someone mentioned Steve Winwood: Traffic
― Billy Pilgrim, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 16:08 (sixteen years ago) link
Dunno that they are ignored. His solo stuff is.
― Tom D., Tuesday, 13 May 2008 16:11 (sixteen years ago) link
Alfred OTM on Alabama: I have their For The Record: 41 Number One Hits 2-cd set, and if that's right, that's a staggeringly successful run (the Judds had something like 13 straight number ones for comparison). Yet they don't come up much these days.
Lionel Richie also comes to mind here.
― Euler, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 16:14 (sixteen years ago) link
Gary Lewis and the Playboys. 17 top 40 hits!
― Sara Sara Sara, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 16:19 (sixteen years ago) link
If you listened to the radio, you would think BOC had at most three songs in their catalog, when in reality those songs are not representative of how great they were. So I nominate them.
― Bill Magill, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 16:26 (sixteen years ago) link
barbara mandrell
― M@tt He1ges0n, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 16:27 (sixteen years ago) link
also i think garth brooks has a suprisingly low profile even today considering that he was the most dominant commercial artist of the 1990s...didn't he break some beatles records? but even now it seems like dudes like alan jackson have more cred in country circles.
― M@tt He1ges0n, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 16:28 (sixteen years ago) link
I think Alan Jackson's continuing productivity gives him more visibility right now than Garth, who mostly keeps putting out greatest hits collections. But still, yeah, Garth is a good pick. Although as we dig into the country crates, we're starting to run up against the fact that the canonical history books we're (sorta) talking about are pretty rock-focused. Because straight-up country canons give Garth a big place still.
― Euler, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 16:32 (sixteen years ago) link
The Wonder Stuff
― henry s, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 16:56 (sixteen years ago) link
didn't he break some beatles records?
Yes, but only because sales of a box set are counted as the individual CDs in the box. So if his box had 5 discs in it, each disc counted as an individual sale, which artificially raised his sales totals (as was his and his managers' intention, or so I've heard).
― Sara Sara Sara, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 16:56 (sixteen years ago) link
Kenny Rogers
― kornrulez6969, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 17:05 (sixteen years ago) link
Roy Harper doesn't get spoken of a lot these days - less than Nick Drake or John Martyn, f'rinstance
He had a big piece on him in Mojo a couple of months ago.
― Billy Dods, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 17:16 (sixteen years ago) link
The Wonder Stuff is the right answer. Same with the Waterboys, Hothouse Flowers, James - it's like an entire genre written out of history.
― Ismael Klata, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 18:03 (sixteen years ago) link
Garth is the C&W Wonder Stuff. Give 'em time.
― briania, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 18:10 (sixteen years ago) link
The Wonder Stuff is the right answer
Not in the USA. They were totally obscure even in their heyday.
― kornrulez6969, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 18:12 (sixteen years ago) link
the Stuffies weren't that obscure in the States...Spin magazine loved 'em...
― henry s, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 18:13 (sixteen years ago) link
Paul Revere and the Raiders
― Cunga, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 18:19 (sixteen years ago) link
i remember hearing about ozric tentacles a lot. how big were they in the UK?
― M@tt He1ges0n, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 18:22 (sixteen years ago) link
Level 42
― rockford, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 21:02 (sixteen years ago) link
Modern Talking aka the best selling disco act in the world
― Siegbran, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 21:10 (sixteen years ago) link
the Dave Clark Five are probably the best example. Anyone under 50 will probably think you're talking about the techno guy but apparently they sold almost 200 million records!
― Siegbran, Tuesday, 13 May 2008 21:16 (sixteen years ago) link
the Dave Clark Five are probably the best example.
Having your records being out of print for much of the past 20 or 30 years certainly can cut down your chances of being reappraised.
― Hideous Lump, Wednesday, 14 May 2008 02:47 (sixteen years ago) link
I've said this before, but, in the UK, Showaddywaddy. Have you heard of them? They had more hits than The Clash!
