14 of those 23 acts are dire. Quite how anyone would champion Live, Failure, RHCP, Local H (who??) as good baffles me. I always remember being told at The Wonder Stuff's last 1994 gig that "The Senseless Things are playing tomorrow." as if was some kind of consolation. "That's the f__king point!" I responded. Dig into any scene you can cherry pick some awful acts as proof they're rubbish though. The sheer amount of 6th Division IndieSchminde Sad White Boy Guitar Landfill in Britpop was kinda embarrassing. So many bands were so bad. Much like Grunge, and every other movement, ever.
Nirvana - whose favorite bands were The Pastels and The Vaselines Soundgarden - Excellent Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath ripoffs. Pearl Jam - wheee uurrr ryye euui aaaaahh Tool - Making King Crimson's ideas a million times crappier Nine Inch Nails - Obviously in love with 1980s industrial music which was largely British Stone Temple Pilots - sucked til they started ripping off Bowie Green Day - the fake punk band where the singer used a fake British accent? Most of the rest aren't even worth discussing because they suck. America had a lotta good music in the 90s but Failure and No Doubt ain't it. PS I'm American.
I just looked up Local H. They've played 2000 or so shows, 13 of which are in the UK, to crowds no bigger than 600 - and 1800 in the US. It took them until 2017 to play the UK. No wonder I have never heard of them!
Some of it travelled. By definition it’s kinda native to the UK. I got a several CD comp compiled by a journalist of this era. Traded it in. Just to pop. Much of it. But a few transcended like all scenes.
I was a little spoiled here in the US, as British bands that could sell out arenas in the UK would play far smaller theaters here in the US. But that's only if they made it to the US, as for many of them it wasn't worth the investment. Heck a lot of them didn't even get US releases of a lot of their albums. Like, just a few months ago, I was able to see Suede and Manic Street Preachers on the same bill at the local House of Blues, whereas in the UK, they'd sell out a venue 3x the size on their own, much less on the same bill.
British bands stopped crossing over sometime during the 80s. We've got more US bands crossing over the UK now.
Gorillaz, the 1975, Arctic Monkeys, Muse and Coldplay have all had recent top 10 albums and decent tours in the US. Other than the Chilli Peppers and Foo, which US bands are doing the same in the UK?
A little late posting this. When I first moved to the US I went to both Blur and Suede gigs which were completely sold out- admittedly it was LA though.
The last British band to top the Billboard 200 was Mumford & Sons back in 2018. Since then, all these American bands have topped the OCC 100: Paramore, Slipknot (twice), RHCP, the Killers (twice), Kings Of Leon, Foo Fighters, Green Day.
Oasis was extremely popular around here, especially during the Morning Glory phase. Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova were played about fifty times a day it seemed like.
This board, like every other music board, has an incredibly obscene inferiority complex vis a vis the American culture. I don't care whether you are American or British, this is the most moronic, Anglocentric, anti-American posting I've seen - you guys are really belittling any massive or influential American band listed by inaccurately, arbitrarily and ignorantly reducing their sound, success or influence to British musicians that weren't original - these alleged inspirations or "rip-offs" meant literally nothing, because as is basic music history, all of the British bands named are derivative of American music - they play in American music styles. So, for example, accusing Stone Tempe Pilots of "ripping off Bowie" when Bowie ripped off American music in the first place is redundant. It's just a silly bit of Anglo-chauvinism. Billie Joe Armstrong used a fake British accent? No, he didn't. British musicians use fake American accents, this is you attempting to project this onto Americans. Nobody cares about The Pastels or The Vaselines - seriously? What point are you trying to make? Nirvana had notable influences like The Sonics and Black Flag, more significant American bands. They sound nothing like King Crimson, King Crimson is boring noodly stuff for old men, like all British music. Tool singlehandedely kicked off the Post-metal and Progressive Metal movements. To talk them down this hyperbolically over your insecurity about American music and American bands being popular is utterly insane. No, they weren't largely British. You are just another delusional Anglophilic loser who thinks America wasn't making music in the pre-1990, or something. Another spectacularly redundant, ineffectual point, considering Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath are more overtly ripoffs of American music - they play American blues inspired rock...on instruments invented by Americans. Zeppelin is openly derivative of Blue Cheer or Johnny Jenkins. If they suck, nothing British ever released is worth mentioning. You can't opinions that vary this inconsistently whenever you need to talk down the American music scene - it's very convenient for you to mindlessly insult every American band named in these musical pissing contests started by incredibly insecure Brits and American Eurocentrists who want to assign credit and acclaim to every British act imaginable. And they keep coming: "The Wonder Stuff" - again, who? This is hypocritical anti-American insecurity. British people get offended that their utterly unearned musical god-complex is not being honored by the largest music market in the world and the one they've blatantly copied, year in year out, so your answer is to get all pissy and insult any American band named, big or small. Why would you include Local H in your diatribe about how 'dire those bands are' if you don't know them? I also think it's really inconsistent to be casually mentioning Oasis or The Who or the extremely derivative Led Zeppelin and then absolutely revile the likes of The Red Hot Chili Peppers or Live in the same breath. It's so inconsistent. The Who, for example, is only known and quoted because they're British, and the British music market (and affiliated Anglophiles) are obsessed with tallying up British bands to try to compete with the American musical ouput, or to try to drown out the influence of the American market. You think they're all dire because they're American, and your fragile chauvinistic ego is bruised at the idea of your culture being influenced by the US.[/QUOTE]
You only like bands because their British (and not American). Because there is justification for putting down any of the bands I listed while getting over excited over Suede and Manic Street Preachers. What boring stuff.
