Artists/bands that were once quite popular, yet nowadays are mostly ignored in canonical history books

Some are mentioned in the thread already, but there's a whole class of classic rock era US bands that ended up without much of a legacy despite the steady hits - Lovin' Spoonful, Grass Roots, Three Dog Night, Blood Sweat and Tears. Similar bands who've kept listeners could rock harder, like Creedence, or drone more, like The Byrds. There's a folky squareness, emphasizing harmony over riffing, that relegates them to oldies radio.

What about Triumph? Based on Wikipedia, 1 platinum and 3 gold records in the US; 3 platinum or multiplatinum + 5 gold records in Canada; still a classic rock radio staple in Canada at least. I'm not sure they get much ink in history books at all (probably bc they were relatively generic - don't tell their fans).

(That said, "Midsummer's Daydream" 4eva)

Man, "Magic Power" earwormed into my waking mind the other morning, after decades of forgetting it's existence, and that song is a rabbit foot keychain hanging out Camero ignition.

Early 90s UK post-baggy pre-britpop indie seems to exist only as nostalgia for those who were actually there, have a look at who was on the cover of the NME in 1991-1993

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NME_covers

Though of course The Wonderstuff / Cud / PWEI / Kingmaker / Carter USM / Mega City Four / Neds Atomic Dustbin never really sold that many records even at the time either.

Lene Lovich.

90s-era indie owns this thread:

Tsunami
Blonde Redhead
Son Volt
Unrest
Adam Green / Kimya Dawson
Grifters
Pedro The Lion
Jon Spencer
East River Pipe
etc
Jawbox

I think Son Volt's Trace is still pretty big in the Americana world

but yeah, most of those groups felt 3rd tier at the time and never all that popular

except for JSBE, who were inexplicably a huge deal in Tucson when I growing up

REO Speedwagon isn't entirely forgotten but Hi Infidelity is a Diamond (10 million) album, I was surprised to learn that the other day on wiki

Paul - I know what you mean about 90s indie being pretty low right now but I mean like .000000000000001 of ppl knew who the Grifters were at their peak

Delaney and Bonnie? I have no idea how popular they were (wiki suggests not very), but you always hear the name in docs about the late '60s scene, so they must have held at least a little sway.

Georgie Fame

He had three UK #1 singles in the middle of the sixties. Three!

With those 90s Indie and Americana bands there did seem to be a tacit assumption that “we may not be big now, but like the Velvets or Gram Parsons someday we’ll get our due”

Delaney and Bonnie seem to be remembered mostly for touring with Clapton as a sideman. Bonnie Raitt would probably be on the same level if not for her comeback.

Some people mentioned 1989 upthread. I'm old enough to remember 1989 and Soul II Soul were absolutely HUGE that year. Nobody ever mentions them now, even though those first few singles still sound great today.

Delaney and Bonnie still get footnote status thanks to all their "Friends" and said "Friends" connections to important/historical artists and albums (Layla, All Things Must Pass, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Leon Russell in general...)

I've read that Delaney was difficult to work with for whatever reason.

Ha, I thought of mentioning Soul II Soul along with Arrested Development. "Back to Life" is the only thing I remember tbh but it was classic.

oh shit, perfect one: ALABAMA
they were so huge growing up, but I think they kind of invented the modern template for country then got replaced by the ones that came after like Garth, etc

Snap! and 2 Unlimited had a long run of worldwide hits, but have been mostly written out the canon to cater for the ubiquitous 90s narrative of grunge, 'golden age' rap, and more fashionable techno producers like Aphex Twin, The Prodigy, Autechre, Orbital, Underworld, Basic Channel etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_music_artists

I know the name Neil Diamond but I don't know what his music sounds like.

The Fine Young Cannibals. Any other old people remember them? They were enormous for a year in the US.

Where do you live? "Sweet Caroline" has definitely not been forgotten in the US. xp

Not sure re his place in history books. He comes up a couple of times in Covach's What's That Sound?, although not in great depth.

FYC were mentioned upthread and are probably a good answer, though idk if bands that were big for a year should be expected to get much coverage in history books.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Caroline#Use_at_sporting_events

These artists could be quantified up until the iPod era by tallying what is left behind in thrift shops. A lot of Alabama, a lot of Neil Diamond for sure.

Neil Diamond is still huge as fuck

I know the name Neil Diamond but I don't know what his music sounds like.

Aside from the baseball-ubiquitous Sweet Caroline, Diamond wrote I'm a Believer (The Monkees), Red Red Wine (UB40), Girl You'll Be a Woman Soon (Urge Overkill)... even Elvis covered And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind

Neil Diamond Musical Headed to Broadway

Biographical show will be written by Bohemian Rhapsody scribe Anthony McCarten, directed by Tony-winner Michael Mayer

his career is something of an outlier but yeah he is hardly forgotten or ignored - as noted he's connected to too ubiquitous hits to just be ignored by history books.

too many ubiquitous

I'm in Canada. I just listened to Sweet Caroline. No, I don't remember hearing this.

His biggest hits in Canada were Cracklin' Rosie (a much better song than Sweet Caroline), Song Sung Blue, and... (ugh) Heartlight, the ET song.

I thought Canadians would know him--Robbie Robertson produced one of his albums after all

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuTQwN8QhqY

Diamond is a truly strange dude

I mean, he starred in a 70s remake of the Jazz Singer for chrissakes

classic for the scene where some LA punk band does a thrashy cover of Love on the Rocks and Diamond is visibly appalled

haha yeah! one among many wtf moments

Moody Blues seem a classic example of this. Between 1968-1972 they had 6 top 5 UK albums (3 of which went to #1), plus big success in the US and elsewhere. Nowadays they're remembered only for Nights In White Satin and maybe Go Now - all the orchestral concept albums are largely forgotten other than by the proprietors of charity shops, with good reason tbh.

Speaking of country, unless I missed it, Crystal Gayle was not mentioned in the Ken Burns doc except once when Loretta Lynn said something in passing about "my sister Crystal." But I remember her being huge in the late '70s/early '80s with several big crossover hits and frequent network TV appearances. And looking at her singles discography I count 30 Country Top Ten hits including sixteen #1s. I understand the constraints Ken Burns was dealing with, but have to wonder if the omission reflected something about country music canonical history (admittedly a subject I know little about).

Some people mentioned 1989 upthread. I'm old enough to remember 1989 and Soul II Soul were absolutely HUGE that year. Nobody ever mentions them now, even though those first few singles still sound great today.
― does it look like i'm here (jon123), Tuesday, October 29, 2019

have been jammin` vol. ii the past couple weeks pretty hard. those first two albums are absolute classics.

anyway, back on topic — what about the 'walking in memphis' guy? didn't he win a bunch of awards and stuff? and then he was just there and nobody cared anymore. kind of the bruce hornsby avenue i guess.

(also: jesus christ that's such boring music)

Alabama? Let's talk about Oak Ridge Boys.

oom papa mow mow

for Moody Blues I always think of the reunion stuff like "The Voice" or "Wildest Dreams"

soul ii soul actually seem really important in the history of black music in the uk tbh

I'm sure Alabama and Oak Ridge Boys can still pack a county fair

I'm in Canada. I just listened to Sweet Caroline. No, I don't remember hearing this.

Ha, there's a reason I said "in the US". I don't hear this song much in Canada but ime it inspired mass singalongs any time it came on in Buffalo.

Moody Blues get mentioned in any history of prog rock, surely?