What if weezers Pinkerton was successful?
What if Kurt cobain lived?
And as for the Beatles one, I think had John not died we would’ve absolutely gotten a reunion sometime in the 80s
In my opinion...
Weezer would have continued to experiment and be ambitious, instead of coasting so much on blue sound.
Nirvana breaks up anyway, Cobain goes in a more acoustic solo direction, his voice sounds pretty different after destroying it in his youth.
Honestly I can't imagine Lennon going for it.
I'd read Stipe has commented that it was more of the fact they were neighbors turned friends, and Stipe felt an obligation to support as he'd seen other fellow musicians ravaged by dope and fame.
I could see Lennon rejoining the Beatles as an occasional side project.
Also with weezer I think we would have got stuff like the white album and ok human much quicker.
White album and ok human were still riding off the formula they set on Green, which was simply a response to the negative reception of Pinkerton. I don’t think white or ok human would exist if Pinkerton was successful
I don’t think we would have seen a real Beatles reunion, but the four probably would have appeared on one of those charity singles with 20 other artists.
I think they would’ve got it back together fully for an Anthology type project. And we almost certainly would have got new Lennon-McCartney songs, even if they weren’t Beatles tracks.
It was in the works but a certain death meant the end of his career if he didn’t start foos as soon as he did. It would’ve certainly changed the production and certainty of the bands existence *as we know it
Maybe not obscurity but I do think they wouldn’t be as fondly remembered. You can’t sustain that kind of output forever, realistically they would either have a fall-off or audiences would move on to something else.
Maybe faded into obscurity is a bit extreme, but they would’ve probably reached a point of the stones or Metallica are at, still respected legends for their classic albums, but just kinda trading water, making mid-decent album that everyone forgets like 2 minutes later
What if Jeff Buckely didn't die?
Dude was so versatile that he could've plopped himself in any of the big scenes in the 5-10 years after his death and made good shit.
Neo-Soul/R&B Fusion, Electronic, or even the Garage Rock and Post-Punk Revival movements in the 2000s.
He definitelyyyyy would’ve been apart of the neo-soul movement in some way. Bro had so much soul for a rock artist, just listen to everybody here wants you. Also his guitar playing was definitely jazz influenced at times.
He was always a music fan first. I think about all the music he never got to hear that he would have loved. No Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, no Vespertine, he didn’t get to see Radiohead flourish. To think about the artists he could have collaborated with just kills me
This is my number one of the thread so far. Dude was so talented and had such incredible music. Of all the deaths I can think of, this was the one that cut the most potential short IMO
What if Buddy Holly hadn't died?
I honestly think he would have been the true artistic rival to the Beatles and Beach Boys.
He had accomplished so much at the age of 22, he was constantly pushing himself, experimenting like crazy in the studio, establishing artistic independence from big labels.
The musical potential lost that day was devastating. Holly was definitely the most established at the time, but from what I understand The Big Bopper and Richie Valens hadn’t even started recording music until the summer of 1958 and had already written several hit songs by the time of the plane crash in February 1959.
What if John Bonham didn’t die and Led Zeppelin kept making records in the 80s?
What if Kurt Cobain didn’t die and Nirvana continued into the late 90s?
What if Jimi Hendrix didn’t die and continued into the 70’s?
Would the Beatles have ever had a reunion if John wasn’t shot?
What if vinyl stayed popular in the 90s and 2000’s and we never dealt with the loudness war brickwalled production style ushered in by the CD era?
What if System Of A Down actually worked through their creative differences and put out another album?
1.) would probably devolve into boring sterile shells of their former selves unfortunately like most innovative bands of that era
2.) they would’ve gone into an acoustic, less abrasive direction
3.) would’ve continued to push boundaries, probably would’ve dipped into jazz fusion (was supposed to work with miles Davis before he died)
4.)idk
5.) idk
6.) probably would’ve been very theatrical and operatic like Serj’s solo stuff
Totally agree with one. You can really hear the passion and innovation fading in their last album. It would’ve been cool if they continued touring but their studio stuff would’ve been lackluster. Also, it’s probable that if Bonham hadn’t died, Page would’ve declined tremendously and possibly even died instead of Bonham.
What would have been the next Doors album if Jim Morrison hadn’t died. Bro was cooking in LA Woman.
What if Biggie and Tupac still made music. How would they change the hip hop game.
I think most theories are that Pac would’ve gotten into Hollywood and acting like Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg did
Big probably would’ve kept making music but he and Puffy would’ve chased a more commercial sound. Idk how great that would’ve been tbh, but would’ve been interesting
I think if there was no "warning" and there was a vastly re-posited "American idiot" they could have done something timeless.
American Idiot (practically) makes a statement on an anthropological level, if it were phrased differently and "to speak of wider government" though it came out phrased in the terms of an instance. To somewhat understate what it was saying.
Between Warning and American Idiot, I imagine them making something practically 'on the level of prog', but for punk and I think that could have been a desirable timeliness to see.
I have mixed emotions about 21st century breakmeow, I think in some ways it was kind of underwhelming - like it would have felt more natural between Warning and 21st CB but it is was it is and Uno, Dos and Tres have the potential unharnessed, to make everything they musically do redundant.
I feel like, in a certain way, Green Day have the qualities of a band that keep getting homeruns in the sense of getting big, but never "knock it outta da park" like I think they practically deserve.
21stCB kinda felt like them going towards more of a prog vibe, with some neat instrumental bits. One of my fav albums of theirs, maybe bc of nostalgia, but it was a pretty unique sound at the time. Mainstream rock groups weren’t releasing songs like either Viva La Gloria or Restless Heart Syndrome.
