Respected music industry figures John O'Donnell, Toby Creswell & Craig Mathieson have just released the highly anticipated book "The 100 Best Australian Albums", with Midnight Oil's 1987 classic "Diesel and Dust" considered to be the nation's finest musical work.
Everybody has a different opinion about the "best" albums; how do you define "best"? Is it based upon commercial success, song writing craft, or critical acclaim? There is no definitive answer to this question; here is my take on the Australia's 10 best albums [in no particular order]:
"Boys Light Up" [1980] - Australian Crawl. This debut album was commercially successful, yet vastly ignored from a song writer's perspective. The group was written off by the critics for being "pretty boys", however the unique writing talents of the individual band members are obvious on this release. "Downhearted" still sounds fresh on the radio 30 years on. James Reyne remains a hugely under-rated song writer; his ironic lyrical sense places him alongside the talent of Randy Newman [in my opinion!!].
"...ish" [1988] - 1927. Produced by Charles Fisher, this No. 1 album saw Garry Frost's song writing talents get a 2nd chance after his former band, Moving Pictures, couldn't capitalise on their initial success. "That's When I Think Of You" and "If I Could" represent perfect song writing craft.
"Diamantina Cocktail" [1977] - Little River Band. A sleeper nomination for the most important Australian rock band in history; LRB made it possible for local acts to achieve international mainstream success. The "classic" band line-up for this album features 3 talented song writers [Beeb Birtles, Glenn Shorrock, Graeham Goeble], superb vocal harmonies and seasoned musicianship. With stand out tracks like "Help Is On Its Way" and "Home On Monday " , the world soon appreciated the band's enormous talent.
"Savage Garden" [1997] - Savage Garden. Certainly not everybody's cup of tea, however this debut album was a massive international success. A combination of well-crafted pop songs and Charles Fisher's production skills saw "To The Moon And Back" and "Truly Madly Deeply" gain a worldwide audience. Their songs remain on heavy rotation on commercial radio to this day.
"Living In The '70's" [1974] - Skyhooks. Whilst being far too "Australian" to be successful n an international level, there will never be another band like Skyhooks. It's important to remember that this was Australia's highest selling album for many years. When Gough Whitlam [Australian Prime Minister 1972-1975] quoted "Ego Is Not A Dirty Word" in a press conference, we witnessed pop music and politics comine in a good-natured way for the 1st time. Skyhooks were personable, intelligent and naughty!!
"Spirit Of Place" [1983] - Goanna. The 1st Australian album to truly acknowledge the nation's indigenous history. Shane Howard [lead singer and song writer] has never been comfortable in the public eye, hence Goanna could never leverage off their huge talent to capture an international audience. Midnight Oil wrote songs about similar topics as Goanna, however Peter Garrett is an engaging personality; that's why Midnight Oil experienced huge success in the USA. "Solid Rock" is a truly classic Australian song; "Razor's Edge" isn't far behind. Fortunately, Shane Howard's song writing talent has been appreciated post-Goanna, with his work covered by many Australian and international artists.
"East" [1980] - Cold Chisel. To put things simply, Australia's greatest rock band to never crack the international markets. The diversity of "Cheap Wine" [penned by Don Walker] and "Ita" [Ian Moss] displayed pure rock and pop from an Australian perspective. In time, Jimmy Barnes and Steve Prestwich would display their unique song writing talents as well. Chisel contained two great singers [Barnes and Moss], diversified song writers and they always delivered strong live performances. Just like Skyhooks, Cold Chisel may have been too "Australian" to catch the eye of music lovers abroad. This being said, there endearing popularity to this day confirms that great songs are appreciated by generations beyond their inception.
"Bellavista Terrace" [1998] - The Go-Betweens. Robert Forster and Grant McLennan were Australia's answer to Lennon and McCartney respectively; Lennon with his lyrical cynicism and McLennan with his melodic pop sensibility. Whilst this album is a "best of", it captures all aspects of the group's song writing strengths in one fell swoop. It is only now that The Go-Between's songs are acknowledged for their simple brillance; if they were photogenic, they would have been huge internationally!! "Cattle and Cane" and "The Wrong Road" are songs of classic structure, and "Streets Of Your Town" could not be any catchier.
