Indie bands that unquestionably improved the quality of their music *after* moving to a major label

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Any ideas?

― Stephen Bush (Stephen B.), Friday, 13 October 2006 04:46 (twenty years ago)

blondie? (although i like their first LP.)

― a portal to squee heaven (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 13 October 2006 04:56 (twenty years ago)

Drive Like Jehu? Yank Crime is about 1000x better than the first album.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Friday, 13 October 2006 05:06 (twenty years ago)

Pulp and The Buzzcocks, if you consider them to be "indie".

― everything (everything), Friday, 13 October 2006 05:30 (twenty years ago)

Camper Van Beethoven certainly became more tight and focused.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 13 October 2006 05:31 (twenty years ago)

the major label debuts of built to spill, jawbox, and shudder to think were all their best records. but i can't think of any bands off the top of my head who released their records independently for any significant amount of time and then went on to sustain long careers of superior work on a major.

― Godfrzej Ljang (godfrzej), Friday, 13 October 2006 06:29 (twenty years ago)

Jesus & Mary Chain

― bham (bham), Friday, 13 October 2006 07:56 (twenty years ago)

scritti politti

― benrique (Enrique), Friday, 13 October 2006 08:00 (twenty years ago)

Echo and the Bunnymen

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 13 October 2006 08:00 (twenty years ago)

for me : that petrol emotion

and some may say nirvana..

― mark e (mark e), Friday, 13 October 2006 08:07 (twenty years ago)

Pulp is a good call. Also, OMD.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 13 October 2006 09:29 (twenty years ago)

what difference does it make?

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Friday, 13 October 2006 09:30 (twenty years ago)

what difference does it make?

None, other that bigger budgets, which is good for some fans, bad for others.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 13 October 2006 09:57 (twenty years ago)

bigger budgets, probably more pressure to make hit, pressure to make sound more radio-friendly... it makes a huge difference!

― benrique (Enrique), Friday, 13 October 2006 09:58 (twenty years ago)

The hit pressure doesn't neccessarily apply. The bigger budgets do though, which may be a letdown for those who love a minimalist approach to production.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 13 October 2006 09:59 (twenty years ago)

Btw. Those bigger budgets were the exact reason why OMD got better from the "Organisasion" album onwards!

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 13 October 2006 10:00 (twenty years ago)

Bigger budgets = better and longer rehearsal time, better studios, better equipment, more time to record and mix

... these are quite important, y'know

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 13 October 2006 10:05 (twenty years ago)

The Police

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Friday, 13 October 2006 11:12 (twenty years ago)

Modest Mouse seems like a no-brainer.

Spoon unquestionably improved after moving to a major and then getting dropped by that major and then moving back to an indie.

― Jacobo Rock (jacobo rock), Friday, 13 October 2006 12:08 (twenty years ago)

urge overkill
green day
soul asylum

― xhuxk (xheddy), Friday, 13 October 2006 12:14 (twenty years ago)

Sublime

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Friday, 13 October 2006 12:24 (twenty years ago)

jawbox was the one that came to mind for me instantly. when did the boredoms jump to a major? (or was that just in japan?)

― simon 803 (simon 803), Friday, 13 October 2006 13:17 (twenty years ago)

Jacobo...right on with the Spoon comment...

― Radio Free Albemuth (DocMartensBoots), Friday, 13 October 2006 17:58 (twenty years ago)

and wrong abt. the Modest Mouse comment.

― M@tt He1geson: Real Name, No Gimmicks (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 13 October 2006 18:06 (twenty years ago)

flaming lips, depending on how you look at it.

― M@tt He1geson: Real Name, No Gimmicks (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 13 October 2006 18:08 (twenty years ago)

Not unquestionable, but the case could be made for Uncle Tupelo.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Friday, 13 October 2006 18:09 (twenty years ago)

yeah I spose...the last album is their best, but I guess I felt like that was the album they were going to make even if they were on an indie still...it was the logical progression, not a big change because of the major label (or at least it never seemed so to me)...more expensive mastering job i guess, but it felt very much a part of the progression from no depression to still feel gone (march 16-20 being kinda the "wild card" album)

― M@tt He1geson: Real Name, No Gimmicks (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 13 October 2006 18:20 (twenty years ago)

You could also argue that, in at least some instances, the major-label deal arrives exactly because they're at the point in their career arc where they're right about to do their best work.

