Bands that were huge one minute,and then their popularity faded almost overnight

[The Dog]

most grunge bands faded extremely fast after reaching crazy heights of success.

did pearl jam do anything noteworthy after their 3rd album?  Same with STP (their 3rd prob didn't do nearly as well as their first 2 either).

grunge was a flash in the pan that ended the 80s hard rock scene.  in doing so it created one fad after the other (grunge, rap-rock, electronic rock, emo rock, stroke-shitty rock).  i don't think we'll ever see another era where bands (or a "sound" for that matter) just dominate an entire decade.

to add to the list:

Vanilla Ice
MC Hammer

totally disagree with Van Halen - the band survived getting rid of DLR and had a lot of success after him.  To compare the length of their success to that of any grunge band just isn't apples to apples.

[von]

Not in any real order, and I do like all of these bands (sans #2)

(1) The Smashing Pumpkins. Between 1993 and 1995 they were the hippest, coolest, most popular band on the planet. In 1995 they were like Led Zeppelin, got massive praise and had tons of fans. By 2000, they could barely muster a Gold album.

(2) Limp Bizkit. They not only went from being huge to not having any fans, but the backlash was incredible. Their third album sold a million copies off the bat, and five years later they were dying in clubs. At the moment they are about the least cool band on the planet.

(3) Velvet Revolver. Seems that hype is all this band really had. It's a shame too because their new album (which sold 1/10 of the debut) is a lot stronger.

(4) Van Halen. They lasted 15 years, changed singers, had an unbroken chain of platinum albums and survived grunge only to slit their wrists career wise by dumping Hagar, dumping Roth (after teasing fans with a brief reunion) and then going with Cherone.

(5) Marilyn Manson. In 1996 he was the world's most notorious rock star, by 2000 he was a punchline.

1) That just goes to show you how fickle your audience can be. The Pumpkins continued to progress and fine tune their style, turning out two of their best albums in Adore and MACHINA, but yes the numbers just weren't there like they used to be. They became too avant garde for their own audience, which is a shame, because Corgan can write a hell of a pop song. I still love Zeitgeist and am happy he's still making music in any capacity.

5) I'd say Manson's popularity peaked around 1998 with the number one debut of Mechanical Animals. The media witch hunt that followed the Columbine Massacre unfairly derailed his career and did irreparable damage to his reputation. Still, every album since has gone at least Gold, and Manson never sold that well to begin with. They were a niche act who became infamous, but America's got new demon dogs to play with now. Despite an apparent jealous trend in the media, Manson's career continues. I'm writing an article on it now, actually.

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

Richard is just being hard on Van Halen.  Even during their hiatus, there was interest in the band.

My addition to the thread would be any boy band from the late 90's.

[maynard]

Sugar Ray and Smash Mouth? They weren't huge (as far as I know) but had some success and faded faster than a cannon ball (sorry I'm listening to Oasis).

[GeraldFord]

Not in any real order, and I do like all of these bands (sans #2)

(1) The Smashing Pumpkins. Between 1993 and 1995 they were the hippest, coolest, most popular band on the planet. In 1995 they were like Led Zeppelin, got massive praise and had tons of fans. By 2000, they could barely muster a Gold album.

(2) Limp Bizkit. They not only went from being huge to not having any fans, but the backlash was incredible. Their third album sold a million copies off the bat, and five years later they were dying in clubs. At the moment they are about the least cool band on the planet.

(3) Velvet Revolver. Seems that hype is all this band really had. It's a shame too because their new album (which sold 1/10 of the debut) is a lot stronger.

(4) Van Halen. They lasted 15 years, changed singers, had an unbroken chain of platinum albums and survived grunge only to slit their wrists career wise by dumping Hagar, dumping Roth (after teasing fans with a brief reunion) and then going with Cherone.

(5) Marilyn Manson. In 1996 he was the world's most notorious rock star, by 2000 he was a punchline.

1) That just goes to show you how fickle your audience can be. The Pumpkins continued to progress and fine tune their style, turning out two of their best albums in Adore and MACHINA, but yes the numbers just weren't there like they used to be. They became too avant garde for their own audience, which is a shame, because Corgan can write a hell of a pop song. I still love Zeitgeist and am happy he's still making music in any capacity.

