Who Will last longer U2 or REM

[Frau_Blucher]

[quote][i]Originally posted by i_like_lectric_motors[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by korova1[/i]
<br>OK, I have to say something here. My one post for this month, I guess... because this is my band we are talking about and I can't believe I have to argue this point but here goes...
[/quote]
You really should post more. [:D]
[/quote]
Fukinell, ditto. Great reading. Thanks.

[edisonoside]

[quote][i]Originally posted by djcraig[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by edisonoside[/i]
<br>Gary Numan, Kraftwerk, Siouxsie, Bowie....
[/quote]

Numan- 1 hit wonder.

Kraftwerk- 2 hit wonder.

Siouxsie- great run for about 15 years.

Bowie- great run ended in the mid 1980's. Name a song he did after that you could hold up to his better work. In fact, ask the average person on the street to name a song he did after that.

Insert Jeopardy theme music here while we wait...
[/quote]
Any real DJ with real knowledge of music would know better..



Kraftwerk has had more than 2 hits and here is a small example:
(1)*Autobahn - top 10 on the bill board charts.
(2)*Trans Europe express - Huge hit with pop AND R&B fans. And was copied by the Soul Sonic force with Planet Rock.
(3)*The Model - Lots of airplay.
(4)*Numbers - Like trans Europe Express was a hit with lots of airplay on the radio(pop)&(R&B), Clubs and is one of the most sampled songs ever. And the beat was/is still being copied by just about every dance band around.
(5)*Pocket Calculator - Even you should know this one.
(6)*Tour de France - Another little hit that was featured in the movie Break-dance. I think this is a bit more than just 2 hits don't you think?

I could do the same for Numan, Siouxsie, Bowie if you'd like?
***Also expect future albums from these artists. It ain't over yet.

[fanciz]

[quote][i]Originally posted by cleverblue[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by korova1[/i]
Then to say Kraftwerk is a "two hit wonder" is just absolutely friggin' hilarious. In one way or another they influenced every synth-pop-new-wave-post-punk band that came down the pike since 1975. Siouxsie, John Lydon, New Order, Bowie, and U2 included... even in early 2006 (the current "U2")Coldplay's latest HOT 100 single "Talk" lifts a coda right out of "Computer Love" by Kraftwerk.
[/quote]

Great point about Kraftwerk. Anyone with any regard to synthpop/new wave would never dismiss Kraftwerk as merely a two-hit wonder. They are the pioneers and the foundation of all electronic music. (Them and Brian Eno. Wait...did Brian Eno have any "hits?") Not to mention, Kraftwerk heavily influenced hip hop as well. Weird, huh? What Kraftwerk did for bands of the 80's, Sonic Youth did for bands in the 90's.

Oh, and isn't Kraftwerk up for a Grammy this year?






OK...I don't put much stock into the Grammys either... but still! [;)]

-------------------------

<font size="1"><a href="http://www.extremely80s.com">www.extremely80s.com</a></font>
[/quote]

Assuming that Kraftwerk has influenced synth-based bands, so what? As far as I am concerned, I just judge their music and what I hear doesn't thrill me. I have a couple of CD's: COMPUTER WORLD and
THE MODEL RETROSPECTIVE 1975-1978 but I seldom play them, they are gathering dust on my shelves, same with The Pixies.

[Bitter Almonds]

If it wasn't Kraftwerk that influenced synth bands, then you still have loads more Krautrock and experimental artists to go through. It's not gonna be a big act that sold lots of records.

[cleverblue]

[quote][i]Originally posted by XXX[/i]
<br>If it wasn't Kraftwerk that influenced synth bands, then you still have loads more Krautrock and experimental artists to go through. It's not gonna be a big act that sold lots of records.
[/quote]

Yup. And then it would be [i]that[/i] band we'd be dumping on.

So how do we measure a band's significance? Influence? Records Sold? Longevity? Do we have to pick one?

Or is it all in the eye of the beholder?

-------------------------

<font size="1"><a href="http://www.extremely80s.com">www.extremely80s.com</a></font>

[cleverblue]

[quote][i]Originally posted by edisonoside[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by djcraig[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by edisonoside[/i]
<br>Gary Numan, Kraftwerk, Siouxsie, Bowie....
[/quote]

Numan- 1 hit wonder.

Kraftwerk- 2 hit wonder.

Siouxsie- great run for about 15 years.

Bowie- great run ended in the mid 1980's. Name a song he did after that you could hold up to his better work. In fact, ask the average person on the street to name a song he did after that.

Insert Jeopardy theme music here while we wait...
[/quote]
Any real DJ with real knowledge of music would know better..



Kraftwerk has had more than 2 hits and here is a small example:
(1)*Autobahn - top 10 on the bill board charts.
(2)*Trans Europe express - Huge hit with pop AND R&B fans. And was copied by the Soul Sonic force with Planet Rock.
(3)*The Model - Lots of airplay.
(4)*Numbers - Like trans Europe Express was a hit with lots of airplay on the radio(pop)&(R&B), Clubs and is one of the most sampled songs ever. And the beat was/is still being copied by just about every dance band around.
(5)*Pocket Calculator - Even you should know this one.
(6)*Tour de France - Another little hit that was featured in the movie Break-dance. I think this is a bit more than just 2 hits don't you think?

