top 100 prominent british bands that are insignficant to most north americans

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This is endlessly fascinating to me as a recent british emigre.

I'll start us off:

1. The Stone Roses
2. Broadcast
3. The Shadows
4. Busted
5. The Jam
6. Suede
7. The Libertines

― sean gramophone (Sean M), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:01 (twenty years ago)

im not sure i'd go as far as saying broadcast have ever been prominent here in england

― charltonlido (gareth), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:04 (twenty years ago)

i always see them in big features/lists in mojo and q and stuff (and ilm) and think "whozza?"

― sean gramophone (Sean M), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:06 (twenty years ago)

haha. no. ILM may be the only place they have ever approached prominance and even then...

MOjo, Q? really?

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:07 (twenty years ago)

8. Kasabian
9. Keane

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:08 (twenty years ago)

10. Crazy Frog
11. Basement Jaxx

― sean gramophone (Sean M), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:14 (twenty years ago)

kasabian are getting bigger in the states, sadly enough.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:15 (twenty years ago)

ugh

12. Take That!

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:15 (twenty years ago)

also, keane have made a hit with the same people who think that coldplay is "alternative".

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:18 (twenty years ago)

13. Robbie Williams

― The Mad Puffin (The Mad Puffin), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:19 (twenty years ago)

oops. i must admit to knowing nothing about North Americans, then.

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:20 (twenty years ago)

you're better off, really.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:22 (twenty years ago)

14. Razorlight

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:24 (twenty years ago)

15. Kaiser Chiefs [or Kaiser Chefs as i call them, is Blur on the Menu !? ]

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:25 (twenty years ago)

16. McFly
17. Sugarbabes

― Candicissima (candicissima), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:26 (twenty years ago)

By "most north americans" i'm guessing you don't mean the legions of anglophoiles here that grew up reading imported copies of the nme and mm, right?

18. Slade
19. Dexy's
20. T-Rex / Bolan
21. Gerry & The Pacemakers

― rentboy (rentboy), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:26 (twenty years ago)

22. Girls Aloud

― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:28 (twenty years ago)

16. McFly

Wait....there's a band called "McFly"? As in Marty McFly? Or a play on the word "fly" meaning cool? Or both?

When did this happen and what kind of music do they play?

― PB, Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:29 (twenty years ago)

I hate to say it, but Killing Joke and the Stranglers and Julian Cope

(most of my faves, really)

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:31 (twenty years ago)

broadcast have a small but v. enthusiastic following in US. just like in UK, then.

― zebedee (zebedee), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:31 (twenty years ago)

kaiser chiefs play live 8 with 50 cent in philadelphia

kaiser chiefs on largeish us tour

kaiser chiefs on a million posters for msnbc on the nyc subway

hardly insignificant?

― charltonlido (gareth), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:33 (twenty years ago)

Dumpy's Rusty Nuts
Five Star

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:36 (twenty years ago)

23. Manic Street Preachers (sometimes us Yanks are missing the boat)
24. Kula Shaker (sometimes you Brits are missing the boat)
25. The Fall
26. British Sea Power

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:36 (twenty years ago)

Status Quo
These Animal Men

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:39 (twenty years ago)

kaiser chiefs ...hardly insignificant? ...there music is.. and they have no chance of being on Pitchork's Top 50 albums of 2005

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:42 (twenty years ago)

Toploader
M-People
David Sneddon
Barron Knights
The Dooleys
Travis

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:44 (twenty years ago)

Kaiser chiefs are currently 67 on RYM / top 100 of 2005
http://rateyourmusic.com/view_album_details/album_id_is_255339

Therefore with half the year to go they are on course to NOT feature in the top 100 of the year.

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:47 (twenty years ago)

Westlife

― gspm (gspm), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:48 (twenty years ago)

Thankfully not British.

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:51 (twenty years ago)

RYM and Pitchfork are barometers of what "most north americans" like? ILM always with the scoop!

― zebedee (zebedee), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:54 (twenty years ago)

35. Super Furry Animals
36. Primal Scream (Are they from Britain? I think they're from Britain.)

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:58 (twenty years ago)

I think that it's most interesting not to talk about critical approval or Pitchfork blathering, but rather either

a) sales (eg, McFly)
or
b) musical impact (eg, The Fall)

― sean gramophone (Sean M), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 12:58 (twenty years ago)

MOST North Americans? I think its prolly everyone outside of the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, and The Zep.

Remember...the only kind of music station you are GUARANTEED to get at any point on a drive from Boston to LA is country. This is a fact proven by scientific research.

