Bands that could have been bigger than they were

[1234-5678 0]

No one is as revered as Cobain, unfortunately.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Nowell is not quite the godhead Cobain is, true, but he's held in almost as high regard in enough circles as Cobain.

 

But, as I said, I can understand with Cobain. I'm not even a Nirvana fan, but I can see that they changed the face and direction of popular music, wrote angsty and alienated songs about angst and alienation (which, in turn, spoke to the teenagers then and will continue to speak to teenagers for generations to come), etc. etc. etc.

 

Sumblime, on the other hand...I don't get it. I'm asking for the Sublime fans to answer.

 

EDIT: This would probably make a decent thread on its own, but I've come this far, so why bother.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I hate Sublime a lot, but I'll try.

 

Think of it this way. Why do people love Jimmy Buffet?

[Black Lushus 0]

I don't know, I have Sublime's most popular album and I can't see them as someone who would have blown up huge...they're in that same vein as 311 and Sugar Ray, the longevity isn't there...sure both groups have been around awhile, but can they be like the Beatles, Stones, Aerosmith, Kiss etc. and still sell huge 20 or 30 years later...no way...

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

I hate Sublime a lot, but I'll try.

 

Think of it this way. Why do people love Jimmy Buffet?

"Why Don't We Get Drunk" =/= "Date Rape"

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

No, don't compare the two directly, just the appeal. Both deal primarily with mentioning and avoiding the problems in the world today by getting trashed and fucking in the sunshine. The hip hop and punk influences in Sublime just make it work better for the young folks.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Plus girls tend to like them a lot, which gives them idol status among their fratboy devotees.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Black Lushus, I wouldn't compare Sublime to Sugar Ray and 311, either. Even if the results were dull/juvenile/etc., Nowell always seemed more concerned with the songwriting craft than those guys.

 

And I don't see how Sublime can possibly have the longevity of other established artists, but here we are, eight years after Nowell's death, and people still talk about his band. If anyone in 311 offed themselves back then, I can guarantee they'd long been forgotten.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Have you ever heard Nowell's solo stuff?

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

No, amazingly enough. I've heard just about all the Sublime I could ever stand, however.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Imagine all the stuff you really hate about Sublime, done solely by Nowell on an acoustic, trashed out of his gourd. Sublime is one of the bands I can't listen to anymore. I'll leave if they enter rotation.

[Black Lushus 0]

Black Lushus, I wouldn't compare Sublime to Sugar Ray and 311, either. Even if the results were dull/juvenile/etc., Nowell always seemed more concerned with the songwriting craft than those guys.

 

And I don't see how Sublime can possibly have the longevity of other established artists, but here we are, eight years after Nowell's death, and people still talk about his band. If anyone in 311 offed themselves back then, I can guarantee they'd long been forgotten.

no no no, i don't mean sound and style-wise, i just mean being different than the norm, the mainstream...they have their cult followers, but not enough of the common listeners to keep them going for decades like the other bands i've mentioned...i don't think if Nowell was still alive today that his group would still be around or at least be huge or potentially be huge...that's what I mean, look at Sugar Ray's damn near immediate drop off the radar and 311 really being never-weres as opposed to being has-beens...sorry for the confusion, i just threw those two out off the top of my head...bands like Kiss and the Beatles and Stones, etc. were different then the norm and caught on so much with EVERYONE that they can still sell out 20,000 seat arenas 30 years after their first sellout...

[Guest FrigidSoul]

Why do people love Jimmy Buffet?

All of his songs have to do with alcohol? He appeals to left wing hippy drunks.

[King Kamala 0]

Fountains of Wayne should be bigger then the one hit wonderdom they achieved (Believe me if they have a second hit, I'll shave half of my head). Perfectly good powerpop that kicks the shit out of anything Third Eye Blind or Matchbox 20 has ever done. I'd debate that they're as good as Weezer. But since they released a fuckin novelty song, they're chances at a second hit are slim to none.

[TheBigSwigg 0]

Fountains of Wayne should be bigger then the one hit wonderdom they achieved (Believe me if they have a second hit, I'll shave half of my head). Perfectly good powerpop that kicks the shit out of anything Third Eye Blind or Matchbox 20 has ever done. I'd debate that they're as good as Weezer. But since they released a fuckin novelty song, they're chances at a second hit are slim to none.