Isn't a band with the potential to make a good next record precisely what labels are supposed to be looking for?

― The Mad Puffin (The Mad Puffin), Friday, 13 October 2006 18:29 (twenty years ago)

nirvana

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 13 October 2006 21:12 (twenty years ago)

"Drive Like Jehu? Yank Crime is about 1000x better than the first album."
I wouldn't say 1000, but slightly better, yes. Even more sinister somehow, production-wise.

Not that they were proper indie, but I'd think that shudder to think's pony express record is an obvious choice. One of the best records made by people playing guitars and drums as far as I can tell. 'Course 50,000 BC is another story, though I can still brook a few on it.

― et8t (Tate), Friday, 13 October 2006 22:40 (twenty years ago)

Teenage Fanclub owns this thread.

― Viz (Viz), Friday, 13 October 2006 23:00 (twenty years ago)

everclear

― xhuxk (xheddy), Saturday, 14 October 2006 01:07 (twenty years ago)

Of course, let's ignore the fact that OMD released just one single for Factory before moving onto the Virgin subsidary...

In other words, "wtf".

― The Real Esteban Buttez (EstieButtez1), Saturday, 14 October 2006 06:17 (twenty years ago)

I hope it doesn't make me gay for saying this new The Decemberists album is maybe the best thing they've done

― like murderinging (modestmickey), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 02:38 (twenty years ago)

you zinged yourself

― a name means a lot just by itself (lfam), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 02:45 (twenty years ago)

the first OMD single for virgin *was* their factory single. hard to call that an "unquestionable improvement"

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 02:49 (twenty years ago)

sleater-kinney?

is subpop a major label?

― Christopher Costello (CGC), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 03:05 (twenty years ago)

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 03:05 (twenty years ago)

yes it is, but the woods was an improvement over their earlier work?

― Godfrzej Ljang (godfrzej), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 03:12 (twenty years ago)

Oh so many examples.

Re: the aforementioned ones...

Camper Van Beethoven all the way. Key Lime Pie is a masterpiece.
My fave Jawbox disc is the Savory EP on Atlantic.

when did the boredoms jump to a major? (or was that just in japan?)

The Boredoms were on WEA/Reprise in the USA for quite some time, starting with Pop Tatari and continuing through part of the Super Roots series - even their earlier discs (Onanie Bomb, Soul Discharge) were reissued by the American arm of WEA for a time.

My own additions:

American Music Club. (Yes, I prefer Mercury to Everclear, heresy)
Big Dipper.
Laura Veirs. Year of Meteors is spectacular.
Trip Shakespeare.

I am so tempted to call Matador a major label at this point, considering their paymasters, but given the chance, I'd add Yo La Tengo to this list 100 times over. I didn't care for much of their work prior to Painful, but I've loved a lot of it since.

― Myke. (Myke Weiskopf), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 03:31 (twenty years ago)

― Grimmick (Proselytitties), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 04:58 (twenty years ago)

Big Dipper

you are without a doubt the only living human who liked their epic (it was epic, right?) album. i don't even think the band liked it.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 06:10 (twenty years ago)

I am so tempted to call Matador a major label at this point, considering their paymasters

what paymasters?

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 06:11 (twenty years ago)

if you accept that guns n roses' first record was in fact an indie release, then they are to this thread what george steinbrenner is to the yankees.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 06:23 (twenty years ago)

you are without a doubt the only living human who liked their epic (it was epic, right?) album. i don't even think the band liked it.

Hmm. Based on the strength of your reaction, I pulled out my copy of Slam (yes, on Epic). I'm not sure what historical/nostalgic cognitive disconnect I was operating on when I gave that answer, but perhaps I was thinking of someone else...

