
Originally Posted by
tenohtwo
Ugh. "Follow That Cab" and "Take A Risk" don't have any kind of hooks to be singles. I would think that anyone can recognize what song on the album is going to be the most promising single for The Fixx. I've mentioned before that the band/management erred in not promoting "Prove" as a single from the last album, but this time they got it right. "Anyone Else" is not my personal favorite on the album (I do like it a lot), but it clearly has the arrangement, hooks, and energy that work for radio and catching the listeners' attention, not to mention a very well done music video. For me, 'Cab' and 'Risk' are the weak links on the album, the farthest songs from being potential singles.
In regards to the Kimmel audience 'not being into it', we're talking late night talk show crowds that show up in the afternoon at a studio on a weekday, many of which are standing in line to get in the door and maybe see their favorite actor/actress, and then there will be some Fixx fans. The way Kimmel's stage is set up with the 'crowd' suggests they pull some audience members forward to the front to create the 'live' vibe - and while I'd like to think plenty of Fixx fans showed up in support - it more or less simulates those embarrassing Super Bowl halftime shows with the 'arranged' crowds bouncing up and down like they're watching the greatest show ever. In the case of the Kimmel performance, there were probably lots of people who either didn't know who The Fixx were, or just weren't into their music. It wasn't a FIXX concert, it was a Jimmy Kimmel talk show, so it's rare that you're gonna get a crazy crowd to watch the band. The last time I saw a talk show where it was clear a band's fans took over the whole studio audience was Depeche Mode on Leno in '98. I'd never heard a late night audience go that nuts before they came on!
Let's face it, The Fixx have been out of the spotlight for many, many years, and are gonna wear that 80s band scarlet letter til they're done, no matter what they do or how they adapt to the current music scene. "Anyone Else" works because it incorporates modern rhythms and lyrical themes with their classic sound, and the guys are good at writing catchy hooks. It's a very solid single, and should attract new fans.
I wouldn't be too quick to judge what we see on TV on these late night appearances, either. The Fixx clearly played all three songs very well, and more likely than not gained some new fans with this TV appearance. The bottom line is that it's nothing short of a miracle to take a 30-year-old band and have any more success today than what we're already seeing. The TV exposure is awesome, the video/YouTube exposure is awesome, and beyond that, it's really just a bonus for the band and fans. If they get new fans - awesome - that to me is success. They could choose to sell their souls, don Jason Mraz hats, and write soulless Marroon 5/Train hack pop garbage with ukuleles and be Clear Channel's puppets for the sake of getting a few more spins in the rotation. The feeling I get about The Fixx is that they would certainly like to have as much success and exposure as possible, like any artist, but they're not gonna compromise their principles or sound to carve their way onto the Billboard Hot 100. Charts and rankings are meaningless in the grand scheme, anyway. If they are happy with the new album, and have a great time on tour, and make a few new fans along the way, then as artists, they have achieved great success.
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