Bands That Were Once Huge and Are Now Kind of Forgotten (w/Martin Popoff) 

Billy Squier is another forgotten name. He was huge back in the early 80s and bands like Def Leppard opened for him.

Triumph is the very first band that came to my mind. In the the early '80s they played arenas and were on the bill at the '83 US Festival. Now you don't hear any of their songs on classic rock radio, at least where I live. Seems only metalheads and those who grew up in the '70s and '80s are even aware of them.

Three Dog Night might have been a "covers" band, but nobody had heard those songwriters before at that time. They gave Elton John, Randy Newman, Hoyt Axton, Laura Nyro, John Hiatt, Paul Williams & many others their first exposure to the masses. Hugely influential in that regards. Definitely belong in the HoF

Blue Oyster Cult definitely belongs on this list. From 76 to 82, they were HUGE !

April wine was a great rock band in the 80s and had some huge hits

Hootie & The Blowfish and Creed are the epitome of this topic. Both those bands absolutely ruled the charts fora couple of years a piece. Nowadays, no one I know claims to listen to them.

Tales of Mystery and Imagination is a masterpiece! Taking Edgar Alan Poe stories and putting them to varied, creative pieces of music really worked for me.

Im glad that the Funhouse is still kept as a weekly show. The topics and conversations with Martin and Pete is highly entertaining

Supertramp Crime of the Century was the very first Diamond certified album in Canada, one of two Diamond albums in Canada, Breakfast in America being the other. They were so huge in Canada in the 70s and early 80s that some people actually thought they were a Canadian band, for years we all thought that. Canada Was by far the biggest per capita market. I mean Crime of the Century sold over a million copies in Canada and only 500,000 in the u.s. and Canada is 1/10 the population. Massive album, even long before Breakfast in America was huge everywhere.

Hootie and the Blowfish is the perfect example of this phenomenon

Wow! Another amazing, I repeat, amazing show by these duo. Thank you guys for só much Fun. Long live SOT and THe Poppoff legacy.

Cool topic as usual boys, there are a few options for sure, I have a short list I guess. 1. Quiet Riot Metal Health ( '83 ) - 6x Platinum, U.S., 3x Platinum, Canada Condition Critical ( '84 ) - Platinum, U.S., Platinum, Canada Quiet Riot III ( '86 ) - Gold, U.S. None of their albums since '86 have charted and of course the lineup changes after QRIII, I love Paul Shortino's voice but they never had any success after the third album and kind of disappeared. That first album was the first metal album to go number 1. Love'em or hate'em, they co-owned the airwaves for a couple of years. 2. Twisted Sister You Can't Kill Rock N Roll ( '83 ) - Gold, U.S. Stay Hungry ( '84 ) - 3x Platinum, U.S., 5x Platinum, Canada Come Out and Play ( '85 ) - U.S., Gold. Nothing after that charted and they broke up not long after those albums were released. They were huge at one time but the younger generation don't really know who they are anymore ( for the most part ) they don't really get the airplay in Canada anymore like they used too, unless you have satellite radio. 3. Men At Work Men At Work ( '81 ): 6x Platinum, U.S. - 5x Platinum, Canada - Diamond, Worldwide. Cargo ( '83 ): 3x Platinum, U.S. - 3x Platinum, Canada Two Hearts ( '85 ) : Peaked at number 16 in Austrailia ( their home country ) and number 50 in, U.S They broke up after that but they were pretty huge for a couple of years, between 15-20 million records sold with those first two records alone. They had some great tunes, quirky band but I like quirky sometimes.

The Alan Parsons Project is not forgotten for me. I listen to that band all the time. "Ammonia Avenue" is a masterpiece. I listen to it weekly. I agree that not touring until the mid-90s didn't help with their popularity.

38 Special kinda fall into this for me too. Between 1980 and 1991 these guys had twenty one Top 50 hits in the US. They were damn big in their day. They still tour but I doubt many people recall them.

My very first concert was Three Dog Night in January 1970. I was celebrating my 16th birthday. I bought tickets for myself and two of my friends. They played Wichita, KS. Great memories!