Position Artist Title Format Date Details 2 Showaddywaddy Hey Rock And Roll Single May 1974 15 Showaddywaddy Rock 'N' Roll Lady Single Aug 1974 13 Showaddywaddy Hey Mister Christmas Single Nov 1974 9 Showaddywaddy Showaddywaddy Album Dec 1974 14 Showaddywaddy Sweet Music Single Feb 1975 2 Showaddywaddy Three Steps To Heaven Single May 1975 7 Showaddywaddy Step Two Album Jul 1975 7 Showaddywaddy Heartbeat Single Sep 1975 34 Showaddywaddy Heavenly Single Nov 1975 32 Showaddywaddy Trocadero Single May 1976 1 Showaddywaddy Under The Moon Of Love Single Nov 1976 4 Showaddywaddy Greatest Hits Album Dec 1976 3 Showaddywaddy When Single Mar 1977 2 Showaddywaddy You Got What It Takes Single Jul 1977 4 Showaddywaddy Dancin' Party Single Nov 1977 20 Showaddywaddy Red Star Album Dec 1977 2 Showaddywaddy I Wonder Why Single Mar 1978 5 Showaddywaddy A Little Bit Of Soap Single Jun 1978 5 Showaddywaddy Pretty Little Angel Eyes Single Nov 1978 1 Showaddywaddy Greatest Hits (1976-1978) Album Dec 1978 17 Showaddywaddy Remember Then Single Mar 1979 15 Showaddywaddy Sweet Little Rock 'N' Roller Single Jul 1979 39 Showaddywaddy A Night At Daddy Gee's Single Nov 1979 8 Showaddywaddy Crepes And Drapes Album Nov 1979 22 Showaddywaddy Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Hearts Single Sep 1980 32 Showaddywaddy Blue Moon Single Nov 1980 Notes 33 Showaddywaddy Bright Lights Album Dec 1980 39 Showaddywaddy Multiplication Single Jun 1981 33 Showaddywaddy The Very Best Of Showaddywaddy Album Nov 1981 31 Showaddywaddy Footsteps Single Nov 1981 37 Showaddywaddy Who Put The Bomp (In The Bomp-A-Bomp-A-Bomp) Single Aug 1982
― moley, Wednesday, 14 May 2008 03:46 (sixteen years ago) link
(Stealing argument from Elijah Wood in Escaping the Delta):
Leroy Carr
― Jake Brown, Wednesday, 14 May 2008 04:33 (sixteen years ago) link
Surely it's the other way round - them not being (re)appraised is the reason why they're out of print.
― Siegbran, Wednesday, 14 May 2008 08:21 (sixteen years ago) link
There was a nineties TV series which had lots of (at the time) rare 60s footage and was supposed to be the definitive take on the decade. It appeared to have the agenda of elevating the Dave Clark Five to the canon. The running order of every show would go something like this: Beatles on Ed Sullivan - Dave Clark Five - Rolling Stones - The Who - Dave Clark Five - The Hollies - Dave Clark Five - Hendrix - Dave Clark Five. End credits: Dave Clark Five. I watched it with my mum and she was scathing, as it had been obvious even to a thirteen-year-old that they were rubbish.
The show was produced by Dave Clark.
― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 14 May 2008 08:50 (sixteen years ago) link
Wings. They were huge in the seventies. Who talks about them now?
― Zelda Zonk, Wednesday, 14 May 2008 09:00 (sixteen years ago) link
Both Nik Kershaw and Howard Jones were huge in the 80s and no one even retro-likes them nowdays, which is a bit of a shame.
― Trayce, Wednesday, 14 May 2008 09:12 (sixteen years ago) link
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band was relatively successful at one point, right?
― shieldforyoureyes, Wednesday, 14 May 2008 09:18 (sixteen years ago) link
That TV series mentioned above was "Ready Steady Go", the rights to which had been bought by DaveClarke. There was indeed too much 'DC5' inserted, but hey you can tell the bobbins from the gold.
― Mark G, Wednesday, 14 May 2008 09:22 (sixteen years ago) link
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich.
Not ignored by any means.
― Tom D., Wednesday, 14 May 2008 10:02 (sixteen years ago) link
Melissa Etheridge
― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 14 May 2008 10:44 (sixteen years ago) link
George Michael will soon be an answer to this.
Yeah, wouldn't it be more interesting to predict which big contemporary bands will have been written out of history in 20 years, i.e. Muse?
