Were Jamiroquai never big in the US?

[Tupac]

They seem to hold quite a slew of records to their name, yet I never even heard of them until I became a bassist. Are they bigger in the UK?

[bass12]

Much bigger in the U.K., like most good music from the 80s onward.

[electracoyote]

Well, Jay Kay and Co. didn't get a lot of airplay on mainstream radio here. A few of his early vids were in heavy rotation this side of the pond.

Jamiroquai were big with me and my crowd, that's for damn sure. I own every disc he ever put out.

[lowfreq33]

Virtual Insanity was their big hit stateside, mostly due to the video.

[Phalex]

Originally Posted by lowfreq33

Virtual Insanity was their big hit stateside, mostly due to the video.

I think they won a grammy that year.

[Texan]

They are a great band, even people that say they don't care for them still tap their toes when they listen...

[DeadHeadSF]

Originally Posted by Texan

They are a great band, even people that say they don't care for them still tap their toes when they listen...

When I grow up, I'm going to learn those bass lines...

I've a long long way to go...

[mixtapelove]

In the early days they were, especially around the time of Virtual Insanity, but they faded from public view pretty quickly. I was only vaguely aware of who they were and kind of forgot what they were and what they did. I guess the feel of Virtual Insanity made me think it was a little too close to hip-hop territory for my liking, so I tuned out.

I went and spent some time in Australia and got much more exposed to it... that was when I found out what they were really about and fell head over heels for the whole acid jazz ethos. A lot of the tunes they were putting out became hits there. Then they kind of sold out and started writing techno tripe. But the last few years, JK has stepped his game back up. I'm a really big fan of the most recent record.... I believe they are moving back to their acid jazz and soul roots and away from the dance pop.

While Paul Turner is not Stuart Zender, I think he's doing a formidable job.

Wish they would tour over here.

[electracoyote]

I think any American who has seen Napoleon Dynamite at least knows "Canned Heat." And when I used to DJ upscale events, I would occasionally slip in "Little L" and "Love Foolosophy," which were well-received.

[GregC]

I'd like them a lot more with a different singer. Killer musicians and grooves.

[Dr. Cheese]

I think the Acid Jazz thing was too much like Seventies and early Eighties disco and funk to really catch on in the USA. Jamiroquai had one big CD, and the Brand New Heavies had one Top Forty hit and several smaller hits on Black radio, Incognito got some action too, but generally speaking, Acid Jazz stayed a cult sound during the Nineties.

[Marial]

They seemed big to me when I was in college but they disappeared quickly. I loved their tunes but I didn't care much for the Stevie Wonder Lite vocals.

[Kwesi]

Originally Posted by GregC

I'd like them a lot more with a different singer. Killer musicians and grooves.

Absolutely agreed. Music is FANTSTIC singing and lyrical content... meh. Still love 'em though.

[electracoyote]

Originally Posted by Kwesi

Absolutely agreed. Music is FANTSTIC singing and lyrical content... meh. Still love 'em though.

I always liked his voice, but agreed on the lyrics. Sometimes, purdy dumb.

[Kwesi]

Originally Posted by electracoyote

I always liked his voice, but agreed on the lyrics. Sometimes, purdy dumb.

You know, I really used to like his voice myself but then it kind of hit me that he's really all that great a singer. A good vocalist? I could agree with but on a lot of tracks he doesn't actually sing at all he just kinda talks. It only becomes more apparent when you listen to other acid jazz, rare groove and newer funk-ish outfits (Sam Sparro, The Brand New Heavies, Freemasons, Incognito, Groove Collective).

[electracoyote]

Originally Posted by Kwesi

You know, I really used to like his voice myself but then it kind of hit me that he's really all that great a singer. A good vocalist? I could agree with but on a lot of tracks he doesn't actually sing at all he just kinda talks. It only becomes more apparent when you listen to other acid jazz, rare groove and newer funk-ish outfits (Sam Sparro, The Brand New Heavies, Freemasons, Incognito, Groove Collective).

Right, I know what you mean.

I'm a Heavies fan too, and they always have outstanding female lead vocals.

[GregC]

Originally Posted by bass12

Much bigger in the U.K., like most good music from the 80s onward.

Like Oasis and Robbie Williams? No thanks.

[electracoyote]

Originally Posted by GregC

Like Oasis and Robbie Williams? No thanks.

[bass12]

Originally Posted by GregC

Like Oasis and Robbie Williams? No thanks.

Brits like their crap too (although I did think Oasis' second album was pretty good) but I always found myself gravitating much more towards stuff from Britain than from the U.S. post 70s.

[GregC]

Originally Posted by bass12

Brits like their crap too (although I did think Oasis' second album was pretty good) but I always found myself gravitating much more towards stuff from Britain than from the U.S. post 70s.

That's cool. I was kind of funnin' ya, those were just the first two names I thought of in the "big in the UK, but not in the US" camp.

There are actually a lot of UK artists I like, but most got their start in the 60s or 70s. Some got bigger on the cusp of the 80s, though, most notably Elvis Costello, XTC, the Jam, Nick Lowe/Dave Edmunds/Rockpile, the Clash, Squeeze, the whole second wave of ska, etc.