The Contrarians Panel Discussion: Bands That Should Have Been Huge!!

[@thecontrarians2438]

What band do you think should have been WAY bigger!? Join us on Patreon to join our conversations! www.patreon.com/contrarians Also check out some of our participants work elsewhere! Peter Kerr from Rock Daydream Nation on YT kzbin.info/door/bC1yOn3xxkpozGH6ZyY8CQ Andee Blacksugar from Black Sugar Transmission kzbin.info Jamie from Sea of Tranquility kzbin.info Tim from Tim's Vinyl Confessions on YT kzbin.info

[@bubbadagger]

Haywire!! If they had the freedom from ATTIC records to go in the direction they wanted to ( Deep Purp, Stones) i feel like they could have been massive.They whole band was super talented, and Marvin Birt is the most underrated guitarist in Canadian rock .by the time they got their stride in the late 80s the tides were already turning

[@petebrown3715]

Metal Church, Testament, Queensryche, Mötorhead and Dokken. Metal Church- Very early speed metal/ traditional metal band. They were as good as the big 4 for sure. Various lineups but with David Wayne in the 80's and Mike Howe late 80's early 90's then a resurgence in the mid 2010's until Mike Howe died last year. The last few albums were quite good metal albums no pun intended. Testament- another band who was/ is as talented as any of the big 4. Killer thrash band who has influenced a ton of bands and are still going strong today. Queensryche- Similar to Metal Church ( both from Seattle) they were hard to pigeon hole in glam rock, classic hard rock, progressive metal. They had their peak with Operation Mindcrime. Mötorhead- Yes they are legendary like the Ramones, everyone knows their t-shirts etc. They should've been much bigger in the US. Solid catelogue of albums and should be in the Rock Hall. Dokken- Were as good as Mötley Crüe, Ratt,Quiet Riot and Poison and had George Lynch. They just seemed to be passed over a lot.

[@anthonymatis2977]

@@petebrown3715 Queensryche were massive here for a bit in North America Motörhead does deserve a lot more credit just cause they kick ass Dokken’s first several album are amazing

[@jimilove7773]

Angel, New England, Mozart [from la].

[@jdheryos4910]

Easy Beats, Little River Band, Air Supply, Wolfmother, Jet, Silver Chair, Crowded House, Midnight Oil, Savage Garden, The Church and the list goes on.

[@howie5th]

UFO. They were on the verge. Michael Schenker left the band right around the time when Strangers in the Night started getting some attention. Great songs!

[@Rottendlijk1971]

Indeed!

[@mikenealon4042]

my sentiments exactly 🛸U🛸F🛸O🛸

[@wernermoritz882]

Need to check that album out, thanks!

[@MK-gv7qr]

No doubt

[@davehodson6288]

Best British band by light years.fo

[@TrexxSFV]

Thin Lizzy always without a doubt is the #1 choice. Leagues above most of their contemporaries especially Hard Rock bands from America. They were huge in the UK but here they couldn't ever get a headlining arena tour here once. Biggest shame.

[@NJNDZoo]

I agree. They really just had bad luck with touring the US - whether it was Phil's health issues or lineup issues. If they ever had a chance to put together a few full tours I think it would have helped tremendously. Their catalog is littered with great songs that aren't Jailbreak or The Boys Are Back in Town.

[@poitor5915]

thin lizzy are superstar’s to me☝🏻

[@JWD1992]

It bothers me that here in the US, Thin Lizzy are just the "Boys Are Back In Town" and "Jailbreak" band. Those are not even the two best songs on that album. They pale compared to the brilliant "Emerald" that closes it. And they have so many other amazing albums. So underrated.

[@rocketrod1444]

Y&T From an American perspective and Marillion (Fish era) from the U.K . Both bands first few albums are absolute gold IMO. Back in the day if you stumbled across a few gems, you didn't want the average Joe knowing about ''your'' music . Cool discussion BTW ...Cheers.

[@mistreated]

I agree with 100%. Steve and Dave are both under appreciated guitarist. Two of my favorites.

[@Kenny-tj9bh]

It is a crime that Y&T never made it big.

[@dwaynespeakman9870]

y&t my pick too they are great

[@300gjw]

Kings X is a band that stands out for me. A super band!

[@kenwhite8103]

Love King's X, Ty Tabor's solo albums are also a must have!

[@LeatherRebel75]

I would have loved for Trouble to have become bigger. Their 80's Metal Blade era was great doom metal, but when they were signed by Rick Rubin, those two albums should have blown up. "Trouble" and "Manic Frustration" are both incredible.

[@garyjoyce2160]

Agreed. The 9️⃣0️⃣album. I played a ton. Stone cold classic !👍💯

[@joebecht5554]

They almost were my pick. See my perfect pair picks and my mention on the 90's show.

[@agentstanley29]

Too bad their singer died of COVID19 because he refused the vaccine.

[@jaimeres]

Riot for sure, Y&T, Triumph, and Badlands. All had great singers and guitar players.