"Crowded House" [1986] - Crowded House. Yes, Neil Finn is a Kiwi, however 2/3rds of this group were Australian; therefore this album qualifies in my books. Finn's song writing was never fully appreciated during the Split Enz era; this subsequent band took his craft to the world. We are all sick and tired of hearing "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Something So Strong", however these songs represent commercial 1980's pop at it's very best. Neil Finn was no one-trick pony; he continues to write simple, melodic songs in the traditional singer-song writer sense. And he is very good at doing so...
"Kick" [1987] - INXS. Love them or hate them, INXS were one of the most popular rock bands in the world in the late 1980's. Four US Top 10 singles from one album is an enormous feat, especially for an Australian group. "Need You Tonight" was ahead of its time. "New Sensation" was born to make people dance. Michael Hutchence was Australia's greatest rock star, and we should never forget INXS' level of international success.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
The Killers: "Hot Fuss" - wot fuss?
The recent release of Brandon Flowers' 1st solo offering has been the catalyst for my assessment of the catalogue of Las Vegas' most famous rock band of the new millennium, and to question as to where The Killers stand in music history.
2005's debut CD release of "Hot Fuss" featured the very radio-friendly "Somebody Told Me"; this CD was a multi-platinum commercial success. Via the media, we started to learn more & more about The Killers and their charismatic lead singer. Asides from The Osmond family, Flowers is the only musician who readily promotes his Mormon faith to the public, thus some sections of their audience started to question The Killers' "appropriateness" as a contender for the highest rock mantle.
I have previously read that Brandon Flowers was very disappointed with the public's reaction to 2006's CD release of "Sam's Town". In listening to this CD again in its entirety, my initial reaction is one of complete confusion.
Let's put things into perspective. A major record company would be pushing for "more of the same" if a rock band's 1st CD release is a commercial smash. Unfortunately, "Sam's Town" was essentially a concept CD focussing on Flowers' early years in Las Vegas. Call me a cynic, however concept CDs are a sure fire bet in alienating your listening audience. Any momentum that The Killers had in being the next U2 or Coldplay was lost at this point...
This being said, "Sam's Town" does have its moments. The Killers get it right with "Read My Mind"; an interesting intro and a well structured pop song. However, "When You Were Young" & "Bones" [the other singles from the CD] are essentially the same song with different lyrics.
Ignoring the 2007 B-side CD "Sawdust", 2008's "Day & Age" was the all important 3rd CD and an opportunity for the group to retain a critical mass following. If anything, The Killers' moved further away from a commercial audience, with "Human" being the only single of note to be released from a generally disappointing CD.
From that point, all of the usual rumours applied to The Killers. There were numerous stories in the media that the band's 2008/ 2009 world tour was "downsized" from stadiums to theatres, plus there was the constant speculation of friction amongst band members. A self-imposed hiatus was promptly followed by Flowers' solo debut, which hasn't been particularly well received by the media.
The Killers do have a realisic chance of being a very successful rock band, because they can write great commercial songs, plus Brandon Flowers is a very interesting personality. At this stage, they need to decide upon their musical genre direction and stick to this path. I can hear far too many blatant influences in their songs [Queen, new age Punk, David Bowie, Icehouse, Bruce Springsteen], thus they need to rediscover a level of musical focus and the world could be their oyster...
2005's debut CD release of "Hot Fuss" featured the very radio-friendly "Somebody Told Me"; this CD was a multi-platinum commercial success. Via the media, we started to learn more & more about The Killers and their charismatic lead singer. Asides from The Osmond family, Flowers is the only musician who readily promotes his Mormon faith to the public, thus some sections of their audience started to question The Killers' "appropriateness" as a contender for the highest rock mantle.
I have previously read that Brandon Flowers was very disappointed with the public's reaction to 2006's CD release of "Sam's Town". In listening to this CD again in its entirety, my initial reaction is one of complete confusion.
Let's put things into perspective. A major record company would be pushing for "more of the same" if a rock band's 1st CD release is a commercial smash. Unfortunately, "Sam's Town" was essentially a concept CD focussing on Flowers' early years in Las Vegas. Call me a cynic, however concept CDs are a sure fire bet in alienating your listening audience. Any momentum that The Killers had in being the next U2 or Coldplay was lost at this point...
