Acts who were tipped for success but never made it

[sevendaughters]

I was surprised that it was Kasabian who made it from the post-Britpop keys'n'guitars scene and not Cooper Temple Clause as the former had the raw appeal of a biscuit with two shits inside. Not that I hugely liked the latter.

Reading that recent book about NYC rock and roll 2001-2011 (not v good) reminded me of Jonathan Fire*Eater who I never enjoyed either. I'm saying this because not many of us own up to liking these also-rans, even for a couple of minutes.

I definitely liked Ikara Colt for the duration of their existence and respected them for sort of fulfilling their manifesto of splitting within 5 years.

[George White]

Irish band The Strypes were being hyped because of their precocious bluesy musicianship and Elton John's patronage but they seemed to disappear off the radar as quickly as they arrived.

They're still something here. They've fallen into the sort of Aslan bracket, a band who were presumed that they could break the world - but just didn't, yet are still famous here, and seen as cooler than the cabaret-pop of the "country" bands that get all the hype but not actual much success.
The lads  are still in their early twenties. It's early days yet, but...

[holyzombiejesus]

I guess it depends on how you define success but I think The Delgados should have been far far more popular then they were. I get that the early indiepop stuff was pretty niche but those later albums should have sold in much larger quantities.

Elliott Smith was never that successful when alive, was he?

[jobotic]

I never listened to any Delgados after Peloton. i don't know why because I really liked that. Did their sound change much?

[thraxx]

I never listened to any Delgados after Peloton. i don't know why because I really liked that. Did their sound change much?

The Delgados were really good at first, but didnt they kind of retire from playing live and go into producing and managing their only record label? Chemikal Underground? It's a long time ago no, but didn't they say aimerhing along the lines of 'we're going to see if we can mess up other bands' careers, instead of lstting other people mess up The Delgado's?'

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I remember when Andrew WK started there were people who genuinely believed we were seeing the birth of the next Prince/Springsteen.

He seems to be a permanent fixture on The A.V. Club, so I assume he's still a big deal in America, or one of the writers there is a die hard fan. I remember the NME touting him as the saviour of rock music, despite there being about a thousand of those at the time - more, if you count nu metal (which you shouldn't, because it was shit).

[leighhart]

Elliott Smith was never that successful when alive, was he?

was he ever tipped?

[sevendaughters]

was he ever tipped?

I remember a fairly generous Q feature on him touting him as the inheritor of the tunesmithery of Paul McCartney and the mopesmithery of Morrissey while he was playing solo sets in small bars.

[Brundle-Fly]

Boys Wonder were hotly tipped for the top in 1987. The proto-Supergrass act that came seven years too early for Britpop. They only released a clutch of low charting but fine singles, the album never emerged so they swiftly disintegrated and then regenerated as the slightly more successful Acid Jazz band, Corduroy. One of the last bands I saw play at the original Marquee in Wardour Street.

https://popjunkielondon.wordpress.com/2017/08/23/boys-wonder-swankers-the-best-album-that-never-was/

[holyzombiejesus]

I never listened to any Delgados after Peloton. i don't know why because I really liked that. Did their sound change much?

It's a long time ago no, but didn't they say aimerhing along the lines of 'we're going to see if we can mess up other bands' careers, instead of lstting other people mess up The Delgado's?'

No. They released three more albums after Peloton, with the first couple of those (The Great Eastern & Hate) produced by Dave Fridmann so it had that more dark orchestral feel that Mercury Rev went for.

  American Trilogy off The Great Eastern

  No Danger off The Great Eastern

  Light Before We Land from Hate

[Ignatius_S]

I could swear to it - I was working there (MAFF) from early 1997*** to late 2000, and the band were already gigging regularly and appearing in the local music press when I started.  Pretty sure they were on Later after I left MAFF - I don't ever recall knowing they were going to be on there until it was actually on TV, and if I was still working there at the time I'm sure he would have told me about it.  We were never friends though, just casual acquaintances who shared a love of music (although his band weren't my bag, we both liked funk), so we didn't stay in touch, and this was before the likes of Facebook of course.  I know that the split happened unexpectedly and pretty much overnight, but beyond that...