What's cool is that those who care the most will dig deepest and find these great artists. They'll never be completely lost.

I would say another band that was huge for a time and then you don't hear too much about is Collective Soul. One of the bigger rock acts of the mid 90s and now don't hear too much from them.

Hair metal bands like RATT and Quiet Riot were big arena headliners and media darlings in the 80s. Now they've been stuck in clubs, bars and state fairs for decades.

The Knack were a band who were huge for a few months. In the second half of 1979 "My Sharona" and other songs were all over the radio. Their debut sold 8 MILLION. Then there was a major backlash and their rush released follow up only went gold. One of the quickest rises and falls of any artist ever that I remember.

Thanks guys! I think this could/should be a series. So many great bands to talk about/reminisce over/feel nostalgic about. I’m a massive Uriah Heep fan and they are definitely (sadly) largely forgotten, massive in the early 70s. Mick Box is still touring with the band - the only ‘classic’ line up member still with us, and putting out some fine albums.

not sure steve miller is forgotten as much as he just blended into the woodwork. he pulled off one of the greatest tricks in rock and roll , he was hugely popular but unrecognizable. he could be standing next you in line at the market and you would have no idea who it was.

for consideration: Dr. Hook - top 10 hits for 8 years, songwriting help from the popular poet, Shel Silverstein, legendary for car crash drunken live shows, practically unknown now. Saga - I remember the radio hits from the early 1980s, but now they seem to be remembered as an obscure Canadian prog band. The Fixx - mid-1980s hit machine that nowadays has faded into 'does anyone remember...?' status. Social Distortion - a band that managed to rise to the top twice, once as a SoCal hardcore band, and once as a rockabilly/country/punk crossover, peaked in the 1990s, hardly mentioned now.

I am a big fan of Asia's "XXX" album from 2012. For me, their best album since their debut. 'Bury Me in Willow' is such a moving song.

I've found that Supertramp is an easy sell to new and younger audiences. The high pitched vocals, the beautiful melodies, the focus on piano, keys and sax, the emotional depth of the lyrics and their overall catchy-ness and quirky-ness is irresistible. They definitely get more "Who is this?" responses than the Jam Band appeal of Frampton. Supertramp covered a lot of ground, ranging from Prog Rock to Pop to a certain "genre sais quoi" blend of styles. Yes, I just now coined a new term for this comment 😄 But, if we contrast Supertramp's unique, popular and commercially viable sound with someone like Frampton, it becomes more clear why many newer listeners might find Supertramp more interesting. Frampton's personal experience, oriented lyrics and his Jazz/Blues/Rock influenced guitar style fit in perfectly with the popular live Jam Band styles of mid-70s Rock. He caught lightning in a bottle, and his Comes Alive album was the stuff of legends. Young girls loved his looks and his music's intimate peek into the daily experience and the love life of a Rock star. Guys loved his impressive jamming and guitar skills. But, his big mainstream appeal only lasted for a few years. Supertramp had a wider appeal than Frampton's Jam Band appeal, which was carried by a small handful of big mainstream hits. Supertramp sustained their mainstream success and relevance from 1974 through the mid-80s which wasn't easy to do. Frampton, like many other 70s Rock bands, became a great live nostalgia act, who struggled to chart records in the following decade.

Black Oak Arkansas is one of the bands that was huge in the 70s but are pretty much forgotten today. James "Jim Dandy" Mangrum was reportedly a big influence on David Lee Roth.

I’m happy you included Supertramp. I was thinking of them the entire episode but wasn’t sure if you would pick them. I still love Supertramp. My second major concert was Supertramp Breakfast in America tour, and my first date with my high school girlfriend. My first major concert was Styx Piece of Eight tour.

The death of Top 40 AM radio is a major factor in many of the band's discussed, especially Three Dog Night. The oldie rock stations used to keep the Top 40 hits alive. But the oldie stations have updated to the FM seventies and eighties hits today. So there is now nowhere in America to hear Status Quo's first, and only American, hit "Pictures of Matchstick Men."

