I second Quicksilver, Moby Grape, The Tubes (yes, I am originally from the SF area). But my all time fave, with or without his band The Rumour. 40 years later, he still makes really good records.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Criminally commercially unsuccessful bands
- Thread starter Jason42
- Start date
-
- Tags
- record sales success
Fishbone, they have a great documentary about how they "almost" made it.
"Gentlemen" got quite a lot of attention in the UK (and they were often on festival bills, drawing big crowds), and to a slightly lesser degree, so did "1965".
Though between those two, "Black Love" seemed to get largely ignored, but the band had a mini-residency in London, with large, sold out shows - replete with costume changes. Quite the production.
They were welcomed back, and garnered high praise with "Do To The Beast".
I think they were about as successful as a band like that could be - that's partly a condemnation of what constituted popular music throughout the 90's, but also an acknowledgement of the fact that had they been a part of the late 60's / early 70's scene, that they owed so much to, they may have been huge (certainly in their own right, but I could also image The Twilight Singers backing Joe Cocker, for example).
Have to admit, I'm kind of glad one of my favourite bands (actually, come to think of it, almost all of my favourites) are a largely unknown cult act - which makes them even more fun to introduce to younger folk.
Another vote for XTC. Not touring doesn't help, but the music is so strong it should have carried them. BTW, today is the 30th anniversary of the release of Oranges & Lemons.
Another vote for The Producers - they're a great band and a fun bunch of nice guys. I might see them in a few months.
I have absolutely no idea why Steven Wilson/Porcupine Tree albums don't fly off the shelves or down the intertoobz when they come out.
The one band I'll propose existed in Georgia during the 1980s, when the big three bands were R.E.M., The B-52s, and (maybe?) Pylon - Guadalcanal Diary. They put out some good, working albums, and then blew me away with their third album, 2x4, and their fourth and last, Flip-Flop. Here's a taste, but no song by them is "typical".
Another vote for The Producers - they're a great band and a fun bunch of nice guys. I might see them in a few months.
I have absolutely no idea why Steven Wilson/Porcupine Tree albums don't fly off the shelves or down the intertoobz when they come out.
The one band I'll propose existed in Georgia during the 1980s, when the big three bands were R.E.M., The B-52s, and (maybe?) Pylon - Guadalcanal Diary. They put out some good, working albums, and then blew me away with their third album, 2x4, and their fourth and last, Flip-Flop. Here's a taste, but no song by them is "typical".
Let me chime in on the Kings X shout-outs. Those guys bring it live and on recordings both, but man did they sound GREAT the two times I saw them live (1992's eponymous release and 1994's "Dogman").
More recently, I've heard a couple albums by Phil X's band, The Drills. At the moment the only album title I remember is the aptly titled "We Bring the Rock-n-roll." Short, high-energy and fun songs with some great drumming, solid basslines and Phil's quirky but blistering playing and throat-punishing vocals. His guitar-demonstrating Youtube videos for Fretted Americana are goofy fun to watch but don't really hint at how hard that guy and his band rock as a unit.
More recently, I've heard a couple albums by Phil X's band, The Drills. At the moment the only album title I remember is the aptly titled "We Bring the Rock-n-roll." Short, high-energy and fun songs with some great drumming, solid basslines and Phil's quirky but blistering playing and throat-punishing vocals. His guitar-demonstrating Youtube videos for Fretted Americana are goofy fun to watch but don't really hint at how hard that guy and his band rock as a unit.
Last edited:
Saw those guys about ten times while I was in high school. They played locally a lot. Great band!
Cracker / Eels / Pavement / They Might Be Giants
All have a good following, but not as commercially successful as I thought they could have been.
All have a good following, but not as commercially successful as I thought they could have been.
Not to mention "Shangri-La", "Victoria", "Autumn Almanac", "David Watts"....the list goes on. Ray's output from 1966 through the early 70s was just extraordinary in its sustained brilliance.
And certainly Pete is aware of his debt: "I always think that Ray Davies should one day be Poet Laureate. He invented a new kind of poetry and a new kind of language for Pop writing that influenced me from the very, very, very beginning."
I'll add Diamond Head. Totally ripped off by Metallica but later made peace with them.
Savatage morphed into Trans Siberian Orchestra; who does well touring-wise during the Christmas season (so there's that).
my picks are Sevendust and local heroes Y&T.
darn shame Sevendust's mix of heavy and 'pop' sensibilites never broke them bigger than where they are. shoot, even eddie van halen (who is famous for not listening to any modern music) was at the sevendust show in l.a. in the recent past (probably wolfie dragged dear old dad to the gig!).
Y&T had a couple of gems back in the 80's go national but just never broke thru into the def leppard/scorpions arena-level. dave meniketti was my personal favorite to take over van halen when sammy quit/got fired. dave can talk-sing like dlr and just straight-out sing his face off. plus can keep his own in the guitar department next to edward. alas, we got the mismatch of gary cherone and the mighty vh (cue sad horn).
How are you judging commercial success? A lot of these bands sold tons of records.
Rockpile: Dave Edmunds (guitar, vocals), Nick Lowe (bass, vocals), Billy Bremner (guitar, vocals), and Terry Williams (drums). Rockpile released only one album under their own name (Seconds of Pleasure, 1980) because until 1980 Lowe and Edmunds had contracts with different record labels. However, the Dave Edmunds albums Tracks on Wax 4 (1978) and Repeat When Necessary (1979), and Nick Lowe’s album Labour of Lust (1979) were all essentially Rockpile albums. Repeat When Necessary and Labour of Lust were even recorded and released concurrently. Rockpile were also the band on Mickey Jupp’s album Juppanese (1978) and Carlene Carter’s album Musical Shapes (1980). An amazingly prolific and sadly under-appreciated group.
Some bands from my time living in NOLA..... Zebra , Lillian Axe , LeRoux and transplants from St Louis , the Sheiks ( you tube search them , their bassist was amazing )
JeezyMcNuggles
Inactive
- Feb 23, 2018
- 14,723
- 20,970
- Disclosures
- I suck, but nobody really notices
Pharmaceutical Bandits (RX Bandits now). They probably would have been huge if thier singer had some singing lessons. He's the only weak link in the group.
I was gonna say that about Little Feat. “Waiting for Columbus” was hugely popular. And still is. At least down hear anyway.
