BANDS KILLED IN THE 1990'S

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This question is a cousin of the larger Q I just posted.

I want to compile a list of reputable bands that were signed and dropped in the major label binge & purge of the 1990's. Local and indie acts that got scooped up and dropped in the post-Nevermind feeding frenzy.

If there are good stories attached to any of the names you add to the list, feel free to elaborate.

― Butler (Butler), Sunday, 25 September 2005 15:25 (twenty years ago)

Local and indie acts that got scooped up and dropped in the post-Nevermind feeding frenzy.

Good god, man, wasn't that all of them?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 25 September 2005 15:29 (twenty years ago)

Ok, how about ammended to: "a list of reputable local and indie bands from the 1990's"?

― Butler (Butler), Sunday, 25 September 2005 15:33 (twenty years ago)

spoon

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Sunday, 25 September 2005 15:35 (twenty years ago)

poster children

― keith m (keithmcl), Sunday, 25 September 2005 15:57 (twenty years ago)

Actually the Poster Children are about the only band I can think of that never got famous -- even Spoon seem to be getting somewhere now -- but also got out alive, largely because they made it a point NEVER to rely on advances from their record company and always lived within their means. And god bless 'em they're still going.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 25 September 2005 16:00 (twenty years ago)

Salaryman was much better than poster children.

― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Sunday, 25 September 2005 16:39 (twenty years ago)

Cop Shoot Cop

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 25 September 2005 17:11 (twenty years ago)

Royal Trux
Surgery

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 25 September 2005 17:15 (twenty years ago)

Bloodloss!

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 25 September 2005 17:15 (twenty years ago)

Flipper!

And the Onion bands:
Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments
V3

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 25 September 2005 17:17 (twenty years ago)

sugarplastic

― caspar (caspar), Sunday, 25 September 2005 17:21 (twenty years ago)

Spoon
The Figgs
Superdrag

― js (honestengine), Sunday, 25 September 2005 18:59 (twenty years ago)

An 11 spot of English bands come to mind with U.S. labels:

Boo Radleys – dropped by both Sony and Mercury
Moose – dropped by Virgin before releasing an album
Swervedriver – dropped by A&M and Geffen before putting out an album
Suede – dropped by Sony after Head Music
Super Furry Animals – dropped by Sony
Ash – dropped by Reprise and Dreamworks
Adorable – dropped by SBK
Candyskins – dropped by DGC
Gene – dropped by Polydor
Embrace – dropped by DGC
Muse – dropped by Maverick/WB (only to be pick up by WB again and this week they finally re-released Origin Of Symmetry to the U.S. for the first time)

― BeeOK (boo radley), Sunday, 25 September 2005 19:23 (twenty years ago)

Walt Mink

― John Justen (johnjusten), Sunday, 25 September 2005 19:30 (twenty years ago)

Melvins

― Si.C@rter (SiC@rter), Sunday, 25 September 2005 21:17 (twenty years ago)

Clawhammer

What about Mudhoney; did they get dropped at some point?

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 25 September 2005 21:20 (twenty years ago)

yeah, suede and the candyskins were totally a case of a label looking for the next nirvana.

i am not sure how the candyskins were ever allowed to release anything ever.

― keith m (keithmcl), Sunday, 25 September 2005 21:20 (twenty years ago)

What about Mudhoney; did they get dropped at some point?

Not till 1999, by which time Matt Lukin had left and they were in semi-retirement anyway.

― Si.C@rter (SiC@rter), Sunday, 25 September 2005 22:23 (twenty years ago)

The Fluid
Big Chief
Flop (Let's hear it for Flop people!)

― matt carlson, Monday, 26 September 2005 19:33 (twenty years ago)

was it the candyskins that did that "wembly" song?

― bb (bbrz), Monday, 26 September 2005 19:35 (twenty years ago)

Oh, and one funny thing about The Fluid/Big Chief: In its zine, Big Chief made fun of The Fluid getting dropped by Hollywood Records after one album, and then Big Chief goes out and does the same thing on Capitol.

