Music Clash: Lady Britannia vs. Lady Libertas

[caption id="attachment_430" align="alignnone" width="245" caption="Lady Britannia"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_431" align="alignright" width="190" caption="Lady Liberty"][/caption]

Ok...

(I'm just pretending there isn't a huge gap in between my last post and this one.)

...I came up with an interesting question while I was on the other side of the pond:

"Name a band (not an individual artist) from the USA that equals in terms of

(i) popularity,
(ii) impact on music history,
(iii) creative longevity (i.e. some core of the original group keeps performing for decades by reinventing itself, keeping up with/dictating trends in contemporary pop music),
(iv) legend status

with bands like Queen, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Duran Duran, U2, Genesis."

It's a tough one. In fact, you can probably name a whole range of individual artists from the US that do meet those requirements, but no other country has produced legendary groups like the UK did... and still does! I guess Radiohead will soon be in that list, maybe Depeche Mode and some of the triphoppers that are still around, some of the younger britpop bands. What about Autechre, Orbital, Underworld.

Of course record sales do not tell you everything... but when I arrange this list so that only bands are in there you get something like this. It's a list of everything better than the Village People... (or UB40):

RANK	USA	UK (and some non-USA)
300 million or more
1		The Beatles
2		ABBA
3		Led Zeppelin
4		Queen
200 million to 299 million
5		Pink Floyd
6		AC/DC
7		The Rolling Stones
8		Bee Gees
150 million to 199 million
9		U2
10	Aerosmith
11		Genesis
120 million to 149 million
12	Backstreet Boys
13	Bon Jovi
14	Chicago
15	Eagles
16		Dire Straits
100 million to 119 million
17	The Carpenters
18		Depeche Mode
19	Fleetwood Mac	Fleetwood Mac
20	Guns ‘n Roses
21	The Jackson 5
22	Kiss
23	Metallica
24		Scorpions
25		The Who
75 million 99 million
26		Boney M.
27		B'z
28	The Doors
29
30		Eurythmics
31		Iron Maiden
32	Journey
33
50 million to 74 million
34		Ace of Base
35		A-ha
36	The Black Eyed Peas
37		Black Sabbath
38	Boyz II Men
39		Coldplay
40	Def Leppard
41	Destiny's Child
42		Dreams Come True
43		Duran Duran
44		Electric Light Orchestra
45	Green Day
46		Jethro Tull
47	Linkin Park
48	Mötley Crüe
49	Mr.Children	Mr.Children
50	New Kids on the Block
51	Nirvana
52		Oasis
53	Pearl Jam
54		Pet Shop Boys
55		The Police
56	Red Hot Chili Peppers
57	R.E.M.
58		Roxette
59		Sade
60	Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
61		UB40
62	Village People

So the US comes in at number 10 with Aerosmith...
Music sociologists eat your heart out!



天
On FB or Hyves? Click through to original post

The Club

I was told on several occasions in the recent past that I could not do certain things because I was not a member of a certain club.

Well...
You see...
I have many ambitions in life, but becoming a member of a club has never been high on the list.
It’s because you usually have to do stuff to become a member...

Pay money...
Believe in holy scripture or some other form of fairy tale...

Usually both.
My goddess Aergia forbids me to do stuff anyway.

Now.
There are also clubs that do not really require you to invest money or faith, but that require a sequence of certain rites to be performed, preferably ancient ones. Those clubs are the most difficult to become a member of. Not because those rites are impossible to perform, but because the members who have gone through the ordeal of becoming a member, want something in return...

Membership exclusivity and all the power of authority that comes along with that.

That’s all fine... roll through the mud if you must, learn those secret handshakes (don’t forget to wash). Just don’t tell me I cannot do certain things ignoring the quality of those things, just because I am not a member of your club. I have a complementary secret salute to your handshake for you to learn.

So I did, what most people apparently do in such a situation, I started a new club.

Anyone can join
Anyone can start their own

Membership is automatic on attendance

The only requirement is that you have to be prepared put your ideas through some rigorous and ruthless testing. To see what they are worth.

We especially like big and wild ideas

Check it out!