Quote:
Originally Posted by Ksyrup
QS's comment about Foreigner raises another question. Foreigner was hugely successful and nowhere near the midpoint. But QS seems to be judging this solely from a "do they suck?" viewpoint. I think popularity/name recognition has to play a role here, but critical acclaim (or lack thereof) can be a part as well.
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So... i guess I'm guilty of answering the question here in the way that I find most interesting.
I fall we are doing is measuring volume/sales/popularity, and the "universe" includes everyone who ever made any effort to be part of the genre, then what is the midpoint band of the 1980s? Shalamar? Or maybe they would be too big? So, maybe a band that nobody heard of, since the truth is that if you count every regional bar band that took its shot, you'd have an incalculable field of entries, and the midpoint of infinity is still infinity.
So yeah, I'm looking instead at acts that are well known, meaningful, and fairly well understood and remembered as part of their genre. And from that pool, subjective I realize, I am basically looking for a midpoint based on "greatness" that is some amalgamation of quality and enduring renown.
That's how I arrived at Foreigner. Not sure there are tons of true deep fans out there of theirs, but they made a mark in pop music, still get a bit of airplay here and there, and are... basically fine. They turned out to be much greater than... idano...Men Without Hats... but far lesser than Journey.