GREAT BEFORE THEY MADE IT 'BIG' BIG

[lebowskibukowski]

Any artists/bands that you used to love who you then went off of due to the fact that superstardom/greater exposure etc smoothed all the raw edges off them? I absolutely love the first Kings Of Leon album, and am quite fond of the second, but as soon as the stadium gigs started the later albums seemed to have the spark that I enjoyed removed.

The same goes for Aswad. Live And Direct is one of my favourite albums of all time, but then (I presume) the record company got hold of them and the likes of "Don't Turn Around" were released.

It's not a slight on their artistic integrity, good fucking luck on making as much money as you can, while you can, but it's just disappointing to know that i could have heard some more music in the earlier vein.

I've never listened to them, but i'm told by a huge hip-hop fan friend of mine that the Black Eyed Peas were amazing before they got Fergie on board.

Any other examples of musicians who you thought would end up being your new favourite but were nobbled by bright lights and T-shirt sales?

[Jerzy Bondov]

That first Kings of Leon album was an absolute banger from start to finish. Weird hairy homeschooled bumpkins making a big racket. The moment they started having sex they went to shit.

[studpuppet]

Ride. Released this in early 1990; amazing:



Then they did a Peel session in February with a cover of the Pale Saints' 'Sight Of You', plus three new songs, Like A Daydream, Perfect Time, and Dreams Burn Down which sounded gorgeous on the radio.

Then released this in April; possibly even better than the first with bigger-sounding versions of Like A Daydream and Perfect Time:




And after that they played a rousing homecoming gig at the Oxford Town Hall in May.




Consequently everyone was waiting for the next release which finally arrived in September:



And hey - it had Dreams Burn Down on it! But, oh, actually it didn't sound as good as the scratchy taped version I had off the radio, and the other tracks weren't really as good as the previous EPs. Maybe they'd kept their powder dry for the album that was coming out in a month.

No, they hadn't as far as I was concerned. I tried hard to like Nowhere but it just wasn't as good as the first two EPs and the Peel Session - over-produced and lacking substance. It got to no. 11 in the album charts and went Silver. The next album I didn't buy (and have subsequently never heard) went to no. 5 and went Gold. the album after that got to no. 5 as well.

[DrGreggles]

Oh yeah, Ride definitely peaked early.
Those first 3 EPs are great.

[drummersaredeaf]

Tempted to say it's a universal truth that once a band is routinely playing outside at night time then they're done.

Muse: three great albums then a dog egg and fuck knows what since because I can't be arsed listening to it

Foo Fighters: When did they go to tits? Think nothing left to lose is alright and is quite understated so not stadium size. The one after is bad, and the double one after that is doubly bad.

Metallica: a career in three bassists. Three genre defining albums, and though I like the Newsted period, it represents a serious shift. Much less intense, though they've been much worse since the crab bassist.

Long story short, I don't like stadium rock.

[gmoney]

Tempted to say it's a universal truth that once a band is routinely playing outside at night time then they're done.

Muse: three great albums then a dog egg and fuck knows what since because I can't be arsed listening to it

They had three albums before Showbiz?

[SteveDave]

Someone on Facebook described Muse as "Space Nickelback" and I won't stop calling them that now.

[Neville Chamberlain]

They're always playing Muse (and Nickelback, for that matter!) in my gym, and I can't help thinking that Muse's music is all just a lot of silly bluster, a lot of histrionics to no real end.

[Brundle-Fly]

An old chestnut but UB40 for me. They crossed the proverbial Rubicon in 1982 with Red Red Wine and the covers album, Labour Of Love. The thing is, I liked that album at first but it became so ubiquitous and associated with nob head casuals it was the kiss of death for most old fans. Geffrey Morgan Likes White Girsl (1984) wasn't too bad though but the production is more dated than an Al Jolson '78

[chveik]

Arcade Fire

[drummersaredeaf]

Think Arcade Fire match my criteria quite nicely too, yeah. Up to The Suburbs: good, after: Glastonbury and dog egg.

