Criminally commercially unsuccessful bands

[JTE]

The Sky Kings- Rusty Young from Poco on pedal steel with no preconceptions, John Cowan from NewGrass Revival on bass and vocals, Patrick Simmons from The Doobie Bros. on guitar and vocals, and Patrick Lloyd from Foster and Lloyd on guitar and vocals.

 

[MonetBass]

Ben Folds Five. Ben is a highly underrated singer/songwriter/pianist.





One of my favorites:

 

[QRanc]

I find it odd that people are surprised that so many prog rock bands weren't commercially successful.

 

[Jason42]

I find it odd that people are surprised that so many prog rock bands weren't commercially successful.

I'm with you. Prog is generally musician's music and commercial success is very atypical IMHO. Same thing with someone who does instrumental stuff. It's just not really for the masses.

It's why I started the thread w/ King's X. I guess some people call them 'prog', but 5 minute catchy tunes and they never headlined arenas.

 

[JimK]

Japan been mentioned?


They were Duran Duran first...

 

[JimK]

I'm with you. Prog is generally musician's music and commercial success is very atypical IMHO. Same thing with someone who does instrumental stuff. It's just not really for the masses.

Part of the reason may be the same as Jazz Fusion...chops galore, but in an arena setting, all those notes get washed out. It does take some effort on the listener, too...not many wanna do the work needed.

 

[MCF]

I just want to say thanks to those on here who rekindled my love for Deluxe. They were in heavy rotation on my table from about ‘76 to ‘80. Not sure why I stopped listening to them. They really should have been huge on this side of the pond. Seventies clothes aside, I think the music holds up really well.

 

[MCF]

I am going to add Nazareth and South Side Johnny to my list

Hey rt, you’re absolutely right about the Jukes. A show I saw at the Roxy, I think ‘’79 ish, is in my top 10 of all time. Small venue, full horn section. They blew the frickin’ roof off the place. Unfortunately, Southside doesn’t venture out west these days so I haven’t seen him live in years. What songs of his do you guys play?

 

[rtslinger]

Hey rt, you’re absolutely right about the Jukes. A show I saw at the Roxy, I think ‘’79 ish, is in my top 10 of all time. Small venue, full horn section. They blew the frickin’ roof off the place. Unfortunately, Southside doesn’t venture out west these days so I haven’t seen him live in years. What songs of his do you guys play?

When we had our keyboard player we used to do I don't want to go home one of my favorites and he has a tour in 2019 that is taking him to these places he is still rocking
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[MCF]

When we had our keyboard player we used to do I don't want to go home one of my favorites and he has a tour in 2019 that is taking him to these places he is still rocking
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Yep, but nothing on the west coast. He’ll cross the Atlantic, but not the Mississippi. I catch his recent stuff on YouTube. You guys in New Jersey seem to be able to him all the time. Reach up and touch the Sky!

 

[Michedelic]

Japan been mentioned?


They were Duran Duran first...

Any comparison of Duran to Japan is an insult to Sylvian and company; sure, they swiped ‘the look’, but were never in the same league musically. Granted, the Hansa albums were a bit rough, but they finally got it sorted on “Quiet Life”. I’m so fortunate I got to see Sylvian’s ‘88 tour, as well as the one with Robert Fripp, but even more so Polytown(as an ‘instore’ at Virgin Records). RIP, MK.

 

[Michedelic]

I just want to say thanks to those on here who rekindled my love for Deluxe. They were in heavy rotation on my table from about ‘76 to ‘80. Not sure why I stopped listening to them. They really should have been huge on this side of the pond. Seventies clothes aside, I think the music holds up really well.

Did you try to keep up with Bill Nelson’s prolific solo output? Between that and all his guest appearances, it’s been maddening. Then there was Red Noise, pretty over the top for it’s time. BBD were one of the very few acts that it could be said were at the intersection of Glam, Prog, and New Wave.

 

[Rum Ham]

Hum! You'd prefer an Astronaut. The sound of that band on that album was thick and grinding.
But I think the most CRIMINALLY overlooked band is.... CLUTCH!
Those guys have been rocking all over the world for years and years but you never hear a peep on terrestrial radio about them. Never hear anything about them at all. But it's the one band you say to someone and they respond 'Ohyeah, those guys kick@$$!"
And I'm not even a huge Clutch fan. Weird

 

[Skeezix]

Going to second Clutch!

 

[SLIV]

This thread delivers. So much good music to listen to! Thanks, all.

Agree with Fishbone and Ben Folds Five. They songs and the personality.

A contemporary artist that should be massive but is unheard of is Benji Hughes.

 

[QRanc]

They're giving Clutch tickets away on the big local rock radio station here. Which is strange, because they've never played a Clutch song before. Even with them giving away tickets, they still haven't.

Hum! You'd prefer an Astronaut. The sound of that band on that album was thick and grinding.
But I think the most CRIMINALLY overlooked band is.... CLUTCH!
Those guys have been rocking all over the world for years and years but you never hear a peep on terrestrial radio about them. Never hear anything about them at all. But it's the one band you say to someone and they respond 'Ohyeah, those guys kick@$$!"
And I'm not even a huge Clutch fan. Weird

 

[Michedelic]

They're giving Clutch tickets away on the big local rock radio station here. Which is strange, because they've never played a Clutch song before. Even with them giving away tickets, they still haven't.

Radio stations have special relationships with promoters(it’s called ‘advertising budget’); if a concert producer or venue has signed on with an act, can’t cancel, and it’s bombing, they just unload tickets to make sure warm bodies are there, to hit the bar. Who it is, and whether or not they’re on the playlist, is irrelevant. If it doesn’t fit the strictly controlled format(decided elsewhere) there’s no generosity of airtime. In 1980, my local ‘real rock’ station sold $1.02 tickets(their frequency)for a show at a 2000 seater theater by some band from Ireland who they wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole in their programming. Too ‘new wave’. I went to the show, and this band had so few songs that for the encore, they repeated one, called “I Will Follow”.

 

[123321]

Going to second Clutch!

A personal WINNER!! I haven't heard Clutch before today but, I LOVE getting chills when I listen to certain artists! These guys Certifiably ROCK!! WOW!!

An online quote (one of many by longtime fans), pretty much sums it up:

"First saw them supporting Motorhead eleven or so years ago having never heard of them and they were just absolutely mega in one of those magical nights when they were up for it Motorhead were up for it and so was the crowd in a sold out Rock City, Nottingham. Everything just aligned in one of the best nights of my life. In a world full of samey rock music somehow Clutch are unique, sort of 60s, early 70s sounding but modern and cutting edge at the same time. Cool, cool band."

 

[Michedelic]

Japan been mentioned?


They were Duran Duran first...

For the record, I appreciate that you mentioned them, but keep in perspective that in the UK, toward the end of their run they were quite a big deal. Then it was all over, just as DD were emerging. Their music was far too out there, moody, and esoteric, and with frontman Sylvian, the ‘prettiest man in rock’, as he was dubbed by the UK music press, this just wasn’t going to go over in macho America(plus, their stuff wasn’t released in the US at that time). DD, in spite of the eyeliner, were scrubbed up for MTV consumption(which Japan JUST missed)...the Pat Boones of the New Romantic movement(which Japan never was quite a part of). Only then could someone like Boy George come along and hit paydirt in the US.

 

[TN WOODMAN]

Jet Black Factory