This being said, "Sam's Town" does have its moments. The Killers get it right with "Read My Mind"; an interesting intro and a well structured pop song. However, "When You Were Young" & "Bones" [the other singles from the CD] are essentially the same song with different lyrics.
Ignoring the 2007 B-side CD "Sawdust", 2008's "Day & Age" was the all important 3rd CD and an opportunity for the group to retain a critical mass following. If anything, The Killers' moved further away from a commercial audience, with "Human" being the only single of note to be released from a generally disappointing CD.
From that point, all of the usual rumours applied to The Killers. There were numerous stories in the media that the band's 2008/ 2009 world tour was "downsized" from stadiums to theatres, plus there was the constant speculation of friction amongst band members. A self-imposed hiatus was promptly followed by Flowers' solo debut, which hasn't been particularly well received by the media.
The Killers do have a realisic chance of being a very successful rock band, because they can write great commercial songs, plus Brandon Flowers is a very interesting personality. At this stage, they need to decide upon their musical genre direction and stick to this path. I can hear far too many blatant influences in their songs [Queen, new age Punk, David Bowie, Icehouse, Bruce Springsteen], thus they need to rediscover a level of musical focus and the world could be their oyster...
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Iggy Pop: the ultimate survivor
The rock & roll game is very simple. You strive for a certain level of success, and you hang onto that success for as long as you can. Sooner rather than later, the success fades away into the distance, and the fan mail ceases to arrive.
Some don't even achieve any level of success [or receive any fan mail]...
Iggy Pop operates via his own set of rules!!!
This is a man who regularly mutilated himself and took off all of his clothes whilst performing on stage, after all.
Iggy Pop [real name: James Osterberg] surfaced from the Detroit music scene in the late 1960's, being the driving force of the seminal rock outfit Iggy & The Stooges. The nucleus of this group was essentially destroyed by a combination of poor album sales [the group was dropped by Electra Records] & serious drug problems, to the extent that Iggy was a free agent by 1971. In a career-changing event, Iggy Pop was introduced to David Bowie [a long-term admirer of his music], who used his influence to arrange a management deal for Iggy & new recording contract with CBS Records.
When "Raw Power" was released in 1973, it was a commercial failure. Self-produced by Iggy [who freely admits that he had no idea about technical music production concepts], the album has been widely praised as the prototype for the international punk rock explosion in 1976. The songs of "Raw Power" were a deliberate backlash against the commercial music trends of the time. Iggy lead the way in showing the world that you didn't need to be a music virtuoso in order to find an audience. If you had a message, and you had the energy to deliver that message in an innovative style, then being anti-establishment was the new trend!
Iggy & The Stooges imploded on the back of "Raw Power", and Iggy has been in and out of the public eye ever since. Ongoing substance abuse problems during the late 1970's and all of the 1980's saw some very patchy solo releases. There has been the occasional hit record [Bowie had a worldwide smash in 1983 with "China Girl" - a co-write with Pop] and some sporadic film work, however Iggy Pop has never been a consistent commercial success.
So, how has Iggy Pop remained an iconic figure in rock music for more than 40 years?
Answer: Originality
It doesn't really matter if Iggy's recent releases are not critically or commercially accepted; it's all about the aura & reputation.
1. The Stage Presence: nobody else moves on stage as does Iggy.
2. The Famous Friends: it helps to have been associated with one of the most famous men in history. David Bowie's 1973 hit single "The Jean Genie" is a tribute to Iggy Pop.
3. The Lifestyle: it remains a miracle of science that Iggy continues to live & breathe, based upon the level of physical & physiological abuse extolled upon himself, by himself.
4. The Influence: artists such as Kurt Cobain, Johnny Rotten, Mick Jones [The Clash] & Jack White [White Stripes] have all publicly acknowledged Iggy's craft. The critically-acclaimed 1999 movie "Velvet Goldmine" is assumed to have been based upon the relationship between Iggy Pop and David Bowie. How many non-commercially successful artists have had major motion pictures released about their life?
Despite being branded a "loser" for much of the 1970's & 1980's for repeatedly throwing away opportunities to secure "rock & roll riches", Iggy Pop is now a wealthy man with a reputation to die for.