― matt carlson, Monday, 26 September 2005 19:37 (twenty years ago)

I can completely see how someone might have imagined the Candyskins could be quite popular, maybe even especially in America. Why had "Wembley," a single that was probably more likeable than Teenage Fanclub (who DGC rightly spend more time on), and "Everybody Loves You," which was in certain ways the kind of song that pop/rock acts from Hootie to Matchbox get mileage from. They were a hooky pop/rock band, which will always sound saleable -- it's just when there are 10,000 of them floating around, you need a little more than that to make it stick.

― nabiscothingy, Monday, 26 September 2005 19:38 (twenty years ago)

Girls vs. Boys
Nada Surf (but they're back now and quite good)
Local H (same goes for them)

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Monday, 26 September 2005 19:38 (twenty years ago)

Jayhawks

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 26 September 2005 20:14 (twenty years ago)

Girls vs. Boys

GVSB technically is still going, although I wouldn't hold my breath for a new album.

Speaking of DC/ex-DC bands, Jawbox and Shudder to Think certainly went through the major-label wringer.

― j.lu (j.lu), Monday, 26 September 2005 21:04 (twenty years ago)

GVSB technically is still going, although I wouldn't hold my breath for a new album

after Freakonica and the one from a couple years ago, I don't think I WANT another album either.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 26 September 2005 21:13 (twenty years ago)

Killing Joke

― jsoulja (jsoulja), Monday, 26 September 2005 21:36 (twenty years ago)

oh man, where to start!

every single band in Seattle in the early 90s

Boredoms (still on Warner in Japan but got dropped before their pinnacle in the US)
Lilys
Daniel Johnston
The Meat Puppets
Guided By Voices (haha!)
Urge Overkill

Do Drive Like Jehu or Jawbreaker count?

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 26 September 2005 22:22 (twenty years ago)

tripmaster monkey

― jimmy glass (electricsound), Monday, 26 September 2005 22:22 (twenty years ago)

is TVT considered a major?

― jimmy glass (electricsound), Monday, 26 September 2005 22:23 (twenty years ago)

Material Issue

― Binjominia (Brilhante), Monday, 26 September 2005 23:50 (twenty years ago)

Fuzzy

― jimmy glass (electricsound), Monday, 26 September 2005 23:56 (twenty years ago)

Afghan Whigs, twice!

they put a dis song to Sylvia Rhone on their only CBS album, too.

― kit brash (kit brash), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 06:32 (twenty years ago)

Super Furry Animals – dropped by Sony

ummm...still signed to Sony, I thought?

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 07:05 (twenty years ago)

Suede weren't dropped, either, although the Nude Records subsidiary went tits up. They were just brought back "in-house", so "A New Morning" was still released through Sony.

yeah, suede and the candyskins were totally a case of a label looking for the next nirvana.

Er, what? Surely those bands couldn't be more different than Nirvana. In any case, Nirvana were still around in 92-93 when Suede were kicking off, so this comment makes no sense.

― Philip Alderman (Phil A), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 07:47 (twenty years ago)

Pond

― Jeremy (Jeremy), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 08:01 (twenty years ago)

As was said, all of them.

Still -- Mekons.

After recording the brilliant Rock 'n' Roll for A&M/Warners, the label sat on it because of a hidden (and unauthorized) Elvis picture on the cover... then released quietly and with no support.

A&M next suggested that the band have a little fun with an EP, which they did, calling it "F.U.N. '90." Then they were dropped.

This happened before the Nirvana indie-binge, of course. It's more the REM indie-binge at work.

― A|ex P@reene (Pareene), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 14:39 (twenty years ago)

they put a dis song to Sylvia Rhone on their only CBS album, too.

Elektra never formally dumped the Whigs; the band was so sick of label BS that they asked to be released from their contract. Columbia Records also didn't dump them; they broke up.

― j.lu (j.lu), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 14:47 (twenty years ago)

the New Rob Robbies

― Banana Nutrament (ghostface), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 14:50 (twenty years ago)

sfa are still sony
xl in usa
rough trade in europe.

― hub, Tuesday, 27 September 2005 14:51 (twenty years ago)

elastica were dropped by geffen after 5 years of inactivity.

― hub, Tuesday, 27 September 2005 14:54 (twenty years ago)

Ooh, I've found a good one - Elcka. They were on an Island records sampler in 1997, did maybe a couple of Radio 1 sessions but I never heard of them again.

