Countdown 100: Bands that got megahyped that failed spectacularly...

Check: Dreamworks roster circa 2000. Cupcakes (industry hype), Palo Alto (Rick Rubin producing)...

Kula Shaker did alright!

54. Joe Lean and the Jing Fucking Jang Fucking Jong.

^ thanx for nothing there, mike

^ had erased them from my memory till then

In the interests of useful info rather than self-plugging, here's a piece I co-wrote five years ago where the likes of Orlando, Birdland and Brinsley Schwarz explained what went wrong. We got curt refusals from Gay Dad and Terris.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2005/jan/28/2

I have a promo copy of Joe Lean's unreleased debut. It will be worth literally pennies one day.

Oh man, World of Twist :(

Any band that gets megahyped in the US is already popular. Milli Vanilli is probably the closest I can think of to a group that turned hype into spectacular failure.

Proteges and familiar relations of successful artists/industry-folks have that big push and fail in the U.S. all the time.

I have a promo copy of Joe Lean's unreleased debut. It will be worth literally pennies one day.

I have an ultra-collectible six-track promo CD of the self-same lost masterpiece! Unfortunately, it is unplayable on any CD player which I possess.

where the likes of Orlando, Birdland and Brinsley Schwarz explained what went wrong.

Birdland were successful! They brought me and my wife together.

so in the US, hype from indie mags doesn't count as hype? cuz that's just what most of the UK examples are.

32 Birdland Sleep With Me Single Feb 1990

Well, the hype I was originally alluding to was the "big spend on advertising"...

Can you buy good coverage from the UK indie mags?

Answers on a postcard...

there must have been loads of hype for garage and jungle acts too

Scene-specific dance acts have their own criteria for success though.

In dance music, Alex Reece was a big flop but so was every "crossover" drum'n'bass act really. Even Goldie and Reprazent lost momentum very quickly.

Also on Dreamworks: Chicks

53. Credit To The Nation

Hype from "indie mags" means something completely different, and a much much lower level of attention, in the USA.

has ms dynamite ever been seen again?

I see her in the shops buying sweets for her kids sometimes.

And Lady Sovereign's the one selling her the sweets

Lisa Mafia on Sov's days off.

52. One True Voice

51. Jedward

etc

(xxxp) Sign on the door saying "Speech Debelle will not to be served in this shop"

ms dynamite has had a top 40 hit this year, and made two of last year's best singles!!!!! wtf.

hype around dance acts is mostly because of the rapid turnover of dance trends, right?

what ms dynamite is up to these days:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JLrIMwxpFg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-g-QimJKlc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKB3hJBvAZY

Oh yeah, that Zinc tune is fat. Glad she's back to MCing.

ms dynamite has had a top 40 hit this year, and made two of last year's best singles!!!!! wtf.

I think "failed spectacularly" is being used here to mean "did not take over the world as expected" - and having one single scrape into the top 40 kind of falls into that category. I think the British mainstream pretty much forgot her after buying "Dy-na-mi-tee" and giving her a string of awards.

Who hasn't had a Top 40 hit this year, I know I have

like with most "indie bands" who were hyped.
xp

and that mentality is exactly why this country sucks

50. Kevin Federline

okay in what world was Kevin Federline "megahyped"

I distinctly remember "megamocked"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laynXVsBulg&feature=related

like, no one was excited for this except Kevin Federline

and that mentality is exactly why this country sucks

one of many reasons, but yes :(

there's a sporting parallel - unless you actually WIN WIMBLEDON then you're characterised as a "bottler". there's plenty of room between "taking over the world" (and really was anyone actually ever expecting ms d to actually do this?) and completely flopping, which has a qualitative aspect to it - when you think back to an act that "flops", with all the connotations of the word, it's usually with a frisson of embarrassment, "what were we thinking" - an admission that they were NEVER any good. which especially doesn't apply if the artist is still making critically acclaimed music.

tbf this is not a uniquely British attitude

(haha i just noticed that "wile out" is still the jukebox's no 1 single of the year so far! and "get low" was THE anthem of sónar this year, no contest, heard it about 943834394 times)

We got curt refusals from Gay Dad and Terris.

Dorian, did you ask the drummer?

(the uniquely british attitude is to hate on people even more if they DO take over the world)

Commercial failure is not the same as artistic failure but it's failure nonetheless

Ooh, ooh, I got a USA one!

49. Johnny Cougar.

if the media and public hadn't turned on those nme acts, the country could have been taken over by nme indie acts & ms dynamite and the lex could have been happy.

Lex OTM. And I doubt Ms Dynamite lost the label money, whereas famous flops like Brinsley Schwarz, Moby Grape, Fischerspooner, etc lost a packet. Imo, if someone's had one acclaimed, strong-selling album and a handful of hit singles then they shouldn't be in this thread.

Nicole - no, we asked Cliff and one other member but didn't work through the whole line-up - either we didn't have the contact details or we didn't have enough time, I can't remember exactly.

48 : VV Brown

Oh, god, elephant in the room time:

47. The Woodentops