Why You Rarely Hear About The Spin Doctors Nowadays
It’s easy to think of the Spin Doctors as a one-hit-wonder that deserved more than just one hit. For much of 1993, their song “Two Princes” was all over the radio, consistently on heavy rotation on MTV, and a must-have on your setlist if your high school garage band was playing on prom night. The tune’s breakout popularity, combined with the band’s quirky image and on-stage performances, helped turn them into one of the biggest rock bands of the era that weren’t from Seattle. But that was not the only hit single from their 1991 debut album, “Pocket Full of Kryptonite” — prior to that, “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” cracked Billboard‘s pop top 20, and tracks like “Jimmy Olsen’s Blues” also did well on the mainstream rock charts.
Then suddenly, the Spin Doctors were seemingly a flash in the pan, a relic of the ’90s “jam band” era that also saw the rise of acts such as Phish, Blues Traveler, and the Dave Matthews Band. What happened to them, why did they fade from relevance in such a quick and spectacular fashion, and why are they so rarely mentioned in present-day discussions about ’90s rock bands? Let’s go ahead now (see what we did there) and look at the reasons why we don’t hear much from the Spin Doctors these days.
Two Princes was virtually impossible to top
When it comes to bands with one or two big hits, their one most popular song is oftentimes the “black sheep” (as described by TV Tropes) of the act’s entire catalog — typically a song that’s poppier, simpler, and catchier than their usual fare. “Two Princes” could fall into this category, given how it’s packed wall-to-wall with hooks and how its lyrics offer a far more relatable premise than the usual Spin Doctors song. However, it also doesn’t sound out of place on its parent album, “Pocket Full of Kryptonite” — it’s not like Chris Barron and company went full-on Aerosmith and topped the charts with the monster ballad to out-monster all monster ballads.
“Two Princes” was a classic case of catching lightning in a bottle. It was a pure pop song that just so happened to have crunchy rock guitars, and that helped propel it to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. That set the bar pretty high for the Spin Doctors in terms of chart success, and that also applied to its melody and lyrics — any subsequent single would inevitably be compared to “Two Princes.” In theory, it’s possible the band could have tried to top “Two Princes” with another radio-friendly tune, but that brings us to another reason why people don’t talk too much about the Spin Doctors anymore …
The Spin Doctors wanted to avoid writing another Two Princes on their second album
After the Spin Doctors went from neo-hippie jam band with a loyal cult following to certified rock stars, the band released their second studio album, “Turn It Upside Down,” in 1994. According to Louisville Music News, guitarist Eric Schenkman admitted that the Spin Doctors wanted to avoid writing another surefire hit in the tradition of “Two Princes.” Fair enough, until you realize the album has been criticized for being a largely hookless, directionless mess, a mishmash of ideas that don’t add up to anything substantial.
Nowhere is that more evident than on the carrier single, “Cleopatra’s Cat.” YouTuber Todd in the Shadows, who featured “Turn It Upside Down” on his aptly-named “Trainwreckords” series, posited that the song wasn’t bad, but just “odd,” adding that the historical references and Latin lyrics — to say little of Chris Barron’s extended scatting — would have likely gone over the heads of most listeners. He also pointed out that the song’s lack of hooks and structure had the potential to alienate the Spin Doctors’ “fanbase of 12-year-olds” who knew them mainly from “Two Princes.” And it wasn’t like the group’s original fans from their obscure jam band days would have appreciated the tune either, according to Pop Dose.
“Turn It Upside Down” had a couple of songs (“You Let Your Heart Go Too Fast,” “Mary Jane”) that did have some sweet pop-rock hooks, though one can say that neither of them had the same impact as any of the singles off “Pocket Full of Kryptonite.” Furthermore, the latter was an ode to the devil’s lettuce (of course) that was utterly lacking in subtlety, as evidenced by lyrics like “I wanna roll you/way down in the fields where you were born.”
