TS: Artists heralded as the next Bob Dylan vs. Bands heralded as the next Smiths

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Two popular tropes of the American and U.K. press, at least. Who's had the best track record? Which hyperbolic comparison has been applied with a greater success rate (creative or otherwise), given that there still has yet to be another Dylan or Smiths?

Apologies for the borderline coherence. I'm very, very, very tired.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Saturday, 19 March 2005 20:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Steve Forbert brought flowers on his date with Cyndi Lauper.

― Silky Sensor (sexyDancer), Saturday, 19 March 2005 20:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't know what that means. Reads like a particularly ambitious anagram.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Saturday, 19 March 2005 21:48 (twenty-one years ago)

so is this like Gene vs Bright Eyes?

― keith m (keithmcl), Saturday, 19 March 2005 23:14 (twenty-one years ago)

springsteen >>>>>>>> suede

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Sunday, 20 March 2005 00:34 (twenty-one years ago)

stealer's wheel >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the cranberries

― j blount (papa la bas), Sunday, 20 March 2005 00:36 (twenty-one years ago)

daniel johnston vs the darkness

― dave q (listerine), Sunday, 20 March 2005 00:46 (twenty-one years ago)

X-post I was thinking of Springsteen/Suede when I wrote the post!

Counting Crows

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Sunday, 20 March 2005 00:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Hmm, that's weird. That should read:

Counting Crows

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Sunday, 20 March 2005 03:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Beck >> Magnetic Fields >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Trash Can Sinatras > Travis > Coldplay >>>>>>>>Bright Eyes

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Sunday, 20 March 2005 04:14 (twenty-one years ago)

e. coli bacterium in my stomach>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>bright eyes

― latebloomer: damn cheapskate satanists (latebloomer), Sunday, 20 March 2005 04:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Steve Forbert brought flowers on his date with Cyndi Lauper.
-- Silky Sensor , March 19th, 2005.

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I don't know what that means. Reads like a particularly ambitious anagram.
-- Josh in Chicago , March 19th, 2005.

Hahaha! It does look suspiciously like it's driven more by some formal constraints than by content.

― RS £aRue (rockist_scientist), Sunday, 20 March 2005 04:32 (twenty-one years ago)

does it sound more like a 'Dylan line' or a 'Morrisey line'?

― dave q (listerine), Sunday, 20 March 2005 06:01 (twenty-one years ago)

ryan adams (heartbreaker) > ryan adams (llor n kcor)

― Ozewayo (ozewayo), Sunday, 20 March 2005 07:57 (twenty-one years ago)

x-post Neither Dylan nor Mozzer would write a line like that. It looks more like something Lou Reed would write.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Sunday, 20 March 2005 12:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Anyway, my two earlier attempts should read that the Counting Crows were/are much worse than the Sundays.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Sunday, 20 March 2005 12:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Another Sunny Day >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The Wallflowers

― Let's keep the afterbirth and throw Ian Riese-Moraine away! (Eastern Mantra), Sunday, 20 March 2005 16:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Girls just wanna have fun.

― Silky Sensor (sexyDancer), Sunday, 20 March 2005 17:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Those heralded as the next Smiths were at least a lot more needed at the time than The Smiths themselves. I mean, synthpop was great, and nobody needed a guitar band in 1983. However, the new generation of guitar bands were desperately needed for music at the height of the hip-hop/dance craze in the mid 90s.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 20 March 2005 19:36 (twenty-one years ago)

A new Dylan, on the other hand, has never been needed. I mean, Dylan is still around after all. But Springsteen or Petty were never new Dylans anyway, and they were instead great on their own right.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 20 March 2005 19:37 (twenty-one years ago)

What about new Radioheads? They could be the most disappointing of the whole bunch, I think.

― Dave M, Sunday, 20 March 2005 21:55 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm so glad that whole craze fizzled out (xpost).

― yum, Sunday, 20 March 2005 21:57 (twenty-one years ago)

In fact, I think there is probably a lot of overlap between next Radioheads and next Smiths. e.g. Travis, Coldplay. Was Radiohead ever a next Smiths? oooooo, think about it.

― Dave M, Sunday, 20 March 2005 22:01 (twenty-one years ago)

If memory serves, Columbia Records used the New Dylan tag to promote Bruce's first album. A lot of aspiring singer/songwriters got labelled this way in the early 70s, and it mostly backfired.

― lovebug starski (lovebug starski), Sunday, 20 March 2005 22:06 (twenty-one years ago)

radiohead were a next u2

― j blount (papa la bas), Sunday, 20 March 2005 22:14 (twenty-one years ago)

were u2 pitched more as the next who or the next police?

― j blount (papa la bas), Sunday, 20 March 2005 22:17 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22next+smiths%22&btnG=Google+Search

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&c2coff=1&q=%22next+dylan%22&btnG=Search

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 20 March 2005 22:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Bright Eyes vs. The Dears

― Milbert, Sunday, 20 March 2005 23:50 (twenty-one years ago)

In fact, I think there is probably a lot of overlap between next Radioheads and next Smiths. e.g. Travis, Coldplay.

Even though they are influenced by them, I have never seen more pop oriented bands such as Travis or Coldplay cited as the next Radiohead. Elbow and Muse, however...

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 20 March 2005 23:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Hmm, I know what you're saying, but I thought I remembered pretty much every British band trying to crossover into the States being labelled as a next Radiohead (Muse, though, totally). I think it was mostly on the part of lazy reviewers as opposed to any concerted marketing effort.

― Dave M, Monday, 21 March 2005 00:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Geir, I've seen that about Coldplay numerous times - usually framed as "Now that Radiohead has abandoned being the kings of intelligent melancholy songcraft for inaccessible electro wank, Coldplay has stepped up to claim the mantle."

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 21 March 2005 01:04 (twenty-one years ago)

sundays (first album only) > bill fay

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Monday, 21 March 2005 04:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Critics should bring back the "next Beethoven" epithet.

― Hurting (Hurting), Monday, 21 March 2005 04:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Bright Eyes is this generations Bach

― milbert, Monday, 21 March 2005 07:38 (twenty-one years ago)

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