Where The Hooters an overlooked/underrated band ?

I remember seeing them live a couple times in the 80s, opening for other bands. Great shows!!! I never had more than Nervous Night and the "hits" compilation though....

 

Just to offer a different opinion, I've seen them twice and they were magnificent both times.

But then I dearly love their music. They're a top twenty band for me.

 

It intrigues me when people have highly polar views on a band. Such situations provide a great potential learning opportunity. But then again, it is only music.

As for me, I like all kinds of bands, from Motorhead and Jesus and Mary Chain to the Archies (well, they're a theoretical band at least), and there is room for the Hooters somewhere in between. I am a sucker for musicians bringing unexpected instruments into their craft, in this case, mandolins, accordions, and even melodicas.

Recently, my wife has really gotten into a band from Ireland who use the melodica--the Delorentos--and I agree they are a really good outfit. Now, my wife would never purposely choose to listen to the Hooters, but when I recently played "And We Danced" she was quite amused. This doesn't mean she has become a convert, but she does appreciate the talent of the Hooters quite a bit more.

Oh, and if at all possible let's try to lay off wife jokes involving you know what... Then again, go for it. It is only life.

 

Hey, I recommend you get the Playlist set by the Hooters. I was never fully satisfied with any greatest hits set that came before, but this one is cheap and worth it. Vic Anesini did a really good job meshing all the sounds in the musically dense music the Hooters produce. In prior sets, the musical elements sounded too overlapping and squashed; on Playlist they breathe.

 

No.

 

Nervous Night was one of my favorite albums of 1985. I have those stupidly wonderful 14-year-old backseat memories of making out with a cute girl while "And We Danced" played on the radio. That said, they were neither over- nor under-looked, they hit big for a while, and then their time passed. Where is Phoebe Cates, and what is she up to?

 

"In prior sets, the musical elements sounded too overlapping and squashed; on Playlist they breathe."

You know, if the name of the band was only changed folks might gain an entirely different perspective. You'd have to pick the right body part(s) though. Maybe, the Clavicles, or something like that.

 

That is probably a fair assessment. Similar bands, such as the Outfield, had parallel career trajectory romising debut, but subsequent follow up efforts had less chart impact. David + David didnt even bother with the sophomore slump. Smart move!

 

Check out the Bodeans, Smithereens, Godfathers, Screaming Blue Messiahs, Big Country

 

I don't know that they're underrated, but they seem a bit overlooked, in that I am the only person I know who owned Nervous Night on CD/vinyl and played that album half to death as a teenager. (NB: I was a teenager in the mid/late aughts, so I wasn't exactly around for their heyday, but you'd think somebody else's parents would have had a copy in the house.) To this day, they unfailingly put me in a bright mood. Once spring rolls around I always give them a listen. If "And We Danced" doesn't make you want to bounce around the living room, you're nuts. I still do this!

 

"And we danced" vs "Walking on Sunshine"?

 

The Outfield makes for an interesting comparison. Apparently, they were not the least popular in their homeland (England) but were pretty well liked here for a short period of time. The Hooters on the other hand seemed to have been quite popular in Europe, perhaps more so than here. I will say that I really dug the Outfield's first album, very fun music indeed and not meant to be deep in any way. That's what good old-fashioned rock-n-roll is about, and there's nothing wrong with that. The Hooters also produced what I consider fun music. Neither band was meant to last, but I am glad they had their day.

 

I was used to hearing /seeing them as a blistering reggae/ska band. Very few shows exist anymore, you used to hear them on the radio all the time playing live.
They obviously sold out and wrote pop songs to get the big bucks, at least temporarily. But hey, they were never going to break through being a reggae band, no matter how talented.
I figured they wouldn't be able to maintain things after NNight, and that was pretty much the story.
But I did hear that they were huge in Europe for years after NN. I met the guy who was their soundman for awhile, he said they did a festival and were positioned above Plant in the publicity and on stage. wow

 

Saw then in Germany a few years ago in a big venue and really enthusiastic audience so they're still reasonably popular there.

Their song, Pissing In The Rhine, is mostly sung in German.

 

Well said mate: they should be content they had a "moment"; most bands never do. I didnt take into account UK/EU audience for group comparisons.

 

Outfield had a few 'moments', 89's Voices of Babylon's a solid album, did great in the charts as well.
1990's For You received quite a bit of radio play in my parts!
Four albums charted, not bad!

 

Excellent band!

 

Their biggest moment being Your Love in '86

 

I actually know this, because of a work thing: she owns a boutique on the UES.

 

I'd pick "Sunshine" - more energetic, catchy song...

 

"Voices" hit #53 in the US - that's not even "good in the charts", much less "great".

Their 1990 album peaked at #90 and they never had a charting album in the US again.

They did manage 2 top 30 singles in 1989/90 but those weren't big hits.

In 2019, the Outfield = "Your Love" and that's it. They had other minor hits but in terms of cultural memory, they're one-song wonders...

 

Both great songs, I reckon.

Katrina & The Waves are another band that are much better than their sketchy reputation would suggest, to my ears at least.

 

Rock chart singles I'd say #2 is pretty damn good for a third album.
Not sure what this argument is about. I was commenting back because a couple posts wrote them as a 1 off , Not the case Colin.
The later singles still get radio play in my parts, hardly a one-song wonder.
Hooters- And We Danced is all I hear today.
Great band and album (Nervous Night). But lumping them together isn't fair.