next big rock band?

[whothrewthecake]

http://abcnews.go.com/International/CSM/story?id=1628993&page=1

interesting article....

[Chills]

Do we need another "big rock band"?
There's nothing wrong with medium sized venues,
reasonable ticket prices and a bunch of dedicated fans.

[primushead]

Very interesting read.  Thanks for posting.

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

it's simple, really.  

"rock" music, or what it has become over the years, doesn't enjoy the same market corner it used to.  there won't be another Led Zeppelin or Beatles in terms of "big thing" (as in, not in sales per se) as R&B, hip hop, country, and what is now known as "pop" occupy the top twenty in sales consistently.  what is known as "rock" is splintered into ten thousand sub genres that have no hope of ever attaining such a status, sales or otherwise.

the only hope is for the machine to want a "rock" act to make it huge through exposure and marketing.  clear channel stations aren't known for quality programming, IMHO, so there might be some U2 or Coldplay in regular rotation, but what about the myriad of artists who AREN'T getting played ad infinitum?  

The only reason Coldplay is mentioned at all is because of Gwenyth Paltrow, not because of influence, or sales, or concert gross sales....they aren't nearly as influential as say...MMJ, for instance.  

Also, the "market" is so multi layered now, it's hard to get across to all mediums and make an impact.  How easy it must have been back in the day of nothing but records and radio to make it huge....there wasn't anything else!

[Tree]

are coldplay popular in the states? here in europe they´re fuckin popular. but i´m not a big fan of their music.

[Jaimoe]

are coldplay popular in the states? here in europe they´re fuckin popular. but i´m not a big fan of their music.

They are huge in the States and just as huge in Canada too.

[Tree]

hm didn´t know that. thought they were like robbie williams! popular in europe but not in the states. bad example...lol

[Coltrane]

Do we need another "big rock band"?
There's nothing wrong with medium sized venues,
reasonable ticket prices and a bunch of dedicated fans.

i certainly don't.....i would much rather buy my affordable tickets, park on some weird city street, waltz into a small venue a half hour before the show, and rock my ass off near the stage.

intimacy is the best. to be able to just stand there and let artists do what they do, with all the dedicated fans collectively feeling something special for a few hours.........

[primushead]

I'm not a huge fan of coldplay (especially their latest album) but I did like A Rush of Blood to the Head...pretty decent album as far as I'm concerned.  
They're just a little too wussy and whiny for me to want to keep up with them. :P

[dragonboy]

I'm not a huge fan of coldplay (especially their latest album) but I did like A Rush of Blood to the Head...pretty decent album as far as I'm concerned.  
They're just a little too wussy and whiny for me to want to keep up with them. :P

I agree with Primushead. X&Y is very hit & miss but I do like A Rush Of Blood To The Head a lot.
I just bought tickets to see them live in July. To be honest if more bands came to Japan & I had more choices I might not have bought the ticket but I do love live music & it feels great to know that I have at least one concert coming up (even if it's in July!) Still I shouldn't be making excuses, I have all three albums & like their music.

I think I can see why Coldplay are so popular. They write simple catchy pop/rock tunes that appeal to the masses. Their albums have the perfect mix of ballads amongst the slighter 'rockier' tracks.
It's that simple. I'm not saying they're a great band, I'm not saying they should be as popular as they are but when you look at the what sells today pop & rock wise it's easy to see how Coldplay reaches out to such a large audience.

Chris Martin does seem like a bit of a baby but your average CD buyer doesn't read any of the intelligent music press anyway & they don't care about politics full stop let alone the politics of Chris Martin. Should music & politics mix? that's up to the person making the music & the person listening. IMO his heart seems to be in the right place & even if only a couple of kids take note & hit fairtrade.org.uk because he's scribbled something on his hand then he's done a good job in my book.
I mean come on, how can you not love a guy who names his children after pieces of fruit?  ;)

[Jaimoe]

I find it a no-brainer why Coldplay are popular. They write soulful slow to mid-tempo power-ballads with good melodies and lyrics, which appeal to a large and ever growing female fanbase. The ladies love Chris Martin too. So do the lads that like the lads... not that there's anything wrong with that  ;)

I don't like Coldplay, but they sure know how to write a catchy tune with substance.

[dragonboy]

I prefer the bass player  ;)

[dragonboy]

The Beatles with Billy Preston...didn't know he was ever credited like that. Thanks Chris!
Anyone know if the sleeve also says ...with Billy Preston?

[dragonboy]

No it doesn't...
Fuck Coldplay, now there's a great pop band right there!

[ali]

i have nothing against coldplay as such - i like their first two albums - particularly a rush of blood to the head, but i haven't bought x & y. i guess maybe i've reached my wussy/whiny music threshold with these guys.

you're right dragonboy - his heart is in the right place, and even though i'm not a huge fan of people pushing their politics at me, he (& i guess bono & st. bob) have a very very good point.

they're touring here in july too - i think tickets went on sale in november last year, which is plain ridiculous... they're playing a massive "stadium" gig, so i'm not going. now if they played at a small, interesting venue, i might have gone... U2 is filling my stadium quota for this year (ie 1 gig per year - last year was radiohead.... :) )

the bass player is way cuter than chris "oh my god i'm going bald" martin  ;D

[primushead]

Do we need another "big rock band"?
There's nothing wrong with medium sized venues,
reasonable ticket prices and a bunch of dedicated fans.

I prefer the smaller, more intimate settings when seeing a show...but it is a hell of alot of fun to see a big band in a big arena/stadium.  The spectacle of a huge rock show is unmatched to anything...so I think we'll always need SOME sort of big band around.  

[saki]

I think the reason why U2 was able to conquer the world as a massive rock act was that in their 80's heyday it seemed like they really wanted to be huge in the US.  I mean look at the documentary "rattle and hum."  They wanted America to accept them as something sort of Beatle-esque.  They accomplished that because they had the talent, the ambition, and the albums (the Joshua Tree is a classic!).  But, they also followed up the 80's with a great album to kick off the 90's in "Achtung Baby."  Although, they did have a bit of a lapse with subsequent albums in the 90's.  And again in 2000 they came back with another pretty huge album.  I'd say the same thing with Bruce Springsteen.  

Coldplay, could actually do the same thing because like someone posted earlier they have all the right elements.  But, I really don't think they want that.  Martin isn't politically outspoken at all.  That's fine.  He still makes a good statement but he doesn't strive to force it on people.  He just makes it in his own quiet way.  

As far as whether there should be another huge rock act.  I don't really care.  But, I do have to admit U2 and Bruce Springsteen were really inspiring when they did it.  "Born in the USA" is one of my favorite albums of all time.  Possibly for sentimental reasons because it reminds me of my childhood, but it's also a great, inspiring album by itself.  

So, it's cool if someone else does it, but if it doesn't happen that's okay too because I get plenty of inspiration from MMJ and other bands.  

[MickeyReds]

Radiohead........Anyone?

[MMJ_fanatic]

I pick the guys from "Lou-ah-vulle" over Colplay any day for this title...