― Big Loud Mountain Ape (Big Loud Mountain Ape), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:02 (twenty years ago)

16. McFly
Wait....there's a band called "McFly"? As in Marty McFly? Or a play on the word "fly" meaning cool? Or both?

When did this happen and what kind of music do they play?

Pop band, are they? I'm just a clueless American who likes Popbitch. I've never heard them before.

― Candicissima (candicissima), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:02 (twenty years ago)

kaiser chiefs ...hardly insignificant? ...there music is.. and they have no chance of being on Pitchork's Top 50 albums of 2005
kaiser chiefs ...hardly insignificant? ...there music is.. and they have no chance of being on Pitchork's Top 50 albums of 2005
kaiser chiefs ...hardly insignificant? ...there music is.. and they have no chance of being on Pitchork's Top 50 albums of 2005
kaiser chiefs ...hardly insignificant? ...there music is.. and they have no chance of being on Pitchork's Top 50 albums of 2005
kaiser chiefs ...hardly insignificant? ...there music is.. and they have no chance of being on Pitchork's Top 50 albums of 2005
kaiser chiefs ...hardly insignificant? ...there music is.. and they have no chance of being on Pitchork's Top 50 albums of 2005
kaiser chiefs ...hardly insignificant? ...there music is.. and they have no chance of being on Pitchork's Top 50 albums of 2005
kaiser chiefs ...hardly insignificant? ...there music is.. and they have no chance of being on Pitchork's Top 50 albums of 2005
kaiser chiefs ...hardly insignificant? ...there music is.. and they have no chance of being on Pitchork's Top 50 albums of 2005
kaiser chiefs ...hardly insignificant? ...there music is.. and they have no chance of being on Pitchork's Top 50 albums of 2005
kaiser chiefs ...hardly insignificant? ...there music is.. and they have no chance of being on Pitchork's Top 50 albums of 2005
kaiser chiefs ...hardly insignificant? ...there music is.. and they have no chance of being on Pitchork's Top 50 albums of 2005
kaiser chiefs ...hardly insignificant? ...there music is.. and they have no chance of being on Pitchork's Top 50 albums of 2005
kaiser chiefs ...hardly insignificant? ...there music is.. and they have no chance of being on Pitchork's Top 50 albums of 2005
kaiser chiefs ...hardly insignificant? ...there music is.. and they have no chance of being on Pitchork's Top 50 albums of 2005kaiser chiefs ...hardly insignificant? ...there music is.. and they have no chance of being on Pitchork's Top 50 albums of 2005

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:02 (twenty years ago)

xpost: granted, Westlife are Irish but they are mega huge in the UK and nothing in North America.

37. Showaddywaddy
38. Wizzard

― gspm (gspm), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:04 (twenty years ago)

39. Pulp

― ambrose (ambrose), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:05 (twenty years ago)

40. Runrig
41. The Beautiful South

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:06 (twenty years ago)

so what if the kaiser chiefs music is insignificant? that has zero effect on their us breakthrough, which seems to be in motion.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:10 (twenty years ago)

(and fwiw, i heartily wish that they remained contained to the uk.)

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:11 (twenty years ago)

what a pointless thread.

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:17 (twenty years ago)

stevem - I agree that it's "pointless", but I do find it really, really interesting. Coming here, attending pub quizzes and stuff, and finding that there's so much of the "obvious" I haven't a clue about. There are all these bands I had no idea were so important, and conversely, many Brits have been astonished about my ignorance. It's not about which bands are able to "break through", it's about the parallel (and oftentimes separate) musical histories of these two areas, both of which were listening to pretty similar stuff in the end.

42. Pet Shop Boys

― sean gramophone (Sean M), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:22 (twenty years ago)

the beautiful south are a perfect example of this. some more will come to mind soon.

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:23 (twenty years ago)

43. Chris Rea
44. Corrs
45. Thin Lizzy
46. Gary Glitter
47. Texas

― rentboy (rentboy), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:24 (twenty years ago)

48. Madness

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:27 (twenty years ago)

Sean that IS interesting but this thread is just a list of British bands. How many British bands of the last 20 years would be considered 'significant' to North Americans? And which North Americans? Black North Americans as well as white etc. Anyway, carry on...and welcome to Britain!

