4 Famous Bands Who Many Listeners Originally Thought Were Jokes

No matter what genre your band is in or your level of talent, you have to fight hard to get anywhere in the music industry. Young bands have to take some time to flesh out their sound and image, and many of the biggest bands’ early years weren’t exactly pretty. Plenty of famous rock bands were treated like they were jokes, and it took a while for them to get the respect they deserved. Let’s take a look at just a few famous bands that listeners initially thought were jokes!

1. Stone Temple Pilots

From the get-go, grunge fans were wary of Stone Temple Pilots. They were from California, and many thought they were trying to copy the Seattle-famous style of alternative rock that had already been done to death before. Many claimed Scott Weiland was copying Eddie Vedder’s style of singing for years.

Luckily, that timeline of undeserved hate finally stopped, somewhere around the time Purple was released. And when the grunge trend started to die, Stone Temple Pilots reinvented themselves yet again (and beautifully) with Tiny Music and No. 4.

2. System Of A Down

Out of all the bands out there that listeners initially thought were jokes, System Of A Down’s hate was completely undeserved. They were unique for the 90s, and their message was unlike anything that was in the rock world at the time. But even Rick Rubin, who first signed the band, said that he “couldn’t stop” giggling the first time he attended one of their shows because of their “alien” sound. 

Though, plenty of rap-metal outfits got similar treatment through the 2000s as well. Eventually, most listeners figured out that System Of A Down was going in a whole new direction with metal, and they became much more popular.

3. Beastie Boys

Alright, let’s not act like there isn’t a little dose of humor in Beastie Boys’ music… especially the early stuff. Plenty of listeners thought the hip-hop outfit would slip into obscurity within a few years. Licensed To Ill was brutish and a bit goofy, after all. Even the band knew that. 

So, starting with the record Paul’s Boutique, they decided to go in a more unique direction with their sound. It was a smart move. The Beastie Boys have become one of the most loved alternative acts in recent history.

4. Oasis

Oasis is an unfortunate entry on our list of bands that listeners thought were jokes. Noel Gallagher’s early works weren’t the best. Today, he’s known as one of the best melody-makers in modern rock history. But like many artists, his early years weren’t the best. 

Plenty of haters at the time thought that Oasis was a cheap rehashing of The Rolling Stones or The Beatles. Eventually, listeners caught on that there was a punk rock element to Oasis that made them stand out.

Photo by Bob Berg/Getty Images

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