Wow, this Babybull poster really lives in a fake reality. I didn't realize how some of the board's prominent posters also live in that wacky world. Very interesting.
OT: The best NJ Band that never made it..
- Thread starter 24Babybull
- Start date
How can you forget it ? They play it on the radio practically every day. You can have it. If I don't hear Brandy or Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison another time for the rest of my life I'll be a happy camper.
Never got all the enthusiasm for "Greetings". I like a couple tracks on his second album. I look at BS' discography like this, each album got better peaking with Darkness (his best album, imo), then he went bit downhill from there. Nebraska good, BUSA good, Tunnel was his worst album looking back at it. The Rising is his best album after BTR and Darkness, imo
Music industry so different over the past 10 years. We used to buy albums and listen to the whole thing - now you just listen to your favorite songs whenever you want. There are a glut of bands, actors, entertainment people who were talented enough but just never made it. Definitely takes a little luck - music is so subjective. If you don't believe me listen to this guy who Kanye West signed Desiigner. Possibly the most annoying person in music, but he is popular and makes money.
If you don't like Greetings from Asbury Park, then your taste just isn't into Springsteen much. For those of us who were in our late teens and maybe at college when Greetings dropped, you wouldn't understand the excitement is caused. It literally changed the way people looked at rock music . Most of us were into the British Invasion of Zeppellin, The Who, The Stones, The Beatles were just about done but the ICONs of rock, and American Rock was a step behind. Until Bruce EXPLODED.
Lines to buy tickets for him at Rutgers, then small clubs like the Main Point in Philly , the Bottom Line in NYC, and then after the 2nd great album, 'The Wild, the Innoncent, & the E Street Shuffle ' (most personal favorite) all hell broke loose when 'Born to Run ' dropped. Covers of Time & Newsweek of course. Later followed by great albums like The River, Nebraska and others.
Hey, we all have different tastes, I get that. I respect that. But as soon as someone says they don't think much of 'Greetings from Asbury Park", right there we know you just aren't into Springsteen's music. And absolutely no problem with that. Peace.
The most accomplished NJ guitarist who could probably sit in for the lead guitarist of any famous band is Bill Hector.
All Parallels.
Top-notch musicians & great songs, I thought for sure they'd make it. Rock/punk/metal. All three teach music now, I believe.
Top-notch musicians & great songs, I thought for sure they'd make it. Rock/punk/metal. All three teach music now, I believe.
Someone who had bubbled under, with slight success including Jungle Boy in 1986, but has never hit the big time is NJ's own John Eddie.
The funny thing was that Brandy was a completely different sound for them, not what they normally played.
I like Hector but native NJ musicians like Al DeMeola, Joe Pass , saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Count Basie are on another level musically.
I liked Springsteen’s early albums but even after Born To Run, he was still more of a regional sensation. It was the later albums that skyrocketed him into superstar status. Also, I take issue with American bands being a step behind the bands out of the UK. They are all great bands and the big bands out of England had more commercial success, but from a quality music standpoint, bands like The Doors , Creedance Clearwater, The Band, Steely Dan, CSN, The Grateful Dead, The Allman Bros, The Eagles , Santana , Little Feat, etc were right there musically from that era.
Last edited:
Don’t think Gerard is broke anymore after the Umbrella Academy. And they made it plenty big - their reunion tour is making over 1.5M per show.
C'mon, he was on the cover of Time and Newsweek after Born To Run's success, which made it to #3 in the US - maybe a little bit behind some later albums, but he was certainly a national success after BTR.
Franke and the Knockouts had their day in the sun in the early 80s but probably should have been bigger than they were. Franke Previte is from the NB/Somerset area and is actually a distance cousin of mine. He also wrote several big hits.
Absolutely! ...but ranks No. 3 among the albums he released.
1. H&Z
2. Talking in Code
3. Palookaville
4. Retrospectable
5. Welcome to Hollywood
I think there's a sizable drop-off after the top 3.
Also love the multi-artist Slaves of New Brunswick disc as well as several The Weeklings songs.
Yeah, I will agree with that. BTR is certainly a great album and I knew it was a commercial success. However, after looking into it, it was a big, big album commercially. My previous take was partially based on an interview I saw with Steve Van Zant, who said that BTR was important to the band but that the huge success came later.
I played on Palookaville and
I played on Palookaville and Retro…
I love the Bogmen, saw them for the 1st time when they opened for Deep Blue Something at Tradewinds. I've seen them 4 or 5 times since.
Agree that My Chemical Romance "made" it. Heard about them all the way out in AZ and still hear their biggest hits on the radio. They made some good tunes for sure.
A bunch of bands you guys named did make it. They just didn’t sustain it have more than one hit. Bands who never made it.
The Milwaukees
Kid with man head
Val Emmich
The Blakes
Hero pattern
Spiraling
Next tier of kinda made it but still didn’t really:
Parlor mob
Little T and one track mike
Nicole Atkins
The Milwaukees
Kid with man head
Val Emmich
The Blakes
Hero pattern
Spiraling
Next tier of kinda made it but still didn’t really:
Parlor mob
Little T and one track mike
Nicole Atkins
Nice lists! You hit the nail on the head. A lot of talent there, but could never break out.
Atkins came close...