Good major Label Rock/Metal albums from Late 90's-2008?

I mean the dozens (hundreds?) of bands that got grabbed up by majors in the wake of those bands from, say, '92 to '96, most of whom didn't get any exposure more notable than a video on 120 Minutes or a spot on a DGC sampler.

this thread is getting ridiculously far away from HARD ROCK/METAL

If you look at the thread title, the word "hard" is not up there. And the thread starts with discussion of a fucking Foo Fighters album, for crissakes -- give or take, like, Radiohead, I don't think there are very many major label acts mentioned on this thread who rock less hard than the Foos do.

Other than emo/pop punk bands like My Chemical Romance, I don't know what the last indie band that crossed over to alt rock and active rock radio, since the White Stripes like 5 years ago

I dunno, Finger Eleven or somebody maybe? Or maybe not. But why would emo/pop-punk bands not count, anyway? I tend to hate them, too, but why would '90s pop-grunge bands be more legit, by definition? (Actually, on some other thread a few months ago -- something to do with how metal and alt and hard rock were supposedly more distinguishable 15 years ago than they are now -- I checked the Billboard charts, and it turns out that there's actually more crossover between commercial alt rock and active rock stations these days than one might think. I guess if you create arbitrary rules like "emo/pop-punk bands don't count" that might overrule the crossover, but I don't know know why you should.)

Or...okay, maybe Finger Eleven were never "indie" in the Pitchfork sense (or maybe any sense, for that matter.) How about the Hives (so far unmentioned on this thread, though they deserve to be, and often really good)? Did they hit before or after White Stripes? (MGMT and Vampire Weekend and Ting Tings are all indie x-overs to commercial alt-rock this year -- and I'm sure there are more -- but I would be surprised if any of them get active rock play.)

yeah, Hives hit at the same time as the Stripes, and only had 3 modern rock hits (2 of which were just barely blips on mainstream/active rock). Finger Eleven and other Wind Up bands aren't really considered indie by anybody.

and I only meant not counting emo and pop punk bands because they kind of fall outside of the hard rock/active rock market as something completely different, usually not charting there unless they're huge on modern (although "Welcome To The Black Parade" seemed to do pretty well on active stations).

I thought the White Stripes were the only one from that "garage-rock revival" class (White Stripes, Hives, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, maybe The Vines) to get any real rock radio airplay.

(xp)

What about Jet (whose album was actually pretty good, too)? (Or do they also not count, for some reason?)

most of those bands had 1 or 2 hits, then kinda fell off the radar of mainstream radio after 2002, meanwhile White Stripes have continued to have hits pretty consistently since then.

xhuxk define "count" here -- are you talking about the thread's big picture of major label rock bands, or my specific claim about bands who crossed over from indie to mainstream in the past 5 years? because Jet were never on an indie label, at least in the U.S.

I just meant "count as being from the garage-rock revival class that Daniel mentioned." (It might be worth remembering, though, that most of the '90s grunge bands who hit had never done notable earlier stuff on indies either -- Nirvana and Soundgarden and I guess Everclear did, and people who later wound up in Pearl Jam, but Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots sure didn't, not to mention all the bubblegrungers who followed in their wake. So it's always been more an exception than a rule.) (Green Day and Offspring and Rancid were called up from the indie farm clubs later, but the pop-punk bands who followed in their wake genrally were not. So I'm not sure how much has actually changed.)

I dunno, it's hard to pinpoint statistically how much has changed. But I get the feeling that today whoever would have a moderately successful indie debut today, on the level of Smashing Pumpkins or Nirvana or Sound Garden back then, would be a lot less likely to sign to a major and go multi-platinum. It seems like the bands that do well on indies now either stay indie forever, or sign and then get only incrementally more popular without really "blowing up" or crossing over big time. Even a band like Death Cab For Cutie, who went platinum and have been on the Modern Rock top 10 for months now, don't really seem that big to me.

Yeah, I guess they (Jet) were part of that group. I just remember the White Stripes-BRMC-The Hives and maybe The Vines as forming an (evil!) axis for that garage-rock revival class.

