Bands that have been "forgotten"

[Ghost Econ]

I finished watching Mr. Robot over the weekend. I had previously dropped it after season but decided to revisit it with the prominent placement on Netflix. One thing I noticed was that it had some pretty good music throughout the series, so I decided to play a playlist of the songs.

At one point, New Sensation by INXS came on. I couldn't help but wonder what happened to INXS. But not in the literal sense, I know their singer Carradined himself a while ago.

But more specifically, what happened to their music. For a while in the late 80s, early 90s they were insanely popular. But I feel like I don't hear their music in movies or shows, and they never come on radio or streaming for classic rock or the 80s and today stations.

It's like they were immensely popular, but their songs just slip into this weird crack of not quite alternative and not quite pop. So it made me wonder what other fairly large bands have just kind of disappeared from the collective consciousness. Like, my daughter knows A-Ha and Phil Collins, but not INXS.

Similarly, I feel like Duran Duran were huge for a solid amount of time, but you'd be hard-pressed to hear any of their songs now. I'd say if it wasn't for Bono and Apple sending everyone their album with their first iPhone, no one under 25 would know about U2. Or if it wasn't for Careless Whisper, younger people would only know George Michael for Wake Me Up.

Is it just a quirk of alternative/pop in the 80s that these bands seem to have no home, or is it something about the style that makes them kind of vanish. I mean, if it wasn't for memes I feel bands like 3 doors down, Nickelback or Creed would have been on the same path (maybe they are).

[Ksyrup]

I hear plenty of INXS on SXM - on a combo of 80s, Classic Rewind, and 1st Wave. In fact, if you look up the SXM channel lineup, for 1st Wave, INXS is the first band mentioned, ahead of U2, Police and REM.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

Is it just a quirk of alternative/pop in the 80s that these bands seem to have no home, or is it something about the style that makes them kind of vanish.

If that's the case -- and I'm not entirely in agreement that it is -- then there's one & only one reason: the songs (and/or band) don't do well in focus group testing. For catalog material like this, that's pretty much the only thing that matters period.

[albionmoonlight]

I was wondering something like this with all of the Gen Z folks wearing 90s retro band shirts. Why are there billions of Nirvana and Metallica shirts but no R.E.M. or Smashing Pumpkins shirts?

(Along similar lines, my wife and her friend went to a Bon Jovi arena concert a few years ago, and she said that it was hilarious because the audience was split between people our age dressed normal and 20 year olds doing 80s cosplay)