Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson once famously said, “Fans don’t boo nobodies.” It’s the kind of quote printed on motivational materials and paraphrased in energy drink commercials, but its message is true. Fans reserve their strongest hate for the biggest names, which applies to music as easily as sports.
Each rock act — no matter how revered — has at some point been the target of unfair contempt. The Beatles have been called overrated. Bob Dylan’s voice has been mocked. Someone, somewhere, has even described Jimi Hendrix’s guitar playing as “just average.” Such criticisms are just the price for fame, yet some bands have received far more scorn than their peers.
Below, we’ve highlighted 15 Rock Bands That Don’t Deserve All the Hate They Get. In every case, these artists are unquestioned successes – Grammy winners, Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, multiplatinum millionaires and legends of their time. Still, for various reasons, they’ve also been the target of vitriol.
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We’ve done our best to analyze the respective sources of this hate. For some, it came down to a band’s decision to head in a new musical direction. For others, resentment grew after a prominent lineup change. Then there’s the classic cliche of selling out, a claim fans often throw at acts when they achieve massive mainstream popularity.
Whatever silly reasons exist, we say enough is enough. These acts have taken the heat for too long, and it’s time to give them a break.