Anyway, I withdraw Big Dipper and substitute The Chills. Submarine Bells! (But then... Soft Bomb. This isn't getting any easier...)

― Myke. (Myke Weiskopf), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 10:49 (twenty years ago)

California?! Oh dear.

You've got it all wrong. San Francisco is their sadcore-by-numbers. Or, worse, their early-'90s-alt.rock-by-numbers.

― Myke. (Myke Weiskopf), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 10:53 (twenty years ago)

I agree about the Decemberists . . . and Nirvana.
How about Snow Patrol?

― rg (SnobRay), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 17:05 (twenty years ago)

"Drive Like Jehu? Yank Crime is about 1000x better than the first album.
-- Johnny Fever (sidewaysou...), October 13th, 2006."

1000x? They don't sound that remarkably different to me. I actually think I prefer the s/t.

― paid in cigarettes (paid in cigarettes), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 23:30 (twenty years ago)

Prefab Sprout although it didn't neccessarily happen at once ("Lions In My Own Garden" being better than anything on "Swoon")

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 17 October 2006 23:43 (twenty years ago)

Ween (though their early stuff is undoubtedly excellent, I prefer the more mature style)

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 01:52 (twenty years ago)

tv on the radio

― emekars (emekars), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 03:21 (twenty years ago)

OTM about ween. though i love "god ween satan" and "the pod", "pure guava" was definitely a huge step up, especially when followed by "chocolate and cheese".

― Emily B (Emily B), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 04:24 (twenty years ago)

I am surprise that nobody mentioned Soundgarden in this thread.

I will also say Jane's Addiction because their live indie release pales in comparison to the debut studio recording on Warners.

Oh, and Slayer would own the metal version of this thread.

― Brian O'Neill (NYCNative), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 05:48 (twenty years ago)

if you accept that guns n roses' first record was in fact an indie release, then they are to this thread what george steinbrenner is to the yankees.

you had a brain or two before you said that

― corey c (shock of daylight), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 06:18 (twenty years ago)

Prefab Sprout although it didn't neccessarily happen at once ("Lions In My Own Garden" being better than anything on "Swoon")

perhaps only the decent answer i saw yet

― corey c (shock of daylight), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 06:18 (twenty years ago)

another one : pop will eat itself

go box frenzy vs this is the hour ..

― mark e (mark e), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 06:22 (twenty years ago)

neither sub pop nor matador are major labels.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 07:22 (twenty years ago)

The Chills. Submarine Bells!

Absolutely not!!!!!!!

― Diddumsismus (Dada), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 08:13 (twenty years ago)

A couple of alt-countries:

Whiskeytown: Stranger's Almanac and Pneumonia are light years beyond Faithless Street. It was probably going to happen anyway, but still . . .

Old 97s: The three Elektra albums are much better than pre- and post-.

Also, strange that no one has mentioned REM. It's impossible to say that they "unquestionably improved the quality of their music", because they were great in somewhat different ways on both indie and major labels, but their major-label great period was certainly great and great in a mainstream, populist way. They got what they paid for in the Faustian bargain, at least.

― Vornado (Vornado), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 13:47 (twenty years ago)

you are without a doubt the only living human who liked their epic (it was epic, right?) album. i don't even think the band liked it.

True story:

Here's my AMG review of Slam, which as you can see tries to give the band and album some credit while acknowledging it's not as good as earlier work.

A couple of years after that ran, one of the former members dropped me a line to say, essentially, "You were absolutely right."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 13:50 (twenty years ago)

Also, Death Cab.

― Vornado (Vornado), Wednesday, 18 October 2006 14:20 (twenty years ago)

you are without a doubt the only living human who liked their epic (it was epic, right?) album. i don't even think the band liked it.

Sounds a lot like my relationship with "The Elder", which is easily my favourite Kiss album.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 19 October 2006 10:44 (twenty years ago)

I hope it doesn't make me gay for saying this new The Decemberists album is maybe the best thing they've done

no, it just makes you a cunt for saying "I hope it doesn't make me gay ".

― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 19 October 2006 10:52 (twenty years ago)

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