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'
11:29more famous projects? Let us know in the comments below.
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