Martinex1: Our friend Doug shared some thoughts recently about bands and musicians that outlived their welcome and perhaps jumped the shark. "Jumping the shark" of course refers to the point at which a concept was stretched to its limit, used some type of gimmick or changed tack to generate interest, and headed from that point in a negative trajectory. The origin of the term refers to the episode in the fifth season of Happy Days in which Fonzie (Henry Winkler) clad in a leather jacket and on water skis actually jumped a shark. That show steadily went down hill after that ludicrous episode culminating with cast changes and horrible spinoffs. It took seven more seasons for Happy Days to go off the air, but for many the show ended with that jump. For your enjoyment take a look at the seminal moment from September 20, 1977.
Here are some edited excerpts from Doug's comments from his email that explain his particular feelings regarding Starship and some of their songs from the 80s:
Doug: While fixing dinner this evening my wife and I were listening to a local radio station that plays 50s to 80s tunes. "Sara" by Starship came on and my ears began to bleed. (Regarding the singer Marty Thomas) - about the time he arrived is when that group jumped the shark. I can take "Jane" because it is a rocker. But when "We Built This City" comes along I want to puke. But the Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship had a lot of really good music. So when did a given band suddenly begin to fail with you? And was it due to a personnel change or simply the passage of time or changing of the market?
Martinex1: Hilarious. I have the same reaction to the kind of overblown excessive manufactured enthusiasm of "We Built This City." Just so we can all enjoy the same ear-bleeding, vomit inducing track that actually reached #1 on the U.S. charts in November of 1985, here is the video promoting the song and album Knee Deep in the Hoopla.
For my "shark jump," I am going to head down a slightly different path. I was a big fan of The Who during my high school years. But when the album It's Hard arrived in 1982, it was obvious something had drastically changed - and not for the better. When did they jump the shark? I am not particularly sure exactly but it definitely happened. Keith Moon died shortly after the release of Who Are You so that had a definite impact on the band. I liked the following album Face Dances with Kenney Jones on drums, and with songs like "Another Tricky Day," "You Better, You Bet" and "Don't Let Go the Coat." it had not gone totally downhill - or had it?
Somewhere during that timeframe from 1978 with Who Are You until 1982's It's Hard, the band changed drastically. To exemplify that, take a look at videos from the two albums a mere four years apart.
Of course, Moon's attitude and energy helped the band, but beyond that it is obvious the participation went from a sense of enjoyment to the slog of a job. The second video even seems to highlight the business and behind the scenes "work." So they jumped the shark in the early 80s. The Who continued for decades without many new releases, but were never even a shadow of what they had been. The song "Eminence Front" even seems to indicate that its all for show now, and that may be the best song on the album. They seem tired and aged, and yet believe it or not the members were only about 38 years old around the time of that release (they suddenly seemed ancient to teenage me).
I also want to point out that the band members' solo albums were mostly in decline around the same time. Pete Townshend had a couple of average releases, but John Entwistle's Too Late the Hero from 1981 was a shocking misfire. The title song was a far cry musically from "Boris the Spider;" it was bland and lackluster. And the song "Talk Dirty" could have easily fit into Spinal Tap's lyrical repertoire.
I think there were a combination of catalysts to their slow demise, but when you see a band become more "corporate" it is a bad sign.
So those are some starting thoughts for our discussion today. I am sure you all have many examples to share of bands you love and bands you despise. When did U2 stop being rebellious rockers and become stadium showmen; did they jump the shark? When did Billy Joel stop being a piano man, or did he? When did the Stones lose their edge? Who retained their untouchable iconic status? Who quit before they jumped the shark? Who played until nobody listened and when did they jump the shark? Does fashion and style have anything to do with the perception? Were the 80s just bad? Did all the great 60s acts jump the shark in those days trying to convert to a new style?
Share your thoughts; we are curious what you have to say and what examples you will choose. Here is to hoping that BitBA hasn't jumped the shark yet! Cheers!