I could do the same for Numan, Siouxsie, Bowie if you'd like?
***Also expect future albums from these artists. It ain't over yet.
[/quote]

Don't stop there!

Both "Musique Non-Stop" and "The Telephone Call" both pegged #1 on Billboards Dance/Club Play charts.

-------------------------

<font size="1"><a href="http://www.extremely80s.com">www.extremely80s.com</a></font>

[fanciz]

[quote][i]Originally posted by cleverblue[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by XXX[/i]
<br>If it wasn't Kraftwerk that influenced synth bands, then you still have loads more Krautrock and experimental artists to go through. It's not gonna be a big act that sold lots of records.
[/quote]

Yup. And then it would be [i]that[/i] band we'd be dumping on.

So how do we measure a band's significance? Influence? Records Sold? Longevity? Do we have to pick one?



Or is it all in the eye of the beholder?

<font size="1"><a href="http://www.extremely80s.com">www.extremely80s.com</a></font>
[/quote]

The problem is that lots of commissioned music writers have wrote articles about how much this or that band has been influential. Then those writings have been repeated vitam eternam by diehard fans to become almost a universal truth. Personally, I'm influenced by no one, I listen, I judge, I like or not the music and I don't think the alleged influence of a group has anything to do with the greatness of their music.

[edisonoside]

I LOVE those two songs! The Telephone call is one of my favorites from them.. Add 2 more to the list![:)]

[edisonoside]

[quote][i]Originally posted by cleverblue[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by XXX[/i]
<br>If it wasn't Kraftwerk that influenced synth bands, then you still have loads more Krautrock and experimental artists to go through. It's not gonna be a big act that sold lots of records.
[/quote]

Yup. And then it would be [i]that[/i] band we'd be dumping on.

So how do we measure a band's significance? Influence? Records Sold? Longevity? Do we have to pick one?

Or is it all in the eye of the beholder?

-------------------------

<font size="1"><a href="http://www.extremely80s.com">www.extremely80s.com</a></font>
[/quote]Why must you pick one?

I say All of the above??

[djcraig]

[quote]

Hmm...maybe you're right. There were three other Bowie tunes from the '90s that performed better on the charts than "Americans." "Real Cool World", "Jump They Say", "This Hearts Filthy Lesson." Of course, all of these songs pale in comparison to the great U2, but they were there. They received regular airplay (at least around these parts), and lots of people bought the albums. But that's all neither here nor there. I'm not a huge Bowie fan, nor is it my intention to defend him and his significance. You only asked for us to name one song, and now I've named four. To what end, I don't know. I find it a little surprising that you've heard that song maybe once. From this, I can only assume that you stopped listening to the radio sometime in the early 90's. But I could be wrong. You know what happens when you assume. [8D]

And also, since the original idea of this thread is longevity and not significance, David Bowie will beat both U2 and REM since his career began in the 60's. [:)]

-------------------------

<font size="1"><a href="http://www.extremely80s.com">www.extremely80s.com</a></font>
[/quote]

To me part of longevity IS significance and cultural impact. Hell we can say that The Beach Boys have more longevity than anyone mentioned so far. But being kept alive on artificial life support does not a vital career make.

As far as Bowie is concerned, I AM a huge fan. But I refuse to let that interfere with my ability to judge his career merits. Let's do that based on his past. "Real Cool World", "Jump They Say" and "The Heart's Filthy Lesson" may have been big hits in the UK and some other places. To me they don't hold a candle to his earlier work.

"Real Cool World" I like. "Jump They Say" is marginally interesting. I actually like his cover of Cream's "I'm Free" from that same album better. And "The Heart's Filthy Lesson" I could do without ever hearing again. I think "Strangers When We Meet" is better than all of those. But I doubt if anybody goes to a Bowie concert to hear any of these.

Like I said, ask the average guy on the street about any of the aforementioned songs and watch as his eyes glaze over. Then ask him, if he's old enough, where he was the day he first heard "Suffragette City". You may want to buy him a cup of coffee, this could take awhile.

[djcraig]

To me, relevance and "longevity" is measured by the current impact the band can still make on the culture. Some have their moment and some drop out off the radar even though they are are still around, often making great music.

Real time cultural impact has to be at least partly measured by your ability to gain new, young fans, sell records and get airplay. I said PARTLY. If nobody ever saw Van Gogh's paintings would they matter in the big picture of cultural relevance?

My dismissal of Kraftwerk may have been flippant. I accept that. To me, I get more interesting sounds out of my little Casio. I can record my self breathing into a mic a make that loop too. So what? I admit I am out of step with many critics who think Kraftwerk was/is the bomb. That's okay.