This is genuinely the delusional nationalism I have ever seen on the Internet. You mindlessly insult any American band mentioned, and then attribute any potential musical influence solely to British artists (who copied Americans and played American music styles). This is breathtakingly insecure. Let me more succinctly lay out the facts - much of what you said is British revisionism, considering you can't seem to understand that America bands and influences existed, too: Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath - American copies. Bands like them were a dime a dozen in the US. Redundant to accuse Americans of "ripping them off". They ripped off American music. Soundgarden is an American band playing American music David Bowie - He has no original sound, he ripped off American music. Velvet Underground? Little Richard? Iggy Pop? I mean, com on. An American band playing American music, again. I'm not sure how anyone can "rip off Bowie" unless they, what, paint a lightning bolt on their face? King Crimson - No one actually cares about them - they're as relevant as Frank Zappa or Captain Beefheart (not included because they're American?). They are the definition of Dad-rock. Tool sounds nothing like them. Accusing Americans playing American music styles of ripping off British bands that played American music styles. Yet again. Do you think King Crimson or the British invented Jazz, Jazz Fusion, or Experimental rock? No, that was Americans. Politely pointing out that British people aren't the only ones making music and Industrial music had important scenes in the US, the UK, and Germany. Electronic rock was chiefly American and German (Silver Apples, Cromagnon, Ant Trip Ceremony, Suicide, Chrome, Fifty Foot Hose, The United States of America, all memory-holed because they don't fit your anti-American revisionist history of music - what, "they all suck"? That would be convenient)
You have got to be kidding me - this is incredibly delusional - you cannot be this resistant to basic facts. You have some weird blinders on to exclude any bands from your attention that aren't British, because the VAST majority of popular bands, and the vast majority of bands or acts that have 'crossed over' have been American.
Wilco, Black Crowes, Built to Spill, Iron & Wine, Spoon, Drive-by Truckers... are just some of my favorite bands from the '90s and on (who are still putting out good music), all American bands. So I have no idea what you're trying to say - and neither do you.
