What happened to BANDS

[mikebass456]

2 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

If you are going to include Little Mix as a band then Wham! qualify too.

Milli Vanilli? 

[BigRedX]

4 minutes ago, mikebass456 said:

Milli Vanilli? 

 

Milli Vanilli is technically a solo act (Frank Farian).

 

And that opens up a whole other can of worms, where there were plenty of "bands" in the 60s and 80s (and 80s) where the only band member who appeared on the recordings was the singer, or bands where the front man is essentially the band and as well as writing and singing all the songs they are also responsible for playing most of the instruments on the recordings and composing the parts for others to play if they don't have the technical skills to actually play those instruments.

 

A what about "solo" artists who don't really exist without their team of co-writers and producers?

[mikebass456]

13 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

 

Milli Vanilli is technically a solo act (Frank Farian).

 

And that opens up a whole other can of worms, where there were plenty of "bands" in the 60s and 80s (and 80s) where the only band member who appeared on the recordings was the singer, or bands where the front man is essentially the band and as well as writing and singing all the songs they are also responsible for playing most of the instruments on the recordings and composing the parts for others to play if they don't have the technical skills to actually play those instruments.

 

A what about "solo" artists who don't really exist without their team of co-writers and producers?

Bob The Builder? He had a No.1!!

[Jack]

On 11/02/2025 at 10:09, diskwave said:

The words.." Now with home recording anyone can get a professional result"  leaves me feeling dead inside. Its that very process which has killed just about everything.  Doing it at 'at home' and then publishing means you are not accountable to anyone.... no one is gonna tell you the truth.

Unlike back in the day where in the main you had schooled producers who underestood the need for melody and musicality.. the two ingredients which make great music.  Ive actually been on the receiving end of that as a young sprog.  "Sorry lads its lacking, it doesnt go anywhere....It ain't strong enough for us. Thanks for coming in, best of luck.

Hard disagree. In the good old days you had to have money to get started on recording. Hell even instruments themselves were relatively much more expensive than they are now. Yes, that barrier probably meant that generally people who recorded were a bit more serious about it, but mostly it just meant that poorer r less fashionable artists struggled to get off the ground. Being able to record on a whim and really cheaply undoubtedly leads to more dross, but it also leads to more gems. People like Walk Off The Earth would have never been able to do what they do before decent home recording. There are also people in this thread making the point that music is fashionable, and that your face has to be marketable. Not so if you can do it yourself.

 

On 08/02/2025 at 13:47, Burns-bass said:

Music moves on. 
 

People lamenting the death of bands as a music and cultural force are those who’d believe music peaked in the 60s and 70s.

 

Theres plenty of good stuff out there. Put down the 483rd Pink Floyd reissue and embrace it!

I completely agree. Viagra Boys, Highly Suspect, Red Fang, Doctor Dog, plenty of bands out there making new music every day. The other thing that people stuck in the last millenium forget is that bands have always been struggling against solo singers. Pink Floyd spent 57 weeks in the singles charts. Cliff Richard spent 1182. Ok, maybe that's about longevity as Pink Floyd weren't huge forever. Fine. The Rolling Stones spent 389, still a third of Cliff.

 

On 11/02/2025 at 17:17, AndyTravis said:

It’s funny…

 

The way music is consumed is totally different; my two 15/16 year olds both got phones as they started high school (tracker apps and knowing what they’re up to etc)…

 

I noticed that they would have music videos streaming while they played/did homework/draw etc....

Came here to say this but have been beaten to it. Music used to be an effort. Vinyl and CDs were expensive, and they had to be bought in person from shops that had physical copies in stock. Then you had to find them on your shelf, turn the hifi on and play them. Nowadays you just scream into the void and ask Alexa to play anything ever recorded. Yes there's always been the radio and music in shops but kids today who aren't interested in music probably listen to more music of their choice than even the most ardent aficionados did in the 70s. That's got to be diluting the charts somewhat. As too are the algorithms, Spotify plays things that are already more popular, as does Youtube. Ask it for 'rock music' and you'll be spoon fed stuff that's already doing well. If you're not paying too much attention or you just want music but you're not specific as to what, then you'll be changing the charts without even trying. 

[PaulWarning]

1 hour ago, Greg Edwards69 said:

  Is a one-man band considered to be a band?

 

[tauzero]

18 hours ago, Russ said:

Not really a band, to be fair. Two singers, one of whom occasionally played guitar. But then we're getting into that whole difference between "band" and "vocal group"... 

 

One singer and one guitarist.