re: Bands that turned generic

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U2 was always generic 

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Naw, their first 3 or 4 albums were stripped down and raw.

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None of the latter albums compare favorably but I’m not sure they are generic…they still sound like REM the songs just aren’t as good

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So I play guitar with a buddy and we have been learning a bunch of REM songs. The old stuff has these crazy arpeggios and progressions that while simple are very fast and then Stipes vocals are mixed back and indecipherable but lend atmosphere to the melody. The stuff after Document becomes much more polished. The progressions are predictable and the appreggios are almost all gone. Buck is a better player by then and he wants you to know it, everything is clean and polished. Stipe is a better singer by that point too but his vocals are mixed out front like every other pop band.

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 but I’ll go down swinging with the argument that document to hifi are unique to REM

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Don't take a swing at me. I'm old and can't float like a butterfly anymore......was that song on automatic for the people?

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As a lover of ZZ Top's 70's work I nominate them as time moved forward.

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There are echoes of their earlier groove in their pop stuff and there's still good music in it, but their 70s stuff is on a whole other level.

1. Genesis

I love Genesis. I prefer the original version, but Phil Collins was the voice of my childhood. All that said, they are the prime instance of this.

Grand Funk Railroad

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RHCP doesn't fit this description

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They had a song called “hey oh”

I actually named Snow, and its not a generic song.

Its laughable people think John, Flea, and Chad will ever make generic music.

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Kings of Leon

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Loved watching their rise. First saw them touring their first album. Haven't heard a song since their big 4th album.

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U2 was always generic

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Late 70’s early 80’s U2 was anything but generic. It was very alternative at the time.