In another 20 years time most of them will be long-forgotten.

The only ones in that list with any long-term value will be:

Blue Nile
Girls Aloud
The Dead,
Zappa

James Taylor
Jackson Browne
The Yardbirds
Charlie Parker
Bay City Rollers

The Grateful Dead easily hold the title of "the biggest act of whose work I couldn't sing a single note". Nothing against them - I've got nothing to go on. I don't know how they've dodged me all this time.

the easiest to catch up on four lps 30-40 songs tops and they are worth hearing.
Can I add Kiss to the list how can a band be so big and I can't name for definite their biggest song even though they seemed to be on the back of every american comic I ever read in the 80's.

It occured to me whilst listening to the Word podcast a couple of weeks ago when Mark Ellen was wondering what the Grateful Dead are doing now that I, too, have never knowingly listened to a single Grateful Dead track. I did listen to Dylan and the Dead once though - perhaps that's why I never decided to seek their music out any further.
What is their most approachable song?

- Nirvana (I wouldn't recognise the allegedly famous "Teen Spirit" riff if it slapped me in the face)
- Blur, Suede or Pulp (but I can recognise one Oasis song, I think)
- Stone Roses
- Green Day
- The Darkness
- Radiohead
- Coldplay (except the one they ripped off from Joe Satriani)
- Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys (and 99.43% of all other indie)
- Manic Street Preachers (anything to do with 10,000 Maniacs, who I haven't heard either?)
- P.J. Harvey
- 50 Cent

The Blue Nile and Sigur Ros to come should be envied. Start there.

I guess I am too slightly incredulous as to the folk who have never heard a whisper of some of the above, wondering if it is more akin to keeping alive a prejudice otherwise unproven. I could claim to know nothing of Radiohead, other than the cover versions of Creep I have accrued and the track I quite like off the first Warchild compilation. That is because I have told myself I wouldn't like them, and have thus studiously avoided any exposure. Easy, if you try hard enough. I have a slight fear I would find I liked them, which would be a bigger problem, as I still couldn't embrace the idea of liking them........
Big shout shared for the fabulous 10k Maniacs, esp in their Natalie Merchant days. Go for it, Arch. They are no more maniacal than are the Cowboy Junkies, um, cowboys.

...Fatima Blushes but am familiar with the rest. I like about half of them; if I don't like them they are likely to have been an indie group heavily acclaimed in the NME over the past couple of years.

I've never heard anything by Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, The Cocteau Twins, Pere Ubu or Gang Of Four.

As for bands listed above, The Grateful Dead are a band I sometimes like and sometimes don't. I like their instrumental side and some of the studio releases like 'American Beauty' (their most accessible album) and 'Blues For Allah' (my favourite of theirs, probably their jazziest release, I guess), but that good-time boogie schtick of theirs on concerts I've heard genuinely makes me lose the will to live.

Radiohead I recommend 'The Bends' and 'OK Computer', both of which I find excellent. The subsequent albums I have to be in the mood for; again, sometimes I like them and sometimes I don't.

And I imagine there are lots of people who have never heard a single song Kiss have done though are all too aware of their image- see also Motley Crue. Don't worry, you're not missing much with either band!

There are lots of 'seminal' (yuck, I hate that much-bandied adjective) TV shows that I have never watched.

The two most prominent are:
- The Simpsons
- 24

It's not as if I don't know things about them, but I've never consciously sat down and watched an entire episode.

I've only recently started watching The Sopranos and The West Wing, as well.

reminded me I always keep meaning to check them out as they are a band that crops up on the Word Blog every now and then. However, up to now never heard a note by them, couldn't tell you what they looked like or any of the band members names.

You can have it playing in the background while you read the entries. The Grateful Dead clip was an ear-opener. I have some of their records, god knows which century they were last played or what they sound like. Time to dig them out, life id too short not too...

