Gately's influence.
― Noodle Vague, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:43 (sixteen years ago) link
I've never heard of Josh Groban, so I can't claim to hate him.
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:49 (sixteen years ago) link
What about Manu Chao?
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:50 (sixteen years ago) link
Then I saw a feature where Peter Cushing said their most recent CD (at the time) he liked a lot, and then it hit me. It's music for the old folks. (trying not to sound patro)
I mean, what else is there for them? So basically, any kind of music which isn't meant for me, how can I hate it?
what else is there for them? only about a million things, past and present, equally bad or slightly better (in the latter category would come 'british light music' such as brian kay plays). hate the sin not the sinner, and unbelievably bad music (which westlife do produce) which is inexplicably successful is pretty hateful. it is very patronising tbh.
― Frogman Henry, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:50 (sixteen years ago) link
i mean asking 'what else is there for them?' is just factually wrong as well as unremittingly bleak.
― Frogman Henry, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:51 (sixteen years ago) link
"A Different Beat" isn't exactly boy-meets-boy either, but.. :)
― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:53 (sixteen years ago) link
not if it isn't a rhetorical question.
Yes, there is lots. But, in the 'current' scheme of things, a lot of stuff is regarded as 'the oldies' i.e. hits of the sixties, or it's niche marketing.
At least WLife are recording 'right now' and so on.
― Mark G, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:54 (sixteen years ago) link
http://rateyourmusic.com/list/GeirH/my_top_50_albums_of_1998
― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:54 (sixteen years ago) link
xpost westlife are fantastic judged on their own terms; trying to compare them to ---insert critical/ilx fave here--- is like criticising a banana for not being orangey enough.
― Thomas, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:58 (sixteen years ago) link
I can't stand Manu Chao's stupid cap, but that's not quite the same thing. His music's OK or at least the first album was until he made the same album over and over.
Westlife were deliberately engineered by Cowell and Louisa Walsh as successors to Boyzone, to the extent that Keating even managed them in the early days. Nice polite boys who won't answer back, and the subsequent bunco booth trick of trying to convince us that they're as important as the Beatles whereas it was marketing and the cheapening of the charts which allowed them to have 97,422 number one hits.
― Dingbod Kesterson, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 11:59 (sixteen years ago) link
westlife are fantastic judged on their own terms
w.t.f.
― Frogman Henry, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 12:00 (sixteen years ago) link
No, they're shit on their own terms
― Tom D., Tuesday, 22 January 2008 12:01 (sixteen years ago) link
honestly people who think westlife aren't too band - have you heard any boyband music?
― Frogman Henry, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 12:01 (sixteen years ago) link
too bad
Well, yes all that.
But why are they still here, as opposed to going the way of xeven, etc?
Because they didn't go 'uptempo', and ended up working toward a market that was underdeveloped and unrepresented.
"The one thing worse than being exploited, is not being exploited" (M.Grout, 1982)
― Mark G, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 12:02 (sixteen years ago) link
i'm sorry, there's just no way you can explain the success of westlife.
― Frogman Henry, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 12:03 (sixteen years ago) link
Inevitable Godwin's interception - many people thought the Nazis were fantastic on their own terms. How fitting that Westlife should resemble a line of de Valera clones.
― Dingbod Kesterson, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 12:03 (sixteen years ago) link
should be in the 'mysteries of the unexplained' poll.
(xp to myself)
At least Westlife >>>>> New Kids On The Block.
Don't interpret that as a defence of Westlife though.
― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 12:04 (sixteen years ago) link
boybands should be fun but Westlife never seemed to represent that - even their occasional midtempo hits like 'bop bop baby' were bland as hell.
― blueski, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 12:05 (sixteen years ago) link
The success of Westlife is easily explicable.
- Pre-existing demographic: the Boyzone fans who were slowly growing out of Boyzone. - Sharply focused on identifiable market winner: MoR ballads delivered in a style approachable to both very young and very old fans. - Astute marketing by Cowell and Walsh: coordination of fanbase and marketing ensure near-automatic number ones as fans all flock to buy their records in the week of release. - Brand maintenance: because they were MoR to begin with the transition to "adult contemporary" was not an obstacle, whereas Take That had to wait a decade for theirs.
― Dingbod Kesterson, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 12:06 (sixteen years ago) link
BULL AND BUNK
― blueski, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 12:06 (sixteen years ago) link
see that's what i'm saying. NKOTB > x1 million Westlife, and anyone who isn't insane will think so.
they're not oldie music, of course.
― Frogman Henry, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 12:07 (sixteen years ago) link
Pre-existing demographic: the Boyzone fans who were slowly growing out of Boyzone. - Sharply focused on identifiable market winner: MoR ballads delivered in a style approachable to both very young and very old fans. - Astute marketing by Cowell and Walsh: coordination of fanbase and marketing ensure near-automatic number ones as fans all flock to buy their records in the week of release. - Brand maintenance: because they were MoR to begin with the transition to "adult contemporary" was not an obstacle, whereas Take That had to wait a decade for theirs.
yes all very good, one problem though: THE MUSIC.
ie im playing chess at the end, but you will not get me to say i love big brother.
