del wrote: ↑Sat Sep 16, 2023 9:59 pm
mr.barlow wrote: ↑Sat Sep 16, 2023 5:04 pm
del wrote: ↑Sat Sep 16, 2023 7:40 am
Not sure what the point of that was. He’s never had a worldwide number one for weeks smash hit that became a multi million seller. Even the band never had that.
What he has had is a 50+ year career ultimately underpinned by two tracks (School’s Out and Poison) which have indeed out-streamed everything else put together. His longevity and ultimately his legacy has been underpinned by at least five waves of success:
1. ACG
2. WTMN and the ballad hits
3. Poison to Wayne’s World
4. Hitting the threshold of being seen as a classic legendary artist (particularly in Europe) and most recently...
5. The Vampires, which actually has potential to grow.
These waves have been supported by a couple of themes:
1) Touring
2) New music
Touring has been fundamental to longevity and the continued delivery of new music (whether people like an album or not) absolutely demonstrates the desire and energy to keep on keeping on.
There isn’t much tired about changing up stage sets, releasing new music, doing the rounds to promote, touring two bands etc. You may not like it but the album charted well in most places, probably lost 1-2 thousand early sales in the US and Canada which may come back later, and the “same old tired hits” are still there because of the audience response which I see every time I’m there.
Oh brother...and I thought I was a long-winded gasbag!
I wouldn’t dare to compete.
Okay I'll play
His career is not "underpinned" by two songs. The foundation for everything is the original group from which the character grew out of and who's string of hits enabled Alice to go on a solo career.
WTMN came out of that success. Alice did solidify the "classic"character in that era which I believe hurt him as whenever he strayed too far from it he found little success. The whole Mauruce Escargot thing was a giant flop and Alice tried to course correct with bringing back the "classic" character with From The Inside but by that time musical trends were changing. Bring in the early 1980s (my favorite era) and Alice's career was basically over as he was unable to find a new persona that his fans would accept. However, all that turmoil produced his masterpiece Dada.
In all actuality there were only 2 "waves" of success.
1969-1976
1986-present
The 1986 tour was the comeback.. and the return if the "classic" classic character. Trash was the culmination of the grueling work put in from 1985 until its release. Also Shep deserves a lot of credit for getting the Epic Records deal and lining up Desmond Child.
Also the touring band of 1986-1987 deserve a lot of credit to his incredible climb out of the musical gutter. Without the success of the 1986 tour that would have been it....permanently.
Don't take my word for it ask anyone including Alice.
New music and touring are not "themes" but rather business. Alice's success is based in hard work, resilience, his ability to adapt and as I'm sure he will also tell you his deep Christian faith. Lest we not forget Shep whom without, it would have ended long long ago.
"Lost one to two thousand sales"....that alone shows you how pathetic album sales are these days. Alice used to sell in the millions of units.
He plays the hits as that's what his audience expects as is with any legacy act these days.
It's great to hear he is drawing in Europe but here in the USA we have some states that are bigger than European countries.
If you were to look at Alice's sales and chart by individual states you'd find a fast difference in sales and position for each state and geographical region.
Is there a chart that reflects all of Europe as a whole?
At any rate...the charts today are nonsense. The manipulation that is taking place with streaming alone is enough yo make them irrelevant.
Bring back the days of payoffs and purchasing large quantities of your own albums.
I believe Shep did that with Love It To Death to help it achieve gold status in the USA.
I'm thrilled that Alice is still going and making new music but I'm sure he like myself us not too concerned with chart position these days.