Many musicians have come & gone over the past 40 years, however Iggy Pop has outdone [and outlasted] them all.
A HUGE name in the history of alternative rock...
Some don't even achieve any level of success [or receive any fan mail]...
Iggy Pop operates via his own set of rules!!!
This is a man who regularly mutilated himself and took off all of his clothes whilst performing on stage, after all.
Iggy Pop [real name: James Osterberg] surfaced from the Detroit music scene in the late 1960's, being the driving force of the seminal rock outfit Iggy & The Stooges. The nucleus of this group was essentially destroyed by a combination of poor album sales [the group was dropped by Electra Records] & serious drug problems, to the extent that Iggy was a free agent by 1971. In a career-changing event, Iggy Pop was introduced to David Bowie [a long-term admirer of his music], who used his influence to arrange a management deal for Iggy & new recording contract with CBS Records.
When "Raw Power" was released in 1973, it was a commercial failure. Self-produced by Iggy [who freely admits that he had no idea about technical music production concepts], the album has been widely praised as the prototype for the international punk rock explosion in 1976. The songs of "Raw Power" were a deliberate backlash against the commercial music trends of the time. Iggy lead the way in showing the world that you didn't need to be a music virtuoso in order to find an audience. If you had a message, and you had the energy to deliver that message in an innovative style, then being anti-establishment was the new trend!
Iggy & The Stooges imploded on the back of "Raw Power", and Iggy has been in and out of the public eye ever since. Ongoing substance abuse problems during the late 1970's and all of the 1980's saw some very patchy solo releases. There has been the occasional hit record [Bowie had a worldwide smash in 1983 with "China Girl" - a co-write with Pop] and some sporadic film work, however Iggy Pop has never been a consistent commercial success.
So, how has Iggy Pop remained an iconic figure in rock music for more than 40 years?
Answer: Originality
It doesn't really matter if Iggy's recent releases are not critically or commercially accepted; it's all about the aura & reputation.
1. The Stage Presence: nobody else moves on stage as does Iggy.
2. The Famous Friends: it helps to have been associated with one of the most famous men in history. David Bowie's 1973 hit single "The Jean Genie" is a tribute to Iggy Pop.
3. The Lifestyle: it remains a miracle of science that Iggy continues to live & breathe, based upon the level of physical & physiological abuse extolled upon himself, by himself.
4. The Influence: artists such as Kurt Cobain, Johnny Rotten, Mick Jones [The Clash] & Jack White [White Stripes] have all publicly acknowledged Iggy's craft. The critically-acclaimed 1999 movie "Velvet Goldmine" is assumed to have been based upon the relationship between Iggy Pop and David Bowie. How many non-commercially successful artists have had major motion pictures released about their life?
Despite being branded a "loser" for much of the 1970's & 1980's for repeatedly throwing away opportunities to secure "rock & roll riches", Iggy Pop is now a wealthy man with a reputation to die for.
Many musicians have come & gone over the past 40 years, however Iggy Pop has outdone [and outlasted] them all.
A HUGE name in the history of alternative rock...
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Kate Nash - why the hype??
"My Best Friend Is You" Kate Nash [Polydor]
This is a career-ending CD.
Kate Nash burst onto the music scene with 2007's "Made Of Bricks", however the dreaded curse of sophomore slump has reared it's ugly head again!!
The media have made a star of Ms Nash, grouping her with the new breed of British female artists who "tell it like it is". Tracks such as "Do-Wah-Doo" and "Kiss That Grrrl" deal with female jealousy, however both songs end up being a giant whinge-fest. "Don't You Want To Share The Guilt?" & "Mansion Song" feature lyrics of incoherent babble. Some pundits might think that Kate Nash is a witty wordsmith, however after listening to 13 tracks it all becomes very monotonous.
From a musical perspective, there is some sort of vague 1960's pop thing going on, however it doesn't really work at all. "My Best Friend Is You" doesn't contain any standout hit songs or memorable riffs, and in general is a very messy affair.
2 marks out of 10, and both of those marks are awared to Kate Nash for convincing Polydor to release this CD!!
This is a career-ending CD.
Kate Nash burst onto the music scene with 2007's "Made Of Bricks", however the dreaded curse of sophomore slump has reared it's ugly head again!!