*** - on reflection, it would actually have been August/September 1996 as I clearly remember it was the end of the summer when I started and I wasn't yet 18 (I'd be 18 the following March), and I also remember that first christmas party I went to, as I didn't know a lot of people there.

As I say, I wouldn't swear to it and your grasp on dates is a lot more convincing than mine! Also, thinking about it, what you've said is ringing a bell.

[Dr Syntax Head]

I really liked The Vines. Totally unoriginal and a very annoying singer but it was good fun guitar rock riffs.

[Shit Good Nose]

your grasp on dates is a lot more convincing than mine!

I think ONLY because I know I wasn't quite 18 when I started working there.  If it weren't for that, I suspect my memory would be a lot hazier.

But, regardless of any of that, they could have been absolutely huge if whatever happened to split them didn't happen.  From what I remember the couple of times I saw them live (at increasingly larger venues over a relatively short space of time), they were ahead of the curve by some measure.

[Crabwalk]

Elliott Smith was never that successful when alive, was he?

He was nominated for an Oscar in 1998 and performed at the televised awards. I think his career was in decent shape from that point, but sadly not his personal life.

*Obligatory Lo-Fidelity Allstars mention*

Despite the lashings of big beat hype and all the front covers they did nothing in the UK. However, I was in the US in the summer of '99 and was amazed to hear 'Battleflag' played loads on commercial radio. I think that was down to it featuring in an episode of E.R.

[Dr Syntax Head]

*Obligatory Lo-Fidelity Allstars mention*

Despite the lashings of big beat hype and all the front covers they did nothing in the UK. However, I was in the US in the summer of '99 and was amazed to hear 'Battleflag' played loads on commercial radio. I think that was down to it featuring in an episode of E.R.

Battleflag was originally by Pigeonhed with the very underrated Shawn Smith on vocals. I prefer  the Lo Fi Allstars remix though

[purlieu]

who remembers cosmik scouse

If you mean the brief genre/scene, then The Zutons did pretty well - all three albums made the top 10, and 'Valarie' was ubiquitous until it was eclipse by the Ronson/Winehouse cover. The Coral had five top 10 albums in six years, including one number 1, and a barely promoted mini-album. Their last album reached a fairly respectable number 13, and they've got a new one out. So I'd say cosmic scouse did pretty well.

Hope of the States were one that came to mind here. I also remember a lot of hype around ¡Forward, Russia! before their first album, which sold ok, before the second was a flop and they broke up.

New Radicals were one who were massively hyped and then broke up.

[thecuriousorange]

I assumed the New Radicals were critically stillborn. Their debut single was that massive one everybody hates.

[Nobody Soup]

No. They released three more albums after Peloton, with the first couple of those (The Great Eastern & Hate) produced by Dave Fridmann so it had that more dark orchestral feel that Mercury Rev went for.

  American Trilogy off The Great Eastern

  No Danger off The Great Eastern

  Light Before We Land from Hate

Mercury Rev are another band, that while I wouldn't put them quite in this category of failed acts, they never quite capitalised on Deserter's Songs which is a marvelous album. (occasionallyI get to put albums on at work, Mercury Rev are the all time leaders for "excuse me, who's that?")

but yes, Delgados are really good. I've recorded with Paul Savage, their drummer, when they were just starting out chemikal underground studios was just a reasonably priced as any other studio that offered recording sessions for local bands. unsurprisingly he's the best guy I've ever worked with by miles.

[PaulTMA]

I have vague memories of an entire genre/scene called Romo that was hyped up to no effect.
They were big, weren't They? At least for one album.

Sorry, mentioning The Strokes was meant to be a joke at the expense of the aforementioned Hoffman forum, which is not a reference I should have expected everyone to get.  Think the alzheimer's has settled in for most of the people who post there and accordingly cited them as an example despite the fact they still have legions of fans, headline festivals etc. 

