I know there are a ton of people who read this blog (well… a couple at least) who are or have been in the music biz, so mostly to them I pose this request for comments (inspired by a random flip through my iPod that landed on the Tsar record…remember them?):
Name a band that you’ve worked that flopped commercially (in whatever relative definition you use where you work), but you think deserved to be a success. A band you’d wish had caught on but just didn’t stick. A record you still listen to and think “too bad we couldn’t break them”
I’ll start with two.
First from my TVT days, the band Wayne. Influences ranging from the power-pop of the Raspberries to the quiet singer/songwriter of Nick Drake, the album is sweet without being wimpy and tight without sounding forced. And yet if someone wants to be nice and check the soundscan, I’d bet it never broke 20K.
My overlooked Sony band is Ari Hest, which I spoke about in detail in my top 10 review. It looks, however, like Columbia is going to pick up and run with this project, and if anyone can break singer/songwriters with mainstream appeal, it’s them.
So, what bands do you look upon as a missed opportunity?
Above the Law – unheralded architects of Dr. Dre’s G-Funk sound from back in the NWA days, these guys put out two albums on Tommy Boy that combined the progressive, soulful musicality of Organized Noize with the more politically and socially conscious lyrics they had started to explore more deeply on their biggest hit “Black Supermen.”
Unfortunately, they could never get past their rep as being a harcdore, gangsta rap group even when they turned in radio-friendly remixes for their singles> I remember an incredible 8 minute extended remix for one song (I forget the title right now) interpolating Loose Ends’ “Hangin’ On A String” that sadly went over everyone’s heads. Hutch (aka Cold 187um and also the nephew of Motown musician Willie Hutch) was a truly gifted musician and songwriter but now ATL is best known for scrapping with Ice Cube at the New Music Seminar back in the early 90’s and for the major drug arrests (in separate incidents) of Hutch and other groups member KMG in the last couple of years. A sad waste of real talent and potential.
Mac & AK – a group Tommy Boy signed near the end of the craze for Bay Area hip hop. This duo, comprised of fraternal twin brothers, had the smooth musicality of early Warren G and the lyrical skills of Da Luniz, but the lack of standout hits (in the eyes of the label) or distinctive star presence in the group kept their album from ever seeing release. These cats keep grindin’ though having droppped four indie releases and currently work on a mixtape. (Official website here: http://www.ekmusicgroup.com/)
Above the Law – unheralded architects of Dr. Dre’s G-Funk sound from back in the NWA days, these guys put out two albums on Tommy Boy that combined the progressive, soulful musicality of Organized Noize with the more politically and socially conscious lyrics they had started to explore more deeply on their biggest hit “Black Supermen.”
Unfortunately, they could never get past their rep as being a harcdore, gangsta rap group even when they turned in radio-friendly remixes for their singles> I remember an incredible 8 minute extended remix for one song (I forget the title right now) interpolating Loose Ends’ “Hangin’ On A String” that sadly went over everyone’s heads. Hutch (aka Cold 187um and also the nephew of Motown musician Willie Hutch) was a truly gifted musician and songwriter but now ATL is best known for scrapping with Ice Cube at the New Music Seminar back in the early 90’s and for the major drug arrests (in separate incidents) of Hutch and other groups member KMG in the last couple of years. A sad waste of real talent and potential.
Mac & AK – a group Tommy Boy signed near the end of the craze for Bay Area hip hop. This duo, comprised of fraternal twin brothers, had the smooth musicality of early Warren G and the lyrical skills of Da Luniz, but the lack of standout hits (in the eyes of the label) or distinctive star presence in the group kept their album from ever seeing release. These cats keep grindin’ though having droppped four indie releases and currently work on a mixtape. (Official website here: http://www.ekmusicgroup.com/)