But I get the feeling that today whoever would have a moderately successful indie debut today, on the level of Smashing Pumpkins or Nirvana or Sound Garden back then, would be a lot less likely to sign to a major and go multi-platinum.

Maybe 'cause there are new ways to make money in music, e.g., indie bands marketing their songs to TV shows. But I think it goes beyond that: There's a sound that's big on commercial rock-radio this decade (maybe it's a holdover from the late 90s) that doesn't mesh with indie rock (which is either too-mannered or too-noisy in a non nu-metal way, I guesss).

By way of example: I've been casually listening to HEALTH's song, Triceratops, today. It's a cool, noisy song. But that kind of noise, I'd guess, isn't what would wind up on commercial rock radio. There's a certain type of aggression and lyrics and vibe that's in those rock radio songs, and I don't think HEALTH works in that vein. They could reshape the vein, I guess, if one of their songs can break through.

I dunno, it's hard to pinpoint statistically how much has changed. But I get the feeling that today whoever would have a moderately successful indie debut today, on the level of Smashing Pumpkins or Nirvana or Sound Garden back then, would be a lot less likely to sign to a major and go multi-platinum. It seems like the bands that do well on indies now either stay indie forever, or sign and then get only incrementally more popular without really "blowing up" or crossing over big time. Even a band like Death Cab For Cutie, who went platinum and have been on the Modern Rock top 10 for months now, don't really seem that big to me.

-- some dude, Monday, July 14, 2008 12:15 PM (17 minutes ago)

how old are you?

26. why do you ask?

Steve's trying to make me feel old, is all.

How big are Death Cab in the states? Most people dont know them here.

A lot bigger. A band who chart pretty high and get a lot of radio play

porcupine tree's "in absentia" was the first thing that came to mind. On Lava, which was (is?) an Atlantic imprint.

Death Cab are fucking huge now, by any measure I use (which is "any band I used to pay $5 for that I now have to pay almost ten times as much to see, guaranteeing that I will not see them ever again")

are coldplay the biggest rock band in the world right now? as in: record sales, concert sales, etc.

Isn't Radiohead bigger? And U2, for concerts?

I don't think coldplay has hit the U2 level yet, but I think they've probably surpassed Radiohead.

going by wikipedia, x&y by coldplay sold, like, 11 million copies worldwide, and the last U2 album sold about half that. and the new coldplay album looks like it will hit those numbers as well.

their new one is the second fastest selling album in U.K. history! they don't say what the first fastest was.

"The album was highly successful around the world in its first week of release, when it debuted at #1 in 36 countries[22]. In the United Kingdom the album sold 302,000 copies after 3 days of release, making it the second fastest selling album in UK history. It also became the best selling release in iTunes history. In its second week it sold another 198,000 getting a platinum certification for those sales.[23] The album debuted with sales of 41,041[24] in Australia and was certified platinum. In Japan it sold almost 40,000 copies in its first week and a further 40,000 in its second week. In the US the album debuted at #1 with 721,000 copies sold. This almost equals previous album X&Y's first week sales of 737,000.[25]"

if you can sell a million records in a week, you are about as huge as huge gets these days.

WOW! Eye-opening! Depressing!

(not that depressing; Coldplay is bland, but okay sometimes).

i'm no fan, but i thought they actually sounded okay when i saw them on the daily show. i think they played all new stuff and it sounded more interesting to me than their other stuff. still can't really get into whatshisface's voice though.

the fastest selling uk album was Oasis - Be Here Now

Yeah, Coldplay catch too much grief for what they do. The biggest strike against them -- just like with Oasis, BTW -- is that they fancy themselves as the biggest, best band in the world, which is just asking for trouble. OTOH, they are a big band. And rich.

(xp)

people still want that BIG ROCK ALBUM feeling. that anthemic rush. which is why it makes sense that U2 and oasis and coldplay and radiohead are the last really big bands (or of the last decade or whatever). they are BIG ROCK MOMENT holdovers.

Yep. I'm waiting for JOURNEY to re-emerge from the ashes (with Steve Perry).

it's one of the reasons a band like bon jovi could sneak back into the fold. there are job openings for anthem rockers.(and why country fans who are also rock fans make superstars out of anthemic rockers like Rascal Flatts.)

