artists with cult followings

[-VC-]

They Might Be Giants.

 

[utility]

Clutch.

They haven't had huge commercial success, and tend to polarise listeners into two groups; those who "don't get" them, and those that absolutely love them.

 

[Roddy]

Can't believe no one's mentioned Rush here. Probably the ultimate cult band, especially here. Someone said the definition is 'little commercial success'. Well Rush have sold 45,000,000 units worldwide. On the surface, sounds enormous. But put some perspective on that: it's taken them since their 1st album was released in 1974 to do that. Contrast that to the Foo Fighters. They've sold a similar amount, but that was since 1995!
And as for here in Oz, they've probably sold about 45 records (and half of them were to ME!).
They're fans are fanatical beyond belief (I myself flew to Canada in '02 just to see em, an am doing that again this year, even I can't afford it! At their Toronto show, I sat next to a bloke from New York, and we compared notes...I told him I'd come all the way from Oz, he said this was his '19th show on the current tour. I got 3 more, and that'll be it!'), and their music is ridiculously eccentric. I reckon they're the very definition of a cult band!

 

[raskolnikov]

Your points 1 and 4 dictate that Cobain and Nirvana are not cult worthy.

They were very mainstream in the end.

At the time their music was non-mainstream.

 

[Peninsula Boy]

Good point as to what actually constitutes a cult following. I would say there are four criteria.

1. The artist has had relatively little commercial success.

2. The artist or lead singer is a demi-god and often eccentric or eclectic. They often engage in behaviour that is obscene or over the top, even to the point of suicide, as in the case of Kurt Cobain and Ian Curtis.

3. Their fans are extremely loyal, to the point of being obsessed.

4. Their music could be defined as eccentric, or at least non-mainstream

I would be prepared to list an artist as having a cult following if they meet three of these criteria. So, while Nirvana have had commercial success, they meet the other three criteria and thus I would say they have a cult following. Iggy Pop and Led Zepplin also meet the same three criteria as Nirvana. Joy Division meet all four criteria.

1. I don't necessarily agree with 1 but its generally the case. When the band hits the mainstream, you generally get the popularity and some could say the band ceases to be a cult band but I think that's being harsh as they are still the same band but more people dig them but they still have those hard core, die hard supporters [see point 3]

2. A big personality, maybe. A definite pure expression, definitely.

3. Yeah, I really think 3 is dead on the money. Its basically quality over quantity. sure, New Kids of the Block sold millions of records to millions of fans but what can you say about the quality of the purchasers. Not much. Indeed, loyalty and longevity, for me, play a big part. The bands that most people talk about in relation to the cult are usualy in its for the right reasons and not to be rich and famous.

4. I also think 4 is important. Usually cult bands, movies, TV shows etc hit or strike a chord with people because the expression comes from a different perspective, one born from a single person or a couple of people not an industry type thing like popular music now where the producer seems more important than the dressing which we call the performer.

 

[don vito of fitzroy]

I would not put The Smiths or the Ramones under the cult catorgory. The Smiths I thought sold mega in the UK. The Ramones also sold well I think.

Both of them actually had bad sales. I'll try to find some sources that might have a list of of their chart successes. Here's what I can find in terms of US success:

The Smiths:

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=THE|SMITHS&sql=11:k82gtq6ztu47~T5

The Ramones:

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=THE|RAMONES&sql=11:yg0e4j170way~T5

I'll get the UK ones if possible.

 

[Constipated Duck]

Manowar!!!

 

[skilts]

Eric Bogle.

June Tabor.

Kate and Anna McGariggle.

Captain Beefheart

Steeleye Span.

Tom Waits.

Phoebe Snow.

'Long' John Baldry.

The Band (relatively cult, in this country)

Michael Nesmith (his own country stuff).

Just from my collection. Listen or not.

Edit: I forgot the 'big guy', Leadbelly. The beginning. The man who caused rock and roll, boogie woogie and every form of popular music since about 1948. Listen to the guitar 'licks' from about 1933. Rock and roll would have been different were it not for his honesty in his vocals and his extraordinary 12-string expertise. If you want to understand the antecedents of music today, this is the place to start. He is the connection between the slave cotton field moans of the 1890s and Chuck Berry (though I prefer to credit Johnny Johnson's piano in that case).

 

[Roddy]

Manowar!!!

Definitely.

 

[nicky]

The Rachels

 

[bunsen burner]

The Grateful Dead are easily the biggest cult band ever. At one stage they were taking $50m pa in concert sales, record sales, and merchandising.

And they don't make the charts. I've never seen a Dead CD in any mainline Australian music shop (not that I'm disappointed).

The cult band of all cult bands. They sold an image and often were in the US's top 5 grossing acts without having hits or FM air time.

 

[Heisenberg_]

Some artists, irrespective of how good they are, have built up a cult following. Some of these would be:

Led Zepplin
Iggy Pop
Nirvana
Joy Division

others?

I wouldn't say they have a cult following, seeing as the massive amount of records and stuff they have sold, I would say they are the complete opposite to having a cult following. For a cult following Nirvana is still doing not to bad seeing as Kurt Cobain made more money then any other dead artist last year, including Elvis.
And also going by the first sentence, are you saying they aren't good?

 

[Monkster]

The Grateful Dead are easily the biggest cult band ever. At one stage they were taking $50m pa in concert sales, record sales, and merchandising.

And they don't make the charts. I've never seen a Dead CD in any mainline Australian music shop (not that I'm disappointed).

The cult band of all cult bands. They sold an image and often were in the US's top 5 grossing acts without having hits or FM air time.

Was just about to mention them, I agree they are the ultimate cult band.

 

[raskolnikov]

I wouldn't say they have a cult following, seeing as the massive amount of records and stuff they have sold, I would say they are the complete opposite to having a cult following. For a cult following Nirvana is still doing not to bad seeing as Kurt Cobain made more money then any other dead artist last year, including Elvis.
And also going by the first sentence, are you saying they aren't good?

I'm not saying they're not good. I love Nirvana and think they're brilliant. All I meant was that a group doesn't have to be great musically to be a cult band. Some cult bands are popular for other reasons besides their music ability(charisma, lifestyle etc).

 

[raskolnikov]

The Grateful Dead are easily the biggest cult band ever. At one stage they were taking $50m pa in concert sales, record sales, and merchandising.

And they don't make the charts. I've never seen a Dead CD in any mainline Australian music shop (not that I'm disappointed).

The cult band of all cult bands. They sold an image and often were in the US's top 5 grossing acts without having hits or FM air time.

I agree. I actually thought about them last night. Definite cult group.

 

[Heisenberg_]

I'm not saying they're not good. I love Nirvana and think they're brilliant. All I meant was that a group doesn't have to be great musically to be a cult band. Some cult bands are popular for other reasons besides their music ability(charisma, lifestyle etc).

cool
As for another cult band, Sublime

 

[Fwoy]

Butthole Surfers

 

[Kooley]

the go betweens
the melvins
wilco

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Clutch.

They haven't had huge commercial success, and tend to polarise listeners into two groups; those who "don't get" them, and those that absolutely love them.

Have to agree, although I'm in the 'love' section.


also.

Mr Bungle
Meshuggah
Primus
Devin Townsend

 

[True_Believer]

Sufjan Stevens

 

[Magnum]

Dream Theater
Porcupine Tree

 

[blackcat]

The Apartments.

Milton-Walsh and his bands recordings have more of a fan base in France.

 

[AdelUniCrowFan]

Joanna Newsom

 

[Eddie Dingle]

Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention






Ween

 

[Rowie09]

The Mars Volta
Death From Above 1979