Confusing Popular Bands, Pt. 2

After a long hiatus from this blog, I finally have released part two of my Confusing Popular Bands Series.  While the vast majority of artists who found commercial success make sense in either a historical setting or music sense, there are some where it is surprising they were popular either at that time or in general; this post focuses some of these artists.  In this series I will discuss around 30 artists who are popular but I am confused by their popularity.  This is not to say that I do not enjoy them or wish they weren't popular (on the contrary, I love several artists who are included in this series).  I typically shied away from the cases where I was surprised that a group that wasn't as well-regarded became popular, since those are usually not surprising given the catchiness of their music or the time period it is being released (think an artist like Nickelback or The Chainsmokers; in a historical setting, their popularity makes sense given music trends).  Rather, I focused more on artists who performed an unusual style, have found touring success that doesn't correlate with their studio releases, artists who seem to be more popular than their commercial success would success, artists whose popularity doesn't seem to make sense at a certain point in history, and more.

While this is Part 2 for the blog, this is the third part overall, as “Part 0” was released in my podcast, “Groupie and Harmony”.  In this episode, released on 4/13, I discussed several artists, including Nirvana, The Cure, Dream Theater, Foster the People, Chance the Rapper, and Chris Stapleton.  I released Part 1 previously; in this post, I will discussed several other artists, including Eminem, Tool, Bonnie Raitt, Grateful Dead, and Limp Bizkit.

 

Honorable Mentions

I only wanted to discuss 15 in depth in this one and I did not have enough to seriously consider another post.  As such, these 6 were seriously considered but ultimately omitted.

·         Dr. John:  He was eclectic and didn’t have a massive following until suddenly later on in his career everybody seemed to recognize his influence.

·         Jefferson Airplane:  While they weren’t the first psychedelic band, few openly discussed drug use as openly as they did in “White Rabbit”.

·         New Radicals:  They had a smash hit in “You Get What You Give” and broke up weeks after the release of their second single, having released just two singles and one album.

·         Rush:  Their use of some uncommon time signatures in popular singles is not something that is commonly seen, especially for a band with multiple successful singles.

·         Patti Smith:  While she is well a regarded art punk musician (and songwriter), her most popular song, “Because the Night”, was a song where Bruce Springsteen was the primary writer.

·         The Verve:  They were a one hit wonder in the U.S., but had several hits in the U.K.; their breakthrough album, Urban Hymns, had three singles in the top 10 in the U.K.

 

N.W.A.

N.W.A.’s career in terms of commercial success makes a lot of sense.  Their first album peaked at 37 in the U.S. after several months, their second album topped the charts, and they had some singles that found some minor chart success, which was expected when comparing their career arc with the history of West Coast hip hop and gangsta rap.  However, the legacy of the group grew after they broke up in 1991 and by the time the N.W.A. biopic, Straight Outta Compton, was released in 2015, their debut album of the same name re-entered the Billboard 200 and peaked at 6, 27 years after its release.  Further, the song of the same name didn’t chart in the Billboard 100 until 2015 when it debuted at 38 upon being re-released prior to the film’s release.  While this makes sense, it’s interesting to see the major investment that fans have in the group now.

 

Sex Pistols

While the Sex Pistols didn’t find much commercial success in the U.S., they were massive in the U.K., having 7 top-10 hits and 3 others in the top 40 during their initial run.  On paper, it makes perfect sense, given that punk was newer, different, and so controversial, which perfectly describes the group as well.  They were frequently in the news for controversies, whether it was their chaotic shows, obscenities spoken on TV, censorship related to their music, or an obscenity trial for their album title, they made a massive name for themselves in just one album.  That said, it is pretty remarkable that they had the success that they had given that there was massive pushback.  After they swore on live television, they had a 20-date tour where all but 7 were cancelled.  Their lone album, Never Mind the Bullocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols, was banned from several stores as a result of the title and two explicit songs (it also led to a lawsuit regarding obscenity).  Their U.S. tour generated much controversy and led to several cancelled dates when the government fought to ban them from entry.  While most of this makes sense due to the massive appeal, the internet didn’t exist yet, so there is the case to be made that it made it more difficult to obtain their music.  That said, it worked well for this legendary band.

