Eyesore wrote:
The criteria has changed in the past decade. I think that sales is a part of it, but that is harder to define now because there are so many sheep in the flock. If you go by sales alone then Ashlee Simpson is one of the greatest female artists ever! Clearly not the case. SOAD, though, have shown over four albums that they're not a fluke and they've really had no big hit single since Toxicity. They've had mild hits, but nothing mind-blowing, and their albums have still debuted at #1 and sold quite well in the Downloading Age. Thus you can assume those albums have sold well simply because there are people out there that REALLY like this band, not people out there that buy the albums to listen to the radio hits (one or two songs, we all know those people).
Next you look at the quality of music and originality. You may not like them, but overall there are millions of people who do. Not just metal fans, but fans of all genres including rap, like SOAD. I think that is a sign of a great band, a band that can transcend barriers and pull in listeners from all points of the musical landscape. I think the overall impact that this band has had on music is HUGE! Are there other bands just as deserving, sure, Tool definitely comes to mind, but SOAD are right up there with some of the greatest bands of our time, in my opinion, and that opinion is shared by countless others.
You disagree, I know, but I still feel strongly about this.
I would think that 'impact upon the musical landscape' should be measured in another way.
For instance, Nirvana. They came along in 1991 and changed the musical landscape forever. Bands like Soundgarden landed major-label deals, bands like Mudhoney were on the lips of everyone, and even now, we're shaking off their shit-clones like Nickelback and Breaking Benjamin.
If you ask me, inspiring waves upon waves of new bands is more important than simply having a wide listening base. Nirvana will be remembered by connoisseurs of musical knowledge forever. They will have whole sections of the book to themselves, while SoaD will probably have a chapter or so.
Tool will also have a section.
I can't, however, say that SoaD does NOT have an inexplicable appeal to many people, because they do.