I was a 3rd grader when Loverboy hit in America. They were played frequently on the radio at that time and “Working for the Weekend” became a classic rock staple. What’s weird is that the singles chart doesn’t reflect their popularity for some reason. “Working for the Weekend” only got to #29. As for the others, “Turn Me Loose” only got to #35, “The Kid is Hot Tonite” only got to #55, “When It’s Over” only got to #26. They did get a couple top 10 hits a few years later, but those first songs seem like they should have been a lot bigger in the U.S.

Great show as usual, I really feel Supertramp are still well liked by many, even though it's been ages since they did anything worthwhile, their best songs are timeless.

Frampton was a casualty of Sgt Pepper curse. Aerosmith, Peter, Alice Cooper and the Bee Gees all tanked for a period of time after that movie. I remember seeing it in the theaters and even as I kid with the exception of the Future Villian Band I was like WTF!?

Thanks for this discussion - very interesting and fun to remember these groups! Emerson, Lake and Palmer were huge for awhile and now mostly forgotten. Brain Salad Surgery was a very popular album. A couple of more bands that come to my mind are Bloodrock and Savoy Brown; though I don't know if they would have been considered hugely popular.

It’s sad that Supertramp is here because they’re so good. I think most Classic Rock fans still like the hits like Give A Little Bit and they have a pretty decent monthly listeners amount on Spotify.

In Atlantic Canada, the following bands are commonly played on mainstream rock radio: Loverboy, Supertramp, Peter Frampton, and Steve Miller Band. They may not pass the "50 people in the street" test but I suspect a lot of people would recognize some songs.

The Swingin’ Medallions were one of the biggest party bands of the 1960s, and even outsold the Beatles and Rolling Stones with their hit “Double Shot Of My Baby’s Love.” The legendary James Brown convinced the Smash record label to sign the band, and Bruce Springsteen himself cited the Swingin’ Medallions as an influence and invited them onstage to perform with him in 2009. They also served as the entertainment for Frank Sinatra’s daughter’s birthday party. They still perform to this day, despite not really being recognized outside of the American southeast

John Mellencamp - consider he had 15 albums that went gold & platinum, and 48 songs (!!) that were top forty sales or radio hits, he is largely forgotten.

For the record, Martin said. What the experts would say. In my personal opinion, MARTIN and PETE are experts. 👍💯

Great show guys. I'd love to see a show of bands who were huge in America but didn't sell a dime in the UK (and vice versa).

Just got back from a friend's house and her 18 year old son brought out some of his recent acquisitions. His mum and dad were teenagers in the 90s, yet the son is buying: Van Morrison; Hall & Oates; Dire Straits and Led Zeppelin ..... so many routes to discover music.

I watched that Woodstock 99 documentary that just came out and at one point Creed brought out Robby Krieger to jam on a Doors song and the crowd had no idea who he was or who the Doors were and could have cared less. And that was 1999!

The nineties might have been a crazy time, but compared to now it was an awesome time. I'll take the nineties styles over the 80's any day.

I think most bands out there would give their left nut to have the long career that Steve Miller had, whether you're remembered today or not. Great show once again.

My favorite show. Great episode again guys. Just don’t forget the weather next time lol love hearing about it from here in ga. Thanks for the great episode

35:03 The Alan Parsons Project is probably forgotten but you guys missed sports stadiums: "Sirius" (the prelude, of sorts, to "Eye in the Sky") was the theme for the Chicago Bulls and is still used in various venues today. People may not know the band but they would know that instrumental very well.

Martin my wife bought me your Queen complete album review for Christmas. Excited to dig into it. Its the first by you that I own! Looking forward to getting more

Steve Miller Band still gets a lot of airplay on classic rock radio here in Wisconsin. The fact that he was from West Allis probably has something to do with it. The first time a saw them I was 19 or 20. It was an outdoors show at Alpine Valley. The played for almost 4 hours. The first half was all the greatest hits stuff. Then they did an hour and a half of psychedelic blues. Fantastic show! Made me a fan for life.

