There’s a fine line between fame and deserved acclaim. Some groups gain massive followings, iconic status, and decades of adoration—but does that automatically make their music great?

This list doesn’t include novelty acts or talent show runners-up. It focuses on critically celebrated, commercially successful bands who, in my view, get more credit than their actual output warrants. Even if I like some of their songs, it’s time to be honest about the imbalance between hype and quality.

🔟 The Eagles
Let me be clear: Hotel California is one of my favourite songs of all time. But the rest of The Eagles’ catalogue? Not even close. Their sound veers toward the overproduced and formulaic, the kind of audio wallpaper that sounds polished but forgettable. They straddled rock, country, and soft pop without ever fully owning any of them—more genre tourists than trailblazers. Yes, they sold millions. But so do microwave meals. That doesn’t make them gourmet.

9️⃣ Oasis
Oasis’ first two albums are undeniably brilliant. Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? are cultural landmarks. But after that, the cliff-edge drop in quality is almost comical. Their third album tried to be The White Album and ended up sounding more like a bootleg B-side collection. Every record after felt like a fight between cocaine ego and declining creativity. And don’t get me started on the lyrics: half nursery rhyme, half drunken rant. Still, if they ever reformed, I’d pay to see it. Hypocrisy acknowledged. (May 2025 edit – They have and I did!)

8️⃣ Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours is treated like a holy relic, but beyond that, their discography is a mess of recycled melodies and soap-opera backstories. Their blues beginnings? Forgotten. Their ‘80s pop direction? Beige. It’s like they built a career on Fleetwood drama and Stevie Nicks’ scarves. Musically? Middle of the road, at best. (May 2025 edit – Since writing this list my opinion on Fleetwood Mac has changed slightly, their 1975 eponymous offering is my most played album of 2025. Still not essential, but maybe I was too harsh. Maybe.)

7️⃣ Nirvana
The cult of Nirvana is built on raw emotion and tragedy more than actual musical range. Cobain could write a hook, sure. But three chords, murky distortion, and screamed refrains don’t make you the voice of a generation. Grunge wasn’t invented in Seattle—it just got a flannel shirt makeover there. Their best songs (Lithium, In Bloom) still hold up. But as musicians? They peaked fast, burned out faster, and left behind a legacy built as much on martyrdom as music.

6️⃣ The Rolling Stones
Yes, they’re legends. Yes, they’ve got Satisfaction, Paint It Black, and Gimme Shelter. But for a band that’s been around since dinosaurs walked the earth, their hit rate is shockingly inconsistent. Whole decades of output are best left unplayed. Their blues roots, while real, were sometimes borrowed a bit too liberally—see also: cultural appropriation. Add lyrics that aged like milk and the fact they’re still wheezing out greatest hits tours at 80, and you’ve got to ask: are we celebrating the band, or just clinging to the past?

5️⃣ Blur
The “thinking man’s Britpop band” apparently. Or maybe just the band that bored me the fastest. Damon Albarn’s voice always sounded like it couldn’t decide between irony and apathy. Their cleverness often felt smug, their experimentation self-congratulatory. Yes, Parklife is catchy, and Song 2 gets the blood pumping, but beyond the singles, their albums are patchy at best. They looked down on Oasis while pretending to be above the fight. At least Oasis didn’t pretend.

4️⃣ Coldplay
Coldplay’s early work had heart. Parachutes was delicate and atmospheric. A Rush of Blood to the Head even flirted with greatness. Then they discovered stadiums, synths, and corporate branding. What followed was a descent into pop anthems written by committee. Their lyrics became emotionally hollow, their melodies safe and algorithm-friendly. For a while, they were U2-lite. Now they’re just Spotify filler for corporate mindfulness sessions. If you can remember anything they’ve released since 2011, congratulations—you’re in a rare club.

3️⃣ Radiohead
I’ll take the flak for this one. OK Computer is a masterpiece. In Rainbows is sublime. But let’s stop pretending every thing they release is a gift from the avant-garde gods. Half their post-2000 material sounds like a malfunctioning synthesizer having an existential crisis. Their fans act like decoding Radiohead albums is an intellectual pursuit, as if understanding Kid A requires a philosophy degree and a week in isolation. Sometimes complexity is brilliance. Sometimes it’s just noise.

2️⃣ Pink Floyd
Conceptual? Yes. Groundbreaking? Occasionally. Boring? Frequently. The Wall is more bloated than brave, Dark Side of the Moon is iconic but endlessly overplayed, and Wish You Were Here is mostly atmospheric filler wrapped around two decent songs. They made albums for stoned sixth-formers to pretend they understood. Lyrics about time and space, 9-minute intros, and endless sonic meandering don’t guarantee substance. They sound like a band allergic to brevity—and fun.

1️⃣ Queen
Let’s get this out of the way: Freddie Mercury was a showman without equal. But Queen’s catalogue? A mix of karaoke gold and absolute tat. For every Somebody to Love there’s a Bicycle Race. For every Bohemian Rhapsody, a Body Language. They bounced between genres with reckless abandon, often mistaking chaos for creativity. Their lyrics? Frequently inane. Their videos? Campy excess. Their fans? Devoted, yes—but often unable to admit that behind the fireworks and falsetto lies a band more flash than finesse.

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In Summary

This list isn’t about being contrary for the sake of it. It’s about balance. These bands all did something. But somewhere between cultural legacy, media myth, and fan obsession, we’ve stopped listening critically. Loving a band doesn’t mean you have to deify them. And disliking a band doesn’t mean you don’t recognise their place in history. But let’s not confuse legacy with quality.

Got opinions? Great. That’s the point. Your top 10 might be totally different. That’s music. That’s the debate. And that’s why Queen still isn’t getting a pass from me.