Honestly, I think a few good "anthem" or "stadium" rock bands are good to have around. Without them, we'd have no Mr. Roboto.

(Seriously, being 40 and having grown up in the 80s, I have a soft spot for "anthem rockers," especially ones with that Journey wall-of-harmony vocal sound).

And Puddle Of Mudd and P.O.D. ain't satisfying that need for me, unfortunately.

Actually, Journey did re-emerge from the ashes, exclusively at Wal-Mart, this year. Their last album actually charted very briefly, according to a short piece in the LA Times a few weeks ago. While it won't lift them out of the ag fair circuit, it was still a surprise. Sans Perry though.

I'll go to see them rock the Gulfstream Racetrack! Or the Dade County Youth Fair.

Yep. I'm waiting for JOURNEY to re-emerge from the ashes (with Steve Perry).

Journey's new vocalist is a dude from the Phillipines that they discovered on YouTube, and he is awesome!

The story of their new singer is pretty AWES tho. He out-Perry's Perry FWIW as well.

xp!

He out-Perry's Perry FWIW as well.

Don't toy with my emotions.

as i always like to remind people, steve perry was the THIRD lead vocalist for journey. after gregg rolie and that fleischman dude.

and the new guy is the SIXTH lead vocalist. after some guy i can't remember and journeyman deluxe jeff scott soto.

Dang it, this is now far off-topic but you guys are prompting me to go sample the new Journey disc. If I like it enough, and have to buy it for my iPod, I'll have to post to the GUILTY PLEASURES thread.

and speaking of anthem rock and jeff scott soto, there is a huge underground indie scene for AOR bands. mostly in Germany. not the power metal crowd, but the Axel Rudi Pell crowd. a whole universe of fans who own every album that joe lynn turner was ever involved with. people who own soul sirkus albums! (neal schon and jeff scott soto side-project)

http://www.rock-is-life.com/reviews/img/soulsirkus2.jpg

every album that joe lynn turner was ever involved with:

