Forumla band likely to follow predecessors...

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Nov 23, 2099 Source: Birmingham Post Submitted By: KJStanley@aol.com Forumla band likely to follow predecessors into oblivion By MARK BROWN SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE When the Backstreet Boys tour arrives to play Tuesday night at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, here's one way to look at it: It's like the population of a small town going out of its collective mind over five Orlando guys singing sad, sincere love songs. Details* Who — Backstreet Boys, Mandy Moore * Where — Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Arena * When — 7:30 p.m. Tuesday * Tickets — Sold out The Backstreet Boys — Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, A.J. McLean, Nick Carter — have been around since'92, even though their first hits came just two years ago. So far, a clean-as-a-whistle image and irresistibly catchy songs have served the Boys well, making them No. 1 artists not only in the U.S. but in 25 other countries. The current smash, "I Want It That Way," gets even Backstreet haters humming along. How big are they? Bruce Springsteen made headlines for selling out 15 nights in New Jersey in less than one day. The Backstreet Boys sold out the entire nation in 60 minutes. The new album, "Millennium," set the record for the highest-ever first week of sales and then set it for the second week, then the third. Think of the title not so much as a name but as a prediction as to how long it's gonna stay on the charts. Worldwide sales since May: 14 million and counting. That's more than halfway to being the best-selling album of all time in just 150 days. They're also walking away with $30 million from their concert tour, and it's only that low because they kept prices relatively within the allowance range, at $30 to $40 a pop. If all this makes your eardrums beg for relief, there's good news: They can't last much longer. Boy-band life spans average just under six years from start to finish. At this rate, the seven-years-and-counting Backstreeters have already hit the snooze switch a couple of times on their 15-minutes-of-fame clock — and that alarm always goes off eventually. The reason: Manufactured groups just can't last long by design. Some artists — former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, for example — start to believe the hype and think they're hot enough to go out on their own. Some chafe under management edicts and rebel — witness New Kids on the Block setting hotels on fire with vodka and'N Sync's recent attempt to break away from its record company. However, the biggest problem is boredom — the fans', not the artists'. Even the cuddliest 18-year-old loses some of that charm at 24. And you can't go home again, as New Edition proved with a laughable reunion tour. The bad news is that someone's surely lined up to take their place. It's a formula as old as rock'n' roll: You pull together a bunch of good-looking teens who may or may not be able to sing. You stock'em up with catchy songs and a calculated image. But you end up with an unavoidable curve of massive popularity, then massive indifference. Below are some prime examples of how easily and cynically such phenoms can be born and how quickly the fans can forget. * THE MONKEES Members: Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith Lifespan: 1965-1969, with four years in original formation; 30 years of various reunion chicanery. Gimmick: They had some of the world's hottest songwriters at the time — Neil Diamond, Carole King, Boyce & Hart put words into the mouth of this pre-Fab Four, then used their weekly television show to sell 'em. Cause of death: The boys began to believe they were the ones responsible for the hits. High point: "I'm a Believer," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," "Randy Scouse Git," "Sometime in the Morning," "I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone." Low ebb: The indecipherable movie "Head." Fallout: Snubbed Monkee-wannabe Stephen Stills went on to form Buffalo Springfield. Meanwhile, reunions, box sets and obsessed fans who argue over trivia still try to make you believe the Monkees were real artistes. * JACKSON FIVE Members: Jermaine, Tito, Jackie, Marlon and their little brother Michael. Lifespan: 1966-1974 Gimmick: Great singing, great songs. Not a bad combination. Cause of death: Michael took a look around one day and realized that he was the only thing the group had going for it. Despite an early solo misstep — the single "Ben" from a low-rent rat horror movie — he seemed to do pretty well for himself. High point: "Mama's Pearl," "I Want You Back," "The Love You Save." Low ebb: Michael's little scrape with the law. Fallout: Where to start? Sister Latoya's psychic network services? Sister Rebbie's solo albums? Michael, however, went on to lead a very quiet life out of the public eye. * BOYZ II MEN Members: Wanya Morris, Nathan Morris, Michael McCary and Shawn Stockman Lifespan: 1988-present (though they've all but disappeared since 1997's "Evolution") Gimmick: Four sensitive guys who just wanna love their girls. Cause of death: Hasn't happened yet. High point: "End of the Road," one of the best pieces of R&B to come out since Marvin Gaye died. Low ebb: They've been singing what is essentially the same song with different words for going on a decade now. Fallout: These are the guys who are to blame for the fact that every R&B ballad singer/hip-hop artist around plaintively sings with palms outstretched and sounds like he's about to burst into tears. * NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK Members: Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan Knight, Jon Knight, Danny Wood and Joey McIntyre. Lifespan: 1984-1994 Gimmick: Lovable cuddly white pseudo-rappers who tried to exude James Dean-like menace while singing Mickey Mouse Club songs. Cause of death: Old age and irreconcilable differences — they all went into their 20s, and their fans all went through puberty. High point: Selling out stadiums in 1992. Low ebb: Being laughed out of clubs two years later. Fallout: NKOTB begat Wahlberg, which begat his brother Marky Mark, which begat Dirk Diggler in "Boogie Nights." Jordan Knight and McIntyre both have made largely unsuccessful stabs at solo careers, though Knight had some high-profile opening slots this summer; McIntyre, on the other hand, had to cancel his slow-selling summer tour. * TAKE THAT Members: Robbie Williams, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald Lifespan: 1990-1996 Gimmick: Take What? The U.S. has barely heard of them, yet you couldn't walk a London street in the early'90s without hearing the band. Inexplicably, they wanted to be the British answer to New Kids on the Block. To their eternal regret, that's just what they turned out to be. Cause of death: Sex and drugs and Oasis. High point: Their breakthrough cover of Tavares' "It Only Takes a Minute." Low ebb: Nearly everything else they did, plus the depressing realization that they sold more discs in Britain than anyone since the Beatles. Fallout: Robbie Williams, still trying to make the big splash over here. Ain't happening. * HANSON Members: Isaac, Zac and Taylor Lifespan: 1992-present Gimmick: It all comes down to improbable weirdness: Three brothers from Tulsa who actually write and play this stuff, including the unavoidable megahit "MMMBop." The apparent flirtation with androgyny is strictly the result of bad haircuts. Cause of death: Not dead yet, but four albums in two years is dangerous overexposure. Even worse, scoring only one major hit from those four albums is a good indicator of a short future. High point: A rather raucous, credibility-shoring appearance on "Saturday Night Live." Low ebb: "MMMBop" being played over and over. Fallout: Stay tuned. Comment on this item. Next Item: New Kids really old news Prev Item: The Last Word on "Crushed"