How was Tesla not wiping the floor with everyone else in the 80s???

[Mister Freeze]

I'm revisiting the Great Radio Controversy (after teasing to do so in another thread).

This album is FUCKING AWESOME. And it's only considered their "okay" album, especially compared to their killer debut.

Fuck, these guys were firing on all cylinders. I'm not sure if anyone else combined the hooks with metal chops in the same way these guys did.

The guitar tone, the drums, fuck ...

13 songs. No urge to skip over any of 'em. This album rocks.

Merry Christmas bitches.

[GoodJudge]

Because they sounded boring and looked even more boring. Christ, half this board worships McDonalds, Taco Bell and similar excuses for "food", yet you can't work out why the general public prefers the same musical slop over "talent"?

Christmas goodwill to all

[alexleehooker]

The songs ‘Edison’s medicine’ and ‘call it what you want’ are the two I enjoy and listen to but I think that they’re on different albums?

5 man acoustic jam was very fashionable in the early 90s for about 2-3 years but now long forgotten

They have one that’s a copy of wanted dead or alive by Bon jovi that keeps popping up on my Spotify

Perhaps that’s the answer they were a bit too generic to really cut through the crowd?

[aznsquirt]

Phenomenal rock band. Reasons are as stated a bit generic but also what's always the reason some good/great band wasn't bigger: The songs weren't there.

[Wednesday 13 Fan]

Because they had no image period. Like the types of guys that worked pumping septic tanks and are proud of it.

Regular joes don't want to watch regular joes do anything.

[Tommy2Tone84]

Because they had no image period. Like the types of guys that worked pumping septic tanks and are proud of it.

Regular joes don't want to watch regular joes do anything.

Metallica didn’t have an image and were proud of it. They even bragged about it and used it as a selling point. They used it to divide and conquer. They later got an image in the 90s and it still didn’t hurt them much.

It’s an honest living.

My opinions of Tesla were, they were a very inconsistent live band especially when Tommy was in the band, and their albums were hit and miss. Jeff was never my favorite frontman either. They were cool but not at the top of my list. They were a little blah, a lot like Dokken.

[ijwthstd]

Image, marketing, timing.

[Bono Nettencourt]

Image, marketing, timing.

This. They were too ugly. Sound/vibe wise, they were kinda like Cinderella, but with worse songs.

[HueyRamone]

Metallica didn’t have an image and were proud of it.

This is not "not having an image". It's having a cool fucking image, that is charisma fueled motherfuckers who happen to be in tshirts and jeans (and canadian tuxedos_.





this is actually "not having an image":

[Tommy2Tone84]

Metallica didn’t have an image and were proud of it.

This is not "not having an image". It's having a cool fucking image, that is charisma fueled motherfuckers who happen to be in tshirts and jeans (and canadian tuxedos).





this is actually "not having an image":

You said the magic word: charisma. Metallica had it in spades. Tesla did not

[Bono Nettencourt]

Yeah they look like a bar/garage band.

[dmbrocker]

Pretty much what everyone else here is saying: they didn’t exactly have a tailored-for-MTV image/level of charisma. Agreed The Great Radio Controversy is a killer album, though. And they did have a few big chart successes with “Love Song” and the 5MAJ recording of “Signs”, so I’m sure they’re grateful for that.

[Nate S Axel]

They didn't look gay enough in the 80s. If Sleek wouldn't work for you, then you didn't look gay enough.

[Darrien]

If you surveyed 1000 girls on their hair metal crush, I'd bet not one would mention Jeff Keith. Also, his voice wasn't everyone's cup of tea.

[ijwthstd]

Now that I think about it they actually did pretty damn good for a non-charismatic band playing non-hyphenated rock 'n roll whose main point of exposure was Headbanger's Ball coupled with Def Leppard and Poison tours.

They are one of those bands that sounds a lot better to me now than they did way back then.

[Bono Nettencourt]

Now that I think about it they actually did pretty damn good for a non-charismatic band playing non-hyphenated rock 'n roll whose main point of exposure was Headbanger's Ball coupled with Def Leppard and Poison tours.

