Bands that Collapsed Under the Pressure
 

On the heels of the recent Replacements Reissue, it got me thinking about how bands get crushed in the transition from independent label to majors.

This thread is specifically dedicated to lamenting those bands who couldn't survive the leap.

Replacements - Pleased To Meet Me[i/]- Man what a dissapointment. They started compromising their music and kicked out bob stinson. they lost their roots and were never the same again.

Husker Du- Candy Apple Grey This record should have garnered some hit songs on the radio but it was really weak compared to the last three. Mould and Hart started developing big egos and churning out songs rather than being inspired. They really wanted to breakthrough and would do anything for it. How else do you explain them being on the Joan Rivers show?

husker du was gonna be my first choice.

buttholes as far as quality of music goes.

Did the Replacements really collapse under the pressure? I thought they just allowed a bunch of jackasses in suits to have them play on a bunch of substandard albums that were so boring that they eventually faded to non-existence...

Collapse under pressure, that'd be Joy Division who never released a bad album under that name.

Basically any band where the members constantly faught. Like Pixies.

The Verlaines - Not that they really went to a major label though.
They left Flying Nun in New Zealand and went to Slash in USA in the early 90's. They were given a producer who tried to make them sound like a grunge band, which they weren't, and the albums they made weren't up to the standard of the early ones.

If you mean bands who became shit when they signed to a major and then split up:

The Jesus Lizard

ditto jesus lizard

the better question is what bands haven't collapsed under pressure.

because, when big pressure starts creeping into a band/artist, they either start compromising (i mean sucking) or breaking up/retiring/trying their hand at something else.

omg i h8 sell outs!!!1

at the drive in...

One might say Nirvana. There is popular opinion that Nirvana were on the verge of breaking up just before Kurt killed himself. "In Utero" may have ended up as thier final album either way.

I was thinking this one. Damn...

My contribution is Hum.

I'd agree, which with my Joy Division example basically sums up my theory that unless somebody kills themself, no bands "collapse under pressure". Agreeing to put out records that are supposedly going to sell but lack the original artistic vision of the musicians is not "collapse" it's fizzle down to nothingness. If Kurt hadn't killed himself they might have broken up, but then how long before the first reunion and each subsequent?

Who hasn't, as in who's stayed around a long time and stayed good?

Sonic Youth, Legendary Pink Dots, Girl Trouble, Melvins, Suicide (I know my opinion is in the minority on that one, but I love American Supreme a whole lot, and they keep playing together despite the fact they've never put out a lot of albums.)

Shot is a really great album, and it's only the different production that really sets it apart from anything they put out on Touch n' Go. I haven't heard Blue though.

its not very good. i think they had just run out of steam by that point.

I love Hüsker Dü's last two albums. My only problem with them is the production (and on NDR and FYW too.) Everything sounds tinny and the guitars are flat as fuck.

Husker Du's production is probably one of the only reasons why they aren't one of my favourite bands.

true that, its a love-hate thing with them, especially on their later albums

WHAT! they didn't collapse under big management pressure, they grew apart musically, Cedric and Omar couldn't make the music they wanted in ATD-I, drugs were also involved.