[cc100]

I dont think that album sales are indicative of wether they are a good band or not. There are many instances where a classic album hasnt sold that well.

Maybe Im just biased as I liked them before BB, but I just like the music from the Ordinary Boys and their 'ska' contempories such as the Dead 60s.

[CharlotteSometimes]

Not indicative at all in the main, but sales figures are indeed relevant in a thread in which a post or posts suggested that Weller dismissed Preston simply because the Ordinary Boys were outselling his own material.

As for classic albums that didn't sell well, of course that happens. But what criteria are used for an album to be declared 'classic'? A dull late night rockumentary with a whispering Bob Harris voiceover? A retrospective feature in Q, Rolling Stone or NME? Small but significant sales over a prolonged period of time? Musicians from a latter generation citing it as a major influence? Other bands covering the tracks in the ensuing years? Any and all of those, I'd say. But the reason why any album fits into that category in the first place is because of one or more of the following: poor initial reviews, lack of airplay, or lack of promotion/distribution. Brassbound can't tick either of the last two boxes any longer, yet it still hasn't sold well and is generally regarded as being 'not as good as the debut album'. But the main thing that makes an album 'a classic' is surely breaking new ground, or at least defining a genre / point in time, etc. An album of pastiches and borderline plagiarism is never going to fulfil the necessary criteria.

[cc100]

Fair enough- Brassbound is never going to get classic status, but that cant detract from my opinion that it has some pretty good pop songs on there, such as Thanks to The Girl, and Skull and Bones. Have you heard those songs? What do you make of them? They are the highlights of the album, for me. Indeed its not as good as their debut, but thats the same for lots of bands. Most artists produce their best work on their debut.

Good music is in the the ear of the beholder. They may be pastiches of early Jam songs but how many artists are truly original? Not many.