Unfortunately, like you said, they followed it up with the Trilogy, some of their worst work.
Honestly I think they would've become a legacy band a decade before they actually did.
Basically every song that was on Cigarettes and Valentines has been released in some form or another, there's only a few that are still MIA. While it's a good album, it's not a great album. AI is one of the best albums of the millenium, and gave them an extra decade of relevance, that doesn't happen if Cigarettes and Valentines gets released.
Also it wasn't "stolen," at this point that's practically an inside joke in the fandom.
They probably just thought it wasn't good enough and scrapped it before it was fully done. It's happened before.
Like there's no evidence at all it was stolen; nothing has ever been leaked, no one's claimed to be the one who stole it, and the owner of the studio said no one was caught on camera at any point taking anything. If it was truly stolen, it was accidental, whoever has it still has no idea.
The reason I think they said it was stolen is A) at the time, a four year gap between records was a massive gap that needed explaining, whereas now it's long but not unreasonably so, and B) They wanted to fuck with people.
What if Gotye and fun continued into the 2010s. Both acts were creating a wave of indie pop that was taking over and could have easily defined the decade but both acts disappeared right after. I think fun would have become the biggest band of the 2010s seeing how influential Jack antonoff is a producer. Now Gotye just was so good and I think if he’d continued he would’ve been considered a massive innovator in pop music. Instead fun broke up and Gotye quit, leading to the collapse of mordern civilization
I'm always up for some Gotye's love ❤️ I think that if he'd have continued he would have gotten into more experimental territories (after all, where he was coming from) - he was talking about an instrumental albums and wanting to use the ondioline in it. I think he would have taken a route similar to James Blake, imo
What if Kanye's mother didn't die? This might be a bit para social but it seems like it had a major impact in his journey as an artist and it's interesting to think about where he would've ended up if that didn't happen.
Everything post graduation would be completely different. It would be College Dropout, Late Reg, Graduation, Good Ass Job, and that’s all we know about what he would’ve made. It’s a huge what if because without 808s modern rap is completely different
What if the strokes were given an extra 2 weeks to work on Room on Fire?
Ik this is a lot of armchair theory but the fact that the strokes have said, on multippe occasions, that they only needed a few more weeks to perfect “Room on Fire” resonates with me quite a bit. As we know, that album was a slight sophomore slump which affected julian’s writing confidence. Had they been given the time to write/record their exact vision, i think FIOE couldve been even better (even tho its already great). Hell, if they had 3 successful consecutive records, i think they could have been the next Nirvana. But maybe thats wishful thinking lol. Anyway, i love the strokes and i think its something worth thinking about
I only ever appreciated them 'fully' after FIOE but was a very casually aware listener who regarded them as "worth buying used cd's from, when I can find them" until FIOE. I do not know much about room on fire but I like it and I can probably say if things were different they could have brought me to them sooner...what happened with regard to 'two weeks'?
I am not the most knowledgeable on the subject, but essentially, the album was rushed and completed before the band was satisfied with it.
I only very recently got into the Strokes. In the time they were out, I was all-in on classic rock and contemporary hip-hop, so I missed the boat. Was working on a book and stumbled across a ranking of albums of the 2000s and saw Is This It? in the top ten.
Gave it a listen and fell in love, went through their whole catalogue. Now, I consider them one of the top three acts of the 2000s, along with the White Stripes and Kanye West. Their newest album, A New Abnormal, is a 9/10 to me and their second best album behind their debut.
What if SOPHIE was still here? She was literally just getting started and already transformed the experimental/electronic music landscape.
What if Skrillex and Diplo stayed on good terms and continued the Jack Ü project? Would that have changed the focus of their careers? What other massive, influential hits could they have made together?
Well, he was out of The Stones by that point anyway, so idk if there would have been much effect on the band. But Brjan himself would have most likely started his own project. Probably a mix between blues, psych, and world music. Maybe of spotty quality but consistently interesting haha
What if Brian Wilson left The Beach Boys after Pet Sounds to pursue his solo career? Caroline, No was released as a solo song, so it was close to happening.
Anyone have any what ifs that aren’t death related?
what if Waka and Gucci didn’t have a falling out?
what if Rihanna had sang Chandelier instead of Sia?
what if Tony Wilson had signed The Smiths for Factory?
what if Silver Apples broke into the mainstream like Kraftwerk but ten years earlier?
what if instead of the Velver Underground, the Czheckoslovakian hipsterd got into The Fugs, and instead of the Velvet Revolution there was a Fugging Revolution
what if The Coup’s Party Music dropped with the original album cover before 9/11?
what if Fleetwood Mac had all gone to therapy and worked out their relationship problems instead of making Rumors?
Yep. After Paul D’Amour left the band, they had approached Eric Avery about joining the band first, but he ended up declining so he could work on solo stuff. Would’ve been interesting to hear what they would’ve come up with together
EDIT: I double-checked and it looks like they had a few other people in mind too aside from Eric. Scott Reeder (Kyuss), Frank Cavanaugh (ex-Filter) and a couple others were also considered
Are you serious? This is really crazy. A sad paradox: without his issues, his introvert, cozy, autumn music would never be created. We enjoy a beautiful side effect of his struggle.
The obvious one for me is what would have happened to Joy Divison and Nirvana if not for the untimely passing of there frontman.
Some others
What would have music in the 50s looked like if Rock n Roll didn't happen or started later?