5) I'd say Manson's popularity peaked around 1998 with the number one debut of Mechanical Animals. The media witch hunt that followed the Columbine Massacre unfairly derailed his career and did irreparable damage to his reputation. Still, every album since has gone at least Gold, and Manson never sold that well to begin with. They were a niche act who became infamous, but America's got new demon dogs to play with now. Despite an apparent jealous trend in the media, Manson's career continues. I'm writing an article on it now, actually.

You might be right about the Pumpkins. And I wasn't criticizing the band--just pointing out that their audience dropped off considerably.

I got to disagree about Manson though. While MA debuted at #1 (as did GAOG) his star was starting to wane at that point. I think the Bowie-esque glam thing was great, but it alienated a lot of older fans. Plus a lot of pissed off teens that so loved AS, were starting to move on my the late 90s, early 00s. And I don't think any of Manson's last three albums went Gold.

I don't think the Columbine shooting really hurt his career. By that point, you either liked Manson or didn't anyway. I don't think there were too many people that stopped buying his albums because of all that nonsense.

As for Van Halen--they absolutely shot themselves in the foot. They went from surviving grunge and staying relevant (along with Aerosmith) to playing half empty arenas with Gary Cherone. Before this current tour with DLR they were just considered a dinosaur act, because they did nothing for almost ten years and their last tour in 2004 was pretty bad by most accounts. 

[andy1981]

what about Crazytown?

[Fingers]

Limp Bizkit-they faded so fast, Hottie and the Blowfish, I remember how huge Creed got (overplay killed them-they were on the radio so much) Spin Doctors.

[the dirt]

5) I'd say Manson's popularity peaked around 1998 with the number one debut of Mechanical Animals.

You're nuts. His popularity was at it's peak in the few weeks following "Antichrist Superstar" when there was still a lot of mystique surrounding him and his band.

[AxlsMainMan]

Ricky Martin..

[von]

Not in any real order, and I do like all of these bands (sans #2)

(1) The Smashing Pumpkins. Between 1993 and 1995 they were the hippest, coolest, most popular band on the planet. In 1995 they were like Led Zeppelin, got massive praise and had tons of fans. By 2000, they could barely muster a Gold album.

(2) Limp Bizkit. They not only went from being huge to not having any fans, but the backlash was incredible. Their third album sold a million copies off the bat, and five years later they were dying in clubs. At the moment they are about the least cool band on the planet.

(3) Velvet Revolver. Seems that hype is all this band really had. It's a shame too because their new album (which sold 1/10 of the debut) is a lot stronger.

(4) Van Halen. They lasted 15 years, changed singers, had an unbroken chain of platinum albums and survived grunge only to slit their wrists career wise by dumping Hagar, dumping Roth (after teasing fans with a brief reunion) and then going with Cherone.

(5) Marilyn Manson. In 1996 he was the world's most notorious rock star, by 2000 he was a punchline.

1) That just goes to show you how fickle your audience can be. The Pumpkins continued to progress and fine tune their style, turning out two of their best albums in Adore and MACHINA, but yes the numbers just weren't there like they used to be. They became too avant garde for their own audience, which is a shame, because Corgan can write a hell of a pop song. I still love Zeitgeist and am happy he's still making music in any capacity.

5) I'd say Manson's popularity peaked around 1998 with the number one debut of Mechanical Animals. The media witch hunt that followed the Columbine Massacre unfairly derailed his career and did irreparable damage to his reputation. Still, every album since has gone at least Gold, and Manson never sold that well to begin with. They were a niche act who became infamous, but America's got new demon dogs to play with now. Despite an apparent jealous trend in the media, Manson's career continues. I'm writing an article on it now, actually.

You might be right about the Pumpkins. And I wasn't criticizing the band--just pointing out that their audience dropped off considerably.

I got to disagree about Manson though. While MA debuted at #1 (as did GAOG) his star was starting to wane at that point. I think the Bowie-esque glam thing was great, but it alienated a lot of older fans. Plus a lot of pissed off teens that so loved AS, were starting to move on my the late 90s, early 00s. And I don't think any of Manson's last three albums went Gold.

