Options
Bands critically acclaimed at the time but less respected or forgotten now
(Feel free to skip to the highlighted section at the end if you don't find my longwinded example of interest!)
I won't say "anyone remember Soul II Soul", because anyone around at the time will at least recognise the name, and probably remember at least one of their hits. Yet, they don't seem to have had much legacy beyond that.
I say this because they got a lot of positive critical attention at the time for moving the soul genre forwards in a fresh manner, more hip-hop influenced and reflecting a distinctive British-originated (*) style that didn't simply mimic the late-80s American soul sound.
One might have expected them to become one of those "important" bands whose influence everyone talks about years later.
Yet, since their heyday I'd already heard at least one person say that their music hadn't dated all that well. Having come across a couple of their tracks on a compilation, I was curious to note that "Rate Your Music's" reviews only gave (e.g.) "Club Classics Vol. 1" a 3.38 rating (i.e. decent, but not outstanding).
"Resist_retreat" notably says there, "To say that this album has fallen into disrepute may be stretching things a bit, but its rating here is astonishingly low for a record that, on release, was pretty much at the cutting edge."
Did they fail to meet the promise that many saw in them? Did later acts simply overshadow them and make their work seem less interesting in hindsight? Did they fizzle out when they got other singers in and started being seen as "Jazzy B and some other people"?
It got me thinking. Can anyone else think of any bands that were lauded or considered important at the time yet, years later, aren't considered as "landmark" nor as well-remembered as you might have expected?
(*) Read as "typical London-centric media's view of "Britishness" " (rolls eyes), but that's beside the point here
I won't say "anyone remember Soul II Soul", because anyone around at the time will at least recognise the name, and probably remember at least one of their hits. Yet, they don't seem to have had much legacy beyond that.
I say this because they got a lot of positive critical attention at the time for moving the soul genre forwards in a fresh manner, more hip-hop influenced and reflecting a distinctive British-originated (*) style that didn't simply mimic the late-80s American soul sound.
One might have expected them to become one of those "important" bands whose influence everyone talks about years later.
Yet, since their heyday I'd already heard at least one person say that their music hadn't dated all that well. Having come across a couple of their tracks on a compilation, I was curious to note that "Rate Your Music's" reviews only gave (e.g.) "Club Classics Vol. 1" a 3.38 rating (i.e. decent, but not outstanding).
"Resist_retreat" notably says there, "To say that this album has fallen into disrepute may be stretching things a bit, but its rating here is astonishingly low for a record that, on release, was pretty much at the cutting edge."
Did they fail to meet the promise that many saw in them? Did later acts simply overshadow them and make their work seem less interesting in hindsight? Did they fizzle out when they got other singers in and started being seen as "Jazzy B and some other people"?
It got me thinking. Can anyone else think of any bands that were lauded or considered important at the time yet, years later, aren't considered as "landmark" nor as well-remembered as you might have expected?
(*) Read as "typical London-centric media's view of "Britishness" " (rolls eyes), but that's beside the point here
0
Comments
Ahh the issue there was La Roux and a girl called Florence.
LB was to be the next bif thing La Roux came out next big thing then the lesser on that pallet of Florence seemingly out of nowhere usurped them both. The best beat them seemingly out of nowehere
I remember all the hype about La Roux and I thought she was dreadful as she sounded like a set of car tyres being dragged up the M6 on her first album
What I meant was bands that *were* already considered important, respected and influential at the time, where that perception didn't translate into the expected long-term legacy.
The Stone Roses (like them or not) were a successful and influential band even in their day (i.e. late-80s/early-90s), and almost 25 years later people- including other artists- are still talking about the influence they had and how great their debut album was. It's that long-term legacy I'm talking about.
Soul II Soul were also both commercially and critically successful in their day, but despite the plaudits they got for their innovative style and perceived importance at the time, they haven't been as well-remembered nor considered as influential as one might have expected over the long term.
Imagine if, 25 years on, instead of being a part of the cultural pantheon, The Stone Roses' music- raved about in its day- was now seen as "of its time", not of that much importance to (or influence on) today's bands or listeners, whose hits songs were remembered as decent songs or minor nostalgia fodder, but not of any more importance than that, just another band with a string of hits a quarter century ago.
That's the sort of thing I'm talking about.
Cast had a ton of top-10 hits throughout the same decade, none of which seem played or remembered at all today. They just seemed to be popular for sounding the same as everyone else at the time instead of actually being groundbreaking.
You can add Shed Seven to that list as well then. Maybe not in terms of critical acclaim but certainly in terms of commercial sales.
Whatever happened to them? I quite liked them - Golden Touch was a great pop song.
And maybe Therapy? from Northern Ireland who had great commercial and some critical success in about 1993-95 but haven't matched it since.
I loved them, though.
Currently releasing solo/duo albums. Hope they reform later.
http://www.myvitriol.com/quotes.html
Saw them live and have their first 4 albums. Brilliant band who probably peaked too early, but I look forward to their solo efforts.
For those in that camp, Irish band along the same lines as earlier Muse.
(Hopefully I won't be shot down for that one!)
Honestly, I don't know much about her. I think that in itself is kinda noteworthy, because she seems (at least in the US) to have been really, really on top of her game in the 90s, everything she touched turned to gold, etc etc.
What's her legacy? Not a single one of her albums rates more than 3.18 (out of 5 I'm assuming?) on that website http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/mariah_carey
Would people include Terence Trent Derby? He was everywhere at one point and a real talent but seemed to disappear.
Thirteen Senses - I remember some critics hyped them as a band who would rival Coldplay
White Lies - There was quite a bit of buzz about them back in 2009 but it quickly petered out
The Coral
Kula Shaker
Starsailor
Feeder
The Sundays
Heart - They lost a lot of their acclaim and respect when they entered their Capitol phase in the mid-1980s