Following an artist's career

orczy · Joined: Mar 30, 2005 Posts: 161 Location: Australia

On the recent purchase of a latest album by a band (that shall remain nameless, due to.......) I have followed since their inception back in '85. This album, while not really a comeback album, it is definately a product of a second wind.

Anyway, while listening, I realised that while they have matured, several things have changed, ie the songwriting duties are being shared, where once they were dominated by one of them. The thing that surprises me is how after 20 years, they have retained a sound that is distinctly them, and this with the advances of technology (think back to 85 and the synths then, and compare with now).

This led me to think about the whole idea of following an artists career, through thick and thin so to speak. I wonder why I have decided that this one band, out of the myriad of others that I like, is one to do so with. Some of their albums are a bit dodgy, with maybe only a couple of good tracks etc, but these albums are in many ways more interesting: an artist at a low peak is an interesting juxtapostion to make with them at their highest reaches. Also, what about if they have been manipulated by the big bad record company? This, while not artistically interesting, does also show a side of the artist.

What is it that makes one follow an artist through all this?

Any thoughts?

Surely, we all have these artists in our collections.

blue hell · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2005 6:12 pm Post subject:

When they have something that resonates I guess ... I'm not sure where you want to go ... in itself it's sort of remarkable that resonace can go indefinitly, like ...

I've been thinking about this over the years, and surely others have as well, what it means to be an artist, or whether its possible to be an artist when having a non related and paid job, things like that.

Well on a reread that seemsto be not the way ...

Jan.

mosc · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2005 10:12 pm Post subject:

Not directly linked to your questions; I like to keep up with some artists that are consistently interesting and rewarding. I like to find new artists too. Reminds me of a song my daughter learned in Girl Scouts. "Make new friends and cherish the old. One is silver and the other is gold."

paul e. · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2005 10:15 pm Post subject:

orczy · Joined: Mar 30, 2005 Posts: 161 Location: Australia

Sheesh.....the band is A-ha.
They really are very good, a lot better than "take on me" would lead you to believe.
I only follow two "rock" bands A-ha and Yes.
There are many jazz, ambient and classical artists that I "follow" in the sense that I try to get everything they did, but certainly not as assidiously as I used to when I was younger and had more disposable income. Rolling Eyes

opg · Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 8:34 am Post subject:

I'm not ashamed to admit I have followed the band Primus over the years, ever since a friend mentioned the five words, "Jerry Was a Racecar Driver." Almost all of their albums have a distinct sound, but I think it's the songs' humor, arrangement, and focus on Les Claypool's bass playing that stays the same throughout them all.

For example, Frizzle Fry, one of their earliest albums, has a completely different sound to the complicated slap bass guitar lines than in Sailing the Seas of Cheese and Tales from the Punchbowl. But for people like me who loved wacky slap bass, you knew you would hear his style in each album. The only thing I was sad about was when they changed drummers. Their first drummer was BRILLIANT. I believe they switched on the Brown Album, which of course had its own unique overall sound, but I still enjoyed it.

As long as they keep the focus on the creative basslines, the humor, and the arrangement of the songs, I would keep following them.

deknow · Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 8:41 am Post subject:

...i used to follow yes as well, but i've been less impressed with their newer material. i've really loved the "keys to ascention", as it's a more mature (and better recorded) approach to some of the music that is "sacred" to me (or at least puts me in a spiritual place).

the other artist whom i really have followed through the years is joni mitchel, but again, i don't love her newer stuff as much (but the high standards of poetry, musicality, production values, choice in band members, melody and harmony blow me away every time i even think about it).

is this a trend? after 20+ years of making music, do artists tend to separate from their fan base? i can't off the top of my head think of an artist that has been around for a very long time that i love both the newer and older work. are they changing? am i? are we both? is it just naive to think that one would feel "kinship" with an artist (who they don't know personally) over such a long period of time?

deknow

opg · Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 8:53 am Post subject:

With the exception of the Rolling Stones, James Taylor, etc, I think most artists do tend to separate from their fanbase.

I always mention Radiohead when talking about a fanbase. My brother loves the earlier stuff, but when they got more and more electronic (particularly with Kid A), he wasn't interested in them anymore- But that's when I started listening to them.

Every great artist is going to evolve. I get tired of hearing my own garbage before I finish the song, for god's sake! If they aren't challenging themselves or listening to other types of music, they are probably just in the big corporate cage and/or in it for the money.

It is also my theory that all artists go through an Asian/Indian phase.

mosc · Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 9:08 am Post subject:

I'm a Bob Dylan fan. In this case, fan mean fanatic. I loved him when I first heard him in 1963 before he was famous. I like his new stuff. I even liked his Christian period. He's not into electronics. I've had a live long fantasy of collaborating with him. Insane, I know. Embarassed

Ponk · Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005 2:37 am Post subject:

One band I think has kept up their quality through their career is King Crimson. I like all of their albums, even though for me their best albums are the ones after and including Starless and Bible Black. Then again, Crimso had already released nine albums when I was born, so I can't say anything about following their career through the years...