 

Neutral Milk Hotel

Neutral Milk Hotel is unique compared to the other groups listed because they are the only ones on this list that never had an album chart on the Billboard 200.  That said, they are legends in the indie world and their path there is something I consider fascinating.  Their second album, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, was released to relatively positive reviews, with some calling it among the best of 1998 and others remaining tepid about it.  Its combination of dark lyrics and concepts and eclectic and strange music made some critics more reserved about their reviews.  That said, the album happened to be released around the same time as the rise of the Internet, which led to many users of message boards intrigued by the music and the meaning of the lyrics.  However, this rise in attention took a negative toll on frontman Jeff Magnum’s mental health, so the band entered a hiatus.  Since then, this album has received critical acclaim and is arguably one of the greatest indie albums ever and is frequently one of the best-selling vinyls annually.   In fact, this album has been cited as one of the reasons for the vinal revival.  While they were the least commercially successful group out of the artists on this list, the legendary indie group’s route to the fame they found is something that is certainly unique.

 

Deftones

Deftones’ career arc makes sense compared to several artists that started around the same time and have been grouped in with the nu metal/alternative metal scene, such as artists who were also successful like Korn, Faith No More, and System of a Down.  That said, there are a couple main differences between Deftones and other acts from the era.  First, Deftones did not have the commercial success from singles that most other bands of the era did (they had 2 that reached the Bubbling Under charts, but never the top 100).  The bigger difference (and probably the reason that their singles haven’t had the commercial success of other bands) is due to how eclectic their music is.  While their first two albums were arguably some weird blend of post-hardcore, alternative metal, and nu metal, their third album, White Pony, incorporated art rock and experimental rock.  On their self-titled four album, they utilized some shoegazing into some of their songs.  They had certain albums that were more experimental than others, such as Gore.  Their most recent, Ohms, utilized synthpop in their music.  They have still managed 6 top 10 albums and are typically one of the biggest names at festivals they are booked for.

 

The Used

The Used were one of the faces of emo music in the 2000’s, which was the commercial prime of the genre, but there is something a bit different with them compared to the other groups in the era.  With bands like My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, AFI, and Panic! at the Disco, it is typically easy to name several songs and albums by each of them.  For certain bands that are well-known and well-regarded in the genre, it is known that it might be difficult to identify music by them, such as groups like Hawthorne Heights and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.  Then comes the Used, who seem to fall right in between them in a sense, being a band thought of as iconic as bands like MCR in the genre but with music that many casual fans of the genre would be unable to identify.  If you are doubting my logic here (which I was at first), think of an album by The Used.  If the one you came up with was In Love and Death, great, now come up with another.  Did you know that they had a self-titled album or was that a lucky guess?  Either way, maybe you’re able to come up with Lies for the Liars, but they had 4 top 10 albums and it is difficult to even come up with Artwork or Vulnerable, which charted at 10 and 8 respectively.  Now let’s try songs:  come up with as many original songs by the group as you can (no, their cover of “Under Pressure” isn’t going to count here).  While songs like “The Bird and the Worm” or “The Taste of Ink” are most likely to come to mind, there are others that are possible, including “Pretty Handsome Awesome”, “All That I’ve Got”, and “I Caught Fire”.  That said, there isn’t as clear-cut options as some of the other bands I mentioned previously.  Further, their concerts aren’t as massive as other bands I mentioned.  I think part of this is because other bands changed styles as emo waned, like Fall Out Boy, while The Used held on a bit longer, and many others broke up, like MCR, which The Used never did.

 

Portugal. The Man

Normally, people adhere to the expression of “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it”, but this is far from the case for musicians, as musicians across various genres change styles all the time.  I think an interesting example of this comes from Portugal. The Man, who changed styles at an odd time in their career.  They had several albums that were largely psychedelic with some other genres incorporated, but many of their later albums started to shift towards psychedelic pop.  That said, they started to find commercial success, as Evil Friends was their first top 40 album in 2013 and they received radio play from multiple singles.  Then their eighth album, Woodstock, came out in 2017 and it changed everything; by that, I mean it also was a top 40 hit, peaking at 32, but stylistically it was a pop rock album that seemed to be disguised as a psychedelic pop album.  The second single from it, “Feel It Still”, was a typical pop rock song that received substantial airplay on pop and alternative stations and became their first song to chart on the top 100, peaking at 4.  While some would look at an album like Evil Friends and think this jump was possible, they had been still at the point of more psychedelic pop for a few albums.  Even the jump from “Purple, Yellow, Red and Blue”, the biggest radio hit on Evil Friends, to “Feel It Still” was massive, and the former was still melodic for psychedelic pop.

