Blender.com, a great music music site, published a great list in 2003 of “The 50 Worst Artists In Music History“. While I don’t agree about #16, Oingo Boingo, I do agree with #4, Kenny G.
"Hated equally by jazz and rock fans, Kenny Gorelick's limpid instrumentals and obsequious cameos helped turn the soprano sax solo into pop music's most feared cliche. He started his career with fusion hack Jeff Lorber, and his 1986 album, Duotones, established a steady market for anodyne, minimal background music, an aesthetic that reached its zenith in 1997 when "The G" set a world record by holding a single note for 45 minutes.
Appalling fact He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Washington with a degree in accounting.
Worst CD Classics in the Key of G (Arista, 1999)"
They also have some interesting comments about Jazz Fusion
"It's a rule of thumb that any music that uses jazz as a prefix will make you want to saw your head off in boredom (see also: jazz-funk, jazz rap, jazz house). But none is as wearying as the genre that thought what rock really needed was month-long bass solos and time signatures Stephen Hawking wouldn't understand.
Cut them some slack, they did publish a fairly good jazz list a while ago. They did nail the Kenny G thing though, I’d have put him as #2. And a newer list would have Paris Hilton and Ashlee Simpson I’m sure….
Kenny G may be in the top list of worst musicians, but he is laughing all the way to the bank. He also was the musician that put the saxophone on top of all instruments. I find it interesting that all the starving jazz purists always take a stab at him. I guess they teach music majors in college to hate him and his music. I think he plays beautiful music like the many millions who have bought his CD’s. You cannot deny that he is the most popular and recognizable instrumental musician in the world. I have to disagree with their comments.
Oingo Boingo had real horns back when the other bands were just playing synthesizers. Danny Elfman is a genius. Not only is his music great, his lyrics are whitty, too. And you won’t hear anyone else play the guitar like Steve Bartek.
I think the Carpenters should have been at the top of the list! Yuk!
Well, I dunno about the Carpenters, but I love Oingo Boingo. Great songs. Fun stuff.