Popoff and Pardo are at it again with a fascinating talk about bands that were in the big-time once but now are in the shadows of history, if remembered at all. Many of their choices came to mind when the divulged the title - particularly Martin's choice of Three Dog Night - a band which I saw in concert two or three times (great live shows and vocal performances), and Pete's choice of Supertramp - a band for which I share his fondness but many don't seem to know who they are. Without giving it a lot of deep thought, will show my age by digging back into the 60's and mentiong a British invasion group called The Dave Clark 5, or DC4. A band which had 14 UK Top 40 singles t0 1967 and 17 US Top 40 singles. Catchy songs and some good stuff in its time but shadowed by the lads of Liverpool and other acts of the time. And depending on criteria, Vanilla Fudge had a couple of big radio hits for awhile during thier first incarnation in the late 60s and were popular in concert for their long songs [see Break Song on the album Near The Beginning] and covers of other songs [You Keep Me Hanging On originally made popular by The Supremes from Motown]/ Fascinating show, gents. Particularly the bit at the end when you take up the issue Led Zeppelin of what bands will actually be remembered as time marches on. Everything changes. Thanks again, gents. There ya go!

The La’s come to mind, one brilliant album and then done, John Power left to form Cast which was quite successful, but Lee Mavers never got over the fact he could not deal with being happy with the outcome of the La’s album, stating he wishes it would have been finished. Lol. Now he just lives off the royalties of “There She Goes” and has performed occasionally over the years. The Stone Roses was another band, brilliant first album that influenced tons of bands and artists, an uneven second album and then done. I was lucky to see them perform at MSG on their reunion tour back about 5 years ago, great show.

Supertramp was a top 5 all time concert for me. Amazing live.

Richard Marx is one of those artists who people like to call a "has been". In my opinion he is underrated as a singer and as a songwriter. I saw him live in concert a few months ago and he still sounds damn good 👍. He can write in many styles from pop, rock, hard rock, country and rnb. While he was big as an artist in the 80s, but commercial success waned in the mid-90s, he continued to have number one hits as a songwriter for years.

Alan Parsons is still giganticly huge internationally. You just only here three or four songs on AOR classic rock. I was lucky to have met him twice. Sobeit. His goal( and Eric Woolfsons equally) for the Alan Parsons Project was the and make interesting music( the birth of the concept album) he didn't give a s*** about being on the radio to begin with. He disagreed with who was chosen to sing on the hit songs. It was all about the search for audio perfection... and that's what he hit ever since Darkside and his continued

Pat Benatar was extremely huge from the late 70's to 1988. Other than her recently getting inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame, she has not been popular for over three decades. She is still a phenomenal singer. Some other bands that were huge or more well known at one time are R.E.M, Krokus, Van Halen ( Sammy Hagar era), Europe, Loverboy, Billy Squier, Collective Soul, and Matchbox 20.

The Sweet - They where huge in the 70s. So many Number 1 Songs. You dont hear them often anymore.

I remember an episode of Beavis and Butt-Head when they are watching a Loverboy video. Butt-Head talks about when they saw them live at the state fair next to the hogs. He asks Beavis if he remembers the one with the big balls that hung way down. Beavis says, "yeah the bass player". Butt-Head says "no I meant the hog dumb ass".

I learnt some things. “Puff, the magic dragon” was an important song for Martin. I think “Puff” is the song that changed my life. I was around 6 when it was a hit on the radio. A powerful, powerful song for a kid around the mid 60s. Other thing is 3 Dog Night were early favourites of Martin. 3DN are the band that brought me into the world of LPs. I heard 3DN because they had hit after hit on the radio, but I really got into them when a friend played me Golden Bisquits and Captured At the Forum. I had seen records before, but that was the first time I realized the Rock I heard on radio came off vinyl. 3DN opened a whole new world for me and they have always been one of my most loved bands. In the past few years I’ve managed to get most of their essential albums on CD with the original (mini) covers, except for one that eludes me, Harmony. I’m glad Martin brought them up with this show's subject because they are a perfect fit. For years I’ve been amazed over how could such a big band in their day be all but forgotten. Why the group is forgotten today, I think, is largely due to drug abuse. They fell apart due to drugs, and then the continued drug addition of one of the main guys caused power struggles in the band that hurt them at a time they could have rebuilt and been successful on AOR radio. People today would know them better even if they didn’t write their own songs, had they been putting out hits in the 80s. No reason why they couldn't have done that, had they gotten their sh*t together.