[@matthewjachimiec]

The best example I can think of is Thin Lizzy. They were the first band I immediately thought of. Phil Lynott was arguably the best hard rock songwriter of his era. It sucks Phil got Hepatitis in ‘76 and that Robbo got in a fight, broke his hand and couldn’t tour. Just goes to show how so much of the music business is based on luck and many interrelated factors. Such a shame, but the band’s music is gold and timeless.

[@martymartin2894]

Well said.

[@mikewagner9295]

Joe is 100% correct on Cheap Trick. The best pick of the bunch.

[@explosionate]

thanks for all the recs. my journey will never end.

[@thecontrarians2438]

haha tell me about it

[@chivesarchives]

One that stands out for me is Zebra

[@thecontrarians2438]

ZEBRA! How could i forget!

[@keithleeuwen877]

yes ! @@thecontrarians2438

[@hughjass7025]

Badlands is my choice for sure---Great 70s vibe hard rock from the late 80's

[@drewrose374]

Great show! great panel!!! I will be checking out Angel City and The Clarks

[@thecontrarians2438]

Thanks Drew! I'll be checking them out too lol

[@garyserdoz6915]

Thin Lizzy, The Babys, Angel, Starz, Riot, The Angels (Angel City). Being born and raised in the Motor City, here are a few Michigan bands that meet the criteria: The Rockets (Johnny Bee/Jim McCarty from Mitch Ryder/Detroit Wheels); Rhythm Corps (at least as big as The Alarm); Seduce (heavy metal trio featured in Decline Of The Western Civilization II); Dirty Americans (great hard rock from the 2000's)

[@Justin_Kipper]

I would have to go with The Church. Four decades of great albums, and there's basically one song somewhat remembered in the USA.

[@jasonjames6383]

The Church are a great band that should be as big as a lot of alt-rock type bands of the 80s like R.E.M. and The Cure etc.

[@RockDaydreamNation]

Heyday is genius…

[@kimberlywalker3970]

I agree. Especially w/Under The Milky Way in the late 80s. They came in on a wave of Australian music w/INXS leading the way along w/Midnight Oil and Crowded House. Good band, I agree.

[@brandondenike8110]

Perfect example! The have been putting out killer material for decades now. Totally underrated here in the states.

[@robphilpott43]

Absolutely superb band, why they are not huge escapes me.

[@paulh6673]

Husker Du and Dinosaur Jr are both big fish in a smallish pond but at times combined all the ingredients that made some bands multi-platinum superstars. Except perhaps a true stadium-friendly production. I know they've already been mentioned but with a bit more of a defined sound and better management, Diamond Head could have been a lot bigger in the early 80s. I have no idea why King's X weren't huge. I'll also throw in Warrior Soul, from a similar era. The Wildhearts have had reasonable success for many years but should have been huge internationally. In an era of successful oddball alt-rock like Primus, Butthole Surfers and Jane's Addiction, I think the NY band Alice Donut should have made much more of a splash. Maybe too weird for genuine gold and platinum status but definitely deserve more than the super obscure status they currently have.

[@Justin_Kipper]

Husker Du was also one of the first bands I thought of. They had a great cult following when they were on the small label, then pretty much disappeared after getting signed big. I still love their early albums.

[@RekkidTalk]

The Ramones probably have the record for selling the most t-shirts to people who never bought one of their albums.

[@thecontrarians2438]

lol im the opposite, i dunno if i've ever owned a ramones shirt but i had a bunch of their albums

[@christianman73]

@@thecontrarians2438 I'm somewhere in the middle-- I was a Ramones fan for years, and bought many of their albums, and then *finally* got around to buying one of their shirts! :-) For better or worse, I bought it at a time when other people were also buying Ramones shirts, but seemingly, without even knowing anything about their music! Ugh!

[@joebecht5554]

And Motorhead !

[@thomaswery3087]

I always thought Nazareth should of been huge.They had so many good hard rock albums.Uriah Heep also should of been alot bigger

[@grumble7425]

Great video. My choices are Blue Oyster Cult, Magnum, SAGA, Honeymoon Suite, April Wine, Triumph, Testament, Spirit, Uriah Heep and Marillion.

[@kevingartland723]

Cry of Love, Karma to Burn, Y&T, Corrosion of Conformity, Screaming Trees, Steve Salas Colorcode, Armored Saint

[@jake6887]

Saga has a very unique sound and should've be much more famous

[@KowankoMusic]

Agree

[@alexsuperpower1]

Love Saga!

[@jake6887]

@@alexsuperpower1 ik zag ze voor het eerst op Pinkpop 1982

[@Rabant777]

All very cool choices. I own examples of all the bands mentioned except for Self and The Clarks, neither of whom I've ever heard of. I've also seen a lot of the bands live: Cheap Trick 15 times; Hanoi Rocks 10 times; Honeymoon Suite, Tygers of Pan Tang, and the subsidiary bands mentioned: Jellyfish; Kings X; Coney Hatch; The Front etc. 70s bands that should have got to arena headline status in the 80s: Legs Diamond; Angel; Starz "Glam" bands that should have "escaped the axe" and gone on to bigger things: Vain; Love Hate; War Babies; (special mention for Enuff z'Nuff if they'd have been marketed with a different image) Bands that should have claimed the Nevermind crown before Nirvana: Jane's Addiction; The Pixies; Fishbone 90s bands that should be bigger than U2: Manic Street Preachers Long lived bands that have never achieved the notoriety they deserve: Pretty Maids; Harem Scarem; D-A-D; Shooting Star; Magnum; FM (UK); I'm gonna pick Desmond Child & Rouge though.... they should have been the first rock / dance cross over..... other acts were trying to do it and Billy Idol was the act that some say accomplished it (but not in the way I imagine it). DC&R could have been Bon Jovi meets Miami Sound Machine, breaking down barriers and providing the soundtrack to every 80s party.