You do have an idea of what I'm trying to say. Let's go back to this one, just to highlight the ironic nastiness and cultural insecurity of the Anglophilic, anti-American losers that populate music discourse on this board and across the Internet: This post was made by a user after my post tried to explain why "Britpop" wasn't big in the US, as per the title of the goddamn thread That really sets the tone for how deranged your side of the aisle is in general: 1) The ONLY people nationalizing music to such an extent, internet-wide, just so happen to be British people and affiliated Anglophiles 2) ANY attempt to highlight basic facts about the size and complexity and originality and influence of American culture, and the American music scene on the development of contemporary music falls on deaf ears, and is rebuffed with a-historic posts attributing almost all contemporary musical styles to British musicians and bands (hence the other guy's post, and his redundant claims that STP "ripped off" Bowie or Soundgarden "ripped off" Led Zeppelin - because they played Hard rock, which Americans definitely weren't doing in the 60s or 70s, supposedly?). The cultural narcissism, delusion, myopia, it's just insane. There aren't enough words for it. 3) Virtually any mention of American bands is met with this kind of response: (You really couldn't tolerate one Greek guy's opinion). To the tune of 4+ likes. It doesn't matter how popular, or influential, or acclaimed American musicians or bands are, this forum has an obvious, mean-spirited bias against them and will seek to insult or discredit them no matter what - because they're American, evidently. Americans don't arbitrarily dismiss any listed British act as "terrible" - not because some couldn't reasonably be considered as such - but because the American music scene is obviously much stronger and infinitely more original than the British one, and we realize that this kind of thing reveals an intense inferiority. You know it's inferior. So you have to mindlessly insult. Decades later, the Brits are copying "Drill" and pretending it's their own. Seriously, calling Alice Cooper, Lou Reed of The Velvet Underground, New York Dolls, "terrible", in comparison to British Glam which was only notable for it's styling is OUTRAGEOUS. The Sweet is groundbreaking? They were a singles band who's songs were written mostly by an American. T. Rex is so stultifyingly derivative of American rock and roll that it's just not even worth mentioning. This kind of inconsistent ridiculousness just continues on, where we're listing "The Prodigy" as "Great British 90s bands", and yet viciously insulting the likes of Tool. The answer is that Britpop wasn't good, British music in the modern era is all derivative of American music, British music in general is a bit twee, boring, and not that interesting, and not everyone has to share your opinion. You should also be able to give credit and respect to any other music scene, but all you're doing is gatekeeping musical quality and influence for British people. It's obnoxious behavior.
I'm not concerned with the U.S. versus U.K. debate. I just want to state that Local H is an amazing band. Have they received much attention in the past 20 years? Not really, but their worst records have still been really good and some of them have been absolutely great and deserve way more attention than is afforded to them. Although they're taking a bit of a break from the road currently, they typically tour constantly and have one of the most devoted cult-like fan bases around.
Panther said a variation of what I've been saying a while back, and the Roundel-pfps and the delusional Brits just still want to pretend their bands are better, tout-court. They boost literally every band they have, it's insane. A lot of this stuff would be a drop in the bucket in the US, and wouldn't have what it takes to stand out in the Chicago or LA music market, let alone in the entire national American scene Before the thread got so intemperate, I said the following: You cannot allow a single thread to go by in which you aren't obnoxiously trying to center British music? This is exactly what I knew would happen. We need to play along with dumb Brit-revisionism of music history and the ridiculous homerism and boosterism you people engage in. Why bother when you're interacting with such an intemperately chauvinistic crowd that gatekeeps musical quality and influence like crazy? "Every American band sucks, every British band is better" is basically what you're reduced to posting. Britpop taught a generation of British people a revisionist lie about music history that appropriated popular music culture from the United States, where it originated. Such is the Eurocentric ego.
Of course, we in the US (not "North America", an entire continent) aren't admiring of the UK's "self-sustaining music industry" or print-media. WE have the largest music industry, and ours is much more "self-sustaining", hence the weird inferiority complex British people have about American music. A Canadian speaking for Americans never makes sense.
Didn't even consider the original post. It seems people put blinders on to ignore the fact that the US has always had more prolific rock music scenes than other countries, including the UK. Britain made a wholesale switch to pop and electronic later in the 80s, and their incursions into rock have been meager since. They had a nonexistent rock and roll scene in the 50s and a smaller scene in the 60s. They had a prolific Rock scene in the 70s. Grunge, Alt-rock and Indie, various Heavy metal styles, Industrial rock, Hip Hop, Pop, Rap rock, etc, all dominated - it was a much more diverse scene in the US, as has always been the case. In the UK, it was chiefly electronic, the Spice Girls, and crappy pop rock.
Oasis was huge in the US during the Morning Glory era. The only thing I wish that band had given us was a dynamic version of that record on compact disc. Twenty-some odd years later, and I'm still killing my ears with every listen. Ugh.
Realized you didn't get the reply. How delusional can you be? Are you such an insane British chauvinist that you live in your own fantasy world where Britain has the largest music market? American bands and artists have always crossed over more, in sheer numbers. Period: You realize how futile it is to talk to British people about music when they have no idea how tertiary their music scene is - they act like it's at the top of the world. Long story short - British music is all derivative of American music, ergo, it automatically isn't as good. Generally, the overwhelming opinion is that British music of the 90s was whiny and unoriginal, and was inferior to the likes of Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, The Offspring, Rage Against the Machine, or Stone Temple Pilots. Future recommendation: stop lying about music history. Stop it with the American musical erasure. If that's what you need to do to enhance the British music scene, than Britain is obviously not musically self-sustaining and their music sucks.
