Five Bands/Acts that weren't hugely popular but should have been

[fairgambit]

From the Doo Wop Era, the Del Vikings from Pittsburgh.

 

[Thorndike2012]

Some of you guys must've fallen and hit your heads. The Hollies? They were a 'super group' for awhile. They were putting out hits through two full decades.

Anywho...just about all of the groups that I listened to were 'underrated' from my perspective. But I'm quick to grant that they didn't usually have mass appeal. And that's why they appealed to me.

A few I still enjoy...

Bad Brains
Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers
Television
The English Beat
Graham Parker and the Rumor
Be Bop Deluxe (Air Age and Axe Victim)
The Violent Femmes (1st album)
Marshall Crenshaw
Fear
The Flamin' Groovies
Husker Du (Zen Arcade)
Tom Waits (saw him live at Eisenhower Aud back in the day)
Dwight Tilley
Montrose
The Dillinger Escape Plan (Calculating Infinity is a masterpiece)
Slipknot
Black Flag

...to name a few.

 

[BBrown]

Some of you guys must've fallen and hit your heads. The Hollies? They were a 'super group' for awhile. They were putting out hits through two full decades.

Anywho...just about all of the groups that I listened to were 'underrated' from my perspective. But I'm quick to grant that they didn't usually have mass appeal. And that's why they appealed to me.

A few I still enjoy...

Bad Brains
Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers
Television
The English Beat
Graham Parker and the Rumor
Be Bop Deluxe (Air Age and Axe Victim)
The Violent Femmes (1st album)
Marshall Crenshaw
Fear
The Flamin' Groovies
Husker Du (Zen Arcade)
Tom Waits (saw him live at Eisenhower Aud back in the day)
Dwight Tilley
Montrose
The Dillinger Escape Plan (Calculating Infinity is a masterpiece)
Slipknot
Black Flag

...to name a few.

Nice list. Let’s throw Julian Cope in there too.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

Some of you guys must've fallen and hit your heads. The Hollies? They were a 'super group' for awhile. They were putting out hits through two full decades.

Anywho...just about all of the groups that I listened to were 'underrated' from my perspective. But I'm quick to grant that they didn't usually have mass appeal. And that's why they appealed to me.

A few I still enjoy...

Bad Brains
Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers
Television
The English Beat
Graham Parker and the Rumor
Be Bop Deluxe (Air Age and Axe Victim)
The Violent Femmes (1st album)
Marshall Crenshaw
Fear
The Flamin' Groovies
Husker Du (Zen Arcade)
Tom Waits (saw him live at Eisenhower Aud back in the day)
Dwight Tilley
Montrose
The Dillinger Escape Plan (Calculating Infinity is a masterpiece)
Slipknot
Black Flag

...to name a few.

Dwight Twilley, eh

Check out the bassist in this video

 

[Thorndike2012]

Cope is an interesting guy. After he tried to disembowel himself on stage, the album 'Fried' (prophetic) was a solid work.

Clearly an interesting and bright fellow. His books have been very well received in archaeological circles. Not much of a fan of his politics...but, meh...

 

[Thorndike2012]

Dwight Twilley, eh

Check out the bassist in this video

View embedded media

Yep...that's Tom Petty. He left Twilley before Twilley's best album, 'Twilley Don't Mind' a year later. Petty did OK after that.

 

[fkkkjm]

Depeche Mode
Skinny Puppy
Stabbing Westward
Mushroomhead

 

[razpsu]

I would pick 2 from the 80’s. The Smith’s and Echo and the bunny men.
Cake is another that seemed to fly under the mainstream radar.

Do you remember the young ones. “Dear mr. echo.”

 

[Katatonic]

The Pixies
The Smiths (although they were in the UK)

Ditto - would add in Morrissey's (even if a bit of an arse) solo work.

Don't think a single song from either The Smiths or Morrissey charted in the Top 40.

Agree, though I'm not sure how to categorize New Order. They were MASSIVE in the UK (their most recent album hit #2 on the UK charts in 2015) and had a handful of Stateside hits anyone who knows anything about 80s New Wave would immediately recognize (Blue Monday, Regret, True Faith, Ceremony, Bizarre Love Triangle). That said, still not as big as they probably should have been

New Order/Joy Division (like the Pixies and The Smiths) are hugely influential on artists that followed them.