Oh. This is Barclay James Harvest, performing to 175,000 people at the Berlin Wall, a band from the frozen north (actually the Pennine district of Lancashire)

Cant believe Fraser has never knowingly heard the Yardbirds - For your love, Shapes of Things, Good morning little school girl were all extensively played on radio for years. You dont have a radio?
By the way 10,000 Maniacs In my Tribe is probably one of the most played albums in my collection - Whats the matter here, Verdi Cries and Gun Shy are truly masterful songs and Natalie Merchant has a voice to die for.

All of them with the exception of My Chemical Romance, Babyshambles, Girls Alound and the Gossip.

I purchased Elbow,after hearing the brilliant "Scattered Black and Whites" on an old Marc Radcliffe show. Blue Nile, I have loved them since "Tinseltown". Now here is a band that truly believes in quality control and they are the best thing on this list by a long chalk. The Dead, I own "Live Dead" because a mate told me I had to hear "Dark Star" after I played them "Marqueee Moon" I could not, for the life of me, make the same connection despite many plays. Sigor Ros, I simply love that song with "AAAh Hoooo" in it, it is a lovely slow burning electronic, shimmering diamond thingy of a song.

All of the rest I have probably heard on Radcliffe/Maconnie's Radio 2 shows or on dismal classic rock Fm Radio here in Canada ("Pearl Jam" etc.) and none tickled my ears, in fact some hurt quite a bit. I could not hold a conversation on any of this last lot because none of them made any lasting impression on me.

Anyway Archie, if you have truly managed to avoid the stuff on your list then you have done very well indeed and have hopefully spent that time enjoyably doing something more pleasurable. I would, however, recommend giving "Common People" by Pulp a good listen, great witty lyrics and a very neat pop song. But beware it could be just like smoking that one ciggerette after years of abstinence.

Howard Tate perhaps?

I am at work at the moment and cannot access the youtube clips but I really appreciate the posts.

I will have to have a strong Tizer before I bring myself to watch the Grateful Dead and BJH clips. Why? Because breaking a 42-year long duck requires careful thought and mental preparation.

There was a snooker player once who sometimes could not bring himself to actually make the shot. He would perform the whole ritual of looking around, bending over the table - lining up the cue. But he would not be able to do it. I have whatever syndrome that guy has/had*.

*Only on this occasion - I have no trouble with sexual intercourse, thanks for asking.

My children have been urging me to take my first listen to certain 'beat' combos such as [and I hope I am spelling their names correctly] the rolling stones, the beetles, lead zeppelin, the jim morrison door, jimmy heindreich, joy multiplication and the everley presleys. Unfortunately my gramophone packed in just after the D-Day landings and therefore I am unable to do so. However, may I recommend to your youthful section the delights of Vera Lynn, Arthur Askey, Flannagan and Allen and Comets On Fire. Toodle pip!

..they were often accused of being a 'poor mans Moody Blues"..to which they penned this hilarious response.

Television
My Bloody Valentine
Beth Orton
A full Grateful Dead song
Kanye West
Girls Aloud

Well I just listened to Grateful Dead for the first time courtesy of the two clips posted above. For some reason I thought they'de be much louder and more psychedelic but for me it just veered between AOR radio rock and a poor man's CCR. Pleasant enough I guess but I'm not blown away.

... but I'm pretty sure I've never heard anything by Richard Thompson.
I know, I know, that's heresy in some parts but there you go, life goes on.
Excuse: Don't have headphones for the work computer and rarely get enough time to go on here at home (I know there are loads of clips floating around here).
Although having just splashed out for a new hard drive to boost the old itunes maybe I should check give him some space?

Oh, and I haven't seen The Wire either.

...only thing I heard by him was his cover of Hit Me One More Time. It's pretty good you know.

My problem has been hip hop. My total antipathy towards Westwood and my dislike of most of Radio 1 (plus the fact that I've moved town and am not in close touch with my hip hop loving friends) has meant I've never heard;
Kanye West
Jay Z
Lil Wayne
Notorious BIG
Usher
Among many others.

