Why did Paul Weller, An Artist With Such An Excellent Body of Work Never Make it In The USA?

A direct offshoot of The Kinks

 

That's a similar story to Cold Chisel, after ten years of thumping it out in Australia, and ruling the waves, going to the US and being unknowns with no real respect was just too big a leap to make.

 

"mid tempo plodmeister" ??? I strongly disagree.

 

Other than UK and Ireland where else is he a big star?

 

Yet the Kinks always had strong US following. They toured the US steadily during the 70s and 80s as did Ray solo.

 

Yet Richard has done well in the Realm of PATCO.

 

Richard Thompson has a strong, dedicated following in the USA. It's not chart-topping levels of success, but he regularly plays sold-out shows in theaters. I'd guess that it's roughly the same level of success he has in the UK. Besides having a home in the USA, he tours here as often as he tours in the UK, perhaps even more (since there are more cities he can play here).

 

Well, I rather lose Styx, Dobbie Brothers and Foghat instead of Paul Weller

 

Well that is true, but arguably the bands key years are the sixties for most people, and the touring ban hobbled all those years, to the point where they dont generally get the kudos that the Beatles and Stones do, and they were every bit as important, and influential

 

Styx, Toto, Journey, etc., I agree

If only Paul were as seamlessly funky as 1st era Doobies, that’d be awesome. Hell, even at this point Michael McDonald would be a big help to Paul nowadays.

Foghat are British and did the relentless touring most UK acts were too lazy to do.

 

The Tragically Hip, an arena band in their native Canada and a House of Blues type venue band in America, were regularly asked why they weren't successful in the US or if they were too Canadian. Their answer was usually along the lines that they were a success because they were able to continue tour here and not every band gets to do that. The same could be said for Paul Weller, Richard Thompson, Squeeze and even American acts like James McMurtry, Dan Baird or Jon Dee Graham. All talented and respected acts who never really commercially broke thru.

Making it in the music industry really isn't being a superstar. Not everyone gets to be the Beatles or the Stones. Every number one single is not by a great or deserving act. Weller is in his 6th decade making music for a living and he has a small, but loyal, following in the United States. I'd say he's done alright for himself.

 

I'm well aware of all that. Still, to me there's a disconnect between his first-rate songwriting abilities, his monster guitar playing & the level of success/name recognition he's achieved. Heck, in an alternate universe, teenage guitar shredders would be learning his licks. But most mainstream rock fans (not geeks like us) have simply never heard of the guy.

 

The Dobbie Brothers? Oh yeah, that old vaudeville duo that had such "hits" as "Gertie Got Her Garters All Twisted" & "Mabel Gets Excited".

Yeah, they can go. So can Stynx, errrr, I mean Styx.

The Doobie Brothers on the other hand, they stay.

As for Foghat, I've got Foghat Live & the reunion live album Road Cases, & that's plenty for me. I had several studio albums by them back in the day, but not anymore.

 

Your comment about being seamlessly funky makes me remember why though I liked the Jam & Style Council, they never stuck with me, they always felt just a bit self conscious when they got soulful or funky. It was like they were too aware of that aspect of their music & never quite got natural at it.

 

The Kinks adapted there sound to appeal commercially to a US audience, especially in the mid to late 70s their records fittted well on the radio with Foreigner/Bad Company et al.

 

The Tragically Hip a good pub band

 

Your previous post was stating that Thompson, like Weller, was "too British to be understood by an American audience." That's what I was addressing with my post. Your follow-up post is making a different argument.

Thompson's music was never designed to appeal to "mainstream rock" fans. So it's not hard to understand why he isn't a household name. But he's made a successful career doing it his way and has found appeal with both British and American audiences to sustain himself.

 

Whatever. Just making a comment about Weller on the eve of the new album. Could just as well have been about his best albums. Will try to be more precise in future

 

I remember reading an interview with Weller way back in the 80s where he talked about admiring Ray Davies for not putting Americanisms into his lyrics. I think that's a big part of it. Weller's lyrics are a bit part of what made the Jam great and they definitely speak to a British audience. There's just not that much for Americans to relate to lyrically.

I love The Jam and the Style Council but the solo albums just don't really do much for me. Maybe I need to put in a bit more listening time. By the way, not new but this was a really good program on Showtime.

Long Hot Summers The Story of The Style Council | SHOWTIME

 

I was and remain a huge fan of the Jam. Style Council not so much. I have a few of his solo recording and like them. So some random thoughts.

I think the "too British" is a bunch of nonsense. Being British, if anything, helps an artist in the States and probably Canada.

The Jam are permanently in the Punk Pantheon that includes the Clash, the Pistols, the Ramones, the NY Dolls, and maybe some others. None of these bands sold particularly well, except for the Clash and only after they moved away from Punk. People who liked Punk really liked it. But they were a minority. So while it is unfortunate that the Jam did not do better over here, they had lots of company including many home grown acts.

His solo stuff is quite good, but he has a lot of competition over here. And maybe that is where is reluctance to tour the States comes into play. I still recall an interview from his Jam days where he subtly sneered at the idea of "making it" in the US. Hey, I get it. He's proud, whatever. But ... your ... fans ... over here.

I saw him the last time he toured the States. He was pretty good despite having the stage persona of someone from Foghat.

We live in a world that is often characterized by random elements. Some artists just never make it big in some places. Cliff Richard would be the poster boy.

 

from "English Rose":

No matter where I roam
I will return to my English rose
For no bonds can ever tempt me from she
I've sailed the seven seas,
Flown the whole blue sky.
But I've returned with haste to where my
Love does lie.

I would say stuff like this is too British to be understood even by the British.

Not even employees at a Disneyland pub talk this way.

 

Anti-American? He made a whole LP of house music!

 

All his influences are filtered through a British conduit first.

 

I have no idea what that means in this context, but OK.

 

Not anti-American at all. Anti-establishment back in the day