<font size="3" face="Tempus sans ITC, Papyrus,Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I agree, there was a huge shift. BUT I don't think it was due to the lyrics. It seems to me that those dreaded powers that be (hehe) aimed Darren directly for the pop market and to the boppers. Maybe they thought that's what was needed to break into the UK .......... after all, it was obvious for ages that Darren wanted the UK in a baaaad way and SG only had (in my opinion) okay sucess. Not great. Not bad. Just okay. So I'm not saying that from a marketing stand point, going for the boppers was a bad thing because it apparently paid off.Quote:
Originally posted by DarrensPassion:
It seemed to me that when Darren produced Spin after the SG split, his fanbase attracted a whole new, different type of fan to those originally associated with SG. Maybe the less deep more fluffy lyrics of Spin actually attracted a more 'pop' based fanbase rather than the original diverse fanbase of old. I can see another shift happening with the fanbase if and when TTATS actually gets off the ground, because in this album Darren has gone back to those deep soul searching lyrics he's so good at writing and expressing.
But going back to my initial point, it's all in how he was and is being marketed. For Spin, it seemed to me that the tv appearances were more "poppish" as were the types of magazines that he nabbed for interviews. Then final proof (to me) was how the fanclub was structured. NOT the 'elite, member only' crap, but the heavy emphasis on pictures and fluff and "being part of Darren's incredible life". I just don't see anyone other than boppers being impressed by that atmosphere. AND I'm talking about new fans. Not the ones who already had a connection to Darren and his music and who were willing to find the fun in most anything offered. (And need I mention the fanzine about the dog???)
You see, I can accept for the sake of argument that the tv appearance and what magazines carried interviews was maybe out of Darren's control or that of his management. Maybe all that was either the result of (1) his label's wishes or (2) simply a case of making the best of what he was offered. But the fan club???? THAT is a different matter. That is something that was strictly under Darren's control and it wasn't (and isn't) being run by anyone other than who Darren wants running it. So if that was aimed at boppers, then it leads me to think the rest was also an intentional choice of either Darren or his management -- probably both.
Will the fan base shift if Tension takes off? Honestly, I doubt it because it seems to me that they are still aiming for the boppers. Case in point -- the new feature that is on DH.com. I don't know the lady who is writing it, and I have nothing against her. But my only throught when hearing about the new feature was 'Okay, it's Leo's diary re-vamped. More funny fluff about Darren and those around him. What does that have to do with music???'
