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

table otm

I remember having weird feelings of non-comprehension at age 11 when reading through the CD booklet of Queen's greatest hits, unable to really parse why this heavy-metal-hair lead singer suddenly went Mario Bros. Now I'm like "that could not have been more amazing"

(xp) Lindisfarne were bigger.

The Strawbs were sort of a cult band at birth, weren't they? I saw some interview with Mikael Åkerfeldt‎ from Opeth once, and upon learning that the Strawbs were playing the same night he joked that they should cancel the Opeth show so that he could go.

J. Geils Band haven't been mentioned yet, have they? They were sort of a huge cult band for much of the '70s, and of course huge in the early '80s - and then Rolling Stone kept giving Peter Wolf albums 5 stars or whatever - but no one really talks about J. Geils Band.

Peter Wolf almost seems more known now for hanging w/David Lynch and Van Morrison in the '60s than for his own music.

"the other side of life," the followup to "your wildest dreams," is one of the unintentionally funniest records that it could be possible for old super rich prog-orch rockers to have made… that record was what Justin Hayward, John Lodge et al thought was a really daring foray into the hard edged 80s…

In 1981-82, "Another one Bites the Dust" coded as a disco sellout as far as self-identified rock fans/AOR listeners were concerned… we're talking the kind of people who thought Prince, who was "faggy," opening for the Stones was a hideous occurrence, and who did not like any advancement past the corp-rock status quo: no new wave, no hip hop, no punk rock. And Freddie's carrying on in the manner that he wanted to was no doubt discomfiting to rock fans who believed "rock" to be hetero-normative. And rock was something that white people made… I knew many people in those days that only knew rock music as a white music, and considered black music to be sellout, show -biz pandering crap.

Additionally, I suspect that Queen belongs in a discussion with Kansas/Journey/Styx/Foreigner/Loverboy/Asia because the latter grouping bespeaks 80s corporate rock cheese that is huge in america and nowhere else. Whereas my understanding is that Queen fulfills that function in the UK all by itself… there is no showy, corny, completely-oblivious-to-notions-of-cred-corp-rock culture that the acts in the above grouping represent, except for Queen…

there is no showy, corny, completely-oblivious-to-notions-of-cred-corp-rock culture that the acts in the above grouping represent IN THE UK.

I think Styx and maybe Kansas are more comparable to Queen did than Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, Loverboy, or Journey are fwiw.

- "did"

The latter four bands are pretty straightforward pop/rock bands. Styx had similarly progressive/theatrical aspirations.

there is no showy, corny, completely-oblivious-to-notions-of-cred-corp-rock culture that the acts in the above grouping represent IN THE UK.

Do Status Quo count? Icons in England for decades, could walk unbothered down the street pretty much anywhere else in the world.

Nothing like it, Status Quo's thing is all blue collar/ working class boogie - though they lost their way a bit in the 80s and 90s.

Foreigner and REO Speedwagon had big hit singles in the UK but something like Loverboy (LOL), I literally have no clue what Loverboy is/are.

They're only known for ballads in the UK, though, right?

Yes, think so.

Maybe the UK analog to Styx or whoever is Marillion?

I saw a clip of the Loverboy singer saying something like, “Kurt Cobain killed my career” and thought, um, Loverboy hasn’t had a US hit since 1986.

That was their last Canadian hit too.

(xxp) Magnum!

i know absolutely zilch about magnum, couldn't name a single song. didn't even know they were british tbh!

I don't know much about them either except a guy I know did a tour with them as their singer.

I was going to say I think they're closer to Styx than Marillion but I don't actually know what Styx sound like.

I worked with a rather cheeky New Zealander living stateside as a lark many years back. He loved Loverboy, but ironically so. He referred them as "gettin` laid music" which I found spot-on and right hilarious.

Also, LOL Marillion. Talk about a band that could only have existed in the 80s. Power balladeers with prog aspirations. What a cacophony.