Only had 1 album (Republic) that charted in the Top 40 in the US and only 2 singles (True Faith and Regret - neither breaking the Top 25).

What's really a shame is that most of their best songs are the guitar and bass (Peter Hook - who is no longer w/ the band) driven ones.

The Smiths are also part of that post-punk/post Joy Division arena and even though not commercially popular in the US, every cool kid in my school (and this is Beaver County circa 1988) had one of their shirts. I always hear 'How Soon is Now?' (but not complaining).

Other UK bands which had commercial success across the pond, but not here.

Texas (Scottish) - fronted by Sharleen Spiteri

The Beautiful South

The Jesus and Mary Chain

Belle and Sebastian

Yazoo (known as Yaz here) - short 2 record collaboration btwn songwriting mastermind Vince Clarke (currently of Erasure and was a founding member of Depeche Mode) and Alison Moyet (one of the best vocal talents the UK has ever seen). Upstair at Eric's is a classic.

Everything but the Girl - only hit here was a dance remix of the single, Missing - which didn't really care for, esp. as it pushed EBTG to a more electronic sound; Tracy Thorne also has an awesome voice.

XTC

Siouxsie and the Banshees

The Lightning Seeds

Shakespeare Sister

For a solo act - Mika

Also wondered why Robbie Williams (who is hilarious on chat shows like Graham Norton) is huge in the UK, but never made it here.

These 2 not having had much commercial success in the UK, but should have.

The Mighty Lemon Drops

The Icicle Works

The Replacements- Great garage rock with an extremely witty lyricist named:

Paul Westerberg- Generally more toned down than his Replacements stuff but still an incredibly sharp lyricist.

Big Audio Dynamite- Mick Jones post-Clash outfit. Nothing like the Clash but fun stuff.

Should have gotten more commercial success and industry accolades than dreck like Bon Jovi.

BoDeans

Ditto on the Smithereens, but damn, a BoDeans mention.

Those guys should have been huge.

Only song to chart was Closer to Free (theme song for the show Party of Five) and that's like their 30th best song.


Other bands that should have seen a lot more commercial success.

Sugar/Bob Mould

Camper Van Beathoven (lead singer, David Lowery would later have some commercial success w/ Cracker).

Belly - fronted by Tanya Donelly (also of the Throwing Muses and The Breeders); Star is a very good album and should have gotten a lot more airplay.

The New Pornographers - a supergroup formed of members from various bands/solo acts; the best known being Neko Case.

Old 97's

Fountains of Wayne - had better songs than Stacy's Mom

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Ditto - would add in Morrissey's (even if a bit of an arse) solo work.

Don't think a single song from either The Smiths or Morrissey charted in the Top 40.



New Order/Joy Division (like the Pixies and The Smiths) are hugely influential on artists that followed them.

Only had 1 album (Republic) that charted in the Top 40 in the US and only 2 singles (True Faith and Regret - neither breaking the Top 25).

What's really a shame is that most of their best songs are the guitar and bass (Peter Hook - who is no longer w/ the band) driven ones.





Other UK bands which had commercial success across the pond, but not here.

Texas (Scottish) - fronted by Sharleen Spiteri

The Beautiful South

The Jesus and Mary Chain

Belle and Sebastian

Yazoo (known as Yaz here) - short 2 record collaboration btwn songwriting mastermind Vince Clarke (currently of Erasure and was a founding member of Depeche Mode) and Alison Moyet (one of the best vocal talents the UK has ever seen). Upstair at Eric's is a classic.

Everything but the Girl - only hit here was a dance remix of the single, Missing - which didn't really care for, esp. as it pushed EBTG to a more electronic sound; Tracy Thorne also has an awesome voice.

XTC

Siouxsie and the Banshees

The Lightning Seeds

Shakespeare Sister

For a solo act - Mika

Also wondered why Robbie Williams (who is hilarious on chat shows like Graham Norton) is huge in the UK, but never made it here.

These 2 not having had much commercial success in the UK, but should have.

The Mighty Lemon Drops

The Icicle Works



Should have gotten more commercial success and industry accolades than dreck like Bon Jovi.