As usual Martin and Pete another outstanding episode. I had older brothers who turned me on to Frampton, Steve Miller etc. I remember the triple bill in the early 80's was 38 special, Lover Boy and Night Ranger. The other triple bill would be Lover Boy, 38 Special and Billy Squirer.

Three Dog Night was one of my first bands. I was probably around 5 or 6 years old. I listened to my Dad's copy of "It Ain't Easy" a ton. I still like "Woman" and "Eli's Coming".

The Sweet, T. Rex, Nazareth, The Pretty Things. Blue Öyster Cult. ELO. OMD. Barclay James Harvest. Saga. The Tubes. Alex Harvey Band.

I just listened to the song Home And Dry by the late Gerry Rafferty. He has 5 Top 40 hits, but all you ever hear on the radio anymore is Baker Street. At one point in time Gerry was all over the radio. Some even mistook his songs for Barry Manilow's. I was one. And nowadays even Barry all is but somewhat forgotten. Anyone ever hear him on the radio today?

Was on a hardrock/metal pub today and they played Gorky Park (Russian hardrock band). They had songs like Moscow Calling and Bang. They was quite huge here in Europe between 1989 - 1992. And nobody talked about them anymore. I was 15 in 89. A friend of mine that also was on the pub never heard about them, and she is 6 years younger than me.

Haven't got thru the whole episode yet but The Edgar Winter Group is one. Had several big hits and was huge for a few years. My first concert as a kid was Edgar Winter on the Shock Treatment tour, in Philadelphia at the great Spectrum...I think I was 7. My mom and uncle took me. Rick Derringer even did songs from All American Boy.

"The Fixx" come to mind. Great band with some good songs.

Grand Funk Railroad. To go from following the Beatles by filling Shea Stadium, to their singles in the mid 70s, to Behind The Music. I would call that precipitous.

The Beatles will always be remembered for their music and songwriting.

Went to a 3 Dog Night Concert in Mobile Alabama in 1971 with a group of Air Force buddies from Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi. Great concert. I do several cover songs from their greatest hits lineup at open mics. Not forgotten with me.

Lover Boy staple music when I was in high school. Pete nailed the perception of people from that era. I do remember the guitar player was really good live. “Everybody’s workin for the weekend” was a Friday song and still is IMO. LOL

Great topic! Thanks guys:)

I recommend. Peter Frampton’s last album “ Frampton forgets the words “ It’s got some great instrumental covers on it like “ Avalon “ by Roxy Music

Robert Palmer comes to mind Great singer went too soon but now it’s like he is an afterthought

Bing Crosby outsold all these acts and no one talks about Bing. Popular music dies with its audience. Good show.

I've always wondered why the bands Europe & Asia never merged into the SUPER Super-group EurAsia....

These guys must spend half of every day digging out cds and albums!!!

WOW! Love Three Dog Night...still!!! "Out On The Country"...love it! Impressed with Martin's collection of TDN LPs. Well done!

One band that I thought of that were hugely successful early in their career but you don't hear mentioned much these days is Bad Company.

I live in Tucson, and we have a radio station, AM and FM, that plays all of this stuff. People love it, at least as far as I can tell.

The Night Ranger situation must be addressed.

Another great show. Always enjoyable and fun.

I still like quite a few of the “alternative” bands as I was in my teens and 20’s when all that stuff hit and post punk before that, Pixies are still making good albums, the first 4 Soul Aslyum albums are great, they’re still making albums too.

when I was working in a record store in 1980 we had the Loverboy album in the New Wave section cause of their look on the 1st album & the 1st album did have a so called New Wave vibe to it & sum of the New Wave clubs in Fla were playing Turn Me Loose & The Kid Is Hot Tonite..

