Kevin's Watch

I'd imagine that this doesn't happen too often in the US anymore with the advent of the internet, but there have been several bands that were huge in other parts of the world that never really hit here. Bands like Status Quo, Thin Lizzy, Triumph, The Tea Party, even Queen and Whitesnake. The only current example I can think of is The Darkness.

Are there any other bands out there that we're missing out on?

I didn't realise that the Darkness hadn't been a hit in the States. I've seen several members of rock royalty on TV saying how much they love them.

I know Robbie Williams was pretty cut up about his failure to crack America. That makes me feel all warm inside, so go USA!

It's a pretty common occurence though, I know the Manic Street Preachers failed to make an impact in the US (although writing a song called Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfallapart isn't likely to help matters). How did Franz Ferdinand do out there? I've also heard music critics claim that the Arctic Monkeys will translate well to American culture, but I'll believe that when I see it.

What I have always found strange is when a band can't get arrested in their home country, but then make it big on the other side of the pond. Bush and Placebo are the two best examples I can think of, though I'm sure you can all come up with plenty more.

Franz Ferdinand has done pretty well. Musicians like the Darkness, everyone else sees them as a novelty band.

I had no clue Bush didn't do well over there.

I think novelty act is a fair description of the Darkness. I think perhaps they haven't done as well because the era they parodied was much, much bigger in America. They are very good at what they do though, everyone should see the Darkness live at least once. It's like someone took 80s rock and distilled it into a 2 hour show. They have surprised me in one respect though; their second album really isn't bad.

Bush did okay here (I have a couple of their albums), but for some reason they were much, much bigger in the States. In fact, to a lot of people, Gavin Rossdale is most famous for having dated Gwen Stefani.

I've just thought of probably the biggest failure (of my lifetime at least) of a big British band to crack America: Oasis. Even at their zenith they barely made an impact.

The Darkness is damn funny, but musically, they're quite good. The new album really surprised me.

I think Oasis did themselves in here with their attitude. I think they're great, with Be Here Now being my favorite album of theirs.

Darkness did okay over here. "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" was a hit. Personally, I think they suck majorly. They are campy and a lame '80s knock-off. I can't stand '80s hair metal anyway.

The Smiths did not do well commercially here at all, in comparison to their UK success. They are not unknown, but more like indie myths, in my opinion.

"I Believe in a Thing Called Love" got a little bit of airplay, but I don't think it charted.

And of course you can't stand 80s hair metal, you weren't around to enjoy it....

I was around, but I can't say I enjoyed it.

Oh, I can. BTW, that wasn't a dig at you Mhoram, and Syl, you're quite a bit younger than I am IIRC. The late 80s was a great time to be a single male, and there was one Hell of a soundtrack.

Granted, there was a lot of crap (Warrant, anyone?), but a lot of great bands, and a lot of really good times.

WASP? heh.....Stryper?......RATT?.....give me time, heh......

Hey, ya gotta give Ratt their first album. After that, they weren't much.

I was backstage at a Def Leppard show in 1987 or 88, and it was like Sodom and Gomorrah.

20 years old, drunk, under the influence of some other stuff, completely unattached, and with a backstage pass to one of the biggest concerts of the year.

Cail was a very, very happy man that night.

Don't even get me started on the Monsters of Rock tour in the summer of '88.....

All the time machine threads we have had here on the Watch...I'd go back to the late '80s in a heartbeat.

Big Sugar, Big Wreck, Sloan, 54-40,Moist, I mother Earth..all great Canadian Rock bands; all fairly well known too (up here anyways)--then of course there's Blue Rodeo and the Tragically Hip-who are well known in the States, but not near as popular as they are in Canada.

What about Jet, from Austrailia? Do Americans know Jet? I bought Jet's 'Get Born' CD the same day I bought Permission to land by the Darkness.

Cail,

There's lots of music I wasn't around for that I enjoy.

Yeah, Jet hit relatively big here.

LM-I know, but it really was an experience.

Long live 80s metal.

That's when metal bands went out and toured hard. Between the years of 1984 - 1987, I saw the following bands down here in either New Orleans, Baton Rouge, or Biloxi.

Priest - 3 times
Maiden - 2 times
Dio - 3 times
Dokken - 2 times
Twisted Sister - 1 time
Anthrax - 1 time
Megadeth - 2 times
Warlock - 1 time
Armored Saint - 1 time
Motley Crue (Shout at the Devil, their last good one) - 1 time
Ozzy - Bark at the Moon (his last good one) - 1 time
Kiss - 2 times
Alice Cooper - 1 time
WASP - 2 times
Krokus - 1 time
Y&T - 1 time
Lizzy Borden - 1 time

...and these are only the ones that I still have my ticket stubs to. There were a lot of shows that I missed, too.

My first concert...1980, the first Day of Rock n' Roll. Sammy Hagar, Van Halen, Nazareth, Boston, Heart & Blue Oyster Cult.

Ah, long live the eighties...

Syl wrote:I was around, but I can't say I enjoyed it.

me too. copy of a copy of a copy. hairbands. blech. i'm glad SOMEbody had a good time in the 80's tho, Cail!!

Cail wrote:Yeah, Jet hit relatively big here.

Heh, after their first album, they havn't really done much over here.

Yeah, Jet vanished relatively quickly. But "Are you gonna be my girl" was in heavy, heavy rotation for about 4 months. Touring with Oasis was probably not a good idea in the US.

I remember going to see Gary Moore, Krokus, and Def Leppard in '82 or '83 on the Pyromania tour. What a show. Saw the Scorpions a few weeks later, and Rainbow shortly thereafter. After that, is was a long parade of very loud bands for the next ten years. I'm amazed I can still hear.

Gary Moore's another guy who never really got big over here.

Brad is an American band that should be huge. but most of the crowd I was there with wanted to see only Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam). of course Julie and I were there for the bass player, Jeremy Toback.
www.shawnsmith.co.uk/

Gary Moore -Still Got the Blues.....that guy WAILED! nice one Cail

didja know that Krokus' hit "Stayed Awake All Night" was done originally by BTO?