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Thread started 01/22/08 10:33am

jazzcherrymoon

BOYZ II MEN: WHAT WENT WRONG?

I was over at okayplayer.com and they have an interesting thread on BoyzIIMen and trying to figure out what happened with them. I was such a huge fan of this group. Yes their music was quite sacchrin and too sweet. They were overloaded with cheesy albeit well written ballads that were just not realistic at all.

Yet and still they were excellent vocalists with real fine tuned harmonies. I just never liked their subject matter. It was too tame and too sugary with no soul. After 1995 with the likes of D'angelo, Maxwell, Erykah singing about real issues regarding love & sex, their fairytale shit just got too stale for the consumers taste.

They couldn't adjust their sound to be more adult and off the cuff. They became cookie-cutter and predictable.

I know they have a motown covers album and they have an international release called the rememdy. Has anyone heard of these.

Let's talk about thier previous work.....
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Reply #1 posted 01/22/08 10:39am

optimus

jazzcherrymoon said:

I was over at okayplayer.com and they have an interesting thread on BoyzIIMen and trying to figure out what happened with them. I was such a huge fan of this group. Yes their music was quite sacchrin and too sweet. They were overloaded with cheesy albeit well written ballads that were just not realistic at all.

Yet and still they were excellent vocalists with real fine tuned harmonies. I just never liked their subject matter. It was too tame and too sugary with no soul. After 1995 with the likes of D'angelo, Maxwell, Erykah singing about real issues regarding love & sex, their fairytale shit just got too stale for the consumers taste.

They couldn't adjust their sound to be more adult and off the cuff. They became cookie-cutter and predictable.

I know they have a motown covers album and they have an international release called the rememdy. Has anyone heard of these.

Let's talk about thier previous work.....


i love these guys great harmonies my fav song by them is - Its So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday - simply because i think this song best demontsrates what good vocals chords these guys hav wink
Everybody's looking 4 the ladder
Everybody wants salvation of the soul
The steps U take are no easy road
But the reward is great
4 those who want 2 go
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Reply #2 posted 01/22/08 11:52am

Rinluv

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I seen them recently on some show and they're missing a member. I think it was the bass singer.
Some people think I'm kinda cute
But that don't compute when it comes 2 Y-O-U.
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Reply #3 posted 01/22/08 11:55am

Graycap23

They just seem 2 over saturate themselves. They were any and EVERY where. People burned out on seeing them, plus I think the baritone of the group either lost his voice or died.
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Reply #4 posted 01/22/08 11:58am

jazzcherrymoon

Graycap23 said:

They just seem 2 over saturate themselves. They were any and EVERY where. People burned out on seeing them, plus I think the baritone of the group either lost his voice or died.



He didn't lose his voice or die. He left because he had scoliosis really bad and could barely perform. He had to sit down during the entire evolution tour and he's quoted as saying he didn't get alot of support from the other 3 members for his conditions.

I just wish there was a scandal that came out about them or something or some famous woman come foward and talk about them and how they were in bed.

I mean the only celebrity woman who's associated with dating them is Brandy and how bland is that.
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Reply #5 posted 01/22/08 12:07pm

banks

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jazzcherrymoon said:

Graycap23 said:

They just seem 2 over saturate themselves. They were any and EVERY where. People burned out on seeing them, plus I think the baritone of the group either lost his voice or died.



He didn't lose his voice or die. He left because he had scoliosis really bad and could barely perform. He had to sit down during the entire evolution tour and he's quoted as saying he didn't get alot of support from the other 3 members for his conditions.

I just wish there was a scandal that came out about them or something or some famous woman come foward and talk about them and how they were in bed.

I mean the only celebrity woman who's associated with dating them is Brandy and how bland is that.


Exactly... that's why you always saw him with the cane... It wasn't about fashion... dude really needed that cane
[Edited 1/22/08 12:07pm]
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Reply #6 posted 01/22/08 12:15pm

Graycap23

jazzcherrymoon said:

Graycap23 said:

They just seem 2 over saturate themselves. They were any and EVERY where. People burned out on seeing them, plus I think the baritone of the group either lost his voice or died.