They never got over the sophomore slump
Few platinum-selling bands have faded faster into obscurity than the Spin Doctors. “Turn It Upside Down” performed solidly on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 28 in July 1994, but that also happened to be the last time the band ever appeared on the publication’s album charts — prior to that, “Pocket Full of Kryptonite” went all the way to No. 3, and the live album “Homebelly Groove…Live” made it to No. 145. So what’s next for a band whose sophomore studio album bombed with both of their main fanbases?
Two years after “Turn it Upside Down,” the Spin Doctors released their third album, “You’ve Got to Believe in Something,” and we certainly hope that for the group, that “something” wasn’t a return to their short-lived glory days. In its 2.5-star review of the record, AllMusic wrote that “You’ve Got to Believe” has some catchy tunes, but not quite on the same level as “Pocket Full.” Furthermore, the publication singled out one track — the one that might have had the most potential to make them relevant again — as the biggest misfire. That song was a cover of KC and the Sunshine Band’s “That’s the Way (I Like It),” featuring the late Biz Markie. It did make the soundtrack of “Space Jam,” but was pretty much an afterthought on an album that included — all recent controversies notwithstanding — R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly.”
The Spin Doctors have made multiple 'worst bands' lists
The mileage will always vary when the discussion turns to the best or worst bands of a certain decade. But it’s quite telling when a band finds itself a mainstay of such lists. The Spin Doctors, unfortunately, are among those groups that are oftentimes considered among the worst of the ’90s; for starters, they ranked eighth on a Rolling Stone reader poll, though the outlet did write that it’s understandable that an act that “embodied a brief era” would receive “swift and severe backlash” from fans when that era comes to an unceremonious end. Rolling Stone also opined that the Spin Doctors “really aren’t that bad,” noting elsewhere that their readers made some even more baffling choices, including Nirvana as the No. 5 worst band of the ’90s.
Although it would seem that the Spin Doctors got off easier by ranking No. 20 on LA Weekly‘s list, it bears mentioning that the list covered their choices for the worst bands of all time and that they were rather unforgiving, referring to “Two Princes” as an “earworm so powerful that you’re going to need to see an ENT doctor.” Then you’ve got musicians such as Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio and Blink-182, who, in one of The A.V. Club‘s “HateSong” features, derisively called “Two Princes” (yes, that song again) as “‘white people without problems’ music” and wasn’t much kinder to the Spin Doctors’ other popular singles.
The band would rather focus on 'authenticity' than commercial success
The Spin Doctors have been through a lot since their brief time in the limelight, including various lineup changes. Guitarist Eric Schenkman quit in 1994 after walking offstage during a performance, and bassist Mark White followed suit five years later; there have also been a few other musicians who passed through their ranks, including keyboardist Ivan Neville, who temporarily replaced Chris Barron on lead vocals when the latter suffered a rare form of vocal paralysis (via Pop Dose). But the classic lineup of Barron, Schenkman, White, and drummer Aaron Comess has been back together for some time, and they seem content to do their own thing as a lower-profile act, with their last release, the 2013 blues record “If the River Was Whiskey,” once again failing to chart but nonetheless earning positive reviews.
“We’ve always come at music from a more authenticity perspective, and the older we get, the more we do this,” Barron told 48 Hills in 2019. “It’s about virtuosity, and virtuosity is … about being so well versed in whatever you do that you can authentically present your personality with your art. When you do that, you’re going to make something good, and sometimes it’s commercial and sometimes it’s not.”
That said, Barron admitted that the Spin Doctors still enjoy playing their biggest hits and that he’d “rather have a song like ‘Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong’ go to number two than have to sing ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ for the rest of [his] career.” We can’t help but agree with him.
55 thoughts on “Why You Rarely Hear About The Spin Doctors Nowadays”
Leave a Reply
The Truth About Celebrity Chimp J. Fred Muggs
The Real Reason Ace Frehley Left KISS In The '80s
Why Universal Didn't Want To Cast Bela Lugosi As Count Dracula
Here's How The Tornado Scene In The Wizard Of Oz Was Actually Made
The Tragic Murder Of Dylan McDermott's Mother
The Sad Truth About Mick Mars' Spinal Disease
Here's How Much Ronan Farrow Is Worth
What Happened To Ernest Carter From The E Street Band?