I'll second that. There used to be a radio station that played them in Cincinnati all the time, and I was amazed they weren't big then. Now, they'll just be one hit wonders in the eyes of the mainstream.

[Skywarp! 0]

The Toadies--Their first album was great, it was a shame it took 6 years to put out a second and they had a meltdown.

 

Snot--One of the best metal screamers I've heard. They ran with the Ozzfest crew, so you could have imagined them getting huge when nu-metal did.

 

 

 

And Sublime isn't really all that great, but they appeal to stoners, so I guess that's why they're revered.

 

And I wouldn't call 311 "never-weres", they've sold millions of albums, each record went gold, their self-titled went triple platinum and "Transistor" went platinum. They've also had many songs/albums break into the top ten two number 1 hits ("Down" and their cover of "Love Song"). Their fan base is large and loyal. They've already been doing this since 1990--they already established their longevity.

[Black Lushus 0]

And I wouldn't call 311 "never-weres", they've sold millions of albums, each record went gold, their self-titled went triple platinum and "Transistor" went platinum. They've also had many songs/albums break into the top ten two number 1 hits ("Down" and their cover of "Love Song"). Their fan base is large and loyal. They've already been doing this since 1990--they already established their longevity.

I live in the town the originated from...when 75% of the population here hates them, they don't have longevity...a 20 year old can pick up a Beatles album and love it, can you say that 20 years from now for 311? their schtick is old and tired...don't get me wrong I have a few albums, but in 20 years I won't be poppin them in to relive my youth...what kills them for me is SA, drop him and have Nick Hexum doing more singing than rapping and they'd be a lot better...

[nl5xsk1 0]

The Circle Jerks - Why is Black Flag so revered but the Jerks are not?

Samhain - same question as above, but with the Misfits instead of Black Flag?

Operation Ivy - gets some love, but really not as much as they deserve.

 

And count me among those that question the Sublime love. The last girl that I dated (the one that drank too much, for those that are actually paying attention) was a HUGE Sublime fan, and made me listen to them everytime she drove anywhere. I tried and tried to dig it, but just wasn't feeling it. They're like a band that would have played at a college party, and was Ok to listen to, but not a band that should have gotten so big.

[Skywarp! 0]

And I wouldn't call 311 "never-weres", they've sold millions of albums, each record went gold, their self-titled went triple platinum and "Transistor" went platinum.  They've also had many songs/albums break into the top ten two number 1 hits ("Down" and their cover of "Love Song").  Their fan base is large and loyal.  They've already been doing this since 1990--they already established their longevity.

I live in the town the originated from...when 75% of the population here hates them, they don't have longevity...a 20 year old can pick up a Beatles album and love it, can you say that 20 years from now for 311? their schtick is old and tired...don't get me wrong I have a few albums, but in 20 years I won't be poppin them in to relive my youth...what kills them for me is SA, drop him and have Nick Hexum doing more singing than rapping and they'd be a lot better...

Really? You think SA is the problem? I love his lyrics, his delivery and his higer singing range. I think Nick is the problem because he's the one that has cornier lyrics and he lacks the "umph" that SA brings to a song. I speculate that part of why people love their earlier albums better than the later ones is that mic time used to be shared equally between the two, and then from "Soundsystem" on, SA's involment has sort of slipped to the background. As a result, we get Hexum overkill.

[Guest Joe_G]

I really thought the Lemonheads would get huge. It seemed like all the pieces were in place, but they really screwed up what should have been their breakthrough album ("Come On Feel..."), then things disintegrated in proper "Behind the Music" fashion.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Snot--One of the best metal screamers I've heard. They ran with the Ozzfest crew, so you could have imagined them getting huge when nu-metal did.

 

They were on deck to do just that, but Lynn Strait croaked.

[Skywarp! 0]

Snot--One of the best metal screamers I've heard. They ran with the Ozzfest crew, so you could have imagined them getting huge when nu-metal did.

 

They were on deck to do just that, but Lynn Strait croaked.

And the fact he died in a highway pileup makes me shiver every time I hear the end of "Joyride," since it ends with him screaming, screeching breaks and crunching metal and glass.