He didn't lose his voice or die. He left because he had scoliosis really bad and could barely perform. He had to sit down during the entire evolution tour and he's quoted as saying he didn't get alot of support from the other 3 members for his conditions.

I just wish there was a scandal that came out about them or something or some famous woman come foward and talk about them and how they were in bed.

I mean the only celebrity woman who's associated with dating them is Brandy and how bland is that.

Oh.....Kool. Thanks.
I never did get the straight skinny on what happened 2 this cat.
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Reply #7 posted 01/22/08 12:26pm

dirtyman2005

boyz 2 men are finished

nobody cares anymore

even though the lead singer with glasses is actually Penfold from Danger Mouse, its still not enough.

penfold, where is danger mouse when you need him?
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Reply #8 posted 01/22/08 12:48pm

jazzcherrymoon

dirtyman2005 said:

boyz 2 men are finished

nobody cares anymore

even though the lead singer with glasses is actually Penfold from Danger Mouse, its still not enough.

penfold, where is danger mouse when you need him?


Oh my God! That's mean. I don't think they are finished. They just need to spruce up their writing and stop talking about mundane simple shit.
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Reply #9 posted 01/22/08 1:13pm

Rhondab

I saw them with En Vogue in 2006. I was still impressed with them vocally.


Talented dudes.


Talent isn't wanted nowadays.
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Reply #10 posted 01/22/08 1:19pm

Cinnamon234

avatar

jazzcherrymoon said:

I was over at okayplayer.com and they have an interesting thread on BoyzIIMen and trying to figure out what happened with them. I was such a huge fan of this group. Yes their music was quite sacchrin and too sweet. They were overloaded with cheesy albeit well written ballads that were just not realistic at all.

Yet and still they were excellent vocalists with real fine tuned harmonies. I just never liked their subject matter. It was too tame and too sugary with no soul. After 1995 with the likes of D'angelo, Maxwell, Erykah singing about real issues regarding love & sex, their fairytale shit just got too stale for the consumers taste.

They couldn't adjust their sound to be more adult and off the cuff. They became cookie-cutter and predictable.
I know they have a motown covers album and they have an international release called the rememdy. Has anyone heard of these.

Let's talk about thier previous work.....



Exactly. I love their first three albums and I think they're one of the best r&b vocal groups ever but they just weren't growing or maturing as artists and all those cover songs they started doing certainly didn't help matters.
"And When The Groove Is Dead And Gone, You Know That Love Survives, So We Can Rock Forever" RIP MJ heart

"Baby, that was much too fast"...Goodnight dear sweet Prince. I'll love you always heart
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Reply #11 posted 01/22/08 2:13pm

jazzcherrymoon

Cinnamon234 said:

jazzcherrymoon said:

I was over at okayplayer.com and they have an interesting thread on BoyzIIMen and trying to figure out what happened with them. I was such a huge fan of this group. Yes their music was quite sacchrin and too sweet. They were overloaded with cheesy albeit well written ballads that were just not realistic at all.

Yet and still they were excellent vocalists with real fine tuned harmonies. I just never liked their subject matter. It was too tame and too sugary with no soul. After 1995 with the likes of D'angelo, Maxwell, Erykah singing about real issues regarding love & sex, their fairytale shit just got too stale for the consumers taste.

They couldn't adjust their sound to be more adult and off the cuff. They became cookie-cutter and predictable.
I know they have a motown covers album and they have an international release called the rememdy. Has anyone heard of these.

Let's talk about thier previous work.....



Exactly. I love their first three albums and I think they're one of the best r&b vocal groups ever but they just weren't growing or maturing as artists and all those cover songs they started doing certainly didn't help matters.



I agree whole heartedly. What's up with all the covers? They need a new sound. they need some funk, some danger. Songs about the dark side of love, real shit that probes the brain. They either sing that syrup shit or they try to be hip and it sound atrocious!

They really are an amazing group of vocalists but they are like Brian Mcknight. Just bland and boring with no real grit or meat.

One of them should fuck a real temptress sultry woman for inspiration.