[@1Vettefan]

Loudness comes to mind for me. Akira's guitar prowess is second to none. Band should have been much bigger here in the west but they were treated more like a novelty act I think which is unfortunate.

[@gwts1171]

Nice picks, everyone. I love that Self album that Andy picked! I didn't know he did more than one - Discogs, here I come! Also, the Angels are amazing. My band used to play "I Ain't The One" and "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again".

[@bryanmcfadden4071]

I had that album, that and Hum

[@whitneybeehler]

Self and Utopia are terrific picks! The greatness of Cheap Trick, King's X and Jellyfish is now thankfully well-known.

[@Kenny-tj9bh]

Absolutely spot on with Utopia. This is Rundgren’s greatest works.

[@atlasking6110]

Magnum should have been HUGE in North America in the 80s. All of their lengthy discography is worthy (their more recent albums should not be overlooked!), but how in the holy hell they missed in the 80s just boggles my mind. They were tailor-made for American Stadium-Rock success (and were one of the best bands in that genre) and yet somehow it never happened.

[@shyshift]

The Monster Roars was released today and I listened to it on Spotify. Really good album but I hate the cover art.

[@matsetizar65]

@@shyshift love the new album. on the cover art, yeah what were they thinking?

[@shyshift]

@@matsetizar65 The Monster Roars?

[@matsetizar65]

@@shyshift That's no monster, that's you know who.

[@Drumdude74]

I was going to pick Honeymoon Suite but I'm glad someone on the panel mentioned them too, great pick! I'll stay north of the border with my home province band, April Wine, they were huge in Canada at one point. Gold & platinum here in Canada but other than a couple singles back in the day, they never seemed to break in the U.S. Their songs were so well crafted, you would think the Americans would have been eating them up. Triumph never broke big in the U.S. either, they had a little success but mostly at home in Canada, Just two of many great Canadian bands, that never really got the credit they deserved abroad.

[@garyserdoz6915]

April Wine's First Glance is a desert island album. Not one bad song!!

[@davidimrie6916]

I always thought they would hit it big after they did the song for the Lethal Weapon soundtrack. The Big Prize was an awesome album.

[@Drumdude74]

@@davidimrie6916 I know right, Johnny could sing, Derry was a great guitar player and songwriter. They had songs in The Wraith, Lethal Weapon etc. Should have been bigger for sure!

[@meatjuice9081]

Diamond Head is always my go to answer, their debut is without a doubt the best album to come from the NWOBHM and they should've been as big as Iron Maiden and Def Leppard were (maybe even bigger!). Brian Tatler writes some of the most amazing riffs like it's nothing, Sean Harris is one of my all time favorite all-time singers with his soulful vocals, and most importantly the band was able to write great radio-friendly songs (Call Me, Out Of Phase, Shoot Out The Lights, It's Electric, Waited Too Long, Run) but could also write 6+ minute songs that weren't a complete drag (Am I Evil, Sucking My Love, Borrowed Time, To Heaven From Hell, Helpless, The Prince). It's shame how the band decided to keep Sean's mom as their manager as it ended up ruining their whole career and now they're only known as that one band that Metallica really liked. My only other pick would be Galactic Cowboys

[@jimmycampbell78]

When I listen to Am I Evil I feel like Metallica entirely lifted their classic early sound from Diamond Head.

[@paulharvey7223]

Agree, their second album was awesome as well. I saw them live around this time, and they were great. Great singer, guitarist, song writing but somehow they just faded. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@drumkit666]

Very bad management and poor decisions cost them big time,

[@prosperoeaton8201]

Hawkwind. Their music blew my mind when I first heard it. They easily could have been one of the most important bands of the 70s if they had industry support. So far as I am concerned, there is no better live album than Space Ritual. They consistently forged their own path and never sounded like another band. It's a shame they are so obscure after doing such important music.

[@NalinX]

Gentle Giant. Epic compositions and even better performers. Shame they aren't better known even if they were commercially unsuccessful.

[@1359401]

Without a doubt the correct answer=Gentle giant the greatest most criminally underated ever

[@christianman73]

I'm a recent Rose Tattoo convert from the U.S., and this band *absolutely* should have been huge, in the U.S. and worldwide, in the '80s. They do have a new album out (released in 2020), called "Outlaws," made up of re-recordings of classic RT songs, and while I usually hate the idea of such "re-recording" albums, this one is vibrant, full of life, and positively smokin'! Rose Tattoo are such a great, punkish, hard rock band!

