Bands that were only huge in their own country

[Johnny Kash]

Down under, undoubtedly Cold Chisel. Id barely heard of them before coming over here 10 years ago but they (and 'Barnesey' are revered as rock royalty in Oz). Other than Khe Sanh they are decidedly average IMO. I think they were that huge at home they didnt really try and break out abroad, which is strange as some of their compatriots like Inxs were selling out Wembley around this time.

In the UK I would give you The Jam and the Stone Roses - Roses are known abroad to varying degrees, but nowhere near the same adulation and hype they received all over the UK at that time, they really were a phenomenon. The Mondays were bigger in the US and abroad from memory. The Jam are barely recognised overseas for some reason.

In the US, theres guff like the Dave Mathews band which is really quite popular over there but thankfully nowhere else.

 

[Two Headed Boy]

Im a big fan of the American 80s punk scene. Bands like Bad Brains, Black Flag, Suicidal Tendencies, Circle Jerks etc... were all over US MTV and b-movie soundtracks back then (Repo Man, Return of the Living Dead etc...).
They've never had more than cult appeal over here really .

 

[moathibby]

Did Teardrop Explodes ever make it anywhere?I was happy knowing I liked them.I don't think I ever looked at the US charts to see if these muppets had stopped listening to Kiss.

 

[Plasticman]

Did Teardrop Explodes ever make it anywhere?I was happy knowing I liked them.I don't think I ever looked at the US charts to see if these muppets had stopped listening to Kiss.

I Was Made For Loving You is a great tune, up there with Reward!

 

[barney]

Did Teardrop Explodes ever make it anywhere?I was happy knowing I liked them.I don't think I ever looked at the US charts to see if these muppets had stopped listening to Kiss.

aye cos the muppets in america ken nowt aboot music right enuff.

 

[1875]

aye cos the muppets in america ken nowt aboot music right enuff.

Aye, daft canutes with their Motown, Northern Soul, Hip Hop, Funk, Phillie and Detroit sounds, shite like Simon and Garfunkel, pish like Blondie and Frank Sinatra, useless pish from yon Elvis fellae and his pal Johnny Cash, clueless the lot of them.

 

[Plasticman]

Aye, daft canutes with their Motown, Northern Soul, Hip Hop, Funk, Phillie and Detroit sounds, shite like Simon and Garfunkel, pish like Blondie and Frank Sinatra, useless pish from yon Elvis fellae and his pal Johnny Cash, clueless the lot of them.

yup ... not forgetting all the psych pish from the late 60s that I spend too long listening too, or those shitty Talking Heads, Ramones and Dolls, the whole 70s NY punk scene ... and that crap like RUN DMC and Grandmaster Flash and the Sugarhill Gang that proceeded it ... not to mention the Shangrilas or all of the Brill(iant) building wanks, total pish ...

 

[AG1337]

Aye, daft canutes with their Motown, Northern Soul, Hip Hop, Funk, Phillie and Detroit sounds, shite like Simon and Garfunkel, pish like Blondie and Frank Sinatra, useless pish from yon Elvis fellae and his pal Johnny Cash, clueless the lot of them.

Ah, but they haven’t got the Proclaimers

 

[1875]

Ah, but they haven’t got the Proclaimers

Indeed. Dum didee dumdiddie ah!

 

[moathibby]

yup ... not forgetting all the psych pish from the late 60s that I spend too long listening too, or those shitty Talking Heads, Ramones and Dolls, the whole 70s NY punk scene ... and that crap like RUN DMC and Grandmaster Flash and the Sugarhill Gang that proceeded it ... not to mention the Shangrilas or all of the Brill(iant) building wanks, total pish ...

I think Run..etc already fit into the pigeon hole 'Hip Hop' or 'Rap' or are you going to list 100 or so hip hop artists?

 

[Plasticman]

I think Run..etc already fit into the pigeon hole 'Hip Hop' or 'Rap' or are you going to list 100 or so hip hop artists?

No


I am not

 

[moathibby]

The Clash had to release Give Em Enough Rope first in America because it was reckoned 'The Clash' wasn't 'radio friendly' enough for the Kiss,Aerosmith ladden mid west Radio Stations.It took about 5 years for Blondie to go mainstream in the States,massively helped by the launch of MTV.Same goes for Talking Heads,77 and More Songs took a while to be accepted.

 

[moathibby]

The question was 'big'.I mean take Northern Soul.It wasn't even big in the UK.Most people stopped in the street wouldn't have heard of Gloria Jones, but I think Tainted Love got to number 1?Under Soft Cell.

 

[tricky]

Assume that Gerry Cinnamon is only popular in Scotland.

that English band Bush a few years back I’m sure were big in America but not quoted here, rightly so

 

[moathibby]

Mott the Hoople?

 

[numptyploom]

Mott the Hoople?

I’ll see you! Muffin the Mule?

 

[Hibees-Mad]

Were Hootie and the Blowfish big anywhere else except USA? I'm sure there's a number of country acts as well

 

[Greenmachine]

Garth Brooks...massive in the states, nowhere else really.

Cliff Richard...outside of the UK nobody has even heard of him.

 

[Forzahibs]

Were Hootie and the Blowfish big anywhere else except USA? I'm sure there's a number of country acts as well

Big in my hoose , superb band

 

[moathibby]

I was watching Half a Sixpence the other day and looked it up on Wiki-apart from it being trite and predictable it was never really a hit in the States because nobody had heard of Tommy Steele.

 

[Purple & Green]

I’ll see you! Muffin the Mule?

Martha and the Muffins

 

[Purple & Green]

"Bands that were only huge in their own country"​

How would we know?

 

[Johnny Kash]

"Bands that were only huge in their own country"​

How would we know?

I had to emigrate for mine

 

[moathibby]

Sweet?

 

[GORDONSMITH7]

Garth Brooks...massive in the states, nowhere else really.

Cliff Richard...outside of the UK nobody has even heard of him.

Garth Brooks massive in Ireland. 3 sell outs upcoming in Croke Park. I have never got my napper around why Country and Western is BIG in Ireland. Perhaps Irish Hibbies whether they like the genre or not can tell me.

BIG G