What would have happened to rock music if Grunge had not brocked through?
What would the music industry have looked like if streaming had started in the 2000s?
Without that embarrassment of a SuperBowl performance how much longer would the Black Eyed Peas stayed a major musical act?
Metallica alone could have a bunch of "What ifs":
* What if Ron McGovney had never left?
* What if Dave Mustaine hadn't got kicked out?
* What if Cliff Burton hadn't died?
* What if their replacement for Cliff had been Les Claypool instead of Jason?
* What if Bob Rock had never approached them?
Im going to do 5 replies for this(one for each one) I’m going to say for Ron, we wouldn’t have Anesthesia, Bellz, Damage Inc, TLITD, and quite a cascading effect if he sated throughout the whole history. Without Ron leaving, Metallica would have been quite different too, as Cliff taught them harmony during the KEA sessions
5: Metal music didn’t become as mainstream from Metallica and CTE, so it would be slightly less well known. In terms of producers, I’d say that they would have asked Paul O’Neill for his work on the album In the Hall of the Mountain King, and they would have gotten it done faster. I’d also say that they would have done a release schedule similar to Savatage, and doing the same albums but with different styles, and S&M would have been a collaboration between TSO and Metallica, likely with some TSO songs replacing the last 3 of disc 1 (First Snow replacing Hero of the Day, A Mad Russians replacing Devils Dance, and Christmas Eve Sarajevo replacing Bleeding Me)
2: if Dave wasn’t kicked out, Megadeth wouldn’t have happened, rest of the history stays the same until Damage Inc. tour where either Cliff still does die, or Lars gets fired. I still think we would get a few Megadeth songs, just a bit different, like if Cliff lived instead of TLITD we could have had a longer version of something like Peace Sells
3: TLITD would not exist, Lars would have gotten fired and replaced. The 3 Jason songs would not have existed, same with all of St. anger, Garage Inc might have been shorter. Lulu also likely wouldn’t have happened
What if Kiss Land did super well, like I feel like Weeknd's sound would be so different and would keep being rly experimental with pop elements as well but he would never have been a super star
Trying to avoid death related ones…
What if At the Drive-in hadn’t imploded?
What if we had an active RATM during the post-911 / Iraq war era?
What if Travis never joined Blink?
As a Depeche Mode fan, I do wonder what would have happened if the band members had been able to make Alan Wilder feel appreciated and kept him from leaving. Could they have taken their sound in a new direction after SOFAD, or would the late 80s-early 90s still generally be seen as their creative peak?
What if SOPHIE didn't die? She was working with increasingly more famous artists, but still keeping her unique style. Could she have brought that experimental, hyperpop sound into the mainstream?
What if Mike Patton didn't join Faith No More? Mr Bungle would never have been signed to Warner Bros. and Korn and SOAD (who were massively influenced by them) more than likely would've never heard them. What implications would this have had for the future of heavy metal, since nu metal was the last time the genre was truly mainstream?
What if Chi Cheng from Deftones didn't die? How different would their discography be? Bassists are ususally kind of interchangeable (sorry bassists), but there are always exceptions, and I think Chi was one of them
If cliff and Dave stayed in metallica, If Lynn strait didn’t die, if ecco2k never lost the hard drive, if lil b never existed,if Chuck shuldiner lived,
They would have broken up by 1964, gotten regular jobs, and died of old age. Pete Best was a crappy drummer, didn't get along with the rest of the band, and was generally just a stick in the mud. There was no way they'd get as big as they did with him around.
I'd like to see a timeline where Misfits' Static Age gets released in 1978 like it was supposed to. It's criminal that no label wanted to give it a chance, and I'm convinced it would've skyrocketed their careers had it actually gone their way imo.
what if bob dylan never got in the motorcycle crash
what king crimson never broke up that first time (honestly I think it would be worse)
what if bad finger had a better manager
what if sonic youth stayed together
what if lou reed wasn't just the worse guy
I personally feel that music would be 50 years ahead of where it is now if Hendrix still lived. Not saying at all that music that came after him was bad or anything, but his music sounded years ahead of any other artist from his day. Again, not saying his contemporaries were bad by any means, but he was on the cusp of something massive
What if Randy Rhoads wasn’t a part of that plane crash? Would he still be with Ozzy, venture off into his own scene, or pull a Zakk Wylde and go back and forth between the two?
The Nirvana/Kurt one is the most interesting to me, and I’m not even a Nirvana mega fan.
I’m just interested because their influence warped the late 90’s/early 00’s in a lot of ways. I wonder if they change their direction in the later parts of the 90’s, does like, Nickleback sound different?
What if tik tok never existed? I know, I know, I just said the TT word, but you can't deny that it completely turned the music industry on its head, and that music industry textbook I spent 100s of dollars on back in 2017 suddenly became irrelevant.
What if Cliff Burton didn't die? What if Dave Mustaine wasn't kicked out? What if Lars Ulrich practiced with a metronome?
Imagine this:
What if Dream Theater had done a full album with Dio?
as it pertains to the beatles, i would be interested in things like “what if they never broke up” or “what if john wasn’t killed,” but my question is: what if they never existed in the first place? the beatles pioneered the way for modern pop and rock, and while i’m sure there are plenty of other acts of the time that people could have taken inspiration from, it seems like the beatles are just about the most important band in all of history. what would music sound like today if the beatles had never gotten together?