Ditto on the Smithereens, but damn, a BoDeans mention.

Those guys should have been huge.

Only song to chart was Closer to Free (theme song for the show Party of Five) and that's like their 30th best song.


Other bands that should have seen a lot more commercial success.

Sugar/Bob Mould

Camper Van Beathoven (lead singer, David Lowery would later have some commercial success w/ Cracker).

Belly - fronted by Tanya Donelly (also of the Throwing Muses and The Breeders); Star is a very good album and should have gotten a lot more airplay.

The New Pornographers - a supergroup formed of members from various bands/solo acts; the best known being Neko Case.

Old 97's

Fountains of Wayne - had better songs than Stacy's Mom

Robbie Williams nearly made it. I lived in Germany when he really broke big as a solo artist and he was MASSIVE. I liked the music too - his American swing covers album was one of my favorites. I mean, he got both Nicole Kidman and Darryl Hannah to star in videos with him. Just didn’t have that same success here. I see he’s still cranking out music too.

 

[BBrown]

Do you remember the young ones. “Dear mr. echo.”

No not at all.

 

[BBrown]

Ditto - would add in Morrissey's (even if a bit of an arse) solo work.

Don't think a single song from either The Smiths or Morrissey charted in the Top 40.



New Order/Joy Division (like the Pixies and The Smiths) are hugely influential on artists that followed them.

Only had 1 album (Republic) that charted in the Top 40 in the US and only 2 singles (True Faith and Regret - neither breaking the Top 25).

What's really a shame is that most of their best songs are the guitar and bass (Peter Hook - who is no longer w/ the band) driven ones.





Other UK bands which had commercial success across the pond, but not here.

Texas (Scottish) - fronted by Sharleen Spiteri

The Beautiful South

The Jesus and Mary Chain

Belle and Sebastian

Yazoo (known as Yaz here) - short 2 record collaboration btwn songwriting mastermind Vince Clarke (currently of Erasure and was a founding member of Depeche Mode) and Alison Moyet (one of the best vocal talents the UK has ever seen). Upstair at Eric's is a classic.

Everything but the Girl - only hit here was a dance remix of the single, Missing - which didn't really care for, esp. as it pushed EBTG to a more electronic sound; Tracy Thorne also has an awesome voice.

XTC

Siouxsie and the Banshees

The Lightning Seeds

Shakespeare Sister

For a solo act - Mika

Also wondered why Robbie Williams (who is hilarious on chat shows like Graham Norton) is huge in the UK, but never made it here.

These 2 not having had much commercial success in the UK, but should have.

The Mighty Lemon Drops

The Icicle Works



Should have gotten more commercial success and industry accolades than dreck like Bon Jovi.




Ditto on the Smithereens, but damn, a BoDeans mention.

Those guys should have been huge.

Only song to chart was Closer to Free (theme song for the show Party of Five) and that's like their 30th best song.


Other bands that should have seen a lot more commercial success.

Sugar/Bob Mould

Camper Van Beathoven (lead singer, David Lowery would later have some commercial success w/ Cracker).

Belly - fronted by Tanya Donelly (also of the Throwing Muses and The Breeders); Star is a very good album and should have gotten a lot more airplay.

The New Pornographers - a supergroup formed of members from various bands/solo acts; the best known being Neko Case.

Old 97's

Fountains of Wayne - had better songs than Stacy's Mom

good call on Sugar and Bob Mould I'm not sure how many albums they had but Copper Blue is excellent. Standing on the Edge of the Hoover Dam is a great song.

 

[PSU Mike]

I’m in for Pixies, Stone Roses, and Concrete Blonde. I understand Sonic Youth just isn’t going to appeal to everybody, so they’re a marginal add. And if you let me go there, add in My Bloody Valentine. If you’ve never seen them live, do it just once. Their “You Made Me Realise” 20-30 minute, immersive holocaust ending is something you have to let flow through you once in this lifetime. (scan thru the link video to sample it)

 

[kgilbert78]

Triumvirat--in the ELP vein. One of the things that held them back was the death of their vocalist Helmut Koellen after their best album, Spartacus. He was listening to his recording tapes in his garage with the car running....