[@RockDaydreamNation]

The Tatts should have been massive....their debut is one of the all time great rock albums....

[@poitor5915]

‘rock’n’ roll is king’ should of been a world wide hit☝🏻

[@bryancorley5068]

Montrose, Head East, Moxy, Trapeze, Budgie, Humble Pie, Rainbow, are my choices for bands that should have been bigger!

[@johnthonig8832]

👍 agreed RIP Burke Shelley

[@CB-xr1eg]

Rainbow were big everywhere exept the US. They were massive all over Europe.

[@chrisjp69]

great show! and way to go Tim with going with Honeymoon Suite. The guy you are talking about on the cover of The Big Prize and Power Windows owns Pandemonium Records here in Toronto

[@LarryFleetwood8675]

Their first two albums are brilliant, very different stylistically going from more poppy/new wave sounds to Bon Jovi territory. Ian Anderson guests on their 2nd album.

[@scottray1265]

lovin the clarks......thanks for introducing......the gin blossoms/toad comparison spot on......

[@wernermoritz882]

Frank Black. He has a supersolid solo catalogue and has kind of a legend status but in terms of sales it has been quite disappointing. Otherwise he would never have done the pixies reunion.

[@Joefaf104]

My proposition is Littlefeat. As far as a more obscure act, RAGING SLAB

[@agentstanley29]

Dude their Aerosmith cover of "Bone to Bone (Coney Island Whitefish Boy) is Excellent!!!

[@purpletemple1]

The Cult. When I see the success that some of their contemporaries have/ had (U2, Guns and roses,...), those guys should have been on top of the world. They've got it all: the songs, the look, the intelligence in the songwriting and the lyrics. For me they're without a doubt the best band post 70's. But you know what, I'm kind of glad they stayed true to their rock attitude and cult status (pun intended). Cheers.

[@kevinturchin]

I was going to The Cult as well but especially for the back half of their catalog. All the albums from the ‘94 S/T onward are awesome. They are a band that can do it all so there should be something in there for everyone but perhaps not enough.

[@shoominati23]

I think GnR took great influence from their Sleeze Rock / Sex Rock style

[@mikewest1542]

U2 , Guns N Roses 2 massively overrated bands !

[@sspbrazil]

The Angels (Angel City) were a great band.

[@rs9003]

Saigon Kick, Jet, Del Amitri, Waysted (Opened the Ozzy/Crue tour), Heavy Pettin, Kix...I could go on.

[@jonlate4581]

Saigon Kick was great! They were psychedelic, thrashy, melodic, Beatlesque, they were a bit of everything. I also mentioned KIX in another comment. I grew up in the Baltimore area and those guys are still legendary around there.

[@dmacnic]

I always thought that the metal band TT Quick was going to be big after their Metal of Honor album. Vocalist Mark Tornillo is in Accept now.

[@dirkworld]

Kings X and Jellyfish. Gosh, I couldn't agree more. Thats exactly what I was thinking. Then Andy SAID IT.

[@KowankoMusic]

Gotta be said!

[@dennisbudgell8802]

Harem Scarem - great melodies, strong vocals and harmonies, Pete Lesperance is an unbelievably, talented guitar player and songwriter. Their latest Change The World (2020) is exceptional.

[@theheepster]

That's so right👍

[@28451104]

I couldn’t agree more

[@kylez8010]

The Go-Betweens, XTC, King's X, Nick Lowe, Kim Richey, The Blasters

[@ChromeDestiny]

The Ramones once said in Goldmine magazine that the It's Alive double album should have had a North American release in the late 70's cause live albums really helped Cheap Trick and Kiss.

[@thecontrarians2438]

I agree!

[@parishofrock2963]

Great show to watch on a Saturday night. Problem with this subject is everyone tends to gravitate towards bands they really love but others don’t. So I definitely agree with Cheap Trick & The Angles/Angel City and I was luckily enough to see them play together at Hammersmith Odeon in 1980. My choices would be Jimmy Barnes (outside Australia) and Giant. Jimmy Barnes has one of the best rock voices ever & is great live. Giant’s 1st two albums are brilliant IMO, Dan Huff is vastly underrated. Their comeback albums are pretty good too, & I’m really looking forward their 2022 release which is due anytime.

[@drewrose374]

my pick is RIOT, but there are so many, Y&T also.

[@anyfoolknowthat]

Yep, that’s who I thought of when I first read the episode title.

[@brianallen8091]

Indeed, those bands along with Budgie had consistency in solid albums yet got s#it on. Should’ve been a billion times bigger than they turned out to be

[@agentstanley29]

BLACK LEATHER AND GLITTERING STEEL!!!

[@vinylrden]

Peter thank you for turning me on to The Angels (Angel City) Face to Face. I was able to get a pristine vinyl copy of the US version and now it's in steady rotation on my turntable. How ya goin! Cheers Mate!

