BBMak?! Hear me out, music fans. Most of us know this English trio more or less as a schmaltzy boy band that got lucky with their one hit from 2000, "Back Here". The single that made them famous helped send their debut album, "Sooner Or Later", to #38 on the Billboard Top 200. Subsequent singles failed to catch on in the US, though. On their sophomore effort, the boys cranked up the guitars a bit more, bringing a rock edge to their catchy pop songs. "Into Your Head" got to an impressive #25 on the album chart, but failed to generate a hit single. "Out Of My Heart" should have done much better then it did, but it stalled at #56 when released in 2002. The follow-up single is even better - "Staring Into Space" has an infectious chorus, terrific backing vocals (these guys truly had a gift for harmony), and a snappy guitar line. It's a shame this new direction didn't help BBMak secure more fans - it would have been interesting to see how their sound evolved along this trajectory. But in 2003, the boys broke up and got involved in other projects.
Scott Weiland and Stone Temple Pilots helped define the music of the 90s. They exploded onto the scene in 1993 with "Plush", which earned them a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance, and had a #1 hit record with their sophomore effort, "Purple". After a couple more successful albums, the band split up and Weiland made some solo records and fronted the supergroup Velvet Revolver. STP got back together with Weiland for a few more years, but his continued problems with substance abuse drove the band apart again. Sadly, Weiland has passed away at the age of 48. One of the band's last singles was also one of their best. But the musical landscape had shifted when this came out in 2001, so it failed to chart on the Billboard Top 100.
Jim Basnight is a singer/songwriter who has been under the radar since his career began in the late 1970s. In addition to his solo work, he's fronted numerous bands, including one called The Moberlys. There is a garage rock urgency to most of his early work, drawing comparisons to bands like The Replacements. "You Know, I Know" is a sunny, 70s-styled pop song that will have you humming the hook for days.
It is hard to think of the 80s without having The Bangles come to mind. They dominated the charts with numerous hits like "Manic Monday" (#2, 1986), "Walk Like An Egyptian" (#1, 1986), "In Your Room" (#5, 1988) and "Eternal Flame" (#1, 1989). But by the end of the decade, turmoil had set in and the girls parted ways. Susanna Hoffs launched a solo career, which probably would have been more successful had it not come at a time when grunge was chopping off the head of any song that made you smile. Time heals wounds, so The Bangles eventually got back together and released two more albums, "Doll Revolution" in 2003 and "Sweetheart of the Sun" in 2011. While the latter was only three fourths of the band (Michael Steele sat this one out), it marked a return to the Billboard Top 200, landing at #148. The title track is a wonderful return to form and should have put The Bangles back in the Top 10.
Band of Horses is a sublime modern rock/folk band that strives for melody and harmony, so obviously they aren't going to have any songs charting on the Billboard Top 100. However, they have scored on the album chart and other specialized charts. "Laredo" is from their breakthrough 2010 release, "Infinite Arms", which managed to go all the way to #7 on the Billboard Top 200. "Laredo" was also recognized by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the top 50 songs of that year.
Balaam and The Angel was an underrated trio of brothers from Scotland who blended melodic rock with a touch of goth, kind of like The Cult. They should have risen to greater heights in the US during the late 80s, but their biggest album, "Live Free Or Die" only made it to #174, propelled by the underground hit (meaning that it failed to chart), "I Love The Things That You Do To Me". Their follow-up record didn't even chart in the US, but contained plenty more hard rock and pop anthems, such as this one - "Goodbye Forever":
The Badlees were a folk rock band from Pennsylvania poised to hit the big time in the mid-90s with their acclaimed release, "River Songs". Their sound fit comfortably alongside other popular artists of the time, such as Counting Crows, Edwin McCain, and Shawn Mullins. Excitement surrounded their long-awaited follow-up, "Up There, Down Here", which didn't arrive until 1999 due to record label problems.
"Don't Let Me Hide", the lead-off single, should have secured this band a bigger place in music history, but it failed to chart.