The media have made a star of Ms Nash, grouping her with the new breed of British female artists who "tell it like it is". Tracks such as "Do-Wah-Doo" and "Kiss That Grrrl" deal with female jealousy, however both songs end up being a giant whinge-fest. "Don't You Want To Share The Guilt?" & "Mansion Song" feature lyrics of incoherent babble. Some pundits might think that Kate Nash is a witty wordsmith, however after listening to 13 tracks it all becomes very monotonous.
From a musical perspective, there is some sort of vague 1960's pop thing going on, however it doesn't really work at all. "My Best Friend Is You" doesn't contain any standout hit songs or memorable riffs, and in general is a very messy affair.
2 marks out of 10, and both of those marks are awared to Kate Nash for convincing Polydor to release this CD!!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
The Go-Betweens: Australia's most influencial indie band of all time?
On a recent business trip to Brisbane [state capital of Queensland, Australia], a bout of insomnia saw me walking the streets of the inner-city in the early hours of the morning.
Heading north, a prominent sign caught my eye: GO BETWEEN BRIDGE. Lodged in the back of my mind was a recent newspaper story, detailing the re-naming of an existing vehicle & foot passenger bridge [linking Brisbane's inner-city to the suburbs] in honour of one of the city's most popular indie bands of the 1980's.
During my teenage years of the 1980's, I was always vaguely familiar with the musical work of The Go-Betweens. The group had only 1 "hit" single ["Streets Of Your Town"], just making the lower reaches of the Australian Top 40 in 1988, however they were a band with a presence. Whilst they were hardly tabloid fodder [University-educated and bookish-looking], there was always something remotely Fleetwood Mac-ish about The Go-Betweens. The "classic" band line-up featured singer-songwriters Robert Forster & Grant McLennan, and their respective life partners Lindy Morrison & Amanda Brown. When these relationships dissolved, it generated The Go-Between's best work and, ultimately, the band's demise. Ironically, The Go-Betweens never sold records at multi-million levels like Fleetwood Mac's best-seller "Rumours"...
I managed to track down a copy of "Bellavista Terrace: Best of The Go-Betweens" in order to re-acquaint myself with the band's work. What struck me immediately was the level of musical influence heard in the songs; Joy Division and early The Cure are very much present in their early 1980's material. It is of no surprise that The Go-Betweens relocated from Brisbane to London at the start of that decade. As a counter-balance, The Go-Betweens were on this planet long before either The Smiths or REM, yet I hear Robert Forster's vocal style in both Morrissey and Michael Stipe.
"Cattle and Cane" has been named one of the 30 most prominent Australian songs of all time, yet it was never a hit single anywhere. Grant McLennan's simple lyrics about his early life in rural Queensland are endearing; the song's iconic status is deserved.
Whilst The Go-Betweens garnered a level of critical success in Australia, the United Kingdom & Europe, they also attempted to gain a foothold in the lucrative United States market. "Spring Rain" was featured in one of those 1980's John Hughes-directed teen movies, however the USA and The Go-Betweens were never meant to be.
Grant McLennan's melodic writing style and Robert Forster's lyrical cynicism [plus the oddity of a female drummer in Lindy Morrison] made The Go-Betweens very much "the thinking person's band". Brisbane is a tropical city, where men are men and beer is king. It was a natural progression for The Go-Betweens to relocate to the United Kingdom, where their musical style was always going to be appreciated on a greater level than the pub-rock dominated Australian music climate of the early 1980's.
This being said, it is an enormous honour to have any form of landmark named after you. The music lovers of Australia should have acknowledged The Go-Betweens' musical stature during their 1980's peak. With the passing of Grant McLennan in 2006, that time has now gone. There will continue to be a thriving indie music scene for ever more, thus The Go-Betweens' influence shall still live on...
Heading north, a prominent sign caught my eye: GO BETWEEN BRIDGE. Lodged in the back of my mind was a recent newspaper story, detailing the re-naming of an existing vehicle & foot passenger bridge [linking Brisbane's inner-city to the suburbs] in honour of one of the city's most popular indie bands of the 1980's.
