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Post by radiolongago on May 23, 2016 20:17:06 GMT -5
In the early 80's, I thought a lot of fans of Duran Duran were probably also fans of The Fixx... The Fixx has had very little turnover in band members over the years and all core members are intact. They had a big span of hits from 1982-1985, then a minor hit with "Driven Out" in 1989. They put out a real nice (though maybe not as mass appeal as "Paper Gods") cd in 2012 with Beautiful Friction... What I can't understand, is how their touring and fanbase seems so so different from Duran Duran. I have been to two Duran Duran concerts this year and was in awe of the large, enthusiastic crowds. Granted, Duran Duran has had more staying power with more varied years with hits in later years of 1988, 1993, 2004, and the new album is great, but still, WHY can't the Fixx get anywhere near that interest? maybe the music has a darker side to it... I saw a youtube concert video of The Fixx in Florida where they seemed intent on doing a bunch of new songs, and people were talking, laughing and walking around, as soon as they did an old familiar hit, the crowd lit up. I want to keep this discussion civil, but I am wondering what any of you who are familiar with them think is their problem - they seem like such a deserving band and just can't seem to replicate their old success... Thanks... |
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Post by mynick7 on May 26, 2016 22:16:21 GMT -5
Duran Duran has pretty much always been on the music radar...good or bad. The fan base was huge in the 80s and has continued to grow over the decades. The core fan base with the die hard fans has supported DD since the beginning.
The Fixx had some hits but they never enjoyed the same spotlight as DD had. I really like the songs The Fixx put out but never heard much about them since then, so I had no clue they were even still together and playing. I am definitely going to seek out some of their other tunes! They'll be good for my radio show when it starts back up in the fall!
Unfortunately, like so many bands back then, The Fixx had the blessing of having a few good, solid, popular songs. Outside of those songs, not really much of anything. If their fan base wasn't enough to support them all this time, then they will simply always be "just another 80s band" and they'll get the most attention from those songs.
P.S. I live in the US and am only really familiar and knowledgeable about US radio. I know that MANY artists didn't get the same popularity here as they did in other parts of the world...which is extremely sad.
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scottkahn
Baby Member - Not many posts!
Posts: 5 
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Post by scottkahn on Jul 15, 2016 9:02:54 GMT -5
I love the Fixx, but their music always had a darker and more alternative vibe than Duran Duran, which is why I think they didn't achieve the same level of popularity. They also leaned a bit more towards rock while DD leaned a bit more towards pop.
Both are great bands, but they have quite different sounds despite coming from a similar place.
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Post by Kiffa on Jul 16, 2016 22:20:43 GMT -5
The Fixx are a great, underrated band... but they've never been a 'singalong song' band. People who were there for their heyday remember several of their songs fondly, but I don't think their music is reaching new generations the way Duran Duran's is. Still, they do deserve better. They're a good live band (going by recordings & videos I've watched-- I've never seen them live personally).
Whenever I make a friend a compilation of '80s tunes that I think are particularly cool/striking in sound, I invariably include the long version of "Deeper And Deeper". That's six-and-a-half minutes of perfection right there.
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Post by Kiffa on Jul 16, 2016 22:23:15 GMT -5
P.S. I live in the US and am only really familiar and knowledgeable about US radio. I know that MANY artists didn't get the same popularity here as they did in other parts of the world...which is extremely sad. The Fixx were actually much more popular/successful here in the US than they were in their homeland! |
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Post by MissNovemberTuesday on Jul 22, 2016 5:12:02 GMT -5
I like the Fixx and actually just saw them again. I was disappointed they got the opening slot BEFORE the Church. To me, they had WAY more hits and songs people know and should have had the longer, more prestigious slot in the show. The Furs were the headliner. I like them all very much, but I just never LOVED them the same way. Frankly, I rarely ever loved anyone even remotely like DD, so it is hard to really discuss why other people responded differently to them as fans. I just know I would be sad if I missed them performing, but it would just be one of many bands I like whom I can't always afford to go see. But if I have ANYTHING to say about it, I try not to miss ANY DD shows in my general area. They are also the only band I have ever traveled to see. I just can't begin to compare my level of interest between the two. I do think the Fixx is far underrated, though.
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Post by Kiffa on Jul 27, 2016 1:59:13 GMT -5
Hope nobody minds if I just share the track listing of my personal Fixx "best of" disc. Fairly similar to the track listing of The Ultimate Collection, with a few changes in the non-single choices. It covers the beginning thru Elemental (1998). I call the collection Aural Fixxation. It might be slightly too long for a CD, but fits nicely on my preferred media for mixes-- minidisc (let the taunting begin)!
1. Stand Or Fall
2. Red Skies
3. Lost Planes
4. Saved By Zero
5. One Thing Leads To Another (7" Mix) [love that intro!]
6. The Sign Of Fire
7. Reach The Beach
8. Deeper And Deeper (Long Version)
9. Are We Ourselves?
10. Sunshine In The Shade
11. Less Cities, More Moving People
12. A Letter To Both Sides
13. Secret Separation
14. Built For The Future
15. Don't Be Scared
16. Driven Out
17. I'm Life
18. How Much Is Enough
19. Two Different Views (Original Version)
20. Going Without
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Post by Kiffa on Aug 30, 2016 1:51:57 GMT -5
So, the Fixx played in my area tonight and I was there! They put on a great show. God, did they sound good. It was a little bit of a strange venue, a ballroom with a bunch of tables up front and standing room at the back, and I wondered if the band felt weird playing to a bunch of people sitting at tables. But if so, you wouldn't know it. The crowd was very appreciative and seemed to cheer for the newer songs and the deep cuts almost as much as they did for the more familiar songs.
I wore a Duran Duran t-shirt to the show and there was a funny moment when two women walked past me, and as soon as they were behind me, I heard one of them say to the other, "Duran Duran?" in a condescending tone lol. You would think that someone at a Fixx show could have some respect for Duran Duran even if they weren't a fan, seeing as they're both bands that have survived ~35 years despite the odds. And I almost hesitate to say this (because it sounds like I'm slamming the Fixx when that's not my intention), but my last two concerts were the Fixx and Duran Duran, and I don't think I need to tell anyone here which show had more people at it.
Anyway, it was a lot of fun. I've listened to the Fixx for practically as long as I've listened to Duran Duran, but it just never occurred to me to go see them before. I'm really glad I did.
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