Comments on: The Half-Year In Review: Dave Grohl Owns Alt-Rock Airwaves (What Else Is New?)

By: Al Shipley

Al Shipley — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:36:11 +0000

@othertim: There are nine Sublime songs in the top 500 most played tracks on alternative radio for the past 6 months. I hear other songs like "Wrong Way" and "Caress Me Down" a lot and I was still pretty shocked by that.

By: othertim

othertim — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 02:10:37 +0000

And the Sublime tracks are pretty much only “What I Got” and “Santeria,” at least on the station I listen to.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:28:50 +0000

@cheesebubble: Yup, I actually have the Rainbow Butt Monkeys disc, Letters To Chutney.

By: cheesebubble

cheesebubble — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:07:49 +0000

That first list of names is largely nasty but some redemption exists in the second group of bands. Still, overall it makes me sad. There's so much great music that's buried under the corporate wake.

@2ironic4u: Remember when Finger Eleven used to be Rainbow Butt Monkeys in the mid-1990s? Now that was special!

By: Al Shipley

Al Shipley — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:16:59 +0000

@How do I say this ... THROWDINI!: It's not just out there, I'm on the East Coast and I hear Sublime constantly.

By: How do I say this ... THROWDINI!

How do I say this ... THROWDINI! — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:19:30 +0000

@DocStrange: Sublime? really? They still play Sublime enough that it gets more plays than a great band like Los Campesinos! or Does it Offend You, Yeah? or Black Kids? really?

You clearly don't live in LA, where its still all-sublime-all-the-time. I understand that they are/were a local band, and their music was fine for the times, but I get it already, you neither practice Santeria nor have a crystal ball...

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:10:28 +0000

Heheh…terrestrial radio.

By: Al Shipley

Al Shipley — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:08:51 +0000

@DocStrange: Black Kids are #303, and Los barely-heard-of-them-are-they-popular-in-England-or-something aren't on the chart at all.

By: Al Shipley

Al Shipley — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:07:12 +0000

@Halfwit: I think I actually hear "Frequency" now and again still, especially compared to the rest of the Monster, which had 4 other Modern Rock hits that never ever get played anymore. R.E.M. in general gets a lot less played than I expected they would based on this data of the last six months: 57th most played artist, and the only songs in the top 500 are "End Of The World" and the one from the new album.

By: DocStrange

DocStrange — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:55:42 +0000

Sublime? really? They still play Sublime enough that it gets more plays than a great band like Los Campesinos! or Does it Offend You, Yeah? or Black Kids? really?

But hey, those Flobots and Death Cab songs are great (even though "Cath..." is obviously the best song on "Narrow Stairs")

You know what else you never hear on the radio anymore? "Pure" by The Lightning Seeds. Boy, was that a good song.

By: Halfwit

Halfwit — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:17:55 +0000

Also… where have you gone, Tonic?

By: Halfwit

Halfwit — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:17:25 +0000

@2ironic4u: I remember being a bigger "fan" of the Black Lab single and setting up some type of direct rival in my mind between them and Matchbox 20 (I guess "Push" made my local modern rock station at about the same time). Thought I was the only one who remembered it.

Also, do you have a thought as to why "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" has disappeared? I always liked the song, but it seems that everyone involved (band and media alike) have almost decided to forget that Monster ever existed. Kind of a shame -- they've been playing an acoustic version of "Let Me In" on the most recent tour that I find revelatory.

By: cassidy2099

cassidy2099 — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:53:48 +0000

@cassidy2099: our*

By: cassidy2099

cassidy2099 — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:53:34 +0000

@2ironic4u: Oh, how quickly we turn out backs on the Bizkit.

By: Al Shipley

Al Shipley — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:24:43 +0000

@2ironic4u: Yeah, "Swallowed" and the other Razorblade Suitcase (lol) singles have disappeared while even one of Bush's later singles, "The Chemicals Between Us," has clung to playlists to some extent.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:47:18 +0000

@Al Shipley:

Funny thing about Finger Eleven is I'm actually a huge fan. They've been around since the late 90's and I really enjoyed their work. They are one of the rare examples of the late crossover.

In terms of older hits that have disappeared from MR radio, here are some more:
Limp Bizkit "Nookie", "Re-Arranged", "Faith", "Rollin"
Creed "Higher", "My Own Prison", "One", "What's This Life For", "What If"
Unwritten Law "Seein' Red"
Deep Blue Something "Breakfast At Tiffany's"
The Cranberries "Salvation"
Bush "Swallowed" (may still get some limited airplay, but not as much as the Sixteen Stone hits which, ironically, spent less time at #1 than this song)
U2 "Starting At The Sun"
Fastball "The Way"
Black Lab "Wash It Away"
Goo Goo Dolls "Name"
Morrissey "The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get"
R.E.M. "Bang And Blame", "What's The Frequency Kenneth"
The Lemonheads "Into Your Arms"

By: Al Shipley

Al Shipley — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:35:58 +0000

@2ironic4u: Yeah, true, although I kinda feel like the niche artists on there have a better chance of being an enduring concert draw (Paramore, Rise Against, Flobots, if that's who you mean) and a dedicated fanbase, whereas more generic bands like Seether and Finger Eleven only seem to be as hot as their last single.

BTW I still really like your idea of writing about older hits that have disappeared from MR radio from that post the other day:
[idolator.com]
Feel free to carry on that thread and suggest more here.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:52:47 +0000

Wow, so many niche artists on that list. Makes me wonder how modern rock stations get people to fill up amphitheaters for all the X-fests and what not around the country.

By: Al Shipley

Al Shipley — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:19:29 +0000

BTW much thanks to Dan Gibson for the help with airplay data.