[@RockDaydreamNation]

Glad to assist! (It was a really fun Contrarians chat to do with everyone)..btw I do a ranking the top 3 The Angels Albums on my channel - Rock Daydream Nation...check it out

[@vinylrden]

@@RockDaydreamNation Cool I will. Thanks

[@esteeb67]

Love the Angels. Doc is one of a kind. He is the most intelligent hard rock singer of all time maybe. I am from the US and my first conscious exposure was Two Minute Warning. It's a great album. I was surprised to learn later that they were responsible for the song No Secrets which was played somewhat regularly on WBCN back in the day. After learning that I did a deeper dive and was glad I did. Definitely world class. Deserved more.

[@poitor5915]

‘the angels’ are amongst a shitload of aussie rock band that couldn’t crack it abroad☹️

[@bigredmachine1]

Speaking of WBCN, two Boston bands that were solid: The Atlantic's and Johanna Wild...

[@esteeb67]

@@bigredmachine1 They sound familiar, but not sure I know of them. Saw lots of bands in the clubs back in the 80s and 90s, but I just missed the heyday which was late 70s and early 80s. I still saw great bands like The Neighborhoods, Tribe, The Cavedogs, etc.

[@bigredmachine1]

@@esteeb67 Johanna Wild turned was Jon Butcher. The Atlantics got signed to ABC but were dropped when MCA bought them out. Boston had a great music scene...

[@esteeb67]

@@bigredmachine1 I've seen Jon Butcher. I will look up his prior band.

[@SuperStrik9]

I've always felt Testament should be bigger than they are. Same with King's X and Jackyl.

[@drumkit666]

Testament for sure defiantly the most consistent of all the thrash bands, Kings X is a head scratcher for sure even being a massive influence on grunge.

[@jockmctodger]

Enuff Z'Nuff, their 2nd album "Strength" should've been huge.

[@KowankoMusic]

Absolutely. They shot themselves in the foot with the over-the-top hair metal optics though. They were really an amazing power pop band with Sunset Strip affectations

[@jdheryos4910]

Easy Beats, Little River Band, Air Supply, Wolfmother, Jet, Silver Chair, Crowded House, Midnight Oil, Savage Garden, The Church and the list goes on.

[@RockDaydreamNation]

Great list there!

[@kimberlywalker3970]

I have another example of a band that should've been huge, Badfinger. If it weren't for their terrible manager and a crooked business manager, who stole almost every penny they earned, then, they'd be as big as Queen or Led Zeppelin. I saw a documentary about them over the weekend and it still makes me mad hearing about how they were cheated.

[@markhaselow8315]

I can give you a long list of bands that SHOULD have been bigger, but weren’t for whatever reason. Thoughts: I love Todd Rundgren and Utopia. Swing To The Right and Oblivion are great records. Todd’s solo work is great, too. Love Nearly Human, No World Order and Liars. Honeymoon Suite is the two album version of Loverboy. Love both bands. Angel City is great, and had a short love affair with American listeners with Night Attack. Face To Face, Darkroom, Night Attack and Two Minute Warning are as good as anything recorded. 1988 River Dogs was alright, but not the same league as Badlands. Vivian Campbell would team up with Lou Gramm from Foreigner fame in 1991 for a one-off album called Shadow Kings which was much better. It was the album that should have followed Foreigner’s Head Games. Tygers Of Pan Tang should be hot right now. 2019’s Ritual just crushes it! Vain should have been bigger. 1989’s No Respect kicked off a career that has flown under the commercial radar for far to long. But one artist that should have been a monster but was WAY overlooked is Frank Marino. Whether solo or fronting Mahogany Rush, this guy has been abusing guitars for decades. 1982’s Juggernaut alone is worth a lifetime achievement, but pile that on Tales Of The Unexpected, Child Of The Novelty, Strange Universe and Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush Live, and you’ve got the most underrated guitarist alive! Not to mention Tim Biery who crushed the drums on Juggernaut. Ditch Queen was Rocket Queen before GnR were even heard of! But that’s just my opinion!

[@drewrose374]

Definitely agree with Joe, Cheap Trick should way up there!

[@joebecht5554]

Thanks. I was just thinking how Journey is having another big tour and can't wrap my head around why Cheap Trick isn't even on that level.

[@drewrose374]

WOW! Honeymoon Suite... I remember them from MTV, I gotta check them out too today!

[@robphilpott43]

The Church, an Australian band who released their first album in 1980 and who have an astonishingly consistent body of work from 1980 to the present. A beautiful, beguiling, melodic and ethereal sound, with wonderful lyrics from their bass player and founding member Steve Kilbey.

[@davidtoups4684]

Since the guy from Pittsburgh mentioned his favorite local band, I have to represent Baltimore and mention Crack The Sky. Yes, I know they weren't from here but they were HUGE here. They are an excellent band that should have been big nationally. I have to also mention XTC. I never understood why they weren't more successful commercially then they were. Andy and Colin were probably the best songwriters of the post-punk era.

[@jonlate4581]

If were talking B'more I would also mention KIX. outstanding rock and roll band that were far superior than all of their contemporaries in the 80s. Still going strong today along with CTS.

[@TheChadTI]

The Damned, The Damned and The Damned.

[@wernermoritz882]

Screaming Trees. One of Seattle‘s finest bands during the grunge era. Love Mark Lanegan’s voice.

