Imperial phase
Time period of musician at their peak
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The imperial phase is the period in which a musical artist is regarded to be at their commercial and creative peak simultaneously.[1][2] The phrase was coined by Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys to describe the group's feelings on their career circa "Domino Dancing" (1988).[3]
"Imperial phase" has since been applied by pop music critics and fans to the creative output of artists.[4] For example, Uncut journalist Michael Bonner identified 1973–1979 as Pink Floyd's imperial phase.[5] While its original usage implied that an imperial phase was a one-time occurrence for a single artist, artists have been referred to as having multiple imperial phases.[1][6] The term may also be applied to non-musical entities, such as film studios.[7]
Pitchfork critic Tom Ewing described three criteria for defining an artist's imperial phase: "command, permission, and self-definition". He defined "command" as an artist's ability to push the boundaries of their medium in a way that produces lasting change. "Permission" is the public's goodwill toward and interest in the artist's work. Finally, "self-definition" is the concept that the imperial phase defines the rest of the artist's career; future works will be compared to those from the imperial phase.[1]
