The Atlantic Ocean has a strange habit of swallowing American rock stars.
For every Bruce Springsteen, Eagles or Tom Petty who successfully crossed the musical divide, there are bands who became colossal in America yet remained almost complete unknowns in Britain.
Sometimes the explanation is musical: the US has always had its own particular tastes, from jam bands and heartland rock to the grandest strains of arena rock. Sometimes it is practical. America is vast enough for a band to spend years building a gigantic following without ever needing to leave the country.
But there is also a cultural divide. The radio stations, record labels, music press and audiences that helped turn a band into a US institution did not necessarily exist in Britain – or value the same things.
Here are 11 American success stories that somehow got lost at sea.
Big American bands that never made it in the UK
11. Dave Matthews Band
With such a familiar name it’s safe to assume that most people in the UK have heard of a Dave Matthews. It might be Dave Matthews, the butcher from Salisbury, or Dave Matthews, the supply teacher from Rotherham - just not, crucially, Dave Matthews, the guitarist from Charlottesville, Virginia.
The Grammy-winning Dave Matthews Band has sold millions of CD and concert tickets in the US – in the UK, not so much. It’s hard to put a finger of the exact reason for the apathy, but DMB’s jam-band style has to be a factor.
Key track: 'Ants Marching' (1994)
10. Cheap Trick
The Illinois power-poppers have only ever achieved modest commercial success in the UK, particularly when compared with the levels of fame when compared to the US and Japan. Released in 1979, live album Cheap Trick at Budokan went triple platinum and opened the door to headlining the arenas.
It’s hard to say why Cheap Trick didn’t make it the UK, as their polished power-pop sound wasn’t a million miles away, sonically, from Britain's all-conquering New Wave scene. The band were certainly marketed far more heavily in the US and Japan.
Key track: 'Surrender' (1978)
9. Kansas
With 15 studio albums and a career spanning four decades, Kansas are one of America’s most firmly established classic rock bands. Eight of those albums went gold in the US, with the band also chalking up two one-million-selling gold singles, namely ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ and ‘Dust In The Wind.’
In the UK Kansas’ brand of arena-friendly hard rock didn’t register with the gig-going, record-buying public. Bad timing was definitely a factor here, with British audiences in the thrall of punk and New Wave during Kansas’ most likely crossover period.
Key track: 'Carry On Wayward Son' (1977)
8. Styx
Formed in Chicago in 1972, Styx followed the familiar route of many American rock bands, with their early hard rock sound mellowing out to something altogether softer in the 1980s. The band has witnessed huge commercial success Stateside with any number of arena tours and platinum-selling albums.
Styx’s particular brand of bombastic rock and power balladry has always been lost in translation for a UK audience more naturally suspicious of this kind of pomp and power. The exception that proves the rule, here, is the anthemic ‘Babe’, which reached number six in the singles chart in 1980.
Key track: 'Babe' (1979)
7. Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night have had two Top 40 hits in the UK, with the band’s cover of Randy Newman’s ‘Mama Told Me (Not To Come)’ peaking at number three in 1970. In the US it is a remarkably different story with the band securing 21 Top 40 hits and three number ones - albums sales tell a similar story.
There seem to be a number of reasons to factor in why the LA rockers didn’t travel well across the Atlantic. Sometimes it just comes down to musical taste, and the UK audience were reluctant to warm to the ‘cover band’ approach that Three Dog Night adopted as their trademark.
Key track: 'Joy To The World' (1971)
6. Grand Funk Railroad
In 1971 Grand Funk Railroad sold out Shea Stadium in 72 hours, breaking The Beatles’ long-standing record in the process. It was a reflection of just how popular the Michigan-based rockers were in the US during the early 70s. Despite being starved of any degree of critical praise from the music press, the band’s albums continued to go Platinum.
In the UK, Grand Funk were competing against Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath and the US-centric flavour of the band’s music failed to ignite popular imagination with record sales remaining modest. Saying that, the band did play a sold-out show at the Royal Albert Hall in 1971.
Key track: 'We're An American Band' (1973)
5. John Mayer
Although not without a dedicated fanbase, the singer-songwriter-guitarist’s commercial footprint in the UK is relatively tiny. In the US he has sold over 16 million albums, including four number one albums, and picked up seven Grammys for his trouble.
In the UK it’s a different story, and he is far better known for the women he has dated. Mayer, to date, hasn’t managed to dent the UK singles chart.
Key track: 'Your Body Is A Wonderland' (2002)
4. Primus
In the UK Primus is predominantly known as an outdoor equipment brand famous for its camping stoves. This says a lot the status of the Californian alt. rock band on one particular side of the Atlantic. Saying that, Primus are very much left of centre when it comes to American rock bands.
Led by bassist Les Claypool, the band has a singularly unique sound, mixing slap-bass funk with surreal lyrics. In the UK they are best known for the South Park theme tune.
Key track: 'Wynona's Big Brown Beaver' (2002)
3. Phish
One of the more practical reasons why a big US band fails to make it in the UK is that they’re not actually motivated to do so. This is the case with jam band Phish, who rarely leave the States. On their home shores they are one of the highest-grossing live touring acts on the circuit, and pride themselves on never playing a song the same way twice, or repeating a set list.
Having not played a show in the UK since 1998, their limited success in the UK is wholly understandable.
Key track: 'You Enjoy Myself' (1986)
2. Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
After years of hard gigging, Bob Seger’s earnest brand of American heartland rock finally broke through to the US mainstream with hit album Night Moves in 1976. With over 50 years in the business, Seger has shifted over 75 million records worldwide.
Many millions of these albums were sold in the US, not so many in the UK. The obvious reason for this disproportionate level of success is a basic one, with Seger’s blue-collar music simply not relatable to UK audiences.
Key track: ‘Old Time Rock and Roll’ (1986)
1. Grateful Dead
There’s no denying The Grateful Dead possess a devoted cult following in the UK, but the band’s overall chart success has been extremely limited. A dearth of live appearances also means a limited number of bums on seats when it comes to ticket allocation.
Albums American Beauty (1970) and Terrapin Station (1977) both entered the Top 30, but their presence is a drop in the ocean when compared to the band’s presence in the US album charts.
One reason is a distinct lack of love and understanding of jam bands from UK audiences more attuned to shorter, radio-friendly tracks.
Key track: 'Dark Star' (1968)
All pics Getty Images. Top image Styx, 1978. Left to right: John Panozzo, James Young, Tommy Shaw, Dennis deYoung, Chuck Panozzo
