Posted by: chrisso Posted on: December 15, 2004, 03:59:38 AM
I'm still waiting for a viable suggestion.
Many of the bands mentioned so far don't sell outside the US. DMB have not even toured in Europe (except for Mathews himself, solo).
Steely Dan and Rush no longer qualify as widespread popular bands IMO. I wouldn't call the Radiohead guys 'virtuosi'..... talented? interesting? yes!
It all goes to reinforce my opinion that great music is often created by talented musicians who aren't shackled by technical excellence. Most virtuoso players (Satriani is a great example) are too hung up on showing off their technique to notice their material is poor.
The closest you can come to the popular virtuoso performer is the 'backing band'.
Guys like Sting, Bowie and Gabriel are not virtuoso instrumentalists themselves, but they are good and they've filled their bands with some of the best musicians around today
I'm not sure I agree with this. Dave Matthews Band may not tour Europe (not a lot of US artists do to the level they do in the States), but this isn't an automatic disqualifier. They are a band of very good musicians, who also have worldwide popularity. You don't sell 30 million albums (49th all time in album sales) without having some success outside the US.
I also disagree with your assesment of "virtuostic players" like Satriani. To classify their music as poor because they get caught up in their technique is a pretty narrow minded point of view. While it may not be your cup of tea and doesn't subscribe to your particular experience within the music industry, it certainly isn't poorly written or played. Is Joe Satriani or Yngwie Malmsteen going to sell 40 million albums? No, probably not, but that certainly doesn't discredit their music or their contribution to the industry.
As for virtuostic type bands with popularity, I would have to say that Phish is a band that qualifies. The players are much more skilled than most players on the scene, and that includes session playeres. True, they only sell 500,000 or so copies of their studio releases, but this is a band that lives and dies for the live experience. There aren't a lot of bands out there today playing to crowds of 70,000 without any type of real marketing, or mention in most trade magazines. Those of you who were like me, turned off by the fan base of this group, please, do yourself a favor and listen to some of their live releases, ie "A Live One" or "Hampton Comes Alive". The level of talent in this band is tremendous, and they are obviouslt popular, since they are in the Top Ten in Pollmaster every year they tour.
