Are ARCTIC MONKEYS Big In America?

thanks a Skillshare for sponsoring this video the first 500 people to click the link in the description will get two months of Skillshare premium free you probably know the Arctic Monkeys from tracks like and of course and that's understandable there are album Am is what finally brought them into the mainstream it debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200 and sold more copies than their last three did combined yet at home in the UK the Arctic Monkeys are nearly a household name where all five of their albums have debuted at number one and where their first album still reigns as the fastest selling debut album by band in the UK they've headlined the largest Festival in the UK twice they've changed the way record labels distribute music today and they're one of the only bands to win Best British group and Best British album on three separate occasions so what was it about a.m. that finally helped them break into the worldwide market let's look back at their journey and find out with the fair Arctic Monkeys well don't believe that in the late 90s for friends from an English suburb we're spending their weekends cutting together hip-hop beats that was until they were exposed to the new rock revolution bands like The Strokes The White Stripes and Queens of the Stone Age were reviving the rock aesthetics of the past and inspired these four boys to pick up instruments of their own Matt Helders took to the drums Andy Nicholson picked up a bass guitar Jamie Cooke took up guitar and Alex Turner took the role of frontman a position he initially didn't want Jamie had always wanted to be in a band called the Arctic Monkeys and the name just stuck Arctic Monkeys began writing songs and Alex's garage and moved to performing in pubs by 2003 they put together an 18 song demo burned them 2 CDs and gave them away anywhere they could they just wanted more people to listen to their music well they got their wish when a local photographer uploaded the demo to his website giving it the name beneath the boardwalk this is how the Arctic Monkeys would become one of the first bands to become famous because of the internet we're talking 2004 here myspace was a year old Gmail and Facebook were just about to launch YouTube didn't exist we didn't have I phones yet either we were walking around with these in our pockets the demo started being shared online and fans started to MySpace page for the band the group had done virtually nothing in promoting themselves and because of the internet they had an instant fanbase people were going to their shows already knowing the words to their songs it signal a shift in how artists in the future would gain recognition people who listen to Arctic Monkeys did it for the music not because they heard it in a TV commercial the Internet was allowing bands to be heard without the help of label we've seen the power of the internet birth new celebrities but this was at a time when there were no leaders no social campaigns or formulas for success this also meant the world wasn't sure whether or not the Arctic Monkeys were here to stay the group released their debut single five minutes with Arctic Monkeys which got record labels bidding to sign the explosive new group [Music] arctic monkeys wind up signing to Domino Records who they're still with to this day they were attracted by the do-it-yourself style of owner Lawrence Bell who worked out of his apartment and only side artists he personally liked they soon released I bet you look good on the dance floor it's off the UK charts immediately the band finally released her debut record pushing the release day forward due to high demand the jittery punk album spoke to younger audiences the social commentaries of the good and bad nights out with friends and about Alex's attempts and ultimate failings to pick up girls at nightclubs appropriately the cover features friend Chris McClure who the band got stupid drunk in order to get this photo it became the fastest-selling debut album by a band in British chart history selling more than 360,000 copies in its first week they were outselling the rest of the top twenty album chart combined he won the Mercury Prize award that year for the best album in the UK it was nominated for a Grammy Rolling Stone named at the 30th best debut of all time and enemy ranked it as the nineteenth best album of all time the Monkees failed to replicate those results in the u.s. selling only 34,000 copies so what happened well American critics didn't get the hype British music journalism was making huge claims enemy were calling Arctic Monkeys our generations most important band from the get-go at that time the US had some major players in the post-punk scene all with a few solid albums under their belt so when the 20 year old boys from Sheffield England showed up in America with only a few years experience with their instruments still developing their stage presence some were underwhelmed considering the band to be catchy but unexceptional it was no fault of their own Arctic Monkeys tried to reduce the height by avoiding interviews in the press where they could the Monkees would prove their worth during their US tour and gain a small cult following they were receiving album of the Year awards left and right including Best British group and Best British album at the BRIT Awards the Monkees meteoric rise to success overwhelmed Andy Nicholson and he decided to leave the band he was replaced by current bassist Nick O'Malley who joined the boys when they quickly headed back into studio to record favorite worst nightmare [Music] just a year after their debut the English ensemble returned with a louder faster and more varied tracklist favorite worst nightmare barely gives you a chance to breathe with its breakneck pace the record went straight to number one on the UK album charts every track on the album found itself on the top 200 UK Singles Chart once more they were nominated for the Mercury Prize and won Best British album and band at the BRIT Awards their appeal improved in the US market debuting at number 7 with 44,000 copies sold it would be their only release to break the billboards top 10 albums until AM would later the Monkees headlined Glastonbury Festival that year the largest music festival in the UK they were at their peak at least in the UK when the group decided to take a short hiatus Alex Turner founded the symphonic supergroup The Last Shadow Puppets releasing the age of understatement in the spring of 2008 following that release the Arctic Monkeys came together to begin writing their next album humba [Music] the boys felt that their Punk novelty would wear thin if they didn't evolve so they've recruited Queens of the Stone Age is Josh Tommy in aiding them to overturn what everyone knew about the band they recorded this new album entirely in the United States experimenting with new guitar FX keyboards and percussion humbug introduced a more melancholic approach to songwriting with psychedelic and desert elements referencing Jimi Hendrix cream and the Beatles as influences Alex's vocals became smoother around the edges and a little more distant again the album went straight to number one in the UK their third straight to do so while it didn't critically perform as well as their previous efforts it expanded the group's sound and would lay the groundwork for future album am but first the group decided to divert yet again to deliver a more poppy and vintage sound they wrote and rehearse these new tracks in order to record them live for the album suck it in see some expected more of the wit and punk rock immediacy from their first two albums others wanted more of the stoner rock we got on humbug the rest just were along for the ride wherever the Monkees decided to take that sucker dance he left many disappointed and thinking this was the fatal goodbye kiss to the band I didn't get those extremist comments the album was still one of the better rock albums released that year it was neither terrible nor great but it was definitely their weakest thus far but after humbug and suckin and see the Arctic Monkeys were slowly descending into mediocrity their frequent change in music styles had fans coming and going between records impeding their overall growth they embarked on a North American tour supporting the Black Keys in early 2012 it was the first time they had ever toured as an opening act they had always been a headliner but this would offer them the most exposure to American rock audiences that they had ever had they couldn't pass it up the boys even wrote a new track to close their sets with ru mine and people loved it it excited the boys to them it was an indicator that the band still had it they decided to explore more of this sound attempting to write 12 Tunes just like it the final product was am selling a hundred thousand copies in two days AM was their fifth straight number-one album in the UK nominated for a Mercury Prize it debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200 it became the top rock album in the country do I want to know became the most played contemporary rock song on American radio peaking at number one on alternative charts and was nominated for Best Rock performance at the 2015 Grammys they played Glastonbury for a second time and they started selling out us arenas including Madison Square Garden so what changed what was it about a.m. that appealed so much to all these new audiences well a few things one the music market changed the White Stripes gone Jack White is still here trying to figure things out the Black Keys are on break the Red Hot Chili Peppers Green Day and The Strokes have their best albums behind them sorry if you took a look back at the top 100 tracks in the US and 2014 you won't find a single rock song aside from the ones by Arctic Monkeys we are left with imagine dragons and Coldplay to define alternative rock Arctic Monkeys were the only ones with any spotlight still bringing rock and roll rock and roll to the Arctic Monkeys reinvented themselves with pomade in their hair and leather jackets they almost separated themselves from their debut entirely they also focused on creating tracks that were driven by drums and bass rather than guitar Alex Turner now sported a new persona and his vocal delivery became more conversational got some interstellar pain too skinny boom plus they threw in a bunch of false settles as well they went back to their favorite R&B and hip hop singles from their youth and tried to sound less like four guys playing in a room and more like something that would sound boss in your car like something dr. dre would you could take almost any of the instrumentals from a.m. and use them as the backbone for 2014's hip-hop singles [Music] 3m was just a damn good record the boys accomplished what they had set out to do the album sounds badass it's the modern-day rock and roll people were looking for but not everyone was happy longtime Monkees fans were upset over the newfound popularity and direction and sound we lost the immediacy the punk rock and the sharp lyricism we had been for a while this was just the nail in the coffin the monkeys are a band that wants to evolve with every record and if fans follow then so be it listen or don't they're still making some cool rock tunes these uncool kids from an English suburb who started a band called the Arctic Monkeys and just wanted more people to hear their music but tranquility base Hotel and Casino is just around the corner and the word is that it's very piano centric with guitarists being few and far between they'd finally hit the jackpot with a.m. I just hope this next reinvention doesn't undo all that hard work so for the four Arctic Monkeys we'll just have to wait and see [Music] I'm trying to get better at guitar for a while now just kind of putting in an hour a day but Mario Baptista's guitar lessons are really helping me progress more quickly he covers everything from how to hold a guitar to playing some today's best alternative tracks you can find them on Skillshare an online learning community for creators and since guitar lessons aren't cheap I've turned to skill shares Premium Membership which gives me unlimited access to thousands of classes on things for a music production - songwriting and of course music lessons all for less than ten bucks a month but Skillshare is allowing me to give 500 people two months of Skillshare premium for free so if you're looking to improve your skills unlock your inner musician or learn more about the things you already love follow the first link in the description below and start learning today other than that thanks for watching ladies and gents if you enjoyed the video please give it a like rating subscribe to learn more about the music you love and thank you to my patrons who for as low as a dollar are helping free up more of my time to make these videos you're all awesome and tell me what's your least favorite Arctic Monkeys album you've got to have one let me know in the comments below and keep listening

