# Best UK bands that never 'broke' America **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2018, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788 "2018-03-18T17:24:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/1 "2018-03-18T17:24:14Z")
UK bands have been very successful in breaking the American market: the top 4 best-selling bands of all-time are from the UK and the key to that success has always been the easy transition to the huge American market. However there have been a few UK bands that have enjoyed notable success and acclaim in the UK, but are virtually unknown in the USA or have a much-reduced profile. My top three (and this is more about personal preference than using an objective measure): 1. The Stone Roses - hugely influential Manchester indie band of the late 80s/early 90s who took indie music in new directions. Minor indie success in the USA, but widely regarded as the most important band of their time in the UK 2. The Jam - Surrey punk/new wave band. Regarded as having a similar stature to the Clash and Sex Pistols in the UK, very commercially successful in the UK and regarded as the key force in the evolution of new wave. Barely made a dent stateside. 3. Adam and the Ants - London based new wave/pop band. Originating from the early days of UK punk, they became an all-pervading force in UK pop music in the early 80s, dominating the UK charts. Stateside they were not unknown, but their biggest UK single and classic hit, Prince Charming, failed to even chart. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/2 "2018-03-18T17:30:09Z")
All of the above on my “gym tape” playlist. Couple more favorites that never made it big in the US: Style Council, (feat. Paul Weller from The Jam) and Pulp. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/3 "2018-03-18T17:41:46Z")
Yeah, Stone Roses and I guess I would say **Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac**. ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/4 "2018-03-18T17:57:04Z")
Not a particular favourite of mine, but nevertheless I was surprised to find that Madness - one of the biggest singles acts of the 80s over here - were a one-hit wonder in the US. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/5 "2018-03-18T18:02:42Z")
I’ll nominate [The Move](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Move). A popular band from Birmingham, with seven top-ten hits in the UK in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but they never made the top 40 in the US. If the band is known for anything in the US now, it’s that it was the forerunner of Electric Light Orchestra. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/6 "2018-03-18T19:16:18Z")
Not a band, but Cliff Richard is a good example of massive popularity in the UK with just minor success in the US. He did have two top ten singles in America, but according to [his wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Richard#Discography), he is third all-time in UK singles sales behind only Elvis and The Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/7 "2018-03-18T19:20:28Z")
I liked [Slade](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slade) when I was young, but I never hear them mentioned in America. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/8 "2018-03-18T19:33:46Z")
> [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](#): > > Not a particular favourite of mine, but nevertheless I was surprised to find that Madness - one of the biggest singles acts of the 80s over here - were a one-hit wonder in the US. Madness always made it to MTV Their videos were there all the time. But they just didn’t sell very well. What about Ten Years After? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/9 "2018-03-18T20:01:30Z")
> [@Sefton](#): > > I liked [Slade](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slade) when I was young, but I never hear them mentioned in America. In the US, they’re mostly known for [Run Runaway](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJwTvBexyJM), which came about relatively late in their career (but made it to #20 here). At about that same time, Quiet Riot made it to #5 with a cover of a Slade song (Cum On Feel the Noize), having more success here than Slade ever did. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/10 "2018-03-18T20:14:33Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Madness always made it to MTV Their videos were there all the time. I’d often see the video for “[One Step Beyond](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOJSM46nWwo)” on MTV in those days. But, agreed, they never made a mark on the charts here other than “Our House.” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/11 "2018-03-18T20:17:35Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Madness always made it to MTV Their videos were there all the time. But they just didn’t sell very well. > > What about Ten Years After? They never had any hits in the US, but their albums sold well enough, especially after [their performance in Woodstock](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW5M5xljdCI), which was a highlight of the film. My favorite, the Bonzo Dog Band, never broke in the US. The entire Canterbury scene of groups were too esoteric to succeed in the US, but were very well regarded in the UK: Soft Machine, Gong, Caravan, Hatfield and the North, etc. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/12 "2018-03-18T20:21:37Z")
It actually looks like Ten Years After was more successful in the US than in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/13 "2018-03-18T20:22:30Z")
The Sound, and associated bands Second Layer and Outsiders. Outsiders forever. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/14 "2018-03-18T21:03:13Z")
Status Quo, a one hit wonder in the US, dozens of hits in the UK and continental Europe. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/15 "2018-03-18T21:18:13Z")
How about Marillion? “Kayliegh” was a minor radio hit here in the US, which introduced me to the band, and I’ve been a fan ever since. My understanding is that they were absolutely huge in Europe. They’re virtually unknown here. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/16 "2018-03-18T21:49:11Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > How about Marillion? “Kayliegh” was a minor radio hit here in the US, which introduced me to the band, and I’ve been a fan ever since. My understanding is that they were absolutely huge in Europe. They’re virtually unknown here. But…the singer’s name is _ **Fish** _. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/17 "2018-03-18T22:07:39Z")
I thought you said “brands”. Was going to say “Fry’s Turkish Delight”. ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/18 "2018-03-18T22:10:30Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I thought you said “brands”. > > Was going to say “Fry’s Turkish Delight”. Incorrect on both counts (Fry’s is not nearly as nice as proper Turkish delight). ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/19 "2018-03-18T22:22:21Z")
> [@Asympotically\_fat](#): > > Incorrect on both counts (Fry’s is not nearly as nice as proper Turkish delight). No way! I mean, I like Turkish delight, but Fry’s is the best version I’ve had. OK, if this goes on longer, it will be a total hijack. Back to business, everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2018, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788/20 "2018-03-18T23:13:23Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > But…the singer’s name is _ **Fish** _. Aye, but his real name is Derek Dick. Dire though Fish may be as a name…well, I see his point. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-uk-bands-that-never-broke-america/810788.md?page=2)