I'm not proud of this at all, especially because I do like some hip hop. I have always loved Public Enemy, De La Soul, NWA, Outkast etc. The bling brigade annoy the hell out of me though and I suspect I avoid them because life is too short to spend it irritated. The thing is I suspect I've missed a lot of good stuff.

If any of the word massive can recommend me a good selection of hip hop from the death of Tupak Shakur onwards, I'd be awfully grateful.

without ever having heard a note from My Bloody Valentine, Todd Rundgren or Laura Nyro. Have I missed much?

Although I love guitar music in general, I've never knowingly heard a note by:

Dinosaur Jr
Queens Of The Stone Age
Smashing Pumpkins
Metallica
Megadeth
Motley Crue
Soundgarden

And rap and hip hop are a closed book to me, so no:

Kanye West
50 Cent
NWA
Ice T
Ice Cube
Dr Dre
Wu-Tang Clan
Missy Elliott

...when it came out. Never played it, still haven't almost 30 years later.

Enjoyed both Grateful Dead clips - thanks. Made me think of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, who I have always had an affection for but not enough to actually buy their records. But much more tuneful than I thought, as I had the impression GD were permanently noodling drug-fuelled Jazz Odyssey merchants.

BJH was like watching ELO (is that Kelly Groucutt on guitar?, can't be bothered to look it up)- and there's nothing wrong with that. Overall, though I probably won't be poring through their back catalogue any time soon.

Frank Zappa always seemed interesting - but where to start?

I'd end there too.

Having seen who won last night's MTV Europe awards I'm proud to say that I've never heard a single note by Tokio (sic.) Hotel or 30 Seconds from Mars.

Sadly, I have heard stuff by Pink, Katy Perry & Britney Spears (I have a 12 year-old daughter).

That Macca bloke who won something or other looks interesting though. What bands has he been in...?

I can probably name five of his albums and three of his children but have I heard a note? I think not. I presume it's quite widdly.

It's possible I'm doing my musical education alphabetically, I suppose.

Although I have plainly been oblivious to lots of really good music over the years, I heard SLTS in a shop yesterday and felt the need to linger awhile in order to hear it all. Never bought it at the time but it is plainly a very good song. Young people (less than 20 years old) were mumbling and gurning away in recognition, which must be a good sign of a (sorry for the cliche) timeless classic.

Is there anything by the acts mentioned above that come anywhere near SLTS? If not, then maybe I haven't missed much.

I've never heard any Uriah Heep, Ultimate Spinach or Scroobius Pip.

Seems reasonably sound, too. I'm itching to consider who were Blue or, stateside, New Kids on the Block....

Never quite as big as the other two

...I started with "Broadway the Hardway", and was surprised at how funny it was, in a rather scabrous way. From there I moved to "We're only in it for the money" which I love. Since then, nothing though.

I haven't heard any Janis Ian, Iron Butterfly, Elbow, Razorlight, Opera, Miles Davis, in fact any Jazz, most all Rap and Hip-Hop, Little Feat, Blind Faith, Slayer, Husker Du, probably most Bluesmen and ladies, Billie Holliday, a ton of Soul Singers, MegaDeth, the list goes on. I don't wallow in the mud pools of my ignorance, though - I plead too little time, a very short list of music that is acceptable to be played in front of the wife, and lack of time for music that doesn't immediately enthuse at least the smallest spark.

I also don't own a radio, or watch music TV. If I'd have heard of "Paul Simon" I could be the boy in the bubble.

..."Hi Ho Silver Lining" is probably the song that I've read about most without actually hearing.

(No, I don't know why it says Best of the Honeycombs either......, was it the same drummer?. Oh, I see, it's a fab collage of groovers and hipsters of the day.)

...Sounds like Wizzard. Thanks for the link!

Who

("My Generation" excluded, though I wouldn't know a cover version from the original)

Can't believe that the Massive haven't dredged back into their collective middle class school years to pick up Austin on his Latin! Surely aney fule no that the plural of 'ignoramus' has to be 'ignorami'.

Stay behind after class, see me, etc, etc, etc.