all this talk of sucess, its strange, you have got to look at the type of bands, styles of music and ultimatly the accesibility of the song for the everyday punter.
therapy? in my opinion have achieved remarkable commercial sucess considering their sound and image. left of center rock music just doesnt sell very well normally, with the exception of freak trends and once offs…therapy? arnt easy listening rock music (thanks be to fuck for that), just look at the first single, meat abstract if i’m correct, where did that coem from? brilliant but you cant imagine your ‘average joe’ givin it a second listen, but something was afoot back in the early 90’s and luck has a big part to play with it, right place right time, ‘right drummer!!!’, they got signed and the rest is history.
its that way for so many bands, they hit at just the right time, look at the darkness!?! right time right place,
same with radiohead, manics, and oasis, jesus how bad were they and they sold fuck loads!
another consideration is the european vs US music trends, which is a whole other bag of shite that i wont talk about now.
But when you take a career span into account, there is peaks and troughs, there’s always gonna be the purists who yearn for the early days and the new fans who just get hooked on the latest single, in the end its all good,
therapy? are into their 14th year of their mission, 11 top 40 singles in uk, 4 top 40 albums, countless classic gigs, top of the fucking pops appearances, namechecked/posters in hollywood film/films, how many albums??, a nomination for the mercury prize for troublegum, million pound video for diane/loose, rip roaring albums lately, a bloody best of collection…doesnt how you measure sucess, money, happiness, artistic creativity, acclaim, for me therapy? have managed it all and still come out as being nice people in the end, that does it for me folks. as a musician meself, who honestly struggles to make a living from music, between gigging and teaching guitar i’d kill for a crack at the sucess they have had.
I am amazed when i think of Thin Lizzy, my other favorite band, that i consider vastly underrated historically, had a 13 year career, 13 albums, loads of hit singles etc…
well therapy? have surpased the duration, being together nearly 14 years, and are doin pretty well in the singles and album comparisons. ultimatly for Phil Lynott sucess and his not coping with it cost him his life, so here’s hoping that t? grow old, bitter and twisted living off their hedonisitic youth.
