Netphoria Message Board - View Single Post - What was the hype for Adore like in late 1997?

eviltimeban · 11:11 AM

The Beatles were building to Sgt Pepper though. They didn't go straight from, say, Help!, to Sgt Pepper. There was enough notice on Revolver and Strawberry Fields Forever / Penny Lane on what was to come. What shocked people was how beautifully it held together, from the cover, to the image change, everything. It both reflected and defined the times.

Kid A came out of nowhere seemingly, but it wasn't really a new kind of music - it was just Radiohead mucking around with synths, and trying to be Autechre. But for some reason it appealed to people, but also a lot of people who wanted to pretend they were smart by listening to it. Critics were baffled by it, and it got VERY mixed reviews when it came out. But Radiohead stuck to their guns and never returned to their old style (much like REM post-Monster).

SP took all those things (new style from out of nowhere, image change etc) and employed them on Adore, but it didn't appeal to the general public. Where the Beatles were still cute with their moustaches and shiny military suits (and Radiohead didn't really have an image to start with), the bleak Nosferatu gothic look wasn't going to appeal to many, especially in the summer of 1998 (which I think I remember being a pretty good summer weather-wise).

They were a stadium level band, but made the least-stadium album possible. Again, not going to help matters. It would be like if Kings Of Leon made a dark, minimalist album, and then headed out on a massive tour to promote it - not gonna fly. I know SP went back to theatres for the Adore shows, which suited the music perfectly, but the average "rat in a cage" / 1979 fan wasn't going to be bothered with that, especially as there were like 10 people on stage now.

01-14-2022, 11:00 AM	#29
eviltimeban Apocalyptic Poster Posts: 2,142	The Beatles were building to Sgt Pepper though. They didn't go straight from, say, Help!, to Sgt Pepper. There was enough notice on Revolver and Strawberry Fields Forever / Penny Lane on what was to come. What shocked people was how beautifully it held together, from the cover, to the image change, everything. It both reflected and defined the times. Kid A came out of nowhere seemingly, but it wasn't really a new kind of music - it was just Radiohead mucking around with synths, and trying to be Autechre. But for some reason it appealed to people, but also a lot of people who wanted to pretend they were smart by listening to it. Critics were baffled by it, and it got VERY mixed reviews when it came out. But Radiohead stuck to their guns and never returned to their old style (much like REM post-Monster). SP took all those things (new style from out of nowhere, image change etc) and employed them on Adore, but it didn't appeal to the general public. Where the Beatles were still cute with their moustaches and shiny military suits (and Radiohead didn't really have an image to start with), the bleak Nosferatu gothic look wasn't going to appeal to many, especially in the summer of 1998 (which I think I remember being a pretty good summer weather-wise). They were a stadium level band, but made the least-stadium album possible. Again, not going to help matters. It would be like if Kings Of Leon made a dark, minimalist album, and then headed out on a massive tour to promote it - not gonna fly. I know SP went back to theatres for the Adore shows, which suited the music perfectly, but the average "rat in a cage" / 1979 fan wasn't going to be bothered with that, especially as there were like 10 people on stage now. Last edited by eviltimeban : 01-14-2022 at 11:11 AM.