I don't think the Columbine shooting really hurt his career. By that point, you either liked Manson or didn't anyway. I don't think there were too many people that stopped buying his albums because of all that nonsense.

As for Van Halen--they absolutely shot themselves in the foot. They went from surviving grunge and staying relevant (along with Aerosmith) to playing half empty arenas with Gary Cherone. Before this current tour with DLR they were just considered a dinosaur act, because they did nothing for almost ten years and their last tour in 2004 was pretty bad by most accounts. 

I see where you're coming from. Anyway, I don't mean to pick apart your posts but Holy Wood, Golden Age, and Lest We Forget were all certified Gold. Eat Me, Drink Me we'll see in time I guess

[GeraldFord]

Yeah? Didn't know the sales of HW and GAOG.

Anyway, I'm in love with EMDM, one of the best CDs of 2007, IMHO.

[The Dog]

what about Crazytown?

who?

 

[jarmo]

The Smashing Pumpkins. Between 1993 and 1995 they were the hippest, coolest, most popular band on the planet. In 1995 they were like Led Zeppelin, got massive praise and had tons of fans. By 2000, they could barely muster a Gold album..

Considering Tonight, Tonight came out in 1996 and won MTV VMAs that year I'd say they stuck around a little longer than 1995.

I guess they did what many bands do after they reach a certain point in their careers, try something new. The masses just didn't like Adore....



Most bands go through that mind of phases.

Look at bands like Iron Maiden, who were paying clubs in the 90s.




/jarmo

[von]

Yeah? Didn't know the sales of HW and GAOG.

Anyway, I'm in love with EMDM, one of the best CDs of 2007, IMHO.

I love EMDM, too. I don't get the fans who call it weak.

[GeraldFord]

The Smashing Pumpkins. Between 1993 and 1995 they were the hippest, coolest, most popular band on the planet. In 1995 they were like Led Zeppelin, got massive praise and had tons of fans. By 2000, they could barely muster a Gold album..

Considering Tonight, Tonight came out in 1996 and won MTV VMAs that year I'd say they stuck around a little longer than 1995.

I guess they did what many bands do after they reach a certain point in their careers, try something new. The masses just didn't like Adore....



Most bands go through that mind of phases.

Look at bands like Iron Maiden, who were paying clubs in the 90s.




/jarmo

Not to nitpick, but the album that "Tonight Tonight" was on, came out in 1995. I am using 1995 as a point of reference as being the apex of that band's popularity, but obviously they were still big in 1996 as well. I think Adore (1998) was the beginning of their commercial decline, and by 2000 only the die-hards were left.

Although I think they have made a respectable comeback, as I think Zeitgeist is their best work since MCATIS.

As for Iron Maiden in the 90s...they were with a shitty singer for two bad albums, and the two before that with Dickinson were also bad. So considering every Maiden album of the 90s sucked, and considering they were touring with Baily, it's no surprise that they were touring clubs at the time. 

[Fingers]

For Smashing Pumkins, they ran right into the beginning of Britney, Backstreet boys as far as coverage on MTV goes-around 2000.

[DeN]

i disagree for almost all the bands you named.

but i'll say The La's, just one album, but an amazing one.

[mrlee]

could def leppard be put in this catagory, they have one of the highest selling albums, followed by a fairly successful follow up...after that gone pretty much from mainstream/

[GeraldFord]

Def Leppard were still huge in 1992! It's amazing that their album Adrenalyze sold six million copies! By 1996, no one gave a shit, as Slang was a massive flop.

[The Dog]

a fair amount of the bands being mentioned weren't what i'd call "big" by any means.  The Darkness?  what'd they have, like 1 maybe 2 songs?  I think its more interesting to discuss artists who were on the top of the food chain one day and then overnight were a punch line.   limp bizkit is prob the best recent example

all of the 80s bands went away b/c of grunge.  all the grunge bands went away b/c that fad ended.  now there is no real defining genre, its just a bunch of one album wonders - and even most of them don't reach insane heights of success.

very difficult for a band to stay successful album after album.  bon jovi and U2 are the only two rock bands i can think of that are still extremely successful after YEARS of being around in terms of successful tours AND album sales.