They’re still making albums today

I really loved the Moodies’ “I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)" (a big hit in ‘73 in the Netherlands, also in the US, not in the UK) as a kid, and it still sounds great to me.

And then I went “Waterloo” > “See My Baby Jive” (boy, does that song outstay its welcome!) > “Beach Baby”. This thread does strange things to me.

ILM is giving me two very different strands of My Own Private 70s today, after I dug into War (“Cisco Kid” > “Low Rider” > fucking “Galaxy”) earlier - now there’s a band that fits here too!

(...and I see War were discussed here back in November, the jury was out on them apparently)

Never realized that marillion was a band with actual hit singles in the UK, wow

They’re still making albums today

― frogbs, Thursday, August 13, 2020 3:30 PM

(looks at discogs)

O_O

Holy hell.

Also, I don't think War is applicable here. Most people know "Low Rider" even if they don't know who it's by. "Why Can't We Be Friends?" perhaps a bit less so, but it's still a fairly well-known jam. War certainly isn't as big a name as the other classic funk/rock bands (P-Funk, Ohio Players, etc.), but their material still carries some clout.

War still pops up in soundtracks too.

'Kayleigh' by Marillion is still very much beloved in the UK and not just by prog fans (who maybe don't even like that particular song that much anyway?). Total party singalong stuff the teh olds

War are only a one-hit-wonder band among white people.

even more people know “Nights In White Satin” (108M streams on Spotify vs 92M for “Low Rider”), and The Moody Blues may have more name recognition as well (though I have no way of proving this) - so if they’re a given I would think War are too, but whatever.

I hear War pretty frequently — and not just “Low Rider” — on oldies stations, but never on “classic rock” stations. I’ve also heard them on the supermarket PA several times within the last year.

Humble Pie have less than 300k listeners on Spotify.

Moodies just edging out War in monthly listeners as well, 2.2M vs 1.9M

Xxxpost Huh? War had 6 top 10 hits

FWIW, War's Spotify #s are pretty close to those of the definitely canonized Funkadelic and Parliament.

For comparisons sake, Earth Wind & Fire have 11 Million listeners, although it remains to be seen how many of those are millennials listening to "September" and nothing else.

Gap Band also draw War/P-Funk #s on Spotify.

Josh in Chicago at 4:45 13 Aug 20

J. Geils Band haven't been mentioned yet, have they? They were sort of a huge cult band for much of the '70s, and of course huge in the early '80s - and then Rolling Stone kept giving Peter Wolf albums 5 stars or whatever - but no one really talks about J. Geils Band.

this is a good one, I feel like acts who had a "bar band" vibe have really faded out in terms of the pop culture

I think American Psycho turned Huey Lewis into a ironic/camp thing but he's the exception

I don't know how Dire Straits is regarded now but War in Drugs makes a good living doing it

J. Geils Band touring without J Geils off and on for the last 5 years of his life was pretty fucked.

War are only a one-hit-wonder band among white people.

― but also fuck you (unperson), Thursday, August 13, 2020 3:48 PM

As a white person currently listening to Deliver the Word, I happily resent this.

Unperson is pretty much right overall

Must be nice LOL.

Humble Pie have less than 300k listeners on Spotify.

That’s unique monthly listeners? I’m surprised it’s that high. I’m a fan, but very rarely hear them mentioned. (Maybe their profile is higher in the UK?)

Actually, just remembered that “30 Days in the Hole” was sort of a classic-rock staple when I was a teen (in the Detroit area).

Looking at my parents records: Supertramp, Rod Stewart

Jane Olivor

Lonnie Donegan

Humble Pie at the Fillmore is hot shit

That’s unique monthly listeners? I’m surprised it’s that high. I’m a fan, but very rarely hear them mentioned.

Yes, unique monthly listeners, a figure which is way lower than most of their contemporaries pull. They were a bit of a big deal at the time, but definitely not a group you'll be reading about in history books now.