A really interesting discussion. Gillan are another band who seem to have been forgotten by history. They didn't crack the US but were really big in the UK and some of Europe in the late seventies/early eighties with hit singles, top ten albums and a very popular live band. Planet Rock radio in the UK is always playing Purple/Rainbow/Whitesnake, but you hardly ever hear Gillan.

great show Pete & Martin! it's a totally valid question regarding The Beatles and Led Zep and God forbid that time would forget them, or Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen and less we forget the King Of Rock N" Roll ELVIS, since Elvis really has left the building, but the King's estate along with Jimi's make more revenue since their passing than when they were actually alive and tens of thousands STILL make the pilgrimage to Graceland every single year. thank God that there is and hopefully will always be that super hardcore segment of fans that will continue to pass it down to their children and so on and so on. i beleive and it has always seemed to me that it all goes in cycles every 20 years or so, what was once hip is not so and visa versa, BUT, with the advances in technolgy over the decades i have a little comfort in knowing the true greats will always be noticed and held in reverence-i hope.. i think long after we are gone there will always be someone that will see and love the true greats along and with musicians themselves will always pass down all of the original rightous riffs and songs! but also, with great shows like this -it also educates and keeps alive all of the truly GREAT artists and bands that have blessed our musical worlds,so we always have that as well for keeping the faith and the spirit alive and ksicking that proverbial ass!

Supertramp have more listeners on spotify than Iron Maiden or Deep Purple! Amazing. For me they still very relevant.

I did a quick Spotify search on these bands and it’s surprising how many monthly listens they’re still getting. Top of the list is Supertramp, followed by the Steve Miller Band, Creed and the Alan Parsons Project. They all get more plays than Yes, Devo, TheTraveling Wilburys, Jewel, Tori Amos, Dave Matthews Band, Phish and Pavement (to name a few whom you'd think would be more popular). So maybe they're not fading into obscurity just yet.

The Rainmakers were a band that were on the cusp of being really big, then had a long break for family reasons. They made a four more albums (which were better than their earlier ones), which sadly didn't get much attention, and now they now just do a few gigs in their native Kansas.

Happy New Year Martin and Pete. I'll go out on a limb and say this is honestly one of the best shows you guys have ever put together. The funny thing is most of you have taken my picks, but I have a few left. I was in college during the 90s and I remember all these bands you and the commenters have mentioned, Spin Doctors, Hootie and the Blowfish, Creed, Dave Matthews, Soul Asylum and Blues Traveler, etc. Who you didn't mention however is even more telling, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden and AIC. You guys love to hate grunge, but people thirty years later still know who Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Nirvana and AIC are. The 80s are interesting though. A lot of acts that were huge that aren't huge anymore like Huey Lewis and the News, Loverboy, Culture Club, Mr. Mister, Survivor, Night Ranger, The Outfield, Fine Young Cannibals, The English Beat, Simple Minds, Men at Work, The Little River Band I could go on. Recently, I've discovered the brilliance of Billy Squier and T-Rex. Don't Say No and Electric Warrior are wonderful albums BTW. The only names I can think of who aren't on anyone's list are ELO, The Eurythmics, Samantha Fox, Terrence Trent D'arby and Air Supply. I would've also included Roxy Music, but Martin beat me to it.😉

My best friend swears Loverboy were the best live band he's ever seen.He said they sounded like the record.Great episode,guys👍

Great discussion as always.

Great discussion as usual! This is an interesting topic. When Martin mentioned Soul Asylum, I started to think about Spin Doctors. These two bands were big at approximately the same time. Who knows Spin Doctors anymore? And who knows Crash Test Dummies? And what about Alannah Myles? The Alan Parsons Project is a fascinating case study because the music sort of lives on without people generally knowing that they are listening to The Alan Parsons Project. I refer to that entrance song ( intro of a song/instrumental? ) which was used by Chicago Bulls at least in the nineties. The documentary called The Last Dance hit big a few years ago and that same entrance song were used there too. In addition I´ve heard that same song ( or passage of a song ) in sport events even at the present time.

