Top 10 Musicians Who Started Off in TERRIBLE Bands

WatchMojo

Even the greatest musicians had to start somewhere... Join us as we look at iconic artists who launched their careers in some truly forgettable bands! From experimental projects to failed ventures, these legendary performers paid their dues before finding their perfect musical match.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we're counting down our picks for iconic musicians who had their beginnings in some pretty low-quality bands.

00:18Number 10. Trent Reznor, Various

00:22Trent Reznor is the founding member and primary songwriter for the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, as well as an acclaimed score composer.

00:39Before he made it big in the 90s, Reznor was a member of multiple bands, which all failed to take off.

00:46First was his high school band, Option 30. Then, he released an album with The Innocent, whom he played keyboard with for three months.

00:55Reznor also joined Exotic Birds, Slam Bamboo, and Lucky Pierre.

01:07The majority were new wave bands, a wild difference from the intensity of Nine Inch Nails.

01:13None were particularly impressive, but we all have to start somewhere.

01:18So, really, he deserves applause for his passion.

01:25Number 9. Debbie Harry, The Wind in the Willows

01:32Before she was the frontwoman of Blondie, Debbie Harry was a member of psych folk band, Wind in the Willows.

01:39A whist of smoke inside my mind

01:43Tells so much

01:45Unlike the book they take their name from, they fail to impress the general public.

01:50The group released a self-titled album in 1968, which was far from critically acclaimed.

01:55What do you see and tell me

02:01What you're looking for

02:03Soon after, the group disbanded and Blondie was eventually formed in 1974.

02:08Even Harry wasn't a fan, saying in a 1977 interview that The Wind in the Willows were pretty awful.

02:15The group recorded a second album, but it's never seen the light of day.

02:19It's believed to have more vocals from Harry than their debut, but it's unlikely to ever be released.

02:25Do not the real thing, I'm too far

02:28Murchin' his chest, now it's gone behind

02:32Number 8. Post Malone, Ashley's Arrival

02:37It's hard not to be familiar with Post Malone, whose best-selling singles across many different genres

02:43made him an A-list celebrity in the 2010s.

02:46Before that, his favorite genre was metal.

02:55When Malone was in high school, he was a member of the metalcore band, Ashley's Arrival.

03:00They never released much music and apparently fizzled out after a few years.

03:05Malone also auditioned for the Texan metalcore band Crown the Empire in 2010.

03:17They rejected him after his strings broke, but it was probably for the best, as his career

03:21has taken off way more than theirs.

03:24Run away, run away, run away

03:29Number 7. Jack White, Goober and the Peas

03:33The White Stripes were formed in 1997 by Jack White and his wife, at the time, Meg.

03:44While he's now considered one of the most popular guitarists alive,

03:48he was originally a drummer for Goober and the Peas.

03:58They formed in Detroit in 1990, but disbanded temporarily in 1995.

04:03White went by his real name, John Gillis, but was also nicknamed Doc as part of the act.

04:09They were so good that they won Best Rock Band at the 1992 Detroit Music Awards.

04:14So, their music wasn't terrible, but it was nothing compared to the White Stripes' wonderfully

04:28energetic discography.

04:29And the steam's coming from my blood, time to go back home

04:35Number 6. Tom Morello, Lock Up

04:41Rage Against the Machine was one of the biggest bands of the 90s.

04:44Their guitarist was the legendary Tom Morello, whose meaty riffs will be remembered for centuries to

04:58come before they formed in 1991. Morello was a member of Lock Up, an L.A. heavy metal band

05:04that existed from 1987 to 1990.

05:11They released one album in their run, and it didn't sound anywhere near as inspired as

05:17Morello's primary band. To many, they sounded like fairly generic 80s glam and funk metal.

05:23Morello's style was also entirely different, characterized by fast-tapping solos rather

05:34than the heavy riffs he became famous for.

05:44Number 5. Axl Rose, Hollywood Rose

05:49Before Guns N' Roses, there was… Hollywood Rose, formed in the early 80s.

06:06They were essentially a precursor to vocalist Axl Rose and guitarist Izzy Stradlin's later

06:12group. Old recordings show Axl Rose providing some amazing vocals to go with Stradlin's playing

06:18skills. But the rest of the group really weren't that impressive.

06:26Hollywood Rose were on and off after becoming active in 1983,

06:31and wouldn't have an album until 20 years after they first disbanded. They ultimately merged with

06:37the band L.A. Guns in 1985, hence the name Guns N' Roses.

06:42Number 4. Dave Grohl

06:49Scream

06:50Before he was the frontman of the Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl was the drummer of Nirvana.

07:03That's two of the most beloved bands of all time. Unlike Scream, Grohl's band in the late 80s.

07:09He joined them in 1986, while he was only 17 years old.

07:20A few recordings exist from this era, and there's not much to be blown away by except for Grohl's

07:26drumming. It's as energetic as you'd expect, but it's clear he didn't gel that well with Scream.

07:39After they disbanded in 1990, Grohl joined Nirvana for their second album Nevermind, which went on to

07:46become an integral part of music history.

07:56Number 3. Phil Collins

07:58Flaming Youth

08:00Genesis is easily one of the most influential prog rock bands in history.

08:05All of their life in the city of gold

08:09He'd left to let nobody know

08:12At their peak, Phil Collins was their drummer and vocalist,

08:16before the breakup allowed him to lead a highly successful solo career.

08:20And I can feel it

08:22Coming in the air tonight

08:27Before Genesis, he was the drummer for Flaming Youth,

08:30who were active in the late 60s. Their solo album Arc 2, released in 1969, wasn't at all successful.

08:38It was a concept album inspired by the recent moon landing and released

08:43alongside a TV special, which now seems to be lost to time.

08:52They struggled to find gigs and eventually broke up in 1970.

08:56Their music was fairly experimental, but it was miles away from the creativity of Genesis.

09:11Number 2. Kurt Cobain

09:14Fecal Matter

09:15Before Cobain became the leading figure of the grunge movement and one of music's greatest figures,

09:20he was a member of the punk rock group Fecal Matter.

09:23They formed in 1985 and stayed together for about a year.

09:31They didn't officially release an album, but their only recording session was released as a

09:36demo tape called Illiteracy Will Prevail.

09:44It's the earliest work we have from Cobain, and it's unlikely to appeal to the vast majority of people.

09:50Alongside Cobain were Dale Crover and Buzz Osborne, who later became members of Melvins,

09:57one of the biggest names in sludge metal.

10:00We're around for a time, we're in the wall.

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10:191. Freddie Mercury

10:27Years before Queen would be one of the best-known bands globally,

10:31Mercury was a member of the musical project Ibex, later named Wreckage.

10:35He joined the Liverpudlian band in 1969, and together they played heavy blues,

10:49with a huge influence from Jimi Hendrix. It was nothing to be blown away by, but we all have to

10:55start somewhere. Ibex and Wreckage didn't release any albums together, and only performed at a

11:07handful of concerts. In 1970, Mercury joined Roger Taylor and Brian May and their band Smile. They

11:14soon changed their name to Queen, and the rest, as they say in rock and roll, is history.

11:25Have you listened to any of these bands? How do they measure up to members'

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