Megadeth. The band is him plus hired hands. I severely dislike him, the artist, but I love Killing Is My Business, Wake Up Dead, The Conjuring, Peace Sells, Devils Island, My Last Words, Set the World Afire, Mary Jane, etc etc...
 
Oasis, "Don't Look Back In Anger" -- For the life of me, I never understood why Oasis got so big. It's as if they tried to have the most annoying vocals ever recorded. And they probably succeeded. Plus, they dared to compare themselves favorably to the Beatles while shamelessly trying hard to sound like them, which is a hubris I find offensive. But this song is actually quite lovely.

That one's sung by Noel rather than Liam Gallagher, so maybe that's the reason. Add it to my list, it's one of the few Oasis songs that don't bore me.

I am an Oasis fan, but I still vastly prefer Noel's voice. Don't know why he wasn't singing lead all along. As evidenced here...




...he's a much more pleasant singer.
 
Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone (From Top Gun Original Soundtrack, 1986).

While I do like his other Top Gun-contribution Playing with the Boys, I haven't found much more to like in his musical output. K-Log remains one of those artists who I do not have any particular reason for disliking other than not suiting my taste, but for a brief moment in time he was the coolest guy on Earth...

In Flames - Only For the Weak

I am not a fan of melodic death metal. Not one bit. But this song is too good to be ignored. Excellent melodies and hooks - I get why In Flames has got a reputation of being one of the top acts of the genre (of course also considering the top notch production of later albums).

Guns N' Roses - November Rain

A good song by a band whose majority of output I'd never listen to without a gun to my head. Despite being one of the supposed great bands in a genre I feel at home in, I have never seen that supposed greatness in Guns N' Roses. Least of all Slash, whose playing creates a stir which seems totally unproportionate to what he's actually doing, and which is nothing else than unwarranted praise. A good guitarplayer, but not one of the great. He looks cool while doing it though, I guess it comes down to that.
 
Funny how tastes differ, I always thought November Rain was vastly overrated, and I strongly prefer the stuff on their debut album.
 
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