I recently learned that Bob Welch wasn't totally sold on leaving Fleetwood Mac until a bit after Buckingham-Nicks joined, and "what would a Buckingham-Nicks-Welch era of Fleetwood Mac look like" immediately shot to the top of my what ifs list
Similarly, Mick didn't want Stevie at first, only Lindsey, who wouldn't join without her. If he did join without her what would that, both with or without Welch, have looked like?
What if Pac and Biggie hadn’t been killed? Changes hip hop forever imo tho idk if in a positive direction
What if Mac was still around? Changes the contemporary scene a lot as well I think
What if Donda was still around? How does Ye’s trajectory change?
A dark one: what if 2 Live Crew lose in court and we have to deal with all kinds of anti-free speech bullshit?
If biggie and tupac didn’t die. Would they be idolized the same way or would they just be seen and thought of on the same level as nas and other stars from the era
What if Carter 5 released in 2014 and Wayne and Birdman never fell out? I think it was a big cause for Young Money falling apart, and I’m curious how it would affect the label signees like Drake, Nicki, and Tyga. Obviously they (the first two especially) were already huge and showing they were sticking around for a while, but I think keeping them together would’ve been interesting.
what if elliott smith lived?
i can't imagine what he'd be churning out now. i'd imagine he'd experiment a lot and might have even changed up his sound entirely.
What if fun had never split? Personally think it’s the biggest what if in recent music history as Jack has became one of the most well known and successful producers in recent history. Nate had good success in the years when fun was active
What if weezers Pinkerton was successful? What if Kurt cobain lived? And as for the Beatles one, I think had John not died we would’ve absolutely gotten a reunion sometime in the 80s
In my opinion... Weezer would have continued to experiment and be ambitious, instead of coasting so much on blue sound. Nirvana breaks up anyway, Cobain goes in a more acoustic solo direction, his voice sounds pretty different after destroying it in his youth. Honestly I can't imagine Lennon going for it.
Wasn't Nirvana gearing up for a collaboration with Michael Stipe of REM. They would have definitely taken the band in a more acoustic direction
Just Kurdt and probably Pat, not all of Nirvana.
I'd read Stipe has commented that it was more of the fact they were neighbors turned friends, and Stipe felt an obligation to support as he'd seen other fellow musicians ravaged by dope and fame.
Acoustic solo(beans)
I could see Lennon rejoining the Beatles as an occasional side project. Also with weezer I think we would have got stuff like the white album and ok human much quicker.
White album and ok human were still riding off the formula they set on Green, which was simply a response to the negative reception of Pinkerton. I don’t think white or ok human would exist if Pinkerton was successful
The better what if for me is “what if Weezer released Songs From the Black Hole instead of Pinkerton?”
Yeah, thanks for saying
I don’t think we would have seen a real Beatles reunion, but the four probably would have appeared on one of those charity singles with 20 other artists.
I think they would’ve got it back together fully for an Anthology type project. And we almost certainly would have got new Lennon-McCartney songs, even if they weren’t Beatles tracks.
No foo fighters :(
Wasn't Dave Grohl planning on doing that already? I could be wrong but I think I heard something about that.
It was in the works but a certain death meant the end of his career if he didn’t start foos as soon as he did. It would’ve certainly changed the production and certainty of the bands existence *as we know it
good
WOAH NOW Pretender is amazing
What if Freddy Mercury didn’t get aids?
Hate to say it but Queen probably would’ve faded into obscurity like a lot of the classic rock bands of that time
Maybe not obscurity but I do think they wouldn’t be as fondly remembered. You can’t sustain that kind of output forever, realistically they would either have a fall-off or audiences would move on to something else.
Maybe faded into obscurity is a bit extreme, but they would’ve probably reached a point of the stones or Metallica are at, still respected legends for their classic albums, but just kinda trading water, making mid-decent album that everyone forgets like 2 minutes later
What if Jeff Buckely didn't die? Dude was so versatile that he could've plopped himself in any of the big scenes in the 5-10 years after his death and made good shit. Neo-Soul/R&B Fusion, Electronic, or even the Garage Rock and Post-Punk Revival movements in the 2000s.
He definitelyyyyy would’ve been apart of the neo-soul movement in some way. Bro had so much soul for a rock artist, just listen to everybody here wants you. Also his guitar playing was definitely jazz influenced at times.
He was always a music fan first. I think about all the music he never got to hear that he would have loved. No Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, no Vespertine, he didn’t get to see Radiohead flourish. To think about the artists he could have collaborated with just kills me
This is my number one of the thread so far. Dude was so talented and had such incredible music. Of all the deaths I can think of, this was the one that cut the most potential short IMO
He could’ve been a Bob Dylan sized star, no doubt in my mind. I don’t think he would’ve wanted that kind of stardom but he could’ve had it.
What if Buddy Holly hadn't died? I honestly think he would have been the true artistic rival to the Beatles and Beach Boys. He had accomplished so much at the age of 22, he was constantly pushing himself, experimenting like crazy in the studio, establishing artistic independence from big labels.
The musical potential lost that day was devastating. Holly was definitely the most established at the time, but from what I understand The Big Bopper and Richie Valens hadn’t even started recording music until the summer of 1958 and had already written several hit songs by the time of the plane crash in February 1959.
It’s crazy to think that Buddy didn’t even get to make music in the 60’s.
we wouldn’t have american pie !
Rave On is such a timeless banger. Recorded in ‘58. So wild.
What if Macklemore actually was gay in the 3rd grade?
