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We quite often hear of UK bands (and for that matter comedians) not being able to 'crack' America, but I was having a discussion about whether there are any bands who were/are BIG in America but who are almost unheard of here, or who never sold any records here. Does EVERYTHING that's big there make it over here?
We had no good suggestions. Do you?
(p.s. To answer my own question, I guess there are some huge mainstream right-wing country artists who are largely ignored here. But in rock and pop?
[Post edited 14 Nov 2022 16:03]
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USA music question on 15:42 - Nov 15 with 1278 views
In a similar vein - there are 3-4 rock bands that are Australian icons and folks down here are absolutely flabbergasted when I say I've never heard of them. Which is odd given how so many UK acts/artists seem even bigger here than in the UK (especially 80s UK acts - Nik Kershaw's work from the 80s springs to mind as something that is still regularly played on the radio). Examples of Australian acts who I've never heard of until I moved here:
Silverchair - 5 x Number 1 albums in Australia from 95 to 07; Top 10 albums in the US; only one of the albums scraped into the top 40 in the UK charts.
Cold Chisel/Jimmy Barnes - despite being born in Scotland Jimmy Barnes (initially as front man to Cold Chisel and then as a solo artist) is a national treasure with 12-15 #1 albums going back to the 70s - but not one album in the UK Top 100.
Powderfinger - an alternative rock act from the late 90s and 00s with six #1 albums in Australia - never made it overseas.
Birds of Tokyo - a big act from the last 15 years. 5 x Top 3 albums in Australia but no success overseas.
Then you have the acts that would be one hit wonders in the UK but who are huge here - the likes of John Farnham, Men At Work, Midnight Oil and Gotye.
Of course there are many big Australian acts internationally: AC/DC, INXS, Kylie, Bee Gees, Tame Impala, Crowded House, Nick Cave - but most of them (perhaps except Kylie and the Bee Gees) were big in Australia for a few years before making it big internationally.
Not rock, more indie-pop but I'd respectfully add Sheppard to the Aussie list. Award winning, massive sales, a staple of Aus pop music radio, and virtually unknown outside the country.
Geronimo, a proper decent example of its genre, was their only breakout hit and just scraped the Top40 over here.
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USA music question on 16:32 - Nov 15 with 1238 views
USA music question on 15:50 - Nov 15 by Tractor_Buck
Not rock, more indie-pop but I'd respectfully add Sheppard to the Aussie list. Award winning, massive sales, a staple of Aus pop music radio, and virtually unknown outside the country.
Geronimo, a proper decent example of its genre, was their only breakout hit and just scraped the Top40 over here.
Airborne as well. They have a following over here and quote big across much of the globe but not nearly the profile you'd expect
Aren't The Grateful Dead another band that have a huge US following but who have had limited if any success over here?
Grateful Dead, good call.
A fair bit of that West Coast stuff didn’t get much UK exposure, stuff like Buffalo Springfield, Jefferson Airplane (the UK ‘Surrealistic Pillow’ LP is a mash up of their first two albums), Country Joe The Fish. Love were popular in the UK though.
And the #1 UK band of that era that didn’t crack America but should have? Small Faces.
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USA music question on 06:25 - Nov 16 with 1124 views
In a similar vein - there are 3-4 rock bands that are Australian icons and folks down here are absolutely flabbergasted when I say I've never heard of them. Which is odd given how so many UK acts/artists seem even bigger here than in the UK (especially 80s UK acts - Nik Kershaw's work from the 80s springs to mind as something that is still regularly played on the radio). Examples of Australian acts who I've never heard of until I moved here:
Silverchair - 5 x Number 1 albums in Australia from 95 to 07; Top 10 albums in the US; only one of the albums scraped into the top 40 in the UK charts.
Cold Chisel/Jimmy Barnes - despite being born in Scotland Jimmy Barnes (initially as front man to Cold Chisel and then as a solo artist) is a national treasure with 12-15 #1 albums going back to the 70s - but not one album in the UK Top 100.
Powderfinger - an alternative rock act from the late 90s and 00s with six #1 albums in Australia - never made it overseas.
Birds of Tokyo - a big act from the last 15 years. 5 x Top 3 albums in Australia but no success overseas.
Then you have the acts that would be one hit wonders in the UK but who are huge here - the likes of John Farnham, Men At Work, Midnight Oil and Gotye.
Of course there are many big Australian acts internationally: AC/DC, INXS, Kylie, Bee Gees, Tame Impala, Crowded House, Nick Cave - but most of them (perhaps except Kylie and the Bee Gees) were big in Australia for a few years before making it big internationally.
A couple of Aussie bands you may want to check out that didn't get much traction outside Australia
The Church The Reels
Early '80s stuff
Also, Crowded House are a kiwi band ;-)
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USA music question on 06:28 - Nov 16 with 1120 views
A couple of Aussie bands you may want to check out that didn't get much traction outside Australia
The Church The Reels
Early '80s stuff
Also, Crowded House are a kiwi band ;-)
I like The Church - but they haven't even had a Top 10 album in Australia (Starfish got to #11) - I tried to focus on the bands that are genuinely huge here.
[Never heard of the Reels - but a quick wiki shows their most popular album only got to #27 in Australia]
Also - I think it's fair to say that Australia has effectively adopted Crowded House despite the Finns being from across the Tasman.
Not a band but John Mayer is another who is absolutely huge in the States, every album other than his first charting in the top 2 and various single hits, yet never had a single crack the top 40 over here
Quite the dating back catalogue too
Highlighting crass stupidity since sometime around 2010
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