 

American Football

American Football released their debut album, American Football, in 1999 and, while it received attention on college radio stations, the band broke up shortly after since members moved to different cities.  In the time after, the album received increased interest and the group received a cult-like following.  The group reunited for the 15^th anniversary of the album (despite not realizing the anniversary was coming up until a record label approached them about a re-release) and announced a re-release and tour for the album.  When the album was reissued, the vinyl was so popular that Polyvinyl, their record label, had issues with their website crashing.  When all was said and done, the reissue peaked at 68 in the U.S.  The trend continued for the math rock/emo group with their second album, also titled American Football, which peaked at 82.  Their third self-titled album also retained a solid chunk of their fanbase.  It’s especially uncommon that they obtained such a large fanbase considering math rock doesn’t usually have this type of following.

 

Tyler, the Creator

In one sense, it makes perfect sense that Tyler, the Creator is popular considering his early success online and the continued popularity of his music, Odd Future, and his personality.  I would argue that he has always had something of a cult-like following, but what surprises me is how he went from a controversial artist with a reputation of being…well, erratic might be an understatement to an artist who is going to be a headliner at Lollapalooza is insane.  His debut mixtape made shockwaves around the internet, but also was controversial for his lyrics to the point where he was banned in the U.K.  Maybe that helped out his popularity a bit, but since his following has grown in a massive way.  All of his albums have hit top 5, but there was a case to be made that songs like “Who Dat Boy” and “Okra” (peaking at 87 and 89 respectively) were flukes.  Then Igor came out, which debuted at number 1 and had the lone single, :Earfquake”, reach 13 in the US.  To add to that, 7 other songs from the album entered the top 100 and 3 others were on the Bubbling Under charts.  Since then, he was announced as a headliner for Lollapalooza alongside Foo Fighters, Post Malone, and Miley Cyrus.  It’s to the point that this makes sense, but the if you were to tell me that after Goblin back in 2011 I would have laughed.

 

Deafheaven

This is a strange case where it is a metal band who found some commercial success, but it doesn’t make sense for them to find any.  The easiest way to pinpoint their genre is by calling it metal, but it’s not what you think of with popular metal (such as thrash metal, alternative metal, groove metal, melodic metalcore, or melodic death metal).  Some have called them black metal (I don’t think they are).  Similarly, many consider them blackgaze, a blend of black metal and shoegaze (closer, but I don’t typically use that categorization for most bands grouped with the genre).  Some consider them post-metal (I do given the lack of limitations in the genre and their sound fitting there).  The point is that they perform a genre that does not typically lend itself to commercial success.  That said, after their second album, Sunbather, achieved critical acclaim, it also shockingly made its way onto the Billboard 200, peaking at 130.  While this might have seemed like a fluke, their next two albums, New Bermuda and Ordinary Corrupt Human Love, peaked even higher, reaching 63 and 111 respectively.  To make it even crazier, the lead single from their most recent album, “Honeycomb”, was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the Grammys.  They have yet to release an album that did not receive critical acclaim, but their upcoming fifth album could continue this shocking trend of commercial success for the group.

 

Radiohead

How to define Radiohead in a genre…probably best defined as Radiohead.  Their debut album, Pablo Honey, which featured “Creep”, their biggest U.S. hit, was alternative to the point it was grunge at points.  Their second album, The Bends, was still alternative but less grungy at points.  By their third album, OK Computer, they started to discover their style, or rather an increased experimental that they became known for.  They went entirely into that by their following album, Kid A, and really never looked back after that.  What I also find interesting about them is the critical response from their first four albums.  Upon release, Ok Computer received positive reviews and the reviews for The Bends and Kid A were polarized, but now each album is held in high regard.  On the other hand, the reputation of Pablo Honey has actually decreased overtime; I think the reason for this is because their albums after that were so much better than their debut.  Even still, it is interesting to see a band that experiments so much and has self-released albums using a choose what you pay strategy continuing to find the commercial success Radiohead has.

 

Wilco

Placing Wilco immediately following Radiohead considering there have been critics who have deemed Wilco America’s answer to Radiohead.  Like Radiohead, they have experimented with several different genres and have had quite the eclectic catalog, but there’s a couple things that separates Wilco.  One thing is that they are an alternative country group, which has largely not been insanely popular with the exception of some acts (such as artists as Ryan Adams, Neko Case, Jason Isbell, The Jayhawks, and Old Crow Medicine Show).  What I find even stranger is what happened leading up to the release of their album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.  After dealing with internal issues throughout production, their record label, Reprise Records, restructured and they went from having a representative who loved the group to one who didn’t.  The new representative rejected the entire album because he wasn’t fond of the album didn’t think any song was capable of being a lead single.  That said, he suggested the album be released independently and they eventually changed the selling of the rights from $50,000 to $0, but the reputational damage for the label was done.  Wilco made the album available to stream online so they could reduce poor quality songs going viral and, after touring to promote the album, released it where it hit 13 in the U.S. and never looked back from there.  To add insult to injury to Reprise Records, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is considered one of the best albums of the 2000’s and is ranked 225 on Rolling Stone’s greatest albums of all time.