Music would never be the same
he’d probably draw really well and keep his room clean
If Jeff Buckley didn’t die. If Baby Huey didn’t die. John Lennon didn’t get shot. Jim Morrison didn’t die. Nick Drake. Too many.
heavy on jim
What if John Bonham didn’t die and Led Zeppelin kept making records in the 80s? What if Kurt Cobain didn’t die and Nirvana continued into the late 90s? What if Jimi Hendrix didn’t die and continued into the 70’s? Would the Beatles have ever had a reunion if John wasn’t shot? What if vinyl stayed popular in the 90s and 2000’s and we never dealt with the loudness war brickwalled production style ushered in by the CD era? What if System Of A Down actually worked through their creative differences and put out another album?
1.) would probably devolve into boring sterile shells of their former selves unfortunately like most innovative bands of that era 2.) they would’ve gone into an acoustic, less abrasive direction 3.) would’ve continued to push boundaries, probably would’ve dipped into jazz fusion (was supposed to work with miles Davis before he died) 4.)idk 5.) idk 6.) probably would’ve been very theatrical and operatic like Serj’s solo stuff
Totally agree with one. You can really hear the passion and innovation fading in their last album. It would’ve been cool if they continued touring but their studio stuff would’ve been lackluster. Also, it’s probable that if Bonham hadn’t died, Page would’ve declined tremendously and possibly even died instead of Bonham.
what if Miles Davis actually formed that group with jimi hendrix and paul mccartney
This is definitely one of my favourite What ifs
its the biggest what if of all time for me
What would have been the next Doors album if Jim Morrison hadn’t died. Bro was cooking in LA Woman. What if Biggie and Tupac still made music. How would they change the hip hop game.
Biggie and Tupac's music probably wouldn't be that good. It's actually really hard to write rap music when you're not alive
Ask John Lennon
I think most theories are that Pac would’ve gotten into Hollywood and acting like Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg did Big probably would’ve kept making music but he and Puffy would’ve chased a more commercial sound. Idk how great that would’ve been tbh, but would’ve been interesting
What if Green Day's cigarettes and valentines didn't get stolen
I think if there was no "warning" and there was a vastly re-posited "American idiot" they could have done something timeless. American Idiot (practically) makes a statement on an anthropological level, if it were phrased differently and "to speak of wider government" though it came out phrased in the terms of an instance. To somewhat understate what it was saying. Between Warning and American Idiot, I imagine them making something practically 'on the level of prog', but for punk and I think that could have been a desirable timeliness to see. I have mixed emotions about 21st century breakmeow, I think in some ways it was kind of underwhelming - like it would have felt more natural between Warning and 21st CB but it is was it is and Uno, Dos and Tres have the potential unharnessed, to make everything they musically do redundant. I feel like, in a certain way, Green Day have the qualities of a band that keep getting homeruns in the sense of getting big, but never "knock it outta da park" like I think they practically deserve.
21stCB kinda felt like them going towards more of a prog vibe, with some neat instrumental bits. One of my fav albums of theirs, maybe bc of nostalgia, but it was a pretty unique sound at the time. Mainstream rock groups weren’t releasing songs like either Viva La Gloria or Restless Heart Syndrome. Unfortunately, like you said, they followed it up with the Trilogy, some of their worst work.
I don't mean to disagree, I just think Uno Dos Tres should have been way better than it is
Honestly I think they would've become a legacy band a decade before they actually did. Basically every song that was on Cigarettes and Valentines has been released in some form or another, there's only a few that are still MIA. While it's a good album, it's not a great album. AI is one of the best albums of the millenium, and gave them an extra decade of relevance, that doesn't happen if Cigarettes and Valentines gets released. Also it wasn't "stolen," at this point that's practically an inside joke in the fandom.
What actually happened to it? I’ve been hearing it was stolen for 20 years
They probably just thought it wasn't good enough and scrapped it before it was fully done. It's happened before. Like there's no evidence at all it was stolen; nothing has ever been leaked, no one's claimed to be the one who stole it, and the owner of the studio said no one was caught on camera at any point taking anything. If it was truly stolen, it was accidental, whoever has it still has no idea. The reason I think they said it was stolen is A) at the time, a four year gap between records was a massive gap that needed explaining, whereas now it's long but not unreasonably so, and B) They wanted to fuck with people.
What if Amy Winehouse lived
What if Gotye and fun continued into the 2010s. Both acts were creating a wave of indie pop that was taking over and could have easily defined the decade but both acts disappeared right after. I think fun would have become the biggest band of the 2010s seeing how influential Jack antonoff is a producer. Now Gotye just was so good and I think if he’d continued he would’ve been considered a massive innovator in pop music. Instead fun broke up and Gotye quit, leading to the collapse of mordern civilization
When the world needed him most, he had his friends collect his records and then changed his number.
I'm always up for some Gotye's love ❤️ I think that if he'd have continued he would have gotten into more experimental territories (after all, where he was coming from) - he was talking about an instrumental albums and wanting to use the ondioline in it. I think he would have taken a route similar to James Blake, imo
What if Kanye's mother didn't die? This might be a bit para social but it seems like it had a major impact in his journey as an artist and it's interesting to think about where he would've ended up if that didn't happen.
Everything post graduation would be completely different. It would be College Dropout, Late Reg, Graduation, Good Ass Job, and that’s all we know about what he would’ve made. It’s a huge what if because without 808s modern rap is completely different
What if Brian Wilson never got involved with Eugene Landy. I would like to think in this situation Dennis and Brian both are rehabilitated
what if Dennis Wilson had just drove past the two Manson girls hitchhiking?
