Sometimes my mind wanders about and comes across ideas. My latest is successful music. I was listening to a CD by a group, and it was a dismal disappointment after their previous release. It got me thinking about what makes an album (not a song) successful. Is it great lyrics? Usually not. How about very talented musicians? Sometimes, but not necessary. A strong message? Rarely. Then it hit me. I believe many albums become successful because they contain a passion that the audience can connect with. This is not to say that it only takes passion; there are plenty of passionate musical failures. A connecting passion that finds a home in the listener is the key.
Sometimes this is a band’s initial release (although not always). As an example, consider Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction. This album is raw, gritty, and passionate. It evokes an image of rough streets, violence, drugs, and rock life. It makes the listener feel. Later albums, although commercially successful, were nothing but pale reflections of their debut. Somewhere between struggling to make it and becoming super rock stars, Guns N’ Roses lost their passion. They couldn’t connect it with the listener anymore. Another prime example of this same situation would be Disturbed. When The Sickness was released, I was floored. I played the album over and over, enthralled by the music. Much like Guns N’ Roses did 15 years before, Disturbed captured a new era of a rough, grungy, rock life. Every album since has been laughable. Don’t get me wrong, Disturbed is extremely talented, and the music is good, it just has no passion. It is forgettable. Will they recapture that passion? Not likely, so few ever do.
Sometimes a band needs to get an album or two under their belts before they find their passion. My first thought in this category is Nine Inch Nails’ Broken. This album followed Pretty Hate Machine, which only proved to Trent Reznor that he could make music. It wasn’t until Broken that he did it with passion. And sadly, he hasn’t done it again since. Have you ever noticed that when musicians find a “purpose” for their music, it is no longer worth listening to? That, I feel, is the unfortunate fate of NIN. I do understand though. It is hard to keep that angst, energy, and frustration that fuels your music going when you are a multi-million selling artist. Is it fitting that NIN’s protégé, Marilyn Manson fits the same bill? Their second full-length album, Antichrist Superstar, allowed Marilyn Manson to find their niche and dig into it with irreverent ferocity. Passion. Everything since, while entertaining, has fallen flat and… passionless. It’s gone. Oh, I don’t doubt that Mr. Manson is a passionate individual, but the connection is gone. The best they’ll ever be was in 1996.
Some bands find their passion in their comeback efforts. I immediately think of Aerosmith’s Pump. Although not the first of their comeback attempt, this album screamed, “we’re here, and we aren’t leaving!” They have been amazingly successful ever since, but no later album has had the nonstop passion from beginning to end like this. Consider also AC/DC’s Back In Black. After death of singer Bon Scott, AC/DC released this album with new singer Brian Johnson. Worldwide, it has been outsold by only one other record… Michael Jackson’s Thriller. I contend it is the raw passion that makes this album the second most successful album of all time, all around the world. It isn’t the great lyrics—face it, almost every song is sexual innuendo or just plain sex. It isn’t the great musical skill—it is good rock, but these aren’t the most talented musicians to ever live. It is the passionate delivery that connects each and every time you listen. AC/DC has never repeated this feat, and likely never will.
Some bands defy logic and succeed through their passion, despite not releasing the best songs. Can there be a more obvious example than KISS? I’ll use their Double Platinum album as the example. It is full of mediocre songs that you cannot help but love. If you stop and think for a minute, “Rock and Roll All Nite” is one of the stupidest songs ever written; it’s a hit. You want to get a room full of people singing, laughing, and having a good time? Put this song on. Everyone knows it, everyone sings along. It is full of passion. KISS is the walking example of what I’m talking about. They connect. Granted, their new material hasn’t done so in a long time, but their early years were filled with this energy.
I don’t feel any of these are the best bands ever. However, unlike so many musicians out there, these are some groups that have found that way to reach out and grab you, forcing you to take notice. They found that passion, bottled it, and pressed it into an album. They have that “something” that lets them connect when the one-hit wonders fall away. A catchy beat, good lyrics, and talent will only get you so far. If you want to be a legendary musician, find your passion and figure out how to make others see it.