[@jacksonjones563]

Hell yeah Riverdogs get a mention!!! So many songs off of that debut record that could have been a major hits with the proper promotion/management!

[@drterylene]

Two bands that immediately came to mind: XTC and Sloan. XTC was repeatedly screwed by their label but it didn't help matters that they stopped touring right when they were about to explode. It also didn't help that their videos were terrible at a time when one big video probably would have put them over the top. (U2 may not have become so big had New Year's Day not been played every 20 minutes in the early days of MTV.) Sloan probably suffered simply from being a Canadian band. U.S. radio was never going to give them any airtime and they got no promotion in the U.S. It also didn't help that U.S. radio had just started to run out of imagination at the same time Sloan was hitting their peak. Sloan didn't really fit any of the prefabricated molds that big radio stations were focusing on. They got some play on a few indie rock stations, but that was about it. Had they come around in the late 70s, early 80s they could have had quite a few hits.

[@vincentleroy5661]

Thin Lizzy, Badlands, Love/Hate, King's X, and Uriah Heep

[@sspbrazil]

I grew up in the Detroit area, Honeymoon Suite were pretty popular there for a bit like many Canadian rock bands, since Windsor was just over the border.

[@bossfan49]

Punk is a niche genre, and within that genre The Ramones are about as big as you get. Always mentioned in the top 3 influential bands along with Sex Pistols and The Clash. People interchange them on preference as far as who is 1, 2 and 3. Although they didn't chart, "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "I Wanna Be Sedated" have become staples of American pop culture- plus the band was featured in a movie. What more do you want for a band who plays 3 chords?

[@thecontrarians2438]

good points, they were pretty huge, i probably should have picked another band, i didnt want to go too obscure because that would have been very niche-y, so Ramones popped in my head and i justified it, it made for some good discussion anyway, it just a fun chat

[@randysvynil9502]

UFO, April Wine, Foghat, Nazareth and many more.

[@ModernDayWarrior2112]

Saigon Kick should have been bigger. They got the double edged sword of having a ballad “Love Is On The Way” being their hit and ultimately it was the noose around their neck. They definitely were a bridge having one foot in the 80’s glam metal scene and 90’s alternate. It was like if you threw Van Halen, Dokken, Jane’s Addiction and Alice In Chains into a blender. You would get Saigon Kick IMO.

[@Forgottenchannels]

I just watched the video for Feet Don't Fail Me Now from Utopia for the first time and I honestly love it!! Kooky video and the vocals are incredible throughout!

[@thecontrarians2438]

I'll have to check it out! I've got a list of bands now to listen to for the next while

[@seghj]

Marillion They should be HUGE, considering the quality of their music. They've had their commercial peak during the later years with original singer Fish (everyone knows "Kayleigh") and then gradually morphed into a completely different band with Steve Hogarth and became one of the biggest "niche" or "cult" bands in the world. The stylistic range of their music is quite amazing. They surely released some stinkers over the years but when they are great, they are the best band in the world. I'm a fan of both the Fish-years and the Hogarth-years btw

[@thomaswery3087]

I saw the Clarks at a festival mid 90s.They started it followed by BOA,then the original Foghat followed by the original Grand Funk great day of music.the Clarks were great

[@bossfan49]

I would vote for The Subdudes. A quintet/quartet formed in New Orleans in 1987. They began as a blues/rock band; people liked them but would get complaints that they were too loud. One day they rehearsed their material at the piano player's solo gig at Tipitina's and agreed to bring only what they could carry. An acoustic guitar, bass, accordion..and the drummer brought a tambourine. They mic'd the tambourine loud and it picked up some bass tones. From their they decided that they would play their songs in a more 'subdued' manner. They blend blues, bluegrass, gospel, rock, folk and zydeco. Wonderful, organic sound and killer harmonies. The drummer developed different techniques to play the tambourine- you'd swear he had a 3 piece kit up there. They have developed a loyal following with their live performances and 10 studio and 2 live albums. "Annunciation" (1994) and "Primitive Streak" (1996) are killer all the way through.

[@kimberlywalker3970]

I'm a huge fan of bands from Down Under. A lot of great acts have come from Australia: Crowded House, Midnight Oil, Icehouse, The Church and The Split Endz. They had minor success in the United States but were much bigger in Australia. Men At Work, Air Supply, The Little River Band, Savage Garden and Silverchair did fairly well in The United States but faded just as quickly as they came. According to record sales, the three biggest acts to come from Australia are AC/DC, The BeeGees and INXS. All three were successful all over the world and had success w/one or more album. AC/DC the right band w/the right sound at the right time. They had a recognizable face in Angus Young. The BeeGees struck gold when they became attached w/a little move called Saturday Night Fever. Barry Gibb was also the band's recognizable face, who also wrote many hit songs for other artists as well as the BeeGees. INXS came about during the MTV era. They were not only a talented band but, they two important things going for them, a shrewd business manager in Chris Murphy, (R.I.P.) and a superstar frontman, Micheal Hutchence (R.I.P). It's harder for bands to breakthrough from Australia because of distance and, they don't necessarily conform to one single style of music so, they're much harder to pin down. Second, if you don't have a huge break or an IT factor, it's going to be that much harder. The three bands I mentioned had either the break they needed, the IT factor or both.