 

Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa might be the most eclectic musician to have songs reach the Billboard 100, and he had multiple:  “Valley Girl” hit 32, “Dancin’ Fool” hit 45, and “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” hit 86.  Pinpointing Zappa’s genre might be difficult, as he played in a wide variety, but he is generally considered in the field of experimental music.  While his most successful commercial songs and albums were frequently comedic rock, he had multiple albums that found commercial success that weren’t necessarily comedic; several of his early experimental albums still reached the top 200, including We’re Only in It for the Money; while the album was satirical in many ways, it wasn’t necessarily the comedy rock some of his later music employed.  Even still, Zappa’s experimental musical style makes it surprising he was as popular as he was.

 

Mastodon

If Mastodon were a typical popular hard rock group, it would be easy to look at the albums they have and not be surprised by that while being a little bit surprised by how their singles charted.  If they were a typical progressive metal group, it might not be much of a surprise to see how their singles charted but the success of their albums on the Billboard 200 might be a surprise.  Now that I have heard them grouped with progressive metal, hard rock, metal, and sludge metal, how popular should I expect Mastodon to be?  If you were to tell me a few albums on the Billboard 200 and maybe a few singles that had some minor success on the rock charts I could see it.  If you were to tell me 3 albums in the top 10 and 8 singles that charted on the rock charts, I’d be surprised, especially considering that, while receiving positive reviews, their albums typically haven’t received the acclaim that some other metal albums have received.  That said, in the nature of many progressive metal bands, none of their singles snuck into the top 100.  Even still, they are frequently one of the bigger bands at the festivals they perform at and can easily headline their own tours; maybe I’m just looking into their success a bit too much?

 

Sixto Rodriguez

Sixto Rodriguez, who is known professionally as Rodriguez, had one of the strangest cases of renewed fame that I have ever heard of.  He released two folk albums in the early 70’s, but found little success in the U.S.  While he found some success in Australia and New Zealand, he retired from performing in 1973 (he did perform a couple shows in Australia between 1979 and 1981) and worked in production and demolition lines of work.  Unbeknownst to him, his music became popular in several countries after, including South Africa, where several songs of his became anti-Apartheid anthems; some have even speculated that he sold more in the country than Elvis Presley did.  His first two albums were both released the country for the first time in 1991 and were massive hits there.  It wasn’t until one of his daughters found a fan site dedicated to him made by fans from the country that he discovered his international stardom.  He started performing again in 1998 and found massive success in several countries.  Success didn’t come to the U.S. until the documentary related two South African fans trying to find him during his retirement from the industry, Searching for Sugar Man, was released; after that, the film soundtrack and the re-release of his albums each charted in the top 100.  He has since continued touring and continuing one of the strangest paths to fame I have ever heard.

 

“Weird Al” Yankovic

There are four artists who have had singles reach the top 40 in each decade between the 80’s and the 10’s (it would have been 5, but Kenny G missed out on one during the 2000’s):  U2, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and “Weird Al” Yankovic.  Yes, Weird Al cracked the top 40 in the 80’s with “Eat It”, the 90’s with “Smells Like Nirvana”, the 00’s with “White and Nerdy”, and the 10’s with “Word Crimes”.  The reason this might be so shocking is because most comedic songs are more novelty songs (the artist frequently didn’t have multiple hits and often we can’t identify the artist).  While there have been exceptions like Frank Zappa, whose music is so experimental anyways, Weird Al is an oddity.  The fact that he has 10 top 100 singles and 9 top 40 albums (including a number 1 album), is weird on face value, but his longevity can be attributed to his vision with trends.  He recognized the decline of television early on and focused on YouTube and other video sites to push his music videos, which helped his late career success.  He is also eyeing focusing on songs and EP’s over albums given the streaming nature of the industry, which could extend his success even longer.

 

What do you think about these artists?  Are there any others that surprise you how popular they are?  Let me know in the comments!