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
― Haunted Clocks For Sale (Dorianlynskey), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:11 (thirteen years ago) link
I have a promo copy of Joe Lean's unreleased debut. It will be worth literally pennies one day.
Oh man, World of Twist :(
― Tom A. (Tom B.) (Tom C.) (Tom D.), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:14 (thirteen years ago) link
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.
― skip, Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:14 (thirteen years ago) link
Proteges and familiar relations of successful artists/industry-folks have that big push and fail in the U.S. all the time.
― Excluding Skits and Such (Eazy), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:18 (thirteen years ago) link
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.
― mike t-diva, Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:19 (thirteen years ago) link
where the likes of Orlando, Birdland and Brinsley Schwarz explained what went wrong.
Birdland were successful! They brought me and my wife together.
― meta the devil you know (onimo), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:21 (thirteen years ago) link
so in the US, hype from indie mags doesn't count as hype? cuz that's just what most of the UK examples are.
― لوووووووووووووووووووول (lex pretend), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:22 (thirteen years ago) link
32 Birdland Sleep With Me Single Feb 1990
― Mark G, Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:22 (thirteen years ago) link
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...
― Mark G, Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:24 (thirteen years ago) link
there must have been loads of hype for garage and jungle acts too
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:25 (thirteen years ago) link
Scene-specific dance acts have their own criteria for success though.
― rhythm fixated member (chap), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:27 (thirteen years ago) link
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.
― Haunted Clocks For Sale (Dorianlynskey), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:28 (thirteen years ago) link
Also on Dreamworks: Chicks
― seandalai, Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:28 (thirteen years ago) link
53. Credit To The Nation
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:28 (thirteen years ago) link
Hype from "indie mags" means something completely different, and a much much lower level of attention, in the USA.
― he's always been a bit of an anti-climb Max (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:29 (thirteen years ago) link
has ms dynamite ever been seen again?
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:29 (thirteen years ago) link
I see her in the shops buying sweets for her kids sometimes.
― rhythm fixated member (chap), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:30 (thirteen years ago) link
And Lady Sovereign's the one selling her the sweets
― Tom A. (Tom B.) (Tom C.) (Tom D.), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:30 (thirteen years ago) link
Lisa Mafia on Sov's days off.
― rhythm fixated member (chap), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:31 (thirteen years ago) link
52. One True Voice
― jesper olsen twins (NickB), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:32 (thirteen years ago) link
51. Jedward
― jesper olsen twins (NickB), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:33 (thirteen years ago) link
etc
(xxxp) Sign on the door saying "Speech Debelle will not to be served in this shop"
― Tom A. (Tom B.) (Tom C.) (Tom D.), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:33 (thirteen years ago) link
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?
― لوووووووووووووووووووول (lex pretend), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:33 (thirteen years ago) link
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
― لوووووووووووووووووووول (lex pretend), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:35 (thirteen years ago) link
Oh yeah, that Zinc tune is fat. Glad she's back to MCing.
― rhythm fixated member (chap), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:38 (thirteen years ago) link
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.
― meta the devil you know (onimo), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:45 (thirteen years ago) link
Who hasn't had a Top 40 hit this year, I know I have
― Tom A. (Tom B.) (Tom C.) (Tom D.), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:47 (thirteen years ago) link
like with most "indie bands" who were hyped.xp
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:48 (thirteen years ago) link
and that mentality is exactly why this country sucks
― لوووووووووووووووووووول (lex pretend), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:54 (thirteen years ago) link
50. Kevin Federline
― ilxor has truly been got at and become an ILXor (ilxor), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:55 (thirteen years ago) link
okay in what world was Kevin Federline "megahyped"
I distinctly remember "megamocked"
― bang (HI DERE), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:56 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laynXVsBulg&feature=related
like, no one was excited for this except Kevin Federline
― bang (HI DERE), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:57 (thirteen years ago) link
one of many reasons, but yes :(
― meta the devil you know (onimo), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:57 (thirteen years ago) link
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.
― لوووووووووووووووووووول (lex pretend), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:57 (thirteen years ago) link
tbf this is not a uniquely British attitude
― bang (HI DERE), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:58 (thirteen years ago) link
(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)
― لوووووووووووووووووووول (lex pretend), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:58 (thirteen years ago) link
We got curt refusals from Gay Dad and Terris.
Dorian, did you ask the drummer?
― (¬_¬) (Nicole), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:58 (thirteen years ago) link
(the uniquely british attitude is to hate on people even more if they DO take over the world)
― لوووووووووووووووووووول (lex pretend), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:59 (thirteen years ago) link
Commercial failure is not the same as artistic failure but it's failure nonetheless
― Tom A. (Tom B.) (Tom C.) (Tom D.), Thursday, 23 September 2010 15:59 (thirteen years ago) link
Ooh, ooh, I got a USA one!
49. Johnny Cougar.
― Mark G, Thursday, 23 September 2010 16:00 (thirteen years ago) link
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.
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Thursday, 23 September 2010 16:01 (thirteen years ago) link
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.
― Haunted Clocks For Sale (Dorianlynskey), Thursday, 23 September 2010 16:01 (thirteen years ago) link
48 : VV Brown
― mark e, Thursday, 23 September 2010 16:03 (thirteen years ago) link
Oh, god, elephant in the room time:
47. The Woodentops
― Mark G, Thursday, 23 September 2010 16:04 (thirteen years ago) link
haha. were they that hyped ?
― mark e, Thursday, 23 September 2010 16:05 (thirteen years ago) link
46 : CHAKK - MCA funded them to build hi-tech studio/FON records etc. Sly and Robbie on production. no-one bought the album.
[but i'd still love a cd copy .. ]
― mark e, Thursday, 23 September 2010 16:06 (thirteen years ago) link
(fwiw when i interviewed ms dynamite earlier this year, she basically said she deliberately took a few years off to be a mother, and now her son's at school she's able to devote herself full-time to music again)
― لوووووووووووووووووووول (lex pretend), Thursday, 23 September 2010 16:06 (thirteen years ago) link
Is that Chakk record any good Mark? Just asking as a Moloko fan...
― jesper olsen twins (NickB), Thursday, 23 September 2010 16:08 (thirteen years ago) link