Bands who made the most from the least

[sadaist]

Sitting here trying to think of bands or musicians that have milked the very most from the very least. Saw a poster for Peter Frampton and it started making me think. That motherfucker has milked ONE album for an entire successful career. If not for 'Frampton Comes Alive' he would be a minor footnote to 70's rock and no one would even remember him (or maybe never even heard of him in the first place).

Don't get me wrong. I totally dig that album. But that's it. That's his career summed up on 1 piece of 2-sided vinyl. It's the only thing played on the radio & the only things he plays live. Still touring and selling tickets and making a living. Everyone knows those tunes.

I say Peter Frampton has milked that 1 album more than any other artist has milked a song or album before (or probably ever will).


What others have milked 1 song, album, event, etc... as badly to make an entire career from it? Are there any others that even come close to Frampton?

[Yount]

Billy Thorpe (R.I.P.) with Most People I Know (Think That I'm Crazy)

[sadaist]

Maybe Quiet Riot with Metal Health? Hard for me to say for sure cause I did like some of their other stuff. But not nearly the same ballpark as Frampton.

[sadaist]

OOOH I KNOW!


Golden Earring

Fuckers have 2 songs that everyone know. And that is it. Although they are both great tunes, but still qualifies them. Although they didn't really stretch out a long career from it.

[mohican]

Jimmy Buffett. He built an empire from Margaritaville.

[sadaist]

Jimmy Buffett. He built an empire from Margaritaville.

Oh fuck. Good call.

[mohican]

Bee Gees - saturday night fever soundtrack

[FORD]

The Sex Pistols still tour every few years or so, and to date have only released one studio album (in 1977)

But it's a damn good album.

[FORD]

Billy Thorpe (R.I.P.) with Most People I Know (Think That I'm Crazy)

Actually the only Billy Thorpe song that ever went anywhere in the States was "Children of the Sun".

KISW used to play that song so goddamn much, I got sick of it.

[mohican]

Top on this list is Bon Jovi for me. I know some will disagree. They have 2 catchy songs from Slippery When Wet.

[sadaist]

The Sex Pistols still tour every few years or so, and to date have only released one studio album (in 1977)

But it's a damn good album.

Ah. A terrific example. An entire career from 1 album. that's crazy! Might be worse then Frampton. At least he's done some other stuff....even though no one has heard it.

[sadaist]

Doesn't have to be music. Look at JD Salinger. Fucker wrote Catcher In The Rye & lived as a recluse the rest of his life. yeah he wrote a couple other books, but no one really knows of them in comparison. One hugely popular book and done.

[CoffeeJunkie]

Not really the Rock Genre, but didn't Modern English release "I Melt With You" like 3 times and had a hit each time?

[FORD]

Frampton's next album after his live record "I'm In You" was a decent seller, from what I remember. Still have that one on vinyl, I think. Lots of guest appearances from Mick Jagger, Stevie Wonder and others.....

[FORD]

Not really the Rock Genre, but didn't Modern English release "I Melt With You" like 3 times and had a hit each time?

I know they released it at least twice, but the second version pretty much sucked. Don't even know why they bothered re-recording it.

Of course now that the song has been used in a half dozen different commercials from Burger King to Taco Hell to Hershey's fucking chocolate, I can't stand to hear it any more at all.