Re: The Great British music debate: redux #5 : Fri Jul 27, 2012 5:53 pm
Ski wrote:
There are very few acts who can match the excitement around their breakout album. That is just why it is a breakout.
I'd agree in the main with that, though it is a sign of a great band when they can better that breakthrough album.....Its why Oasis will never be a classed as a great band - always trying desparately to improve on their debut, but always failing miserably.
It also can help when a band as the versatility to explore new sounds and not just stick to the formula of that breakthrough success... Radiohead are a fine example of this - After the success of the 'The Bends', they could easily have stuck to the AOR sound that particular album mainly consisted of, and which was of great appeal to the post-Nirvana/Britpop crowd of the mid-90's.....However, with 'OK Computer' and the many, different follow ups over the years, which have all been met with varying reactions, Radiohead have managed to retain a huge global following, whilst keeping a decent level of credibility, which not many bands from their era have managed to do.
I think if you look at the list of credible, successful acts from over the years, many have managed to work to this formula....The Beatles, The Kinks, Bowie, etc, all succeeded in pushing the boundaries and not resting on their laurels.