Frank Zappa was influential too and had a very long career. But I wouldn't put his name on the top of the list of "longevity". I am not that familiar with his work and that's the point, I guess. Exposure correlates to impact at least to some degree.

I see contemporary challengers to U2 in this context more as Sting, who, until that last album had a pretty good roll going and The Cure who have seemingly been around forever.

And no matter what anyone says, Gary Numan is still a 1 hit wonder. Saw him in Santa Monica in '79 I think it was. Good show, though.

[djcraig]

BTW Those that resort to personally attacking the messenger because they disagree with the message do so because they lack the skills to make cogent, logical points.

It's what cowards do. If your argument has merit, don't be afraid to let it stand on its own.

[cleverblue]

Great posts, DJCraig. And I loved what you said about the Casio. [:D]

And also...

[quote][i]Originally posted by djcraig[/i]
Like I said, ask the average guy on the street about any of the aforementioned songs and watch as his eyes glaze over. Then ask him, if he's old enough, where he was the day he first heard "Suffragette City". You may want to buy him a cup of coffee, this could take awhile.
[/quote]

You're absolutely right! [:)]

I think the first time I heard Suffragette City was after I got the ChangesBowie Greatest Hits collection in 1990. [:I]

-------------------------

<font size="1"><a href="http://www.extremely80s.com">www.extremely80s.com</a></font>

[Bitter Almonds]

[quote][i]Originally posted by korova1[/i]
<br>OK, I have to say something here. My one post for this month, I guess... because this is my band we are talking about and I can't believe I have to argue this point but here goes...
Sonic Youth will be just as significant (or more significant in some opinions) as U2 in the history of popular music, but for completely different reasons. Just because supposedly "nobody is listening" doesn't mean they won't be in 15 years when people finally catch up to the music. Don't generalize about a band when you obviously don't know jack **it about 'em. Sonic Youth not only changed the way many people listen to music but along with Birthday Party, Swans and Neubauten they changed the way people can appreciate more complex and atonal types of compositions.
A great example of other artists who did their own thing and made huge waves in the future are artists like The Velvet Underground or Nick Drake... NOBODY listened to them in the 60's but now they are on EVERYBODY'S list as some of the most important bands of that era of music. The Velvet Underground influenced both Peter Buck and the Edge's guitar playing early on and Michael Stipe's songwriting. But using your logic here: "since VU wasn't as popular as the Beatles or the Stones than I guess that makes them irrelevant". In the latest Rolling Stone (or was it Time or was it Newsweek... aww who cares) Bono regards Lou Reed who happened to bethe singer-songwriter for Velvet Underground as the reason for starting up a band in the late 70's in the first place.
SY isn't a "tree falling alone in a forest", rather they are an acorn that starts the forest. They've probably influenced just as many bands (or more) than U2 has in the years they've been around: from Yeah Yeah Yeah's to Fugazi to Nirvana to Dinosaur Jr. to Mars Volta to the Flaming Lips to Wilco to almost any band that uses alternate tunings on the charts in the year 2006.
Don't judge a band by how many records they sell because it is a close minded approach to listening or enjoying music. That is why NWO exists in the first place, because the people on these boards like music that is left of center.
There aren't too many bands that make compelling music for more than 10 years let alone 20...but both the Fall and Sonic Youth have managed to do it. Hell, in inteviews even members of REM and U2 have admitted to having Fall and Sonic Youth albums in their collections!!! Then to say Kraftwerk is a "two hit wonder" is just absolutely friggin' hilarious. In one way or another they influenced every synth-pop-new-wave-post-punk band that came down the pike since 1975. Siouxsie, John Lydon, New Order, Bowie, and U2 included... even in early 2006 (the current "U2")Coldplay's latest HOT 100 single "Talk" lifts a coda right out of "Computer Love" by Kraftwerk.
That said, after all these years I guess I just didn't know it had to be on the Billboard charts in order for it to be culturally relevant! What is "buzz" anyway... bands like The Fall and Sonic Youth defy "buzz" and in my opinion have ALREADY lasted longer artistically than both REM and U2. The Fall's latest, "Fall Heads Roll" and Sonic Youth's "Sonic Nurse" are both incredible albums.
Anyway to get back to the topic, REM left the building in 1986. U2 started to get crispy around the edges on a little album called "POP", probably the biggest piece of crap album by a major artist in the last 20 years. Right now people are just happy with U2 not making anything as bad as that little platter of brown matter... but they forget that U2 did it a couple of years before "POP" with "Rattle and Hum"!! Trust me, it will be just a matter of time until they do it again... "Discoteque" anyone!?!?


[/quote]

DRS...


Right on, dude.

[KYYX4ever]

I must add that many artists who have lasted a long, long time and who are still around have their ebbs and flows.
David Bowie still does some amazing work, but it's uneven, and some of it is a bit...well...not that great. Nevertheless, I'm a big fan, and I'll always have an open ear for something new he puts out. Cuz you never know! He's put out so much consistently great stuff that you can usually expect something very good. He is one of those who can change with the times. Plus, I LOOOVED "JUmp They Say" !!