During my teenage years of the 1980's, I was always vaguely familiar with the musical work of The Go-Betweens. The group had only 1 "hit" single ["Streets Of Your Town"], just making the lower reaches of the Australian Top 40 in 1988, however they were a band with a presence. Whilst they were hardly tabloid fodder [University-educated and bookish-looking], there was always something remotely Fleetwood Mac-ish about The Go-Betweens. The "classic" band line-up featured singer-songwriters Robert Forster & Grant McLennan, and their respective life partners Lindy Morrison & Amanda Brown. When these relationships dissolved, it generated The Go-Between's best work and, ultimately, the band's demise. Ironically, The Go-Betweens never sold records at multi-million levels like Fleetwood Mac's best-seller "Rumours"...
I managed to track down a copy of "Bellavista Terrace: Best of The Go-Betweens" in order to re-acquaint myself with the band's work. What struck me immediately was the level of musical influence heard in the songs; Joy Division and early The Cure are very much present in their early 1980's material. It is of no surprise that The Go-Betweens relocated from Brisbane to London at the start of that decade. As a counter-balance, The Go-Betweens were on this planet long before either The Smiths or REM, yet I hear Robert Forster's vocal style in both Morrissey and Michael Stipe.
"Cattle and Cane" has been named one of the 30 most prominent Australian songs of all time, yet it was never a hit single anywhere. Grant McLennan's simple lyrics about his early life in rural Queensland are endearing; the song's iconic status is deserved.
Whilst The Go-Betweens garnered a level of critical success in Australia, the United Kingdom & Europe, they also attempted to gain a foothold in the lucrative United States market. "Spring Rain" was featured in one of those 1980's John Hughes-directed teen movies, however the USA and The Go-Betweens were never meant to be.
Grant McLennan's melodic writing style and Robert Forster's lyrical cynicism [plus the oddity of a female drummer in Lindy Morrison] made The Go-Betweens very much "the thinking person's band". Brisbane is a tropical city, where men are men and beer is king. It was a natural progression for The Go-Betweens to relocate to the United Kingdom, where their musical style was always going to be appreciated on a greater level than the pub-rock dominated Australian music climate of the early 1980's.
This being said, it is an enormous honour to have any form of landmark named after you. The music lovers of Australia should have acknowledged The Go-Betweens' musical stature during their 1980's peak. With the passing of Grant McLennan in 2006, that time has now gone. There will continue to be a thriving indie music scene for ever more, thus The Go-Betweens' influence shall still live on...
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Lady Gaga - a trendsetter for music sales?
It has recently been revealed that Lady Gaga's singles "Poker Face", "Just Dance" & "Bad Romance" have all registered 4 million plus sales in the USA. That's 12 million plus sales in singles from a CD released in 2008; an extraordinary effort in any sense, and for any music generation.
Whilst it is common knowledge that the music-buying public are trending towards mp3 single songs rather than full CDs these days, it makes interesting research to see where Lady Gaga presently sits in single song sales history in the USA.
4 million plus sales are recorded for "Hey Jude" [The Beatles], "Hound Dog" [Elvis Presley] & "I Will Always Love You" [Whitney Houston]. Each song is a classic, to be revered even in 100 years' time.
5 million plus sales are recorded for "I'm Yours" [Jason Mraz], "I Gotta Feeling" [The Black Eyed Peas] & "Low" [Flo-rida]. Each of these songs was released in the last 3 years, confirming the trend of mp3 sales.
Anything above this level is considered an outrider: "We Are The World" [USA For Africa] stands at 8 million plus, and "Candle In The Wind '97" [Elton John] has sold in excess of 11 million single in the USA. In both cases, these songs were released on the back of extraordinary world events occurring, thus they can be excluded from the assessment.
So, what does this information prove?
1. Lady Gaga is an extremely popular entertainer in the present market. It is very difficult to measure her success in comparison to The Beatles or Elvis, albeit all 3 artists have literally exploded to their level of popularity in a very short space of time. History will determine Lady Gaga's staying power.
2. Music sales revenue is now all about single mp3 sales. This is the future, and we need to accept the trend.
In generations to come, we may very well look back at 2010 as the real starting point for the change in retail sales of music. History has shown that it takes an extraordinary event to change the course of history, and we just may have witnessed it...