[@RockDaydreamNation]

Good Post and agree with your points.... BeeGees were definitely British who immigrated to Australia and spent perhaps three years in the early 60s starting their career..ACDC all members with the exception of Phil Rudd were born outside OZ but are regarded as Australian as spent a significant portion of the 70s treading the boards there.

[@magnuswettermark8293]

Dragon(NZ) wasnt bad either. They should have been big in my humble opinion.

[@djgerman5705]

1) The Angels were huge! Being mega-successful in the US is not the only equivalent to being huge. „Darkroom“ is one of five albums I would take with me to that famous lonely island. 2) I recorded the Tygers of Pan Tang‘s „Tides“ from the radio in 1982. I had no idea, who the artist was and I was looking for that mysterious song „That was a long time ago“ for a quite a while, forgot about it and was happy finding it, when I bought „The Cage“ two years ago. This song should have been a massive hit!! 3) One artist who should have been huge in my opinion is William Topley. His „Black River“ would join me and Darkroom on our way to the aforementioned island.

[@brianallen8091]

BUDGIE, RIOT, KIX, UFO, TSOL, Humble Pie, Junkyard, BlackBerry Smoke, Rossignton Collins Band, April Wine, Lizzy, Wrathchild America, Dirty Looks, the original London Quireboys!

[@twangersturntable]

Several come to mind, and being a Canadian, The Tragically Hip come to mind (whom granted, within our boarders they were huge) but never broke elsewhere, but also a band like Riot who I thought were always awesome and in the mix of the 80's metal scene (think Y&T, Black 'n Blue, Fastway, Ratt etc...but never broke huge. Should have been bigger imho. Enjoyed this one a lot. Great show. 🤘🤘

[@skippy1138]

Holy crap- I'd never heard of The Clarks before and based on this video I've been listening to some of their songs- those guys are AWESOME!!!

[@thecontrarians2438]

you cant imagine all the cool bands ive discovered doing this show!

[@mikewest1542]

Lou Reed you can say sales wise never really made it although artistically he did , biggest hit in U.K. was Walk on the wild side and probably nothing big in the U.S.

[@anypoxynames]

Diamond Head, BUDGIE, Preying Mantis, Angel Witch, UFO, Riot.

[@davidmohr7823]

Many Australians think that Cold Chisel could have been huge in the US. "Breakfast at Sweethearts", "East", "Circus Animals" "20th Century" - great albums

[@thomasfarmer1730]

They threw their chances away when they threw their awards in the bin when the band walked out backstage after being presented them...how stupid

[@leopold9334]

Out of all these, I have to agree with Cheap Trick the most. They have the resume to where they should be much bigger.

[@janerikmellesdal3868]

Honeymoon suite is great! Every album is good😀

[@richardmay8153]

Concerning Jaime's hometown choice of The Clark's.... If he was a touch older he would have been talking about Donnie Iris and the Cruisers. Slade did a high profile cover of a Iris song. In Columbus Ohio, where Jaime lives now, we have The Godz. The first album is a cult classic, but the follow-up was a miscalculation despite some fun songs. R.I.P. Eric Moore and Glen Cataline. In Cleveland, Ohio people can't understand why the Michael Stanley Band didn't "make it." They sold out the large outdoor concert venue multiple nights in a row at their peak. Stanley could always pack a crowd years later. He became the local classic rock afternoon drive DJ for decades until his recent death. R.I.P. Michael Stanley.

[@kenwhite8103]

Your absolutely right about Michael Stanley. Having been born and raised here in Cleveland Ohio Stanley was unbelievably popular here. Saw him many times but the one that stands out for me was when he opened for Todd Rungren's Utopia on new year's eve in 1980 great show.

[@ravensnhokies]

Good stuff.. Love Honeymoon Suite. Wounded is an incredible song. Never understood why Crybaby wasn't a hit for Utopia. Cool video too. A few others.. Cleveland's own --- MSB. I'm baffled bc his music is so accessible and pleasing. My Town should have been a Top10 hit. Crack the Sky was very popular in Bmore and they should've been bigger. Come on Skin Deep. The Rayvns .... thought being on the Fast Times Soundtrack with a solid tune, Raised on Radio would have sprung them. Someone mentioned Marillion Fish.. why wasn't Kayleigh a smash in the USA I'll never know. FM was solid AOR with a great lead singer. Should've achieved Survivor-esque success. Balance (Breaking Away).

[@scottwalker5275]

Yes! Love the fact that Hanoi Rocks got some love. I thought the same thing about them. I thought they should have been a bigger band. It’s a shame what happened to Razzle.

[@alexandergilles8583]

They are my pick too

[@johnke7]

Should have been absolute megastars.

[@alv4794]

Superdrag were a cool Power Pop band from that 90;s that should have been bigger and Badfinger...even though they had a couple of hits...should have been bigger...but their story is pretty tragic.

[@johnzavradinos4677]

Angel,Captain Beyond,Radio Birdman,Angel Witch,Sir Lord Baltimore,Budgie,Diamond Head,New York Dolls,Saxon,Big Star,Television,Max Webster come to mind as bands that should have been bigger that they were.