Channel: Middle 8

Views: 948,530

Rating: 4.9498167 out of 5

Keywords: arctic monkeys, tranquility base hotel and casino, do i wanna know arctic monkeys, arctic monkeys album, who are the arctic monkeys, the arctic monkeys, arctic monkeys documentary, arctic monkeys music, arctic monkeys live, arctic monkeys video essay, best arctic monkeys, arctic monkeys music video, arctic monkeys new album, arctic monkeys tranquility base, arctic monkeys am, arctic monkeys star treatment, arctic monkeys four out of five, big in america, alex turner

Id: TgBsotpXZq8

Length: 12min 43sec (763 seconds)

Published: Tue May 08 2018

Reddit Comments

[u/jbal695]

so leak listeners: do you think the new record will be preferred by uk fans or us fans, as in is it more like kinda scrappy indie or smooth, polished desert rock??

[u/[deleted]]

This album is the new Currents for this sub

[u/landon10]

Love more Middle 8! Anyone know of any similar channels?

[u/celebritycoke]

I haven’t heard the new record, just a YouTube of them playing a new tune and was. A bit disappointed. It sounded very similar to the overly theatrical last shadow puppets album, which I get seeing as its Alex’s new chapter but the arctic monkeys are supposed to be a band and part of the fun part of bands is the equal writing that makes for interesting music not too focused on one persons idea. I read in an interview thAt Alex wrote everything so essentially we have another last shadow puppets album.

I liked the last last shadow puppets album. Is was quite beautiful, but compared to the non Chalant of the album A.M , I fear they may lose their spots on American top pop radio.

[u/SleepyEel]

Aight but SIAS is their best record, and I've been listening since the beginning.

[u/whateverfloatsurgoat]

Rise to fame ? They've been famous for 12 years ! It happened in less than a year lmao