Barking Spiders Posted April 6, 2019 Posted April 6, 2019 A reference to Cliff got me briefly wondering for a few secs why he never cracked the US. With his Christian wholesomeness I'd have thought he'd have gone down a storm south of the Mason Dixon line. There of course have been scores of others who've been a big deal in Blighty but who couldn't sell out a venue the size of your average public toilet in the US. Has it been down to laziness, singing funny like, sounding too English (never stopped the Beatles), what I wonder? Quote
Dan Dare Posted April 6, 2019 Posted April 6, 2019 1 hour ago, Barking Spiders said: With his Christian wholesomeness I'd have thought he'd have gone down a storm south of the Mason Dixon line. Nah. Old Cliff may have the required religiosity, but he's too, well, nice. You need to be a bit more crazed about your beliefs to be popular with god botherers in the deep South (and preferably be partial to shooting anything that moves). 2 Quote
nikon F Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 Slade ,,,,,they even moved to America ( tax reasons ?) but it never really happened 1 Quote
TheRev Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 I once heard a (probably untrue) story about an interviewer asking Phil Lynott if he regretted never breaking America. 'I regret never getting to sh@# Kate Bush' says Phil, 'but what can you do?' 1 2 Quote
silverfoxnik Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 Roxy Music never really made it big in the States, despite their success in the rest of the world. Quote
casapete Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 Not sure about these , but here we go anyway. Status Quo Robbie Williams ( seem to remember a doc about him trying to break the US) The Jam / Style Council / Paul Weller ? 1 Quote
Hobbayne Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 On the other hand, that dreadful song 'I get Knocked Down But I get Up Again' was absolutely huge in the States. Quote
Barking Spiders Posted April 7, 2019 Author Posted April 7, 2019 The nub of the thread is not so much who failed to crack it but WHY. Bands like Madness, Blur and The Jam are very English sounding, perhaps too much so while Brit bands who don't sound typically English are maybe be more successful. Then again a lot of Brit bands haven't been prepared to put in the hard slog of touring small town USA so people dont get to hear of them Quote
casapete Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 46 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said: The nub of the thread is not so much who failed to crack it but WHY. Bands like Madness, Blur and The Jam are very English sounding, perhaps too much so while Brit bands who don't sound typically English are maybe be more successful. Then again a lot of Brit bands haven't been prepared to put in the hard slog of touring small town USA so people dont get to hear of them I would have thought mid 70’s Quo would have gone down a storm, especially in the southern ‘boogie’ states. Maybe they had enough bands of their own doing that over there though? Robbie Williams because he’s a bit of a pink torpedo? 😂 Quote
geoffbyrne Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 Most Septics I know/have met thought Robbie & Robin Williams were the same & couldn't believe he had anything to do with singing. Those who lived here & knew better were of the usual mixed opinion of mixed personal preference. G. Quote
SICbass Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 Tony Hancock. Apparently it was something of an obsession of his. Quote
Jazzmaster62 Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 Did Oasis break the US and then unbreak it? Quote
ZilchWoolham Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 The Smiths... I THINK. There's of course a dedicated following all over the world now, but at the time I don't think they were really that massive across the pond. Certainly nothing to the extent of their UK fame, with constant coverage, the New Morrissey Express, and all that. Quote
wateroftyne Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 LIndisfarne. Best-selling UK album of '72, produced by the legendary Bob Johnston (as was its follow-up) but touring and after making an impression in the US, the band imploded before they could crack it. Quote
KK Jale Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 The Kinks were banned from the US from '65 until '69, possibly for punching out a TV exec. It did rather stuff their career in the Land Of The (cough) Free but it left them at liberty to ponder matters pertaining to village greens, dead end streets, South London sunsets and alcoholic circus performers in quite a satisfactory manner. Quote
TheGreek Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 Did any of the New Romantic era Brits break the US? Fairly sure Spandau/ Duran/ Culture Club didn't have much of an impact although Depeche Mode did surprisingly. Quote
Stub Mandrel Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 Hawkwind, Gong, Soft Machine. 😥 The poor Yankees had to make do with the likes of the Grateful Dead. 1 Quote
Stub Mandrel Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 Pink Fairies, Dumpies Rusty Nuts, SAHB. 1 Quote
Count Bassy Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 10 hours ago, geoffbyrne said: Most Septics I know/have met thought Robbie & Robin Williams were the same & couldn't believe he had anything to do with singing. Those who lived here & knew better were of the usual mixed opinion of mixed personal preference. G. You can get drugs for that! Quote
Count Bassy Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 Family: They did go once but rumour has it that Roger Chapman threw a mike stand at the promoter (Billy Graham). Quote
peteb Posted April 7, 2019 Posted April 7, 2019 40 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said: Pink Fairies, Dumpies Rusty Nuts, SAHB. SAHB possibly - don't think that Dumpy's Rusty Nuts & Pink Fairies were that big in this country, let alone anywhere else...! Quote
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