major band missteps

[oh oooh]

Let's get them out of the way first: it's difficult to think of anything really wrong (I mean, taken for granted you're a fan, as most of us here apart from one or two contrary old fuckers are) The Beatles were involved with. At the time, the Magical Mystery Tour film was seen as self-indulgent codswallop, but now its charms are more evident (or its flaws are more readily forgiven, I'm not sure). Arguably they shouldn't have got together again in the 90s to mess with bits of old cassette tape John left in his attic, but I think that overall that brought more smiles to faces than frowns.

So - MAJOR bands. Right? You get more points the bigger the band, and more points the bigger the misstep. Add 'em both up and we'll see who wins.

[loveless]

I feel like U2 almost have a calculated rhythm of impaling themselves on their own sword every decade or so. Rattle and Hum (Jesus fuck) required a LOT of rebuilding, similarly when their grand "Bono's singing Abba and calling the pope from the stage!" giant Lemon era bottomed out with Pop/Popmart, they were back three years later with "classic U2"...which I would imagine went to plan right up until the moment they became "the band who couldn't give their music away". I only hope they stick around long enough to force themselves back into some exciting new retreat in five years.

[rayge]

Jan 8, 2019 0:51:57 GMT oh oooh said:

Oi!

Darkness Fish isn't old.

[Deleted]

It has its fans, but what a load of codswallop.

[doctorlouie]

Jazz Odyssey.

Seriously, I wish that those hexagonal drums had never been invented. Pretty much any use of them (though I suppose their use is disguised in some instances), is terrible. Phil Collins. I'm looking at you.

[Deleted]

Not a band, but surely Elvis being directed so much by Tom Parker. We all know the story, but pasted from wiki:

After the Sinatra special, Parker decided that Presley's future lay in Hollywood. He envisioned him as an entertainment machine, pumping out three films and soundtracks a year, until the end of the decade.He allowed him to perform three live shows in 1961, all charity events. After that, until 1968, Presley gave no live performances and had very little contact with his fans. Throughout the 1960s Parker would continually renegotiate Presley's film contracts, often paying little attention to the scripts or the thoughts of his client. Presley had to do no more than provide RCA with three albums a year, and his film soundtracks did that for him. For the first few years Presley's films were somewhat successful, his albums topped the charts, and any singles that were released were mostly hits. But as time went on, as the Beatles began their dominance of the music charts and the worldwide phenomenon known as Beatlemania began, Presley became less and less successful. His films still made money and his albums still sold well, but the profits were falling. This led Parker to insist that films be made cheaply, on a strict schedule, and with as little hassle as possible.

For the remainder of the 1960s, Presley made films that relied heavily on exotic locations and mundane songs, and he was tied into contracts that he could not escape. Parker did not care if the films were good or bad but only about the profits. When Presley complained to him that he wanted better scripts, Parker reminded him of his lavish lifestyle and that risking $1 million a year for doing practically no work was dangerous. Presley's career stagnated while artists like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys dominated the charts. Parker admitted in 1983 that after 1966, the income from Presley films and soundtracks was dramatically reduced.

[Deleted]

What was the Bowie tour that had people shaking their heads? Glass Spiders?

[doctorlouie]

Jan 8, 2019 16:56:54 GMT @msthang said:

What was the Bowie tour that had people shaking their heads? Glass Spiders?

Yeah. But it was only one misstep of many he made in that blighted decade. (See also Neil Young).

[thesupermoop]

Jan 8, 2019 1:14:48 GMT loveless said:

I feel like U2 almost have a calculated rhythm of impaling themselves on their own sword every decade or so. Rattle and Hum (Jesus fuck) required a LOT of rebuilding, similarly when their grand "Bono's singing Abba and calling the pope from the stage!" giant Lemon era bottomed out with Pop/Popmart, they were back three years later with "classic U2"...which I would imagine went to plan right up until the moment they became "the band who couldn't give their music away". I only hope they stick around long enough to force themselves back into some exciting new retreat in five years.

I feel like U2 are basically one big misstep.

Does that Squeeze record from the VU count?

[lazarus]

Queen's Hot Space LP

[loveless]

Jan 9, 2019 19:23:30 GMT lazarus said:

Queen's Hot Space LP

Good shout. This absolutely seems like a case where a blockbuster masterpiece would have absolutely carried them well into the mid 1980s as...you know...champions.

[Deleted]

Bob Marley's Uprising was a surprise when I first got it. It sounded like they were trying to be fuckin' Third World, whom I don't like very much.

[Deleted]

Getting rid of Crosby, getting in Parsons and recording a country album.
FAIL!

[fonz]

‘Outside the Gate’
Killing Joke

After the (commercial and melodic) triumphs of Nighttime and BTATS, Coleman’s essentially solo album was a disappointment.

[Deleted]

TSOL becoming a glam metal band in 1987