Backstreet love affair

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Mar 01, 2000 Source: San Antonio Express-News Submitted By: Ivy C Boys stand out from the bubble gum brat pack (Last updated Tuesday, Feb 29, 2000) By Hector Saldaña hsaldana@express-news.net Express-News Staff Writer How big are the Backstreet Boys? The answer may lie in the titles of a couple of their latest songs - "Larger Than Life" and "No One Else Comes Close." The Backstreet Boys are at the forefront of one of the most amazing teen pop assaults on the charts ever, a platinum-hued trend that includes Britney Spears, best new artist Grammy winner Christina Aguilera and 'N Sync. Combined, these acts sold nearly 25 million albums last year. "Millennium," "... Baby One More Time," "Christina Aguilera" and "'N Sync" landed at the No. 1, 2, 9 and 11 slots, respectively, for best-selling albums of 1999. If it hadn't been for Cher's "Believe," Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle" would have been the top-selling single last year. Other newcomers selling lots of singles were LFO and Jessica Simpson. Billboard magazine called 1999 the year of the teen idol. But there seems to be something about the Backstreet Boys, who perform tonight at the Alamodome, that sets them apart in this bubblegum brat pack. And it's not just adolescent girls who thinks so. Even respected Village Voice rock critic Robert Christgau admitted he was "converted" last July to the Backstreet Boys, proclaiming "these guys do righteous work" and "definitely don't suck." Epic Records senior vice president Dave McPherson,? who signed the Backstreet Boys in 1993, said the group ultimately is about quality. His latest discovery is 15-year-old Mandy Moore. "I think that the Backstreet Boys and Mandy Moore are the artists of the future," McPherson said. "Maybe what they're doing is categorized as teen pop or whatever, but just as Madonna came outyears ago with 'Lucky Star,' I don't think people knew she'd be around in 20 years, but she is." McPherson said it was difficult, at first, for the Backstreet Boys to overcome what he called the "Yechh! factor" at MTV and publications such as Rolling Stone magazine, but that "talent and great songs" won out. "No one really wanted to deal with what we call pop music now," he said, adding that radio play broke down the barriers. "The Backstreet Boys definitely spearheaded the movement. At the time they got into the game, there was no one else." That the "boy band" playing field may be getting a little too crowded even for the Backstreet Boys became evident when BSB singer Kevin Richardson told MTV recently what he thinks of nearest rivals 'N Sync — "I mean, it's like, 'Find your own identity.'" Expect that rivalry to heat up when 'N Sync's "No Strings Attached" arrives in stores March 21. Christgau, the Village Voice critic, said his 14-year-old daughter dragged him to a Backstreet Boys concert, and (surprise) he liked them. But that doesn't mean he holds all teenybopper pop in the same regard. The rock critic has studied the teen scene enough to judge 'N Sync "wimpier" than the Backstreet Boys and proclaim "I Want It That Way" a great record that will stand the test of time. "I don't like most teen pop, and I don't think most of good music, and I'm not at all convinced it's good for the people who listen to it," said Christgau, 57. However, for his teen-age daughter, Christgau acknowledges, "'N Sync is like a metaphor with which to discuss all of life." Sex appeal aside, talent and great songs — plus a crucial boost from MTV's "Total Request Live" — are the real power of the Backstreet Boys, McPherson said. "These artists will all evolve if they're talented. Those that aren't will fall by the wayside," he says. "These artists will do great things and change with the times and not necessarily keep them stuck in the teen genre — and who knows how long that will last." And the Backstreet Boys' appeal extends beyond teens, he add- ed. "My mom likes 'Quit Play- ing Games (With My Heart).' There's 40-year-olds buying their records." But will they admit it? And if they do, will anyone hear them over all the screaming? "The best way to say it is it's a pop explosion. It's really been an incredible landscape that we've seen grow extremely fast and loud and it is not going to die anytime soon," said Tom Calderone, MTV senior vice president of music and talent programming. "It's pretty intense." Calderone calls the youth trend "empowering" for artists and fans alike. The theory being that "when you're singing songs about things that mean a lot, it's always easier to hear it from a peer." "Total Request Live" may be ground zero for the Backstreet Boys boom, but the group also is blowing up on the Internet. Graying readers of Rolling Stone learned that when the Boys shanghaied the magazine's year-end music poll, which was conducted online for the first time in 1999. MCY.com, a New York-based company that Webcasts concerts on a pay-per-view basis, is sponsoring the "Into the Millennium" tour. The company partnered with Microsoft in December to Webcast Paul McCartney's return to the Cavern Club, and it will air a Backstreet Boys concert on its Web site, www.mcy.com, beginning March 15. "This is really the first teen pop concert we've done," said Clay Czelusniak, publicity director at MCY.com, who predicts the Backstreet Boys eventually will get more online hits than McCartney. "The Backstreet Boys are a money machine. There's nobody bigger out there," Czelusniak said. "Everything that has to do with pop music and kids nowadays revolves around the Backstreet Boys and these teen bands, and that's one reason why MCY went and pursued them." The Backstreet Boys, besides being the No. 1-selling act in the country, are also the No. 1-searched band on the Internet. Limp Bizkit comes in second place, and Britney Spears is No. 3. The buzz for the Backstreet Boys' Alamodome show is tremendous, says morning radio host Dean Novak at KXXM-FM "The Mix." "The anticipation is equal to, if not more, than 'N Sync. These tickets were gobbled up even faster," Novak said. The screams were loud for 'N Sync last August. They'll be louder tonight. "You don't get much more energy in one place than packing the Alamodome with young people waiting for the Backstreet Boys to hit the stage," Novak said. hsaldana@express-news.net Comment on this item. Next Item: Happy fans get a close view of Boys Prev Item: Stan Lee's Youth Portal Web Site Goes Live