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:33 (twenty years ago)

49. Cliff Richards

― marianna, Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:39 (twenty years ago)

I would argue that Oasis were (are?) plenty significant to North Americans, as well as Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Culture Club, The Cure etc etc etc

And by that I mean any band where you have US pop culture integrating aspects of bandmembers/songs/imagery into common public knowledge offers some significance (Robert Smith showing up in South Park, Boy George being a fairly recognizable "icon" to use the term loosely, etc)

I'm kinda treating this thread as a place where bands that were laregly ubiquitous in Britain (even your parents know of/about them) but that have never really made a dent in the cultural consciousness of the states

I think The Beautiful South, Madness, the Corrs, Robbie Williams etc are all really excellent examples of this

― rentboy (rentboy), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:43 (twenty years ago)

Robbie Williams is known in the US, just not as well known. He was on Cribs! The Corrs and Madness are at least one hit wonders.

But if you asked the average person who Beautiful South was and sang a song snippet, they'd have absolutely no clue who the hell you're talking about.

― Candicissima (candicissima), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:46 (twenty years ago)

is it true that madness were a ska band?

and beautiful south are this bigtime spacey pop stuff? with a bit of country?

― sean gramophone (Sean M), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 13:46 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 86 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Kylie has two if you count the one in the 80s

But Kylie's from Australia, or is she now a de facto Brit?

Surely Dido and Seal have had two gold albums?

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 20:31 (twenty years ago)

oh yeah I forgot she's australian. Whatever.

good calls here.

Seal Uno: 1 million
Seal Dos: 4 million
Human Being: gold
Seal IV: gold

No Angel: 4 million
Life For Rent: 1 million

Rather than Elton or Stones or John I'm most curious about bands that started in the 90s who have actually had multiple golds. Chemical Brothers only had one. Prodigy sold 2 million of Fat but the new one did hit gold (natch). Fatboy sold 1 million with Baby and the follow-ups failed.

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 20:43 (twenty years ago)

that should be "Elton or Stones or Stewart"

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 20:44 (twenty years ago)

and new Prodigy didn't go gold, I mean.

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 20:44 (twenty years ago)

Rather than Elton or Stones or John

Or Sting.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 20:45 (twenty years ago)

yeah those guys are from an era where Britain mattered.

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 20:51 (twenty years ago)

though I'm hoping Franz Ferdinand's got legs!

― miccio (miccio), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 20:52 (twenty years ago)

Joss Stone has two gold albums.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 20:53 (twenty years ago)

Most successful Brit in last 6 years, Charlotte Church?

Voice of an angel 2 Million
Charlotte Church 1 Million
Dream a dream 1 Million
Enchantment Gold

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 20:58 (twenty years ago)

The Streets and Dizzee Rascal, no?

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 20:58 (twenty years ago)

And Will Young (rather insignificant to anyone outside Britain)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 20:58 (twenty years ago)

Long Fin Killie (Scottish)
The Specials
The English Beat
The Selecter
Skrewdriver
U.K. Subs
The Exploited
GBH
Discharge
Tindersticks
Nick Drake
Scott Walker (upon relocation)

― milney gauzem (dr. t), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:48 (twenty years ago)

Bush are like the Fun Loving Criminals in reverse, aren't they (in that they're hardly prominent over here)?

(xpost - yes, there's a list of prominent bands...)

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:49 (twenty years ago)

Amazulu
Curiosity Killed the Cat
The Damned

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:50 (twenty years ago)

Curiosity Killed the Cat were prominent in the UK???

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:52 (twenty years ago)

More so than Long Fin Killie, at any rate (I think this thread went wrong a while ago)

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 21:53 (twenty years ago)

yeah, it's weird how the adjectives in the question tend to drop off the further you get down the thread...

― milney gauzem (dr. t), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 02:08 (twenty years ago)

North Americans have heard of these bands...

Keane
Joss Stone
Radiohead
Spice Girls
Mott The Hoople
The Smiths
Adam Ant
Kasabian
Kaiser Chiefs
Pet Shop Boys
Gary Glitter
Madness
All Saints
Blur
Dexy's Midnight Runners
T.Rex
The Corrs

― billstevejim (billstevejim), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 03:07 (twenty years ago)

but not these:

A Certain Ratio
Durutti Column
Felt / Denim / Go-Kart Mozart

― Paul (scifisoul), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 03:38 (twenty years ago)

oops... prominent?

― Paul (scifisoul), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 03:38 (twenty years ago)

Scissor Sisters, at least last year (top selling LP in the UK, pffflllt in the US)

― gspm (gspm), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 11:11 (twenty years ago)

is that a joke? scissor sisters are from new york

― kyle (akmonday), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 11:59 (twenty years ago)

billstevejim is right. i think the title of this thread is misleading, as someone pointed out before, only the beatles, stones, and like, led zep would be at all signifigant to more than 50% of america, and i even doubt that.