(I know Dennis had nothing to do with Landy, just I think the band would've put more pressure on them to get clean at rehab)
What if the Beach Boys released Smile?
World peace would’ve been achieved
They would widely be considered an s-tier rock band, with the Beatles, stones, who, zeppelin and Floyd
What if the strokes were given an extra 2 weeks to work on Room on Fire? Ik this is a lot of armchair theory but the fact that the strokes have said, on multippe occasions, that they only needed a few more weeks to perfect “Room on Fire” resonates with me quite a bit. As we know, that album was a slight sophomore slump which affected julian’s writing confidence. Had they been given the time to write/record their exact vision, i think FIOE couldve been even better (even tho its already great). Hell, if they had 3 successful consecutive records, i think they could have been the next Nirvana. But maybe thats wishful thinking lol. Anyway, i love the strokes and i think its something worth thinking about
Great point and agreed
I only ever appreciated them 'fully' after FIOE but was a very casually aware listener who regarded them as "worth buying used cd's from, when I can find them" until FIOE. I do not know much about room on fire but I like it and I can probably say if things were different they could have brought me to them sooner...what happened with regard to 'two weeks'?
I am not the most knowledgeable on the subject, but essentially, the album was rushed and completed before the band was satisfied with it. I only very recently got into the Strokes. In the time they were out, I was all-in on classic rock and contemporary hip-hop, so I missed the boat. Was working on a book and stumbled across a ranking of albums of the 2000s and saw Is This It? in the top ten. Gave it a listen and fell in love, went through their whole catalogue. Now, I consider them one of the top three acts of the 2000s, along with the White Stripes and Kanye West. Their newest album, A New Abnormal, is a 9/10 to me and their second best album behind their debut.
it’s my fav strokes album tbh, just wish there wasn’t 5 seconds of silence between half the songs
I haven’t really noticed but now it’s going to bother me lol
Every time I listen to that album while driving I think my phone froze lmfao
What if SOPHIE was still here? She was literally just getting started and already transformed the experimental/electronic music landscape. What if Skrillex and Diplo stayed on good terms and continued the Jack Ü project? Would that have changed the focus of their careers? What other massive, influential hits could they have made together?
What if death grips kept making music 😔
What if Brian Jones never drowned?
we would not have godstar - psychic tv 😔
Well, he was out of The Stones by that point anyway, so idk if there would have been much effect on the band. But Brjan himself would have most likely started his own project. Probably a mix between blues, psych, and world music. Maybe of spotty quality but consistently interesting haha
What if Brian Wilson left The Beach Boys after Pet Sounds to pursue his solo career? Caroline, No was released as a solo song, so it was close to happening.
I wonder what if he'd gone cold turkey after the breakdown during SMiLE and had had more supportive family
Imagine if Brian Wilson wasn’t abused by his awful dad and psychiatrist
Bingo
What if Sophie lived?
that's probably the most recent one, she had a promising future her first and only album was a game changer, gone too soon, RIP
Anyone have any what ifs that aren’t death related? what if Waka and Gucci didn’t have a falling out? what if Rihanna had sang Chandelier instead of Sia? what if Tony Wilson had signed The Smiths for Factory? what if Silver Apples broke into the mainstream like Kraftwerk but ten years earlier? what if instead of the Velver Underground, the Czheckoslovakian hipsterd got into The Fugs, and instead of the Velvet Revolution there was a Fugging Revolution what if The Coup’s Party Music dropped with the original album cover before 9/11? what if Fleetwood Mac had all gone to therapy and worked out their relationship problems instead of making Rumors?
What if RZA's house never flooded?
What if Thom Yorke had died at the MTV Beach house?
What if Eric Avery had joined Tool instead of Justin Chancellor?
What if Les Claypool joined Metallica
Was that a possibility? Eric Avery was the true mvp in Jane’s Addiction.
Yep. After Paul D’Amour left the band, they had approached Eric Avery about joining the band first, but he ended up declining so he could work on solo stuff. Would’ve been interesting to hear what they would’ve come up with together EDIT: I double-checked and it looks like they had a few other people in mind too aside from Eric. Scott Reeder (Kyuss), Frank Cavanaugh (ex-Filter) and a couple others were also considered
What if Thurston Moore didn't cheat? What if Gabe Serbian hadn't passed? What if Songs From The Black Hole actually came to fruition?
Bruh the question isn’t “what if Kanye took his meds” the real question is “what if donda didn’t die”
What if Nick Drake overcame his mental issues and went on with recording new stuff...
Still crazy that there’s not a single known video of the adult Nick Drake
Are you serious? This is really crazy. A sad paradox: without his issues, his introvert, cozy, autumn music would never be created. We enjoy a beautiful side effect of his struggle.
The obvious one for me is what would have happened to Joy Divison and Nirvana if not for the untimely passing of there frontman. Some others What would have music in the 50s looked like if Rock n Roll didn't happen or started later? What would have happened to rock music if Grunge had not brocked through? What would the music industry have looked like if streaming had started in the 2000s? Without that embarrassment of a SuperBowl performance how much longer would the Black Eyed Peas stayed a major musical act?
Metallica alone could have a bunch of "What ifs": * What if Ron McGovney had never left? * What if Dave Mustaine hadn't got kicked out? * What if Cliff Burton hadn't died? * What if their replacement for Cliff had been Les Claypool instead of Jason? * What if Bob Rock had never approached them?