So many great memories. Other forgotten bands the Byrds(original lineup), the Animals, Berlin, the Pretenders, Foghat, the Guess Who, Peter Green's original Fleetwood Mac, Triumph, Toto, Huey Lewis and the News, Greg Kihn Band, Kansas, BTO, The Blues Bros., Paul Revere and the Raiders, Poco, REO Speedwagon, Styx, Traffic. So many more.

The Asia Aqua album was good from beginning to end.

Great channel, great information. You guys know your stuff! Thanks man, keep rockin.

This subjet is super interesting. I surprised myself being glad that Supertramp are forgotten. Always hated that band. But of course, it's a matter of personnal taste, and I know very well how big they used to be and of course they don't deserve to be forgotten at all, except by me ;-)... Otherwise, being in Europe, some things that were big in North America never were here and vice versa. Could be an interesting subject matter, like bands that made it big in Europe but not in the US, or the contrary. As usual, great show. I wish a great year to Pete and Martin, and everyone.

When we lived in Ireland, I heard the phrase, “What have you done for me lately.” Is being “here today and gone tomorrow”, the natural order of things? There is sometimes a certain sadness about watching some of the nostalgia, legacy acts. Do we want to remember our heroes, as heroes?

Thank you for a very interesting episode and discussion! I think there are different reasons why people forget a band/artist. The main reason is probably that the time goes by and most people only listen to "pop" music or music that is popular during a certain time during their life, often when they are young. Then they do other things. Most of us that follow this excellent chanel or some similar are really interested in music and often follow our favourite bands during many years and also curious enough to find new music but we are in a minority! And then I think it comes to the songs and also like you said the personalitys. A good song seldom dies and I think there will be classical guitarists playing Beatles songs long after we are gone. There are many other bands/singers I think will live on through their music and new people finding them, Black Sabbath, Queen, Eagles, Kinks, Who, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Steve Wonder, Beach Boys, Heart, Carole King, Aretha Franklin, Emmylou Harris, etc. As you said many of the female singer/songwiters are sadly forgotten very soon while others are played over and over again. Some of the most underrated and forgotten are Laura Nyro, Janis Ian, Carly Simon and maybe even Joni Mitchell. Then there is one more factor, media. I don´t know how it is in the US but in Sweden and the radio chanels that still exist many of the producers totally lacks fantasy, the same artists are played over and over again and often the same songs also. In the newspapers almost nobody writes about music anymore and it is the same on the television, almost no conserts or music documentarys at all. So most people not have a chance to find new (or old!) interesting music So keep on Pete, Martin and all your musical friends! You are needed!

Well delivered, every time I have a look at the ARS's live album cover I think over this matter. My first vinyl was the 38 Special" Wild Eyed", Asia, a sold out live act and Grand Funk were gods in the USA but who knows the reason why they didn't remain among the Bigs. It may happen that after several decades a bloke mentioning Led Zep out there means something similar to quoting Django Reinhardt nowadays. Tempus Fugit. Yes. Drama.

INXS were huge. Never hear them mentioned anymore. Occasionally hear a hit here and there, but pretty much seem forgotten. In the states anyway.

Watched your video, closed youtube, open up facebook and the first thing i see is the cover of “Frampton comes alive” and a text that says this album turns 47. Big brother is watching. Noce one bruva!

Most of these bands had a limited supply of good, original ideas. Once they used those ideas up, there is nowhere to go. Many are 3 chord wonders with no real band talent to prop them up. For me the bands that are timeless had real talent at many levels.

1:06:50 It is hard to predict revivals but they can be big and lasting. Bach's reputation declined until 80 years after his death, when Mendelssohn championed his music. The rag-time tune "The Entertainer" exploded back into mainstream when used in the film "The Sting" in the 1970s. It is entirely plausible that Led Zep has a resurgence 100 years from now, with people wondering what a concert must have been like, the same way we wonder what it was like to hear Bach at the organ. Great discussion!

Men At Work had 3 big '80s albums, always on MTV at the time.

Literally countless bands and artists that could be on this list.