― AaronK (AaronK), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 12:24 (twenty years ago)

The Move

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 12:29 (twenty years ago)

Billy Fury
Joe Brown
Alvin Stardust

― NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 12:33 (twenty years ago)

Frank Ifield (OK, Australian, I know)

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 12:34 (twenty years ago)

Status Quo (here known as one hit wonders)
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

― k/l (Ken L), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 12:34 (twenty years ago)

kyle: true, people are treating the idea of the thread in their own ways but the point that they are prominent in the UK and far from that in the USA is valid.

― gspm (gspm), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 12:47 (twenty years ago)

Mud!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 12:53 (twenty years ago)

― Ian John50n (orion), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 20:00 (twenty years ago)

Smiths/Morissey doesn't belong here. Big US following. Might as well throw the Cure in if you're gonna include them.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 20:12 (twenty years ago)

"most north americans"

MOST. NORTH. AMERICANS.

― Ian John50n (orion), Thursday, 30 June 2005 00:56 (twenty years ago)

The Equals
Mungo Jerry
The Bonzo Dog Band
The Shadows
The Pretty Things

― Rev. Hoodoo (Rev. Hoodoo), Thursday, 30 June 2005 04:50 (twenty years ago)

not a band, but I am shocked at how many americans have no idea who John Peel is (was) (R.I.P.)

― Declan Zimmerman, Thursday, 30 June 2005 06:15 (twenty years ago)

Faithless

― wmlynch (wlynch), Thursday, 30 June 2005 15:41 (twenty years ago)

One time I was watching the The Office with my friends and I had to explain to them that Texas is an actual, real-life band.

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Thursday, 30 June 2005 16:11 (twenty years ago)

Catatonia
Stereophonics

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Thursday, 30 June 2005 16:12 (twenty years ago)

was Brinsley Schwartz popular in england? I mean, most americans don't even know who Nick Lowe is, but I didn't even know what pub rock was until like two years ago.

Who is that lady on television who ends her show with "Turrah for now". Wasn't she a famous british singer at some point?

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Thursday, 30 June 2005 16:16 (twenty years ago)

The Kinks

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 30 June 2005 16:21 (twenty years ago)

Scott Walker deserves his own "Americans who are unknown in America" thread

― Cunga (Cunga), Thursday, 30 June 2005 16:38 (twenty years ago)

Polyphonic, you mean Cilla Black.

― ailsa (ailsa), Thursday, 30 June 2005 18:14 (twenty years ago)

That's the one!

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Thursday, 30 June 2005 18:15 (twenty years ago)

The Smiths own this thread.

Mexico is in North America.

― Ala Neur, Friday, 1 July 2005 01:05 (twenty years ago)

Mott The Hoople are a pretty crap group.

Most Australian artists are relatively unknown overseas. Except of course AC/DC, Midnight Oil, Kylie and Silverchair.

― nicholas de jong (nicholas de jong), Friday, 1 July 2005 01:23 (twenty years ago)

(I don't know what number we're on). The KLF

― naus (Robert T), Friday, 1 July 2005 02:03 (twenty years ago)

Underworld

― wmlynch (wlynch), Friday, 1 July 2005 02:04 (twenty years ago)

Carter USM
Gomez
Saint Etienne
Auteurs
Paul Weller

― Jeremy (Jeremy), Friday, 1 July 2005 10:51 (twenty years ago)

-Kate Bush (seems realtively unknown in the States in comparison to other women vocalists that are half as interesting)
-The Associates
-anything other than BDB on Twisted Nerve (especially Mum and Dad... best band ever to completely ignored by everyone... well before their time)
-Saint Etienne (I second that)
-Fad Gadget
-Marc Almond (in all areas of his career, sadly overlooked in this country, just saw him at Patti Smith's Meltdown... stunning)

i am sure there are tons more just can't think at this point.

I don't know if i agree with Underworld... when I went to see them in SF after Second Toughest, kids were selling organs on the street to get tickets to a very sold out show. ahhh, but then that is SF maybe in the rest of the country they are unknown... SF was quite a different universe then :) )

― ebenoit, Friday, 1 July 2005 12:08 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I think Underworld has a pretty small (but loyal) following stateside, but I think most people in the U.S. know them as one of those techno tracks to skip on the Trainspotting soundtrack.
I only starting listening to them when I was in Ireland when Beaucoup Fish came out.

― wmlynch (wlynch), Friday, 1 July 2005 18:20 (twenty years ago)

From the oldies brigade:

Dave Berry
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
Billy Fury
Jet Harris
The Honeybus
The Pretty Things
P.J. Proby
Sandie Shaw
Twinkle

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Saturday, 2 July 2005 03:58 (twenty years ago)

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