[snuffbox 0]

And I wouldn't call 311 "never-weres", they've sold millions of albums, each record went gold, their self-titled went triple platinum and "Transistor" went platinum.  They've also had many songs/albums break into the top ten two number 1 hits ("Down" and their cover of "Love Song").  Their fan base is large and loyal.  They've already been doing this since 1990--they already established their longevity.

I live in the town the originated from...when 75% of the population here hates them, they don't have longevity...a 20 year old can pick up a Beatles album and love it, can you say that 20 years from now for 311? their schtick is old and tired...don't get me wrong I have a few albums, but in 20 years I won't be poppin them in to relive my youth...what kills them for me is SA, drop him and have Nick Hexum doing more singing than rapping and they'd be a lot better...

Uhm...theyve been around for like ten years now and are still a headlining act...

 

I dont think they'll be doing the carnival circuit for awhile yet, like Skynyrd or Frampton...

 

How long do they have to be together for to have longevity in your eyes? They're at 10+ years, millions of records, and a big core audience enough to allow them to headline over the likes of the Roots and MMW.

 

Im not a big fan, or even really a fan at all, but theyre definitly not 'never-weres'

[C Dubya 04 0]

I really thought the Lemonheads would get huge. It seemed like all the pieces were in place, but they really screwed up what should have been their breakthrough album ("Come On Feel..."), then things disintegrated in proper "Behind the Music" fashion.

Agreed. It didn't help that the next album they put out was a steaming pile of crap. They showed so much promise when they were on Taang records. "Hate Your Friends" was an amazing album and then it seemed like they should break through with Come on Feel, but it never happened.

[TheBigSwigg 0]

Uhm...theyve been around for like ten years now and are still a headlining act...

 

I dont think they'll be doing the carnival circuit for awhile yet, like Skynyrd or Frampton...

 

How long do they have to be together for to have longevity in your eyes? They're at 10+ years, millions of records, and a big core audience enough to allow them to headline over the likes of the Roots and MMW.

 

Im not a big fan, or even really a fan at all, but theyre definitly not 'never-weres'

Yeah, but their audience is fairly narrow, but very hardcore. If you insult 311 around a 311 fan, watch your ass.

As for their longevity, they're like Korn. They started out good, and just dwindle with each release, IMO. Just because you put out albums and still tour doesn't mean you're still any good. The only reason their around is because they have the hardcore fan base.

And they should never headline over the Roots. Never.

[nl5xsk1 0]

The fact that 311 is headlining over The Roots shows that they're bigger than Korn. I think it's funny, I saw them play at some club in Ft Collins CO back in 1993 and they drew maybe 100 people; if you told me then that they'd still be relevant a decade later, I'd have laughed in your face.

[Black Lushus 0]

point is, 311 will NEVER be mentioned in the same sentence as the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Kiss, Aerosmith, the Stones, etc. etc. fucking Saliva has sold million of records and headlined shows dude, come up with a better point...

[converge241 0]

as Rendclaw mentioned, Guns N Roses should have been even bigger..should have been the next rolling stones.. as it turned out they had a few good years and the rolling stones are still pumping away on a huge level

 

Afghan Whigs

everybody i know who gives them a listen loves them..could really appeal to a large audience if given that chance

 

Kyuss

every band/artist in the rock metal world LOVED them and tried to pump them up and/or took them on tour..ddint happen until it was over and they pseudo-became QOTSA and as much as i love Queens its really a fraction of how good Kyuss were

 

XXL

this local band that had some fat guys in it..sure they were big but with that name should have been bigger

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

It horrifies me that 311 are still around. I shudder to think what would have happened if they'd caught on in the UK.

[King Kamala 0]

311 are inexplicably huge around here. I mean huge, every year they sell out the local arena (Which holds about 8000 people) with no big opening act and they even sold out the 12,000 seat AAA baseball park nearby again with no big opening act three or four years ago.

 

Andrew WK should be much bigger in the US. Maybe not arenas but 2000-3000 seat venues absoulutely. He was hyped as much as the Strokes, The Vines and the White Stripes but he still plays clubs and is constantly misplaced in the Warped Tour and Ozzfest circuits. Andrew WK, I think will always be seen as a wacky one hit wonder who had his own reality TV show for a bit.