I do kind of feel embarrassed to say that I liked Muse now, but symmetry and absolution were dead good.

[manticore]

The same goes for Aswad. Live And Direct is one of my favourite albums of all time, but then (I presume) the record company got hold of them and the likes of "Don't Turn Around" were released.

It's not a slight on their artistic integrity, good fucking luck on making as much money as you can, while you can, but it's just disappointing to know that i could have heard some more music in the earlier vein.

I heard Brinsley Forde in an interview saying that they just got fed up of banging their head against a brick wall and wanted to make a decent living, so as you say, good luck to them for that.

[Absorb the anus burn]

James. The early eps, Stutter, Strip Mine & One Man Clapping are all really special to me....... I stayed with them for Gold Mother / Seven / Laid, but something was missing from all those albums, that seemed to correspond with their stadium success.

[Sebastian Cobb]

The Verve

[RenegadeScrew]

The Verve

Yes.  Fleetwood Mac, The Pixies, Sigur Ros, Wu Tang, Dizzee Rascal, all the rappers really.

Although it is really almost everyone isn't it?  The vast majority of bands/artists only have a short creative boom period so it is really just a question of when they made it big.  Most are on a downward trajectory from a peak (usually in the first few albums) and very few ever really hit the peak again.  The exceptions are usually lauded for it (Miles Davis) and even they had peaks they never hit again.

The only people/bands I can think got big then better are The Stones, Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye.  Maybe I'm not thinking hard enough.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Yeah pretty much. Incidentally I always had a bit of a disagreement with a mate about the usefulness of best ofs, as he always said they were great as an entry point to a new band whereas I maintain that their debut is usually a good place to start, when they're all still full of ambition and that.

The Beastie Boys were odd in that they just seemed to keep getting better and peaked later on.

[buzby]

Yes.  Fleetwood Mac, The Pixies, Sigur Ros, Wu Tang, Dizzee Rascal, all the rappers really.

Although it is really almost everyone isn't it?  The vast majority of bands/artists only have a short creative boom period so it is really just a question of when they made it big.  Most are on a downward trajectory from a peak (usually in the first few albums) and very few ever really hit the peak again.  The exceptions are usually lauded for it (Miles Davis) and even they had peaks they never hit again.

The only people/bands I can think got big then better are The Stones, Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye.  Maybe I'm not thinking hard enough.

New Order? Early peak with their second album then peaked again 5 years later with Technique. I would say Music Complete was another peak too - it's certainly their best album since Technique.

[mrfridge]

The Beastie Boys were odd in that they just seemed to keep getting better and peaked later on.

What? EXPLAIN YOURSELF! Nah, that last album was decent but the trio of Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head and Ill Communication are vastly superior to everything that came before and after. If you disagree you're wrong and I'll fight you.

[Sebastian Cobb]

What? EXPLAIN YOURSELF! Nah, that last album was decent but the trio of Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head and Ill Communication are vastly superior to everything that came before and after. If you disagree you're wrong and I'll fight you.

I'd probably put Hello Nasty above 2 of them. Not sure which though.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

They weren't great exactly, but when Snow Patrol started out they were a fairly charming, fuzzy lo-fi band in the Sebadoh vein. At one point, after checking his bank balance, Gary Lightbody clearly thought, "Fuck this, I'll knock out some arena anthems."

[Dr Rock]

REM. They made some very good albums after they became really big, but everything up to Green is probably my favorite stuff.

Maybe Nick Cave too.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Never liked Snow Patrol but always liked Cut La Roc's Fallen which Lightbody did the vocals on.

[Better Midlands]

What? EXPLAIN YOURSELF! Nah, that last album was decent but the trio of Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head and Ill Communication are vastly superior to everything that came before and after. If you disagree you're wrong and I'll fight (for) you(r right to party)

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Never liked Snow Patrol but always liked Cut La Roc's Fallen which Lightbody did the vocals on.

