Re: why do Stones ' fans' do not grow with the band?
Date: January 1, 2006 23:02
The sales of ABB are truly disappointing ONLY in the US market: just the 19-20% of the worldwide sales! We have discussed a lot about the US sales and US market, i’m a bit tired of this subject. But worldwide ABB sells much better than the last albums of Macca, N. Young, Santana, Clapton and Simple Minds (and, sorry, but i hardly saw Bob Dylan on the worldwide chart). Clearly better than the last albums of Sheryl Crow, Depeche Mode. Better than the last albums of new bands supported by strong “hype”, like Franz Ferdinard or System Of A Down (I mean “hypnotize”).
Very often we forget some important things coming from the past:
(1) The Stones NEVER had been top album sellers. They were and they are a “monster” live act, but not “huge” albums sellers. Some Girls (9 million copies) and Tattoo You (8 million copies, if my memory is correct) were the exceptions, not the rule. Remember a Mick’s statement, in 1978, before Some Girls: «Our albums are selling about 2 million copies, some guys do it better, some guys do it worst than us”. ABB sells better – i mean worldwide- than Dirty Work, Undercover, Black and Blue and IORR. Do you think the worldwide sales of ABB are disappointing in comparison with 7-8 their older albums? With this logic even Vertigo is “unsuccessful” record in comparison with the sales of a few older U2 records. First of all in comparison with the sales of "The Joshua Tree" (18 million units) and "Achtoung Baby" (15m). And every Bruce's album, of course, has "disappointing" sales in comparison to "Born In USA" (24 million copies). But i don't think this is the right "logic"...
(2) The top selling Stones album since 1981 is a compilation: Forty Licks (about 7+ m units). If you consider this as a tragedy of the last years, think that the most successful album in the history of the Stones is a compilation too, from the early seventies: Hot Rocks (15m copies).
(3) In every dacade since early 70s there were at least 2-3 rock acts which were selling - always or usualy- much better than the Stones (Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Bruce, etc). We have to add 5-6 more acts which were selling much better than them sporadicaly (like Fleetwood Mac in 1977, with their “Rumours”). Today i see a situation proportional to the "old days". Yes, now Green Day ("American Idiot") are selling 15 million units and Coldplay 9 million, but i want to see them, both, in a few years. Oasis were the “Green Day of middle 90s”, but their last album sold only 160,000 units in US, where last Pearl Jam’s record sold just 450,000 (atleast ABB still sells!)
After all i think the stability of the Stones after so many dacades is truly admirable.