Five superb bands that should have been so much bigger than they were

There are lots of levels of success in the music industry. It’s quite an achievement these days just to get a record deal or get to a level where their chosen streaming platform sends them a payment. So perhaps it's a bit harsh to look at bands that have achieved a lot more than that and suggest they could have been even bigger.

What does bigger mean, how big? I’m aiming here at bands that could and should have sold several albums in multiple millions. They should have been able to headline top festivals or run massive arena tours and sell out regularly. Another alternative and simple indicator is just being more widely known. If you mention a band to others and often get a “Who?” back, that tells you something. Those are what I mean by bigger.  

It’s not a criticism that some bands didn't reach those levels. Some may have been good enough and needed the right help and opportunities. Others may have needed to develop, grow, and mature before they could achieve greater heights and broke up or ran out of steam one way or another before they got close. 

Five bands that deserved to be bigger than they were

Maybe they wouldn't have made it even with that help or maturity, it is a tough, hard music business. Whatever the reasons, here are five superb bands whose music and style deserved even more success, fame, and recognition than they had. 

Echo & the Bunnymen

A band from Liverpool that achieved many great things but could have been even greater and bigger. They released several terrific albums and had big hits with singles “The Cutter” and “The Killing Moon” in 1983/4. That should have been the springboard to make them a huge worldwide success on a bigger scale. But it just didn't happen for them. By 1987 lead singer Ian McCulloch had left and although they carried on and he later rejoined, their time was past. 

Perhaps being managed by Bill Drummond gave them a real impetus but also a touch of madness. Drummond is said to have guided the band to a tour that took on the shape of their rabbit head logo when it was plotted on a map. That was well before he formed The KLF and K Foundation before burning £1m in cash. It feels like the Bunnymen just needed to focus more on making great music. 

They released 13 studio albums in total and a couple of live albums. Overall their sales totalled around 660,000 mainly in the UK. They picked up three gold discs and two silver in the UK along the way for their albums. The band had real potential to achieve far more. 

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