For many years I have read certain names on forums & in mags but never once heard their music played anywhere, not on TV, radio, parties, clubs, among these, for me anyway, are:
Todd Rundgren
UK
For many years I have read certain names on forums & in mags but never once heard their music played anywhere, not on TV, radio, parties, clubs, among these, for me anyway, are:
Todd Rundgren
UK
Todd Rundgren has certainly had radio airplay here.
I suspect this thread will reflect more than any other the dependence of the response on the poster's location. For example, for a band that was supposed to be so hugely influential, I don't believe I have ever heard one single song, anywhere, by Suede.
UK's Rendezvous 6:02 is being played a lot on Dutch radio since its release.
Back in the early days of MTV, they used to play Rundgren and Utopia videos a lot. I remember seeing Time Heals (first place I remember seeing Salvador Dali's work), Bang On The Drum, and Hideaway from Rundgren's solo records, and from Utopia they showed Hammer In My Heart (another of those "What does this button" do videos), Feet Don't Feel Me Now, and Cry To Me. They probably played others too, but those are the ones I remember. They also used to show Nazz's Open My Eyes on the Closet Classics show.Originally Posted by PeterG
More recently, I've seen, I think all of those on VH-1 Classic, along with whatever the single was from the Acapella album, Something To Hold Onto or whatever it was called.
But I remember a few years ago (well, I guess it's closer to 10 years ago now), when Rundgren toured with The Cars, I guess there was a lot of negative response from his fans, in terms "Man, you're selling out" or whatever. Rundgren posted a sarcastic response on his website suggesting that if his fans were that upset, they should be all means boycott him by not buying his albums, and to call up local radio stations, etc and urging them to stop playing his music, ie nobody's buying his records the way they used to and he's not gettin the kind of airplay he used to either, so he has to resort to things like the Cars tour to make up the financial difference (besides which, I can think of far worse "day jobs" than replacing Rik Ocasek).
In the US, Todd Rundgren is 'Classic Rock' and he gets lots of airplay.
We Gotta Get You a Woman from Runt.
Hello It's Me and I saw the Light from Something/Anything?
Can We Still Be Friends from The Hermit of Mink Hollow
Bang on the Drum All Day from The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect
Lots of his songs are used in advertising too. Location, Location, Location.
UK has always been an obscure band here.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-- Aristotle
Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
“A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain
Captain Beefheart
"Normal is just the average of extremes" - Gary Lessor
As others have mentioned I bet you have probably heard some Rungren, but may not be aware of it. He has had some huge hits back in the day on both top 40 and AOR radio. He also got quite a bit of FM / AOR airplay with his band Utopia. For a while there his song "Bang The Drum All Day" was a staple at sporting events and tv commercials.
Especially:
Last edited by No Pride; 05-13-2015 at 04:05 PM.
Muse. If I hadn't gone looking I would not know what they sound like.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-- Aristotle
Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
“A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain
The Replacements
Wilco
Sufjan Stevens
"Alienated-so alien I go!"
It's just a quick search on Youtube and you'll hear/see whatever you like.
Oh, it's out there, just a google away.
But are the bands part of your 'environmental experience'?
Muzak ( or non-xm/Sirius workplace background music ) , for instance has been updated with some 'interesting' alt-pop.
They usually don't have dj's so it's just .....there.
I guess some of the app's that will tell you the name of a song fill in that role a little.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-- Aristotle
Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
“A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain
Pretty much 90% of the stuff that I read about here, until I sample it that is.
For years, I thought I thought I never heard a Beatles tune. Then, I started actively listening to them and I realized I had heard a bunch of their stuff and didn't know it was them!
On the opposite end of the spectrum, I keep reading about how "Bungle in the Jungle" is apparently overplayed and I've never heard it outside of my own collection.
Ian Beabout
Mixing and mastering engineer. See ya at ProgDay !
https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.co...m/bakers-dozen
https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.co...-and-holland-3
colouratura.bandcamp.com
You can hear Todd Rundgren every Friday here on practically every station....for some reason, in addition to "Working for the Weekend" by Loverboy and "What I Like About You" by the Romantics, "Bang on the Drums All Day" has made it into permanent spin on Fridays, especially in the evening rush hour time slot. It's one of those songs that I thought was done by someone else (Talking Heads)...
"Alienated-so alien I go!"
Defintiely, the only Capn Beefheart track I've ever heard anywhere is when play Zappa's Hot Rats album.
Not the point I am making. I'm talking about hearing music played around you, not investigating music on the net.
Thank you, that is EXACTLY my point. Both nowadays and before the internet.
A couple of other well known names I've only ever heard of or read about, but never heard anywhere nor seen on TV, not as a kid and not as an adult:
Soft Machine
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Admittedly in my case, it is a very short list. I don't think I could even make a list of 10.
MC5. Supposedly they're one of those "historically important" bands. Never got around to hearing their stuff, and I suspect it's outside my sphere of interest anyway.
Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...
Alex Chilton
Television
Mars Volta
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-- Aristotle
Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
“A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain
I heard them back in the day. Raw, brutal...not my cuppa but you had to admire their absolute unfettered energy and commitment.
Not even these?
Alex Chilton had a huge hit with the Box Tops
"Alienated-so alien I go!"
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