astrid plane and video vortex

Growing up in the Eighties, it was easy to adopt a persona based on your tonal choices. A fool-proof method for declaring your trendy status was embracing alternative acts. The easiest way to prove that you were an ultimate barometer of cool was to be well-informed about the latest radio players. Fashion played a significant role in deciding what bright young things you would listen to. There was a famous quote from John Taylor that he couldn’t bring himself to purchase a record by an artist if he didn’t care for the cut of his pants. Ultimately, the whole concept of a “band” is a marketing gimmick. If you think about it, music is an unlimited resource. Especially now, when kids take it for granted that they can download the tracks for free. The tunes are their God-given right, damn it! When I think about how I used to obsess over musicians and use their output to craft an identity, I have to laugh. I am older and wiser now, but I am still susceptible to the charms of this lyrical Pied Piper. So I am always taken aback when an act replaces it’s members. I know that the record industry is a volatile business, and the artistic temperament comes into play. I understand if they shed a band mate, in the name of “creative differences”. But it is another story, when they take the band name and launch a different project with a wholesale change. Like 90210! It feels like a fraud, using the feelings towards previous individuals to market this material to the general public. In modern times, we have seen this phenomenon take place with Sugababes, the deconstruction of the band unit. It makes you wonder whether there is any integrity in this manufactured pop factory. Although, they continue to churn out decent product, it creates the impression that performers are interchangeable. How can you identify with a rotating roster of singers? How can you respect the talent of an artist if they can be replaced in a moment’s notice? Ultimately, it undermines the whole idea of musical nomenclature. The ultimate audacity is when the entire personnel is replaced. This took place with Animotion when all 3 founding members departed for greener pastures. In the tradition of daytime television, the three were recast and relaunched without skipping a beat. No offense to the new kids on the block, but WTF? To add insult to injury, the record buying public seemed not to notice, and they scored another top ten hit. It is a bait and switch trick that leaves you feeling like a swindled sucker. In honor of the originals, I am posting one of their earlier efforts before the extreme makeover. If this was a union, scabs go home!