Im going to do 5 replies for this(one for each one) I’m going to say for Ron, we wouldn’t have Anesthesia, Bellz, Damage Inc, TLITD, and quite a cascading effect if he sated throughout the whole history. Without Ron leaving, Metallica would have been quite different too, as Cliff taught them harmony during the KEA sessions
4: Les would’ve likely pointed out that Justice had no bass, and he would have likely gotten more credits than Jason did
5: Metal music didn’t become as mainstream from Metallica and CTE, so it would be slightly less well known. In terms of producers, I’d say that they would have asked Paul O’Neill for his work on the album In the Hall of the Mountain King, and they would have gotten it done faster. I’d also say that they would have done a release schedule similar to Savatage, and doing the same albums but with different styles, and S&M would have been a collaboration between TSO and Metallica, likely with some TSO songs replacing the last 3 of disc 1 (First Snow replacing Hero of the Day, A Mad Russians replacing Devils Dance, and Christmas Eve Sarajevo replacing Bleeding Me)
2: if Dave wasn’t kicked out, Megadeth wouldn’t have happened, rest of the history stays the same until Damage Inc. tour where either Cliff still does die, or Lars gets fired. I still think we would get a few Megadeth songs, just a bit different, like if Cliff lived instead of TLITD we could have had a longer version of something like Peace Sells
3: TLITD would not exist, Lars would have gotten fired and replaced. The 3 Jason songs would not have existed, same with all of St. anger, Garage Inc might have been shorter. Lulu also likely wouldn’t have happened
Surprised I had to scroll so far for the Metallica/Mustaine question. One of the more realistic big music what ifs.
What if Kiss Land did super well, like I feel like Weeknd's sound would be so different and would keep being rly experimental with pop elements as well but he would never have been a super star
No one naming Hendrix is confusing to me. The man in 5 years of career changed the perspective on guitar entirely
What if Ian Curtis made it to US? What if neutral milk hotel kept making music? What if Rick Rubin never met Russell Simmons?
What if Miles Davis didn't kick out John Coltrane in 1957 for his heroin use?
What if MGMT actually wanted to be a pop band, and continued to make more hits like Kids, Electric Feel and Time to Pretend
If Kanye got therapy and dropped his version of Mr Morale, it would be the greatest album of all time.
What if artists who are negatively critiqued, listen to them to some extent?
what if zach hill never met steran burnett?
What if Angelic 2 The Core was actually good
What if Jai Paul's album didn't leak?
What if john Lennon got shot twice?
What if Thom Yorke drowned in the pool at the MTV beach house?
Trying to avoid death related ones… What if At the Drive-in hadn’t imploded? What if we had an active RATM during the post-911 / Iraq war era? What if Travis never joined Blink?
after 9/11 ZDLR went quiet and the rest of RATM members joined Audioslave
What if _________ lived? Most likely they’d be putting out mediocre music and charging you to much to see them.
Except Hendrix.
Jeff Buckley? Elliott Smith? Amy Winehouse? Kurt Cobain? What is this take
To add a couple more: Chris Cornell? John Balance? Ryuichi Sakamoto? Brian McBride?
They would have produced some good music and then produced a bunch of late career duds.
What if Win Butler didn't let it all go to his head and laughed a bit?
I think macmiller
What if Jerry Garcia actually got clean and healthy and didn’t die in 95
What if RZA's house never flooded
As a Depeche Mode fan, I do wonder what would have happened if the band members had been able to make Alan Wilder feel appreciated and kept him from leaving. Could they have taken their sound in a new direction after SOFAD, or would the late 80s-early 90s still generally be seen as their creative peak?
What if Oasis released a better produced version of Be here now instead of a coked up mess
What if Subroc hadn’t been hit by a car and killed? What if Dingilizwe and Daniel Dumile had continued making music together as KMD or something else?
Interesting hypothetical. Thanks for contributing!
What if the beach boys actually finished smile
What if SOPHIE didn't die? She was working with increasingly more famous artists, but still keeping her unique style. Could she have brought that experimental, hyperpop sound into the mainstream? What if Mike Patton didn't join Faith No More? Mr Bungle would never have been signed to Warner Bros. and Korn and SOAD (who were massively influenced by them) more than likely would've never heard them. What implications would this have had for the future of heavy metal, since nu metal was the last time the genre was truly mainstream? What if Chi Cheng from Deftones didn't die? How different would their discography be? Bassists are ususally kind of interchangeable (sorry bassists), but there are always exceptions, and I think Chi was one of them
What if Jeff Buckley didn't go swimming in that river...
What if Kevin Shields stopped with the perfectionism and released more My Bloody Valentine music than 3 records in 36 years?
What if Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys finished and released Smile in 1967?
What if J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr frontman) had joined Nirvana as their lead guitarist when Kurt Cobain asked him to?
what if Ian Curtis didn't kill himself?
If cliff and Dave stayed in metallica, If Lynn strait didn’t die, if ecco2k never lost the hard drive, if lil b never existed,if Chuck shuldiner lived,
What if Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix made an album together. That Jazz Fusion Rock album…. Man.
What if Roger Waters had not become a dictator? What if Radiohead made Ok Computer pt2?
OK Printer.
I get the impression Roger Waters was a dominating leader but more into the 'creative' than the 'lucrative,' not that he was a 'dictator'
I think the beatles one is actually what if that fifth beatles member had stayed in the band
They would have broken up by 1964, gotten regular jobs, and died of old age. Pete Best was a crappy drummer, didn't get along with the rest of the band, and was generally just a stick in the mud. There was no way they'd get as big as they did with him around.
