I think a big obstacle to this kind of discussion is the ability to divorce one's dislikes from one's gauge of talent, as several have eluded to concerning the Dead and Elton John.
As an exercise I tried to think of a few artists I dislike but think were talented. It was easiest to do this in genres I'm not so beholden to like jazz and classical. For me it was easy to identify Mozart and Charlie Parker. I don't care for their work but have no trouble admitting their prodigious talent. In rock, however, it's more difficult for me to be objective... The closest I can get is maybe Bob Dylan. I like a few of his songs but fail to understand his immense influence. Yet I can see he's a talented songwriter and lyricist.
Who can you admit is or was talented but whose music you can't stand?
As an exercise I tried to think of a few artists I dislike but think were talented. It was easiest to do this in genres I'm not so beholden to like jazz and classical. For me it was easy to identify Mozart and Charlie Parker. I don't care for their work but have no trouble admitting their prodigious talent. In rock, however, it's more difficult for me to be objective... The closest I can get is maybe Bob Dylan. I like a few of his songs but fail to understand his immense influence. Yet I can see he's a talented songwriter and lyricist.
Who can you admit is or was talented but whose music you can't stand?