Few musicians are universally beloved. Music is subjective, which means the people who make it face a myriad of opinions. Though the three bands below are fan favorites from decades past, they have their fair share of haters. These classic rock bands were debated back in the day, and they still spark discussion today. What do you think about these iconic rock bands?
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The Eagles
Typically, people either love or hate The Eagles. While to many this band epitomizes 70s soft rock, to others, they verge on bland. The band made a name on radio-friendly, near-pop melodies—something the counterculture tradition of rock didn’t take kindly to.
Really, any criticism of The Eagles’ mainstream appeal can be attributed to the fact that the band was doing something their peers hadn’t done before. They were giving rock a makeover, which was inevitably going to turn off some listeners.
Kiss
To some, Kiss are legendary hard rockers; to others, they are mainstream sellouts who did a better job of selling lunch boxes than they did making music. In either camp you fall, no one can deny the mark this rock band has left on music history.
Kiss did know the merits of marketing and promotion, but that doesn’t mean they rocked any less hard than their peers. Nevertheless, the debate rages on today: are Kiss worthy of the glam metal crown, or are they figureheads for a movement they don’t belong to?
Pink Floyd
While some music fans can see the merit of Pink Floyd’s conceptual musicality, others see their work as overwrought and a tad self-important—perhaps even pretentious. It’s easy to see where both opinions come from. While Pink Floyd’s music is certainly impressive, there is a layer of something that feels slightly too large—something with too grand a scale for a rock number. However, their saving grace is the fact that none of their music ever seemed feigned.
Many people still consider Pink Floyd one of the best bands ever to perform together. Their concept records were riddled with exceptional standalone songs. The big picture of their work was stunning, but so were the little details. Nevertheless, there will always be naysayers who find their ambitious approach to music-making too heady for its own good.
(Photo by Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images)
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