I’m sorry, but I was listening to Led Zeppelin in 1968. Their first album (though excellent) was standard blues-based rock that was common at the time. No one thought it was particularly underground or daring, and they were actually criticized for their unoriginality (and their tendency to take songs without attributions). The big departure was “Communications Breakdown,” which was the basis for their later sound, yet that was a minor hit for them. Led Zep II was a big change from their first album, but pretty much an straight evolution from what they were doing on “Communications Breakdown.”
No one at the time thought them revolutionary, and they weren’t – they were evolutionary.
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Actually, the Cure have broken up many times - or at least announced that they were breaking up. I remember a concert in '89 or '90 (the Disintegration tour, I think) in Boston where when they came out for the final ovation, Robert Smith said they were just going to keep playing until they were forced to stop, because this was the last concert of the last tour and they were breaking up. They then played for at least another 1/2 hour - all the old favorites compiled on Staring at the Sea. Seems I heard they were breaking up a couple of times in the early and mid 90’s as well.
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I’m obviously not going to win over RealityChuck, but regardless, I think my approach to this topic is a TAD more logical than the approach most posters are taking.
That is, I’m starting with immensely succesful acts and asking myself “Would you have expected this to go multiplatinum?” With that approach, I find myself thinking “Whole Lotta Love” sure doesn’t sound like a top ten smash hit to me. And “Dark Side of the Moon” sounds way too depressing ever to sell millions of copies. (Roger Waters certainly never expected it, and ultimately wasn’t very happy about the huge numbers of casual fans the album attracted to the band.)
Most people here seem to be working from the ther direction- they’re thinking up unusual or innovative acts, whether or not those artists ever had any big hits. I mean, Laurie Anderson certainly IS an unconventional artist… but what “success” has she had? At most, she’s achieved a decent-sized cult following (I understand “O Superman” was a hit single in England… but that’s about it for “success” in her career).
I think it’s more interesting to look at artists or songs that have been immensely popular and select out the ones you’d NEVER have guessed would sell.
What about the Talking Heads? Art-school nerds, quirky tunes, global influences, these are the things that unsuccessful bands are made of, and yet they’re in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Good call, Semp.