[@brucybabyy7355]

love hanoi rocks! their live double album is devastating.

[@kevinbutler3665]

Someones already said Diamond Head and everything said i agree with. Stacks of post hardcore bands And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead Cave In--Antenna era Thrice--Vheissu / Alchemy Index / Beggars era Sensefiled Any band J Robbins fronted-Jawbow, Burning Airlines etc Any band Jason Farrell fronted---Bluetip, Retisonic etc At The Drive In , were headed in that direction before they imploded.

[@andybrett1152]

Life Of Agony too .

[@caramanico1]

Crack The Sky. Guys were originally from Weirton, WV and Pittsburgh, later settling in the Baltimore area. Very creative and diverse songwriting. Excellent individual musicianship all the way around. So tight as a unit they practically squeaked. Totally adored by their insanely loyal fan base right up to the show I saw about a month ago. Went through THE all-time classic "perfect storm" of having bad management and an inept / low rent label (Lifesong). Really good and humble guys, also - I've met them many times. Truly a real shame/crime.

[@zeketrick]

We saw Cheap Trick 10 times since Covid , They Deliver Every time, from a Crowd of 20000 in Greenville, to a crowd of 400 at a Club. Midwest muscle work ethic!

[@michaeleaster1815]

52:50 At one of my first concerts, on tiny Prince Edward Island, I saw Honeymoon Suite as an opener (for, no joke, "Doug and the Slugs", circa 1982). Derry Grehan did a spotlight solo on guitar, which was a top-3 influence on me to start playing guitar. For a 12-year-old, it was awesome. Fun-fact: Derry shredded guitar in a Pepsi commercial (it's on KZbin), though Vinnie Moore actually played the track. Presumably, Derry looked better for the part. I agree that it is curious that they didn't break into the USA. They remain staples on mainstream rock radio in Canada.

[@quantumparadox2518]

Before this video even starts let me make my list. 😂 Y&T, Fate’s Warning, Kings X, TNT, Death Angel, Sacred Reich, Warrior Soul, Shadows Fall, Om, Church of Misery, Rotting Christ, Carcass, Mudhoney, just to name a few

[@andyshelton4889]

Y&T had some moderate success in the early 1980’s.😀❤️

[@quantumparadox2518]

@@andyshelton4889 yeah they kinda got lumped in with hair metal and then summertime girls blew up but somehow they got lost in the shuffle

[@Jamie.Laszlo]

Rotting Christ is their own worst enemy by naming themselves Rotting Christ. But I could see they're music appealing to people who wouldn't normally listen to extreme metal.

[@TisTheDamnStickSeason]

Testament, Exodus, Overkill

[@TisTheDamnStickSeason]

Neither are really known in the US (which kind of emphasizes the topic), but Manic Street Preachers and Supergrass

[@JWD1992]

I knew a guy who used to see The Ramones at CBGB before those initials meant anything to the rest of the world. I remember talking to him at the time there was some national TV commercial showing big companies that started in a garage, and the commercial mentioned the Ramones along with these companies. He said how, back then at CBGB, no one could have imagined that one day The Ramones would be mentioned in a national TV commercial along with, like, Ford. They were totally an underground thing, at least here in the US. (Punk was much more mainstream in the UK.) I think a lot of modern rock fans don't realize just how out of the mainstream The Ramones really were with their "classic" lineup, as opposed to being some kind of "mainstream contrarians."

[@kenwhite8103]

Starz, Angel, Artful Dodger and especially Be Bop Deluxe are at the top of my list. I urge everyone to listen to Live in the Air Age by Be Bop Deluxe. Bill Nelson is probably the most underrated and gifted guitarist that many so called music lovers don't even know about. The guitar solo in Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape is beyond breathtaking.

[@bigredmachine1]

Punky almost played with Aerosmith

[@RekkidTalk]

I had never heard of The Clarks. I just checked out "Hell on Wheels" from David Letterman and it's pretty generic. It sounded like when a cover band says "hey guys, here's a song we wrote". That was the first track on the album? I then listened to "Shimmy Low" and it is clearly a much better song.

[@bmardon2112]

Sons of Freedom from Vancouver Canada. Or certainly deserved to be a great one hit wonder with their tune, "Mona Lisa" that should have been Teen Spirit huge

[@mitchwooten5150]

Budgie is my pick 👍

[@jimmycampbell78]

Amen. RIP Burke Shelley.

[@agentstanley29]

I'M COMPRESSING THE COMB ON A COCKEREL'S HEEEEEEEAAAAD!

[@agentstanley29]

My heart aint broken My BONES IS BROKEN

[@dwill1970]

I was thinking some of the late hair metal bands Junkyard,Xyz, Salty dog

[@richardc3371]

Great discussion, most of the bands discussed are great , my pick would be Warrior Soul , 4 great releases before they imploded.

[@bossfan49]

The DiVinyls did a great cover of an old Rascals song "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore". It's on the Buffy The Vampire Slayer (film) soundtrack. Shut up!! 😀