Best thing Lightbody ever did was fronting the short-lived Glasgow indie super-group, Reindeer Section. Cartwheels is such a lovely song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igu_j_Nj-Zw

[non capisco]

I like INXS' awkward early 80s new wave stuff, especially 'Just Keep Walking'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtQLq-wInsA

I have a colossal soft spot for pre-fame Green Day, when they were like The Monkees of the underground East Bay punk scene. Their first two albums and surrounding EPs are rich with belting pop songs the likes of which they could only dream of writing when they were actually stadium famous and sharting out Wonderwall rip-offs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1hYN5P_HP4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DxqneM3U2M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIL3Rcafs9w&frags=pl%2Cwn

I also love how Mike Dirnt from Green Day, whose surname I took at face value when I was a young man but now realise is meant to vaguely replicate the sound a bass guitar might make, looks exactly like a young hirsute Vladimir Putin.

[Technique]

Level 42 spring to mind. Pretty great for a while but then that running in the family shit; they starting selling out enormodomes here, there and everywhere, but fuck me that song was atrocious and so was everything they did that followed.

[Nowhere Man]

Yes.  Fleetwood Mac, The Pixies, Sigur Ros, Wu Tang, Dizzee Rascal, all the rappers really.

They might get overshadowed by the Buckingham/Nicks/McVie Fleetwood Mac, but the original blues based incarnation with Peter Green was pretty huge when they started. Albatross got to No. 1 on the singles charts, Man Of The World and Oh Well were also No. 2 hits. Even had a few million selling LP's in the late 60s.

Although if your point is just that the later Mac was just more popular than you're right, but interestingly those three singles I mentioned charted better than any of the 70s/80s material on the UK charts.

[RenegadeScrew]

They might get overshadowed by the Buckingham/Nicks/McVie Fleetwood Mac, but the original blues based incarnation with Peter Green was pretty huge when they started. Albatross got to No. 1 on the singles charts, Man Of The World and Oh Well were also No. 2 hits. Even had a few million selling LP's in the late 60s.

Although if your point is just that the later Mac was just more popular than you're right, but interestingly those three singles I mentioned charted better than any of the 70s/80s material on the UK charts.

Interesting, I didn't know that.  The green version was a lot more popular than I'd realised.  I suppose it wasn't the best example anyway as they were in many ways two different bands using the same name.

It is difficult to know exactly what 'big' is I suppose, and I'm relying largely on assumptions when going back before my time.  Singles are also strange -
Radiohead's highest charting single in the UK is Paranoid Android at no 3, but Creep that peaked at no 7 has sold more and is the more likely song you'd hear on the radio, etc.  http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/radioheads-official-top-10-biggest-selling-singles__15023/

I can't find the same info on Fleetwood Mac but I'd imagine this is probably along the lines of their best selling singles - http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/fleetwood-mac-s-top-10-most-downloaded-tracks__2751/

Albatross is still pretty high at no 6.

[RenegadeScrew]

New Order? Early peak with their second album then peaked again 5 years later with Technique. I would say Music Complete was another peak too - it's certainly their best album since Technique.

I didn't word it well but the people I mentioned at the end were massive then starting creating their best stuff.  Although I don't actually know sales figures, and in the case of Wonder and Gaye they made some great stuff prior to gaining creative freedom.  But all four absolutely blew away the material that made them famous when they got free/bored/weird/drugged.

I just thought of another (possible) one.  James Brown - I'm presuming he was big for all the 'I Feel Good' stuff in the 60s before going Fela Kuti in the late 60s/early 70s.

There are quite a few with several peaks although I can't think of too many right now!  Dylan's return to form with Blood on the Tracks, Neil Young with Rust Never Sleeps (less so Harvest Moon) off the top of my head.

[PaulTMA]

They weren't great exactly, but when Snow Patrol started out they were a fairly charming, fuzzy lo-fi band in the Sebadoh vein. At one point, after checking his bank balance, Gary Lightbody clearly thought, "Fuck this, I'll knock out some arena anthems."

In terms of his bank balance, doing a 50/50 split combining the sounds of Sebadoh and Westlife was a masterstoke