― Frogman Henry, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 12:09 (sixteen years ago) link
We're not talking about whether you like them or not. You said that their success was inexplicable. I have given you four clear and cogent reasons why they were successful. What you have to understand is that Westlife don't need "us," whereas, for example, Girls Aloud clearly do.
― Dingbod Kesterson, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 12:12 (sixteen years ago) link
Or to put it a Riot Grrl way, Westlife are happening without our permission.
If there is hope, lies in the proles!
o fuk
― Frogman Henry, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 12:13 (sixteen years ago) link
The MOR element is probably a very important reason why Westlife have lasted at the top for so long (after all, 8 years is a long time for a boyband). Today's boy band fans are usually tomorrow's MOR/adult contemporary fans. Westlife's musical style makes the change easier.
― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 12:26 (sixteen years ago) link
Yes. Right, WL done into the ground.
Who else?
― Mark G, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 12:26 (sixteen years ago) link
Daniel O'Donnel. Have at he!
― Mark G, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 12:27 (sixteen years ago) link
Holl', watch it son
― Tom D., Tuesday, 22 January 2008 12:29 (sixteen years ago) link
James Brown is the A.Q. Khan of music Geir dislikes.
― Hurting 2, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 14:14 (sixteen years ago) link
Insane Clown Posse?
― chap, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 14:19 (sixteen years ago) link
Rednex
― baaderonixx, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 15:02 (sixteen years ago) link
Can't say I hate ICP- their comedy's more than a bit lame, and the music's terrible, but don't care about them enough to hate.
same goes for Rednex and whoever did the Birdy Song any other novelty comedy act
― Thomas, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 15:06 (sixteen years ago) link
Rednex are total harmless fluff. ICP, on the other hand, are really quite unpleasant.
― chap, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 15:12 (sixteen years ago) link
ICP have made many valid contributions to the world of pro-wrestling, perhaps only third in the world of music to Cyndi Lauper and Billy Corgan.
― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 15:14 (sixteen years ago) link
Widespread Panic
― Rock Hardy, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 15:30 (sixteen years ago) link
trolls are a part of Norwegian folklore, right? maybe it's just his culture.
-- latebloomer, Thursday, May 3, 2007 3:23 AM (8 months ago) Bookmark Link
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 15:30 (sixteen years ago) link
Citizen Cope?
― St3ve Go1db3rg, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 15:36 (sixteen years ago) link
Michael Bolton.
― Thomas, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 15:52 (sixteen years ago) link
I don't hate him
― Tom D., Tuesday, 22 January 2008 15:53 (sixteen years ago) link
Jamie Cullum?
Spin Doctors
― baaderonixx, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 15:55 (sixteen years ago) link
Toploader?
― 2for25, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 15:57 (sixteen years ago) link
Toploader's a good one. Also, Jamiroquai?
― chap, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 15:59 (sixteen years ago) link
I'm sure there's lots of ILMers who'll rep for some of Jamiroquai's stuff. Me for a start.
― Noodle Vague, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 16:19 (sixteen years ago) link
First couple of singles were OK.
― Dingbod Kesterson, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 16:20 (sixteen years ago) link
Aye, first Jamiroquai album wasn't too bad.
Toploader remain the worst band I have ever seen live.
― ailsa, Tuesday, 22 January 2008 16:21 (sixteen years ago) link
I thought I'd found our unicorn and could finally take some happy respite, but I guess not, the wearisome hunt continues
― thots and players (rip van wanko), Thursday, 12 April 2018 20:53 (six years ago) link
I don't hate them either.
― No purposes. Sounds. (Sund4r), Thursday, 12 April 2018 20:54 (six years ago) link
found him
https://s-i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/272604/slide_272604_1939619_free.jpg
― frogbs, Thursday, 12 April 2018 20:55 (six years ago) link
hate him but just barely
― thots and players (rip van wanko), Thursday, 12 April 2018 21:00 (six years ago) link
more apathetic than hateful
― you're my luger not my rifle (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 12 April 2018 21:23 (six years ago) link
I've never knowingly heard anything by him. I'm tempted to try for the sake of this thread.
― pomenitul, Thursday, 12 April 2018 21:24 (six years ago) link
surely nobody on here likes Macklemore?
― you're my luger not my rifle (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 12 April 2018 21:27 (six years ago) link
Just listened to 'Shape of You'. I like it better than some of the songs that made it to ILM's top 10 last year.
― pomenitul, Thursday, 12 April 2018 21:30 (six years ago) link
Macklemore is jarringly mediocre.
― pomenitul, Thursday, 12 April 2018 21:33 (six years ago) link
Quite a few metal people seem to really hate Five Finger Death Punch.
The answer for me would always and forever be Bon Jovi.
― earlnash, Thursday, 12 April 2018 21:48 (six years ago) link
I've only heard Sheeran's guest bits on Taylor Swift albums, but I like those!
― absorbed carol channing's powers & psyche (morrisp), Thursday, 12 April 2018 22:28 (six years ago) link