People Who Died The Same Year They Won An Oscar
Buffy Sainte-Marie: The First Indigenous Person To Win An Academy Award
Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?
The point of view of your article has taught me a lot, and I already know how to improve the paper on gate.oi, thank you. https://www.gate.io/zh/signup/XwNAU
purchase fenofibrate sale buy generic tricor online buy cheap generic tricor
order generic cialis buy generic viagra 50mg viagra professional
ketotifen medication geodon 40mg usa buy tofranil 25mg online cheap
buy minoxytop solution order flomax 0.4mg sale buy ed pills for sale
order acarbose without prescription pill micronase 5mg buy generic fulvicin 250 mg
aspirin for sale order levoflox generic imiquad online
melatonin 3 mg uk oral desogestrel 0.075 mg danazol drug
order dipyridamole 25mg pills felodipine pills pravachol 20mg usa
duphaston over the counter buy empagliflozin where can i buy empagliflozin
pill florinef 100 mcg florinef online buy imodium 2 mg
generic etodolac 600mg order cilostazol 100mg online cilostazol pills
prasugrel 10 mg brand cost chlorpromazine detrol cost
buy pyridostigmine generic purchase pyridostigmine online cheap maxalt 10mg price
ferrous price pill risedronate 35 mg buy betapace 40mg generic
pill vasotec buy enalapril 10mg for sale duphalac bottless
zovirax cheap buy xalatan eye drop for sale exelon 3mg ca
omeprazole over the counter singulair online buy order lopressor 100mg sale
order generic tadalafil 20mg order cialis 10mg online buy sildenafil 50mg pill
modafinil 100mg pills prednisone 40mg drug buy deltasone 10mg pills
buy astelin nasal spray zovirax 800mg for sale buy avalide pill
generic esomeprazole topamax 200mg cost buy topamax 200mg pill
order imitrex 25mg levaquin cost order generic avodart 0.5mg
brand zyloprim purchase crestor online crestor 10mg oral
zantac 300mg usa purchase zantac without prescription celecoxib price
buspin price ezetimibe cost amiodarone 200mg oral
tamsulosin 0.4mg sale tamsulosin 0.4mg sale buy generic simvastatin over the counter
buy motilium 10mg pills sumycin 250mg uk sumycin drug
spironolactone 25mg price proscar price order propecia online cheap
cheap dissertation help online thesis writing buying essays
fluconazole 100mg sale cipro 500mg usa baycip over the counter
sildenafil 50mg us estrace ca estradiol 1mg cheap
generic flagyl 200mg purchase metronidazole generic keflex for sale
buy lamotrigine 200mg generic lamictal 200mg pills purchase nemazole sale
buy cleocin 150mg fildena 100mg tablet buy fildena 100mg pills
buy tretinoin cream generic buy generic avanafil online avana 200mg cost
order nolvadex 20mg online buy betahistine 16 mg online cheap symbicort price
tadalafil pill buy generic tadalafil order indocin online
cefuroxime order order careprost eye drops buy generic methocarbamol
order trazodone 50mg for sale clindamycin gel buy cheap clindac a
buy generic lamisil for sale lamisil sale wind creek casino online play
aspirin 75mg pill purchase aspirin online cheap spins real money
my mother essay writing essay buy online slots games free
buy amoxicillin cheap buy arimidex without prescription buy clarithromycin 250mg
order rocaltrol online cheap buy calcitriol tablets tricor price
buy clonidine 0.1mg sale order tiotropium bromide 9mcg online order spiriva generic
acne oral medication without dermatologist best contraceptive pills for acne oxcarbazepine 600mg pills
buy minocin 100mg for sale oral minocycline ropinirole 2mg usa
letrozole online order cost letrozole 2.5 mg buy aripiprazole 30mg online
new rx anti smoking drug online physician consultation pain medication buy pain meds no script
provera oral where to buy provera without a prescription microzide 25mg sale
order cyproheptadine nizoral sale buy nizoral sale
fungus clear website lamisil for toenail fungus dosage alpha 1 blockers list
purchase cymbalta generic buy modafinil 200mg sale modafinil 200mg generic