I'm a firm believer that musicians should purposely get into torrid love affairs just for the material that can come out of it alone.
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Reply #12 posted 01/22/08 2:50pm

Dance

They're a pack of good little boys from performing arts school.

Yes, they can sing and write wonderful cheesy ballads/prom wedding songs, but they were lucky to come out then and have the run they did.

They don't have an identity(like most artists that are the product of a music school)or sound. When they were hot they were doing what everyone else was even though they did it better.

And now pop dictates that they need to look like thugged roided up male strippers while whining and squealing over a shit hop track and pop locking.

Really it would be in their best interest to be writing songs for a bunch of people, films, tv shows, plays, and organizing a small time packaged tour featuring them and any other washed up new jack dudes that aren't strung out or doing time.
[Edited 1/22/08 14:54pm]
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Reply #13 posted 01/22/08 4:02pm

Fury

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i saw them last year (even made a thread about it)...they're nice guys, but like 95% of musical acts from the 80's and 90's, they just aren't relevant anymore. i bought both the remedy and their recent motown covers cd, and they're both average, at best. the remedy contains some lyrics that i was kinda shocked from bIIm (especially n****a), and the covers cd, well they just picked songs that you really can't improve on. as far as mike the bass singer, yeah he has scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and couldn't tour anymore. asfar as i can ell, the other members still have families to feed, so they decided to go on without him. the same thing happened to russell thompkins of the stylistics--he lost his voice for awhile, and the others went without him and replaced him (steve perry too, i think). their stage show was okay, but they sang to recorded tracks, nathan had a bad cold and could hardly sing, and they cut out all parts of the songs that had mike in it (strange because the most memorable parts of their hits are ususally mike talking).

me and shawn, wanya and nathan


[Edited 1/22/08 16:04pm]
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Reply #14 posted 01/23/08 2:12am

PDogz

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Fury said:

as far as mike the bass singer, yeah he has scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and couldn't tour anymore.

Dayum, I always wondered about him. Like why he always seemed to be in the background. He was actually my favorite of the four, the other 3 were such hotdogs, but he was always so cool and quiet. He was the one that held my interest in that group.

Life is such a trip. I suppose anything could happen to any one of us. God bless him, I wish him well.
"There's Nothing That The Proper Attitude Won't Render Funkable!"

star
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Reply #15 posted 01/23/08 5:37am

SoulAlive

Mostly all of the 90s R&B boy bands played themselves out.Everybody was doing the same thing.There was no variety.Most of the groups even dressed alike.I think the public just got bored with them...

Shai
Riff
Boys II Men
Silk
Soul For Real
H-Town
Jodeci


etc...
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Reply #16 posted 01/23/08 6:21am

jazzcherrymoon

Fury said:

i saw them last year (even made a thread about it)...they're nice guys, but like 95% of musical acts from the 80's and 90's, they just aren't relevant anymore. i bought both the remedy and their recent motown covers cd, and they're both average, at best. the remedy contains some lyrics that i was kinda shocked from bIIm (especially n****a), and the covers cd, well they just picked songs that you really can't improve on. as far as mike the bass singer, yeah he has scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and couldn't tour anymore. asfar as i can ell, the other members still have families to feed, so they decided to go on without him. the same thing happened to russell thompkins of the stylistics--he lost his voice for awhile, and the others went without him and replaced him (steve perry too, i think). their stage show was okay, but they sang to recorded tracks, nathan had a bad cold and could hardly sing, and they cut out all parts of the songs that had mike in it (strange because the most memorable parts of their hits are ususally mike talking).

me and shawn, wanya and nathan

Your absolutley right. I was reading some of the lyrics to "The Rmemdy" and I was shocked myself. I was titalated because I thought there would be some danger or seduction, but when I listened to it, it sounded like corny men trying to be hard and sexy and it just wasn't delivered properly.

Not to get on a tangent but I was listening to "The Screams of Passion" for the 800th time and I thought Shawn would sound so good singing that. They should of dod songs like that with that kind of drama and sexuality.

But they needed a strange virtuosio like our beloved "Kid" to get that kind of magic.

Babyface could never right shit so potent like that.