ICARUS WITCH Songs for the Lost 2007
JLT Second Hand Life 2007
BLACKMORE'S NIGHT Village Lanterne 2006
Single EP The One 2006
Akira Kajiyama and Joe Lynn Turner Fire Without Flame 2006
Vitalij Kuprij Revenge 2006
Usual Suspects JLT 2005
Eddie Ojeda Axes 2 Axes 2005
Iron Maiden Tribute Numbers from The Beast 2005
Michael Schenker Heavy Hitters 2005
Mikhail Men Made in Moscow 2005
Brazen Abbot My Ressurection 2005
Classic Rock Revisited The New Road Ahead Vol 1 2005
Heaven and Earth Heaven and Earth Revised Re-Release 2005
Metallic Attack Metallica The Ultimate Tribute 2004
Karl Cochran's Voodooland Give Me Air 2004
Hughes Turner Project HTP2 2003
Murray Weinstock Tails of the City 2003
Rainbow Catch The Rainbow 2003
Brazen Abbot Guilty As Sin 2003
Mr. Big Tribute Influences and Connections 2003
Joe Lynn Turner JLT 2003
Hughes Turner Project HTP-LIVE IN TOKYO 2002
The Tour Bus Radio Show The Road Trip 2002
Mountain Mystic Fire 2002
Hughes Turner Project HTP 2002
Baron Love Valley 2002
Terry Brock Freedom 2001
Joe Lynn Turner Slam 2001
Queen Tribute Stone Cold Crazy 2001
Joe Lynn Turner Challenge Them All 2001
Rock Ballads WTC Benefit 2001
Nikolo Kotzev Nostradamus 2001
Voices for America Special WTC EP 2001
Aerosmith Tribute Let The Tribute Do The Talking 2001
ACDC Tribute Remixed to Hell 2000
Joe Lynn Turner Holy Man 2000
Various Artists Fire Woman: A Tribute to The Cult 2000
Ozzy Tribute Bat Head's Soup 2000
Van Halen Tribute Tribute to Van Halen 2000 2000
*SPECIAL* Randy Rhoads "Tribute" 1999
Leslie West As Phat as it Gets 1999
Yngwie Malmsteen Inspiration (Bonus CD) 1999
Fandango Best of 1999
Deep Purple Shades 68-98 1999
Joe Lynn Turner UNDER COVER 2 1999
Joe Lynn Turner Waiting for a Girl Like You 1999
Vick LeCar Never Stranded 1998
Stuart Smith Heaven & Earth 1998
Don Johnson Heartbeat 1998
Niji Densetsu Rainbow Tribute 1998
Various Heard It On The Radio 1998
Mothers Army Fire On The Moon 1998
Guitar Compilation Sounds of Wood and Steel 1998
Deep Purple Purplexed 1998
Joe Lynn Turner Hurry Up & Wait 1998
Mojo Brothers Mojo Brothers 1997
AC/DC Tribute Thunderbolt 1997
Brazen Abbot Bad Religion 1997
Joe Lynn Turner Undercover 1997
Mothers Army Planet Earth 1997
Yngwie Malmsteen Inspiration 1996
Toshi Kankawa Toshi Kankawa 1996
Brazen Abbot Eye Of The Storm 1996
Rainbow The Very Best Of 1997
Deep Purple Tribute - Black Night 1995
Joe Lynn Turner Nothing's Changed 1995
Nerds Poultry In Motion 1995
Bloodline Bloodline 1994
Blues Bureau International Cream Of The Crop 1994
Deep Purple Tribute Smoke On The Water 1994
Mothers Army Mothers Army 1993
Yngwie Malmsteen Collection 1992
TNT Unrealized Fantazies 1992
Taylor Dayne Taylor Dayne 1992
Hellcats Hellcats 2 1992
Lita Ford Dangerous Curves 1991
Deep Purple Slaves & Masters 1990
Kathy Troccoli Pure Attraction 1991
Michael Bolton Time, Love and Tenderness 1991
Foundations Forum Compilation '90 Vol. 2 1990
Slyce Slyce 1990
Billy Joel Storm Front 1989
Paul Carrack Groove Approved 1989
Yngwie Malmsteen Trial By Fire Live 1989
Jimmy Barnes Freight Train Heart 1989
Alexa Alexa 1989
Bonnie Tyler Notes From America 1988
TNT Intuition 1988
Don Johnson Let It Roll 1988
Yngwie Malmsteen Odyssey 1988
Bonfire Bonfire 1987
Mick Jones Mick Jones 1987
Lee Arron Lee Arron 1987
John Waite Rovers Return 1987
Cher Cher 1987
Michael Bolton The Hunger 1987
Rainbow Final Vinyl 1986
Joe Lynn Turner Rescue You 1985
Official Soundtrack The Heavenly Kid 1985
Rainbow Bent Out Of Shape 1983
Rainbow Straight Between The Eyes 1982
Rainbow Best of Compilation 1981
Rainbow Difficult To Cure 1981
Fandango Cadillac 1980
Fandango Last Kiss 1979
Fandango One Night Stand 1978
Fandango Fandango 1977

Hahaha. The new guy is like Steve Perry's mini-me! Finally! A good commerical rock album in the Naughties!

"there is a huge underground indie scene for AOR bands. mostly in Germany."

Scott, what kind of fans do these bands have in Germany? Is it the same age group that listened to Journey or say The Scorpions in the 80s or are there younger people into these groups?

Maybe dads and their sons?

I'm actually surprised 1) that they haven't been mentioned on this thread yet, period; and 2) that they weren't mentioned in response to Scott's comment that "there are job openings for anthem rockers": Coheed And Cambria. Their prog reputation is overinflated; their songs are catchy as fuck and sound like 80s AOR/prog (Asia, Triumph) more than 70s bloat-tastic prog (Yes, ELP). Their biggest problem is that their lead singer looks like Sweetums, the Muppet monster, and his voice is too weirdly high to take them into serious commercial territory, but the guy knows how to write a riff and a chorus. They're probably the most unfashionable band on Earth, but I like 'em.