Rate or briefly comment on the following artists:

[pcqgod]

Country and reggae are my musical blind spots

And melody in general.

[naughty boy]

Grand Funk’s ‘Are You Ready’ is as good as any MC5. But there’s no more

[sloopjohnc]

Emmylou Harris - Like her most as a duet partner - especially with Dylan, more than Parsons - but she has some great solo records. Also gets more and more beautiful as she gets older. At least so far she wears her age about as gracefully as anyone I can think of.

Her album with Knopfler, supposedly years in the making, is one I really enjoy.

[Muskrat]

[pcqgod]

And a couple later hits you probably know but may have forgotten:

[Muskrat]

Good soundtrack, all around.

[pcqgod]

Indeed.

[bobzilla77]

Tangerine Dream - zzzzzz
Stray Cats - retro but reminiscent of the wrong era
Joan Jett - dependable pop rocker with edge. Also she helped my friends in the Gits when their singer was murdered, so I love her.
Tommy Roe - great singles act!
Arctic Monkeys - who cares?
Stiff Little Fingers - real proper fist-raising punk rock
Lee Hazelwood - ???
Julee Cruise - I like that one thing I heard
Dr Dre - monster producer but I don't listen to most of it
Grand Funk Railroad - reasonable pop rock for the early 70s
The Carpenters - pretty
Minor Threat - had something going for them but not my flavor
James Taylor - mellowness personified
NIN - great live band on the first Lollapalooza
UB40 - not for me
The Donnas - I like the idea but there were better bands of that type
Emmylou Harris - gorgeous

[never/ever]

Tangerine Dream- one of my all time favorite bands. Have waxed lyrical over them in the past, will refrain of that for now.

Stray Cats- live they were cool. Setzer evolved nicely but not always on point as he was with them.

Joan Jett- good value- should have really been bigger with the Blackhearts.

Tommy Roe- uhhhh Dizzy, that's it.

Arctic Monkeys- never understood why they were so big, just a bunch of wordy smartmouths. Guess that somewhere the hype was deserved but it was lost on me

Stiff Little Fingers- one trick ponies but very good ones at that.

Lee Hazelwood- I love that deep drawl he had. Together with Nancy I know him the best, haven't given his solo-stuff much of a go.

Julee Cruise- have her Badalamenti- albums, at the time pretty much de rigueur but now sounds a bit tired.

Dr Dre- loved his early productions but for the way he corrupted the story of Straight Outta Compton in his favor, he is a dick.

Grand Funk Railroad- couple of decent albums but pretty much a product of its time.

The Carpenters- DO Fuck off....

Minor Threat- never been a fan even though I dug the genre for a while, more into Black Flag.

James Taylor- bland, bland, bland. The King of Teflon.

NIN- early albums a treat but disappeared up his own Hole pretty quick. The soundtracks with Atticus Ross though are quite good.

UB40-.deserve credit for Madam Medusa and the first two LPS (UB40 Live was the first reggae LP I got for Christmas, Signing Off I bought right afterwards). I don't really mind their hits overall.

The Donnas- charming yet ineffective.

Emmylou Harris- Her voice, with that quiver sometimes is a bit overpowering for me. Daniel Lanois drowned that effectively out on Wrecking Ball which is still a classic album. Dug through her back catalogue after I heard a cover of Til I Can Gain Control Again and believe she is five star in what she does but not always doing it for me.

[Dayodead]

Tangerine Dream - Not all that interesting...
Stray Cats - Couple of fun singles, otherwise, meh
Joan Jett - Meh...Never understood the accolades
Tommy Roe - ???
Arctic Monkeys - Meh...
Stiff Little Fingers - Couple of decent tracks off the first album, otherwise, kinda stiff...
Lee Hazelwood - stuff I've heard (Not much) is ok...
Julee Cruise - ???
Dr Dre - Good producer, just not a good human...
Grand Funk Railroad - Dad Rock...
The Carpenters - ugh...Never understood the love they get from some circles...
Minor Threat - Landmark Band...(Though I prefer Fugazi)
James Taylor - Only know some singles and they are pretty wretched...
NIN - First two albums are good, but it all seems to get muddled after that...
UB40 - Annoying...Want to hit them with a bottle of red wine...
The Donnas - heard a couple of songs...others do their shtick better...
Emmylou Harris - don't know enough to have an opinion...

[Rayge]

Tangerine Dream - Bought one album. Saw them play once. Lacked excitement, a little snoozeworthy, a too-comfy sofa
Stray Cats - Sha Na Na without the humour. OK, but fundamentally uninventive
Joan Jett - love the Runaways, not really familiar with her solo stuff
Tommy Roe - Sheila and The Folk Singer part of my gilded youth. Dizzy was all right, but I didn't bother with the single. got a Greatest Hits somewhere on the shelves
Arctic Monkeys - the band that finally showed me I was too old to be down with the Next Big Thing. I just didn't get the excitement. Smiths retread without the charm
Stiff Little Fingers - Always sounded a bit like a constipated Clash to me, and Jake Burns is punchable, but made a couple of good singles
Lee Hazelwood - As If I'm going to diss a former Rebel. I think he's this side of genius, but he's associated with a lot of very fine records
Julee Cruise - Twin Peaks, I bought the Float album, never bothered before or since
Dr Dre - great with Eminem, not really familiar otherwise
Grand Funk Railroad - not familiar
The Carpenters - One of the great US pop voices, but Richard... nah
Minor Threat - it's all in the name
James Taylor - too polite. I'm wildly indifferent
NIN - not familiar
UB40 - not for me
The Donnas - not as good as The Veronicas, but they will definitely do
Emmylou Harris - nearest thing on this list to someone I'm a fan of. Wrecking Ball (not really country, DF!) is a great album. Saw here play early in her career with James Burton on guitar. Hotcha! And not really relevant, but she has the finest head of hair I ever seen.

[The Modernist]

Tangerine Dream- I never know where to start with this lot. I'm still waiting for that track which might be the gateway.
Stray Cats - I've always enjoyed 'Runaway Boys', no real interest or knowledge beyond that.
Joan Jett -I only really know 'I Love Rock n' Roll'. Good for ice hockey games I guess, but of no real interest to me.
Tommy Roe - No idea
Arctic Monkeys - They've never impressed me and I'm slightly mystified how they got as big as they did.
Stiff Little Fingers - Easy to forget how big they were around 78/79. Some decent singles, but a bit stodgy and sweaty overall. They make it all seem like very hard work, there's no lightness of touch there.
Lee Hazelwood - Another who I've no idea how to approach, probably a decent comp would be the best way. 'Some Velvet Morning' is a classic, but I haven't found much beyond that to really grab me.
Julee Cruise - I only really know the stuff with Badalamenti. It can sound a bit samey after a while, but 'Mysteries of Love' is one of the most beautiful things ever.
Dr Dre - I quite like that p-funk sound, although it became a formula quite quickly. I don't really regard him as any great talent.
Grand Funk Railroad - No idea
The Carpenters - Yes they can get a bit sickly, but I really like Karen carpenter's voice and there are some real gems there. I've posted this before on BCB, but it really is fantastic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB657W91rX4. The best thing on the list so far anyway.
Minor Threat - No interest
James Taylor - Yeah some very good tracks, but a bit uninspired on the whole. I prefer him to Elton John though.
NIN - No interest.
UB40 - Some very good early singles, then it went very pear shaped.
The Donnas - Don't know who they are.
Emmylou Harris - No idea