[thecuriousorange]

Should original X Factor winner Steve Brookstein be in this thread or the Bleak Lives Post Fame one? The marketing machine couldn't prop him up long enough to release even one album.

[sevendaughters]

Mercury Rev realistically eclipsed where anyone would have expected a band like that to have landed, that's more for the Groups Who Kept Plugging Away At It Regardless thread.

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Should original X Factor winner Steve Brookstein be in this thread or the Bleak Lives Post Fame one? The marketing machine couldn't prop him up long enough to release even one album.

When he sang after winning, he was ridiculous.  He couldn't stop cracking up laughing.

[The Lurker]

The Pipettes should have been HUGE!

'Your Kisses...' and 'Pull Shapes' were tremendous pop songs.
Add to that the fact that they were pretty girls in polka dots doing silly dances, how could it fail!?

Pull Shapes has to be one of the catchiest songs I've ever heard.

[The Lurker]

The Upper Room. They split up after their label dropped them. All Over This Town and Black And White did modestly well in the charts and both always used to be played on Soccer AM back when it hosted by Lovejoy and Chamberlain. Shame they didn't decide to carry on because Other People's Problems was a solid album.

[Blue Jam]

New Radicals were one who were massively hyped and then broke up.

I had a vague memory that one of the band was one of those songwriters who quietly make a small fortune writing hits for acts like Kylie Minogue and Westlife, and that the New Radicals were a vehicle for them to enjoy a few hits of their own.

I had thought it was singer Gregg Alexander, but it turns out it was keyboard player Danielle Brisebois. She seems to be (quietly) doing alright for herself:


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danielle_Brisebois

[non capisco]

Gregg Alexander wrote 'Murder On The Dancefloor' for Sophie Ellis-Bextor and the intensely shit 'Life Is A Rollercoaster' for Ronan Keating so I imagine The New Radicals were just made up of "some songwriters" masquerading at being some kind of vaguely 'alternative' band, with that rubbish song about kicking Courtney Love's arse in that they had. "In", no less. Unsavoury.

LEE: (disgusted) That was The New Radicals. That's meant to be "radical", is it? That?!
HERRING: It's new radicalism, though, Stew.
LEE: Oh, right.

[The Culture Bunker]

Speaking of which, were theaudience hyped much? I don't remember much, as I was only a 17 year old who quite fancied Sophie Ellis-Bextor and bought the only on the back of that. And it was alright, which was a bit of a bonus, but then they split up.

I'm guessing presence of spawn of ex-Blue Peter presenter got them noticed in the Melody Maker or whatever, but not sure they were tipped for the top ten?

[DrGreggles]

Not sure there was much hype behind theaudience.
Saw them supporting James when they were at their peak (if they had a peak) and, other than the lass at the front, they barely registered at all.

Lovely Sophie seemed to get far more coverage when she went solo.

[smudge1971]

Gregg Alexander wrote 'Murder On The Dancefloor' for Sophie Ellis-Bextor and the intensely shit 'Life Is A Rollercoaster' for Ronan Keating so I imagine The New Radicals were just made up of "some songwriters" masquerading at being some kind of vaguely 'alternative' band, with that rubbish song about kicking Courtney Love's arse in that they had. "In", no less. Unsavoury.

LEE: (disgusted) That was The New Radicals. That's meant to be "radical", is it? That?!
HERRING: It's new radicalism, though, Stew.
LEE: Oh, right.

Not to excuse these cocks, and I'm not listening to it again to check but the line before is something about CL and Beck being traitors to their classes so I can only suggest that it is "kick your asses". Pedantry is never pretty, same as that full stop being outside the quotation marks.

[sevendaughters]

Theaudience were hyped for sure as a kind of Texas it's ok for you to like, they played NME shows at the Astoria, hyped the indie pedigree of the guitar player to balance out the ogling at the singer, all that kind of stuff, but it never took.