Just listening to that song gets me so excited and so aroused and intrigued by the lyrisim. That's the kind of songwriting and music they should have turned too after everybody wanted to be thugs.

Go to the left BOYZ.....always go left of center.


[Edited 1/22/08 16:04pm]
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Reply #17 posted 01/23/08 6:39am

nd33

I saw them and K-ci and jojo on the same bill last year.

Wanye was ripping and was far superior to K-ci, Jojo and the other Boyz.
Was very impressed!

Yeah I agree they could use a new direction and producer. They've done the sugary love ballads with the smooth Babyface type production to death. Some great songs came out of it, but it's time to move on!

They need Raphael Saadiq or Prince to write them some songs.

_
Music, sweet music, I wish I could caress and...kiss, kiss...
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Reply #18 posted 01/23/08 6:50am

dseann

Rhondab said:

I saw them with En Vogue in 2006. I was still impressed with them vocally.


Talented dudes.


Talent isn't wanted nowadays.


Speaking of which.....What The Fuck Ever Happened To EnVogue?????
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Reply #19 posted 01/23/08 6:55am

jazzcherrymoon

nd33 said:

I saw them and K-ci and jojo on the same bill last year.

Wanye was ripping and was far superior to K-ci, Jojo and the other Boyz.
Was very impressed!

Yeah I agree they could use a new direction and producer. They've done the sugary love ballads with the smooth Babyface type production to death. Some great songs came out of it, but it's time to move on!

They need [b]Raphael Saadiq or Prince [/b]to write them some songs.

_


That's exactly right. Raphael or Van Hunt would be that fire! Shit even Raahaan Patterson.
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Reply #20 posted 01/23/08 10:09am

MuthaFunka

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They were too cookie, and then the entrance of "Bad Boy Image Groups" like Jagged Edge, H-Town, Jodeci and the like brought a new vibe and made it more "sexual" than "love". The fans got tired of the nice guy shit and wanted the thug/bad boy shit.
nWo: bboy87 - Timmy84 - LittleBlueCorvette - MuthaFunka - phunkdaddy - Christopher

MuthaFunka - Black...by popular demand
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Reply #21 posted 01/23/08 10:34am

Adisa

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MuthaFunka said:

They were too cookie, and then the entrance of "Bad Boy Image Groups" like Jagged Edge, H-Town, Jodeci and the like brought a new vibe and made it more "sexual" than "love". The fans got tired of the nice guy shit and wanted the thug/bad boy shit.

Agreed...also with SoulAlive and Rhondab.

BIIM came out at the end of the Milli Vanilli fiasco, so there was a push in the industry to get real singers back in the spotlight. Mariah fall into this group. But BIIM did the opposite of Mariah--they were good boys with a street/youthful sound that the grown and sexy could relate to, but then went middle of the road all the way. So it was the end of the road, lol.

Didn't have their own sound? Neh, BIIM set the standard for all the boy bands and a lot of other male vocalists that followed--melismatic annoyance. lol
I'm sick and tired of the Prince fans being sick and tired of the Prince fans that are sick and tired!
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Reply #22 posted 01/23/08 10:47am

funksterr

Being capable of singing well is a long way from singing songs that touch people. Somebody should tell them that. They are the Kings Of Oversinging. They restrained themselves somewhat on their Motown covers album, but not nearly enough.

They make totally irrelevant and pointless music. They are like New Edition in the sense that they are always out-smarting themselves. They choose producers and writers that they don't have to pay much, and since they are terrible producers and writers themselves you get bad album after bad album.

Babyface and Dallas were able to get just enough out of those guys, but not too much. But fame went to their heads and now they think they can do it all. Play Babyface's new cover song album then any of BoysIIMen's 2 weak cover albums afterward and you will hear a dramatic quality difference in the music.
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Reply #23 posted 01/23/08 11:02am

Adisa

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funksterr said:

Being capable of singing well is a long way from singing songs that touch people. Somebody should tell them that. They are the Kings Of Oversinging. They restrained themselves somewhat on their Motown covers album, but not nearly enough.