Whilst it is common knowledge that the music-buying public are trending towards mp3 single songs rather than full CDs these days, it makes interesting research to see where Lady Gaga presently sits in single song sales history in the USA.
4 million plus sales are recorded for "Hey Jude" [The Beatles], "Hound Dog" [Elvis Presley] & "I Will Always Love You" [Whitney Houston]. Each song is a classic, to be revered even in 100 years' time.
5 million plus sales are recorded for "I'm Yours" [Jason Mraz], "I Gotta Feeling" [The Black Eyed Peas] & "Low" [Flo-rida]. Each of these songs was released in the last 3 years, confirming the trend of mp3 sales.
Anything above this level is considered an outrider: "We Are The World" [USA For Africa] stands at 8 million plus, and "Candle In The Wind '97" [Elton John] has sold in excess of 11 million single in the USA. In both cases, these songs were released on the back of extraordinary world events occurring, thus they can be excluded from the assessment.
So, what does this information prove?
1. Lady Gaga is an extremely popular entertainer in the present market. It is very difficult to measure her success in comparison to The Beatles or Elvis, albeit all 3 artists have literally exploded to their level of popularity in a very short space of time. History will determine Lady Gaga's staying power.
2. Music sales revenue is now all about single mp3 sales. This is the future, and we need to accept the trend.
In generations to come, we may very well look back at 2010 as the real starting point for the change in retail sales of music. History has shown that it takes an extraordinary event to change the course of history, and we just may have witnessed it...
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Who are the "smartest" musicians of the past 40 years?
This is a question which is rhetorical within reason. My definition of "smart" refers to those musicians who are well past their "use-by date", however they remain as visable/ relevant as when they were at the peak of their craft. It could be a unique combination of individuality and canny career management, or other unexplained factors.
My 2 nominations for the "smartest" musicians of the past 40 years are:
Elton John - whilst Mr Dwight has consistently released new material over the past 4 decades, in my opinion he peaked circa 1980. If you closely analyse his career management, Elton regularly aligns himself with "the latest thing" in music in order to keep his name in lights. From as far back as 1985 [duets with George Michael, when Michael was at his peak with Wham!] to recent collaborations with The Scissor Sisters, Elton will always be spoken about in the current music media. A very smart operator...
Madonna - when I turned 13, "Like A Virgin" was at the top of the pop charts. 25 years later, she remains extremely visable in the pop media. Recent duets with Justin Timberlake & celebrity divorces/ adoptions are the primary reason for Madonna's name to be known worldwide by all ages. It is apparent that she will vicariously use her daughter's increasing public profile to stay in the limelight. Whilst Madonna continues to release new music, she is essentially doing what she has always done; changing her image for each new CD release. Quite possibly the smartest player in the music business EVER!!!
I'm keen to read your opinions for other "smart" musicians over the past 40 years. Let's exclude all of the nostaglia acts [i.e. Rolling Stones, Kiss] who periodically tour their greatest hits only. Let's focus on the musicians who really use their brains in order to remain viable AND release new material...
My 2 nominations for the "smartest" musicians of the past 40 years are:
Elton John - whilst Mr Dwight has consistently released new material over the past 4 decades, in my opinion he peaked circa 1980. If you closely analyse his career management, Elton regularly aligns himself with "the latest thing" in music in order to keep his name in lights. From as far back as 1985 [duets with George Michael, when Michael was at his peak with Wham!] to recent collaborations with The Scissor Sisters, Elton will always be spoken about in the current music media. A very smart operator...
Madonna - when I turned 13, "Like A Virgin" was at the top of the pop charts. 25 years later, she remains extremely visable in the pop media. Recent duets with Justin Timberlake & celebrity divorces/ adoptions are the primary reason for Madonna's name to be known worldwide by all ages. It is apparent that she will vicariously use her daughter's increasing public profile to stay in the limelight. Whilst Madonna continues to release new music, she is essentially doing what she has always done; changing her image for each new CD release. Quite possibly the smartest player in the music business EVER!!!
I'm keen to read your opinions for other "smart" musicians over the past 40 years. Let's exclude all of the nostaglia acts [i.e. Rolling Stones, Kiss] who periodically tour their greatest hits only. Let's focus on the musicians who really use their brains in order to remain viable AND release new material...
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