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Wednesday, 14 May 2008 10:44 (sixteen years ago) link
U2, hopefully
― Tom D., Wednesday, 14 May 2008 10:48 (sixteen years ago) link
Stone Temple Pilots weren't liked, but they were popular, but Scott Weiland's antics effectively made the band obscure.
― youcangoyourownway, Wednesday, 14 May 2008 11:16 (sixteen years ago) link
Barclay James Harvest were actually rather critically acclaimed around 1970-71 at the start of their career.
― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 14 May 2008 11:26 (sixteen years ago) link
I loved Howard Jones at the time, and still consider several Kershaw songs brilliant. And as for Jones, his first three singles will always remain classic. "Hide & Seek" in particular.
― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 14 May 2008 11:27 (sixteen years ago) link
U2 won't be written out of history - Simple Minds were instead.
Are there other examples of this? Two bands with similar popularity, fanbase and reputation in a fight to the death, the loser slinking off into oblivion. Human League/ABC maybe. Sisters of Mercy/the Mission (both in oblivion, but at least people remember Sisters occasionally).
― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 14 May 2008 12:39 (sixteen years ago) link
Hootie and the Blowfish.
The biggest band in America for a year or two. It's a testament to how forgotten they are that it's taken this long for them to get mentioned.
― kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 14 May 2008 14:08 (sixteen years ago) link
Dave Matthews Band : Name Your Reasons Why They Are So Bad & Hated. Not all messages are displayed: show all messages (2523 of them)
― Tom D., Wednesday, 14 May 2008 14:10 (sixteen years ago) link
No, I thought it was legal problems, like they're simultaneously owned by Allen Klein, Phil Spector and Shel Talmy or something.
― Hideous Lump, Thursday, 15 May 2008 01:33 (sixteen years ago) link
Bush.
― YouandIknowthedeal, Thursday, 15 May 2008 01:36 (sixteen years ago) link
Two bands with similar popularity, fanbase and reputation in a fight to the death, the loser slinking off into oblivion.
Madonna/Cyndi Lauper
― Siegbran, Thursday, 15 May 2008 15:01 (sixteen years ago) link
jessie matthews
― Hello Everyone!, Thursday, 15 May 2008 15:29 (sixteen years ago) link
Obviously people who were around in the early '90s still remember East 17, but I wonder what's their current status in the boy band canon? At the time they were the biggest rivals of Take That, and while not as successful still sold tons of records, but it feels like people nowadays mention only Take That when talking about the era.
Apparently East 17 reunited over 10 year ago, and they still technically exist as a group, but both Brian Harvey and Tim Mortimer have since left it. None of this made the news here in Finland, unlike Take That's much more succesful reunion.
― Tuomas, Monday, 28 October 2019 10:54 (four years ago) link
Nobody knew who the other guys in E17 were, so a reunion without them is pointless. 'Stay' is still a staple Christmas radio hit in the UK. I guess Take That had more of a Radio 2 factor and regularly get featured on mum and dad stations, whereas E17 were more faddy and bad-boy so maybe haven't aged as gracefully
― doorstep jetski (dog latin), Monday, 28 October 2019 11:00 (four years ago) link
Nobody knew who the other guys in E17 were, so a reunion without them is pointless.
Yeah, but apparently Harvey, undoubtedly the main face of the group, was in the reformed group from 2006 to 2010, yet that didn't seem to translate to any kind of success comparable to Take That's reunion.
― Tuomas, Monday, 28 October 2019 11:05 (four years ago) link
― Joseph McCombs, Tuesday, May 13, 2008
This has turned out completely opposite.
― Siegbran, Monday, 28 October 2019 11:46 (four years ago) link
The US equivalent of East 17 is 98 Degrees, I guess - huge at the time, signed to motown, nick lachey was one half of a stupidly popular reality show marriage, but people only seem to remember NSYNC and BSB now. Does "I do" still get played at weddings?
― Roz, Monday, 28 October 2019 12:01 (four years ago) link
There are so many of these from the first half of the 20th century, acts who were the biggest in the world at the time.
Like this guy, the Elvis of his day, and the singer of the first song to mention jazz.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/ArthurCollins.jpg
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 28 October 2019 12:09 (four years ago) link