They are one of those bands that sounds a lot better to me now than they did way back then.

True. They beat Dokken and LA Guns, to name two.

[daveg]

They were 5 years early, or 5 years late to the party. Either/or.

Their music holds up better than most bands from that era.

[Bono Nettencourt]

Nah, they were on time, but they weren't invited, so they had to sneak in the back door.

[LitaStrauss]

They were 5 years early, or 5 years late to the party. Either/or.

Their music holds up better than most bands from that era.

I agree. I always felt like had they come out in the 70s along with Boston and all those other rock bands who were kind of ugly and didn't have an image, they would have blown up even more. Not that Tesla didn't have a career to be proud of, but they're more of a no frills rock band than a true hairband from the 80s.

[endstand]

Apart from the obvious that has been mentioned, no image nor charisma, I don’t think Tesla was ever promoted properly outside the US? Did they ever tour anywhere else?

I don’t remember seeing a single article about them back in the day and to this day, I have never heard Tesla song from the radio.

[pieceofme]

They didn't look gay enough in the 80s. If Sleek wouldn't work for you, then you didn't look gay enough.

I like Tesla. But the reasons for not being bigger have already been covered. They had 3 platinum albums and 2 gold I think. That is decent. Not everyone could be huge like bon jovi and def Leppard.

[ijwthstd]

I'd say Tesla and Dramarama have more in common with each other than Poison and Depeche Mode

[HoldenSSV]

Jeff Keith was also very hit-or-miss live.

When he was on, they were killer. When he wasn't, it was pretty noticeable.

[MOON]

They didn't look gay enough in the 80s. If Sleek wouldn't work for you, then you didn't look gay enough.

LOL

[MOON]

Metallica didn’t have an image and were proud of it.

This is not "not having an image". It's having a cool fucking image, that is charisma fueled motherfuckers who happen to be in tshirts and jeans (and canadian tuxedos_.





this is actually "not having an image":

This 10000%

Tesla is/was great for what they were at the time and still are..great tunes..

[War_in_D]

Apart from the obvious that has been mentioned, no image nor charisma, I don’t think Tesla was ever promoted properly outside the US? Did they ever tour anywhere else?

I don’t remember seeing a single article about them back in the day and to this day, I have never heard Tesla song from the radio.

Their videos and interviews were all played on Much Music here in Canada. They still play Signs here on the radio. I also saw them twice in Winnipeg back in the day.

[tym]

I think its because why most bands were doing the Drug Sex and Rock and Roll, Tesla was trying to make more of a political Message, Like How Thomas Edison was a fraud, and Nikola Tesla was the real inventor. While most bands were doing simple easy to understand Lyrics, Tesla stuff was a bit more complicated. I think Tesla was more of a 60s kind of band with more guitar, and people simply didnt want that.

Its just a formula that Tesla really never changed. I did get to see them live and they just tore shit up. They did a show in illinois, and I think even the lead singer was surprised by the reaction. Little did he know, that most bands only Play Chicago, and forget the rest of illinois. So yea, having a rock band play someplace other than chicago, People are gonna show up and eat that shit up. The last thought is Tesla loved to change the pace of the song. Think that was a big turn off to allot of people

[cowpins]

Like others said, image, marketing, and timing, and with MTV and posters hanging on teenagers walls marketing the image was a deal breaker.

Bon Jovi - Jon/Richie
Poison - Bret/CC
Warrant - Jayne
Motley Crue - Band
Van Halen - Dave/Eddie
Skid Row - Sebastian
RATT - SEP/Warren


And Metallica WERE not an MTV darling band and were not targeting that audience.

[Spongie]

I remember it completely differently. Tesla was hugely popular. At times they were in fact wiping the floor with everyone else.

And for my money their popularity dropped less significantly in the 90s compared to the likes of Crue and Poison.

[Bono Nettencourt]

Yeah they were able to sneak a gold record in in 94 when most of their contemporaries were either DOA or on life support.