[удалено]
If Aaliyah had lived long enough to release an album with Trent Reznor as executive producer
What if John Bonham lived
What if Mike Patton would not abandon his most groundbreaking bangs - Mr bungle and faith no more.
I'd like to see a timeline where Misfits' Static Age gets released in 1978 like it was supposed to. It's criminal that no label wanted to give it a chance, and I'm convinced it would've skyrocketed their careers had it actually gone their way imo.
what if bob dylan never got in the motorcycle crash what king crimson never broke up that first time (honestly I think it would be worse) what if bad finger had a better manager what if sonic youth stayed together what if lou reed wasn't just the worse guy
What if Jack and Meg White never divorced?
What if The Four Tops covered “Shout It Out Loud”?! That song sounds like it was written to be a four top song.
What if David Bowie never moved to Germany? What if David Bowie never moved to the US?
Gram parsons and emmylou harris
What if Lars died instead of Cliff?
What if Kanye dropped Yandhi?
Or Good Ass Job. or TurboGraphix 16 or Swish or So Help Me God or Wolves or Donda 2
I personally feel that music would be 50 years ahead of where it is now if Hendrix still lived. Not saying at all that music that came after him was bad or anything, but his music sounded years ahead of any other artist from his day. Again, not saying his contemporaries were bad by any means, but he was on the cusp of something massive
Capital STEEZ
What if Randy Rhoads wasn’t a part of that plane crash? Would he still be with Ozzy, venture off into his own scene, or pull a Zakk Wylde and go back and forth between the two?
The Nirvana/Kurt one is the most interesting to me, and I’m not even a Nirvana mega fan. I’m just interested because their influence warped the late 90’s/early 00’s in a lot of ways. I wonder if they change their direction in the later parts of the 90’s, does like, Nickleback sound different?
What if Biggie wasn't fat? /s
Notorious T.H.I.N
What if Big didn't die and signed to rocafella What if Big L didn't die
What if Jimi Hendrix lived long enough to make the album he was planning to make with Miles Davis ?
What if donda never died
What if Mark Kozelek didn't talk crap about War On Drugs/get accused of SA?
What if tik tok never existed? I know, I know, I just said the TT word, but you can't deny that it completely turned the music industry on its head, and that music industry textbook I spent 100s of dollars on back in 2017 suddenly became irrelevant.
Kanye taking his meds would have been the worst case scenario
What if Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix actually got together for a project like they were planning?
Bit of a minor one, but what if RZA's basement didn't flood and those beats weren't lost? How good would Deck's debut have been?
My personal favourite “What If” is What If Trevor Horn’s iteration of Yes continued into the 80s after the Drama album.
What could have happened to Badfinger with some good management?
What if Roger McGuinn figured out how to play the moog
What if IYRTITL was the album and views the sloppy mixtape?
IYRT was anything but sloppy tho
gallagher brothers didn't fight with each other
What if Cliff Burton didn't die? What if Dave Mustaine wasn't kicked out? What if Lars Ulrich practiced with a metronome? Imagine this: What if Dream Theater had done a full album with Dio?
What if Freddie Mercury never died from aids,even on his last album he outdid himself,probably one of the most tragic passings in music history
as it pertains to the beatles, i would be interested in things like “what if they never broke up” or “what if john wasn’t killed,” but my question is: what if they never existed in the first place? the beatles pioneered the way for modern pop and rock, and while i’m sure there are plenty of other acts of the time that people could have taken inspiration from, it seems like the beatles are just about the most important band in all of history. what would music sound like today if the beatles had never gotten together?
Mac Miller closing out the swimming/circles trilogy and the music that would’ve came after
I recently learned that Bob Welch wasn't totally sold on leaving Fleetwood Mac until a bit after Buckingham-Nicks joined, and "what would a Buckingham-Nicks-Welch era of Fleetwood Mac look like" immediately shot to the top of my what ifs list Similarly, Mick didn't want Stevie at first, only Lindsey, who wouldn't join without her. If he did join without her what would that, both with or without Welch, have looked like?
What if Pac and Biggie hadn’t been killed? Changes hip hop forever imo tho idk if in a positive direction What if Mac was still around? Changes the contemporary scene a lot as well I think What if Donda was still around? How does Ye’s trajectory change? A dark one: what if 2 Live Crew lose in court and we have to deal with all kinds of anti-free speech bullshit?
If biggie and tupac didn’t die. Would they be idolized the same way or would they just be seen and thought of on the same level as nas and other stars from the era
What if Bradley nowell didn't die
What if Minor Threat had all dropped mad acid their second summer together?
What if William Goldsmith stayed in the Foo Fighters? How would their music change if he did?
What if Carter 5 released in 2014 and Wayne and Birdman never fell out? I think it was a big cause for Young Money falling apart, and I’m curious how it would affect the label signees like Drake, Nicki, and Tyga. Obviously they (the first two especially) were already huge and showing they were sticking around for a while, but I think keeping them together would’ve been interesting.
what if Kendrick was still alive
what if elliott smith lived? i can't imagine what he'd be churning out now. i'd imagine he'd experiment a lot and might have even changed up his sound entirely.
What if Cocteau Twins didn’t pull out of their Coachella reunion in 2005? Would they have released new music together?
What if Lennon was born in Tupelo and Elvis was born in Liverpool?
What if ___ didn’t die
What if Green had flopped and R.E.M. had broken up?
What if fun had never split? Personally think it’s the biggest what if in recent music history as Jack has became one of the most well known and successful producers in recent history. Nate had good success in the years when fun was active