They make totally irrelevant and pointless music. They are like New Edition in the sense that they are always out-smarting themselves. They choose producers and writers that they don't have to pay much, and since they are terrible producers and writers themselves you get bad album after bad album.

Babyface and Dallas were able to get just enough out of those guys, but not too much. But fame went to their heads and now they think they can do it all. Play Babyface's new cover song album then any of BoysIIMen's 2 weak cover albums afterward and you will hear a dramatic quality difference in the music.

Pretty much, except for the part in bold. Their debut album was mostly written and arranged by them, which is another reason I think their careers went up in smoke. After the first album and then the strotaspheric success of "End Of The Road" they went crossover. I think their career would have fared better if they'd stuck to developing the sound they created.
But I wholeheartedly agree they should've kept working with Dallas, but he was money hungry. lol
I'm sick and tired of the Prince fans being sick and tired of the Prince fans that are sick and tired!
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Reply #24 posted 01/23/08 11:15am

lastdecember

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Plain and simple RB SOLD ITS SOUL to the BOTTOM LINE of every label. For the same reason BET dumped people like Tavis Smiley in place of 106th and park. Their style of singing old school, about the vocals, died, mainly because every label hired their own clones, groups like NEXT or 112 etc were coming out like quicker than Prince bootlegs in the 90's. But the problem was the clones didnt have it, clones never do, they all had the same gimmick, lead singer, open shirt, girls in a hot tub etc...and than Boyz II Men were forced to try that route and it wasnt them, its nothing different than what happend to Rock Bands in the 80's "Hair Metal" you had Motley and Jovi, and than you had everyone and their mother, Trixter, Winger, Warrant etc...and everyone had their POWER BALLAD. No different, RB sold its SOUL. ROCK sold its HEART.

"We went where our music was appreciated, and that was everywhere but the USA, we knew we had fans, but there is only so much of the world you can play at once" Magne F
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Reply #25 posted 01/23/08 11:27am

Dance

dseann said:

Rhondab said:

I saw them with En Vogue in 2006. I was still impressed with them vocally.


Talented dudes.


Talent isn't wanted nowadays.


Speaking of which.....What The Fuck Ever Happened To EnVogue?????


Shit hop happened to EnVogue

They weren't about to go that route, and they weren't real artists, even though they can sing

or maybe they stopped fucking for tracks, who knows...Dawn got a second chance but maybe she didn't want to bang Raphael anymore...

Destiny's Child put the final nail in their coffin
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Reply #26 posted 01/23/08 11:29am

MuthaFunka

avatar

dseann said:

Rhondab said:

I saw them with En Vogue in 2006. I was still impressed with them vocally.


Talented dudes.


Talent isn't wanted nowadays.


Speaking of which.....What The Fuck Ever Happened To EnVogue?????


Dawn bailed and we ALL failed to realize her importance to that quad, even the other 3 didn't realize it til they tried to go on without her.
nWo: bboy87 - Timmy84 - LittleBlueCorvette - MuthaFunka - phunkdaddy - Christopher

MuthaFunka - Black...by popular demand
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Reply #27 posted 01/23/08 12:47pm

paisleypark4

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chile they names their album EVOLUTION...

is done after that
Straight Jacket Funk Affair
Album plays and love for vinyl records.
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Reply #28 posted 01/23/08 1:57pm

jazzcherrymoon

paisleypark4 said:

chile they names their album EVOLUTION...

is done after that


Yeah that was corny wasn't it? The funny thing is that there was nothing "evolved" about that album at all. It was formulaic garbage. I went to that tour too, they had Next and Destiny Child open up for them.

The show wasn't all that great at all.
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Reply #29 posted 01/23/08 2:13pm

paisleypark4

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jazzcherrymoon said:

paisleypark4 said:

chile they names their album EVOLUTION...

is done after that


Yeah that was corny wasn't it? The funny thing is that there was nothing "evolved" about that album at all. It was formulaic garbage. I went to that tour too, they had Next and Destiny Child open up for them.

The show wasn't all that great at all.



yeah u cant do that and get away with it. Ciara is on that list too...she may be excused though
Straight Jacket Funk Affair
Album plays and love for vinyl records.
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