This fansite says they managed an album and 5 singles before splitting.

Still, they still achieved more than Patrick Duff's post-Strangelove band, Moon. Total output: one limited-edition 7" single.

― Philip Alderman (Phil A), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 15:02 (twenty years ago)

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0009F2CAW.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Chrrrrrrisssssssst! (scarlet), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 17:33 (twenty years ago)

Good lord! Did that really come out?

Oh, I'll have to hear this now. Even if it's terrible.

"In My Junkie Clothes", eh? Good to know he's still a little ray of sunshine.

― Philip Alderman (Phil A), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 18:55 (twenty years ago)

Patrick Duff used to be a horrible horrible man. I once spent an evening in his company which ended with him lying down in the middle of a busy street in Glasgow as a means of hailing a taxi, and then insisting that the non-too-pleased taxi driver took him to Bristol. He was coked off his tits, and very very drunk (Patrick, not the taxi driver)

However, "Time for the Rest of Your Life" is one of the albums I really love but rarely revisit these days. I may have to investigate this one too.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 19:02 (twenty years ago)

Wesley Willis had an album on Onion, too.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 19:05 (twenty years ago)

New Rob Robbies broke up before they were dropped, but still, I woulda liked one more record out of 'em.

― when something smacks of something (dave225.3), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 19:06 (twenty years ago)

Columbia Records also didn't dump them; they broke up.

yeah... but then they did drop Dulli after one more record! it sort of counts!

and if Geffen had only waited one more month for Elastica...

― kit brash (kit brash), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 21:59 (twenty years ago)

,,,they would have released one of the best albums of the 2000's:
THE MENACE.

what about china drum??? which label were they?

― hub, Wednesday, 28 September 2005 07:31 (twenty years ago)

mantra

― jimmy glass (electricsound), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 07:37 (twenty years ago)

(i.e. beggars)

― jimmy glass (electricsound), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 07:38 (twenty years ago)

thanks

― hub, Wednesday, 28 September 2005 07:41 (twenty years ago)

Super Furry Animals – dropped by Sony

ummm...still signed to Sony, I thought?

I'm strictly talking American market here. Sony put out Fuzzy Logic because they had a deal with Creation Records. When SFA finished Radiator Sony refused to release it in America. It finally came out, almost a year after it was originally released by Flydaddy Records and to entice the U.S. market Flydaddy added the Out Space compilation for free.

(London) Suede's New Morning was never released in America, indie, Sony or otherwise. Suede had a good run and I really shouldn't have brought them up. Ocean Colour Scene would have been a better example because they got dropped twice as well but now are singed on Sanctuary Records worldwide including the U.S.

― BeeOK (boo radley), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 11:06 (twenty years ago)

Much as I loved Strangelove, the prospect of a Patrick Duff solo album worries me.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 12:05 (twenty years ago)

lucky americans then...they never had to listen to a new morning!

― hub, Wednesday, 28 September 2005 12:18 (twenty years ago)

Patrick plays at the Gin Palace quite a lot, but somehow I've never got round to seeing him there.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 12:29 (twenty years ago)

Scrawl. And their album on Elektra was pretty great..

― dar1a g (daria g), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 13:55 (twenty years ago)

Hammerbox
Paw (still around?)
Failure
Ditch Croaker
Riverside
Grace Pool
Suddenly Tammy! (wish WB would let someone release the 3rd album)
Mary's Danish
The Veldt
Dirt Merchants
Gigolo Aunts (still around?)
Dambuilders

― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 16:56 (twenty years ago)

Holiday.

― mike a, Wednesday, 28 September 2005 16:59 (twenty years ago)

Several copies of Patrick Duff's new album was on prominent display in the new releases shelf at my local HMV. Dunno why, must have a Strange[love] fan working there - Patrick himself maybes.

― David Merryweather Goes To Far (scarlet), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 17:25 (twenty years ago)

Didn't That Dog have similar problems?
And for bands literally killed in the '90s, there's always For Squirrels.

― js (honestengine), Wednesday, 28 September 2005 17:33 (twenty years ago)

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