"recording bands" - the road less travelled?

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I'm looking for examples of bands that have made a living, from the start, by recording music more than playing gigs. I can only think of examples of bands that slowly ease into the recording life as their careers progress and their significantly numbered, dedicated fanbase allows them to.

So do they exist? Or is this an impossibility, a situation that only long established bands can enjoy?

― takesyearstofindthenerve (takesyearstofindthenerve), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 01:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Shellac... at least until recently. They've made an income out of the band, playing gigs only when they feel like it, but never depending on it.. perhaps not the only source of income for the members, but a significant percentage.

― 1000 warts, Wednesday, 29 September 2004 01:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Silver Jews -- well I don't know if Berman makes/made a living from it.

― Hurting (Hurting), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 01:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Bathory

― dave q, Wednesday, 29 September 2004 01:55 (twenty-one years ago)

darkthrone

― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 01:57 (twenty-one years ago)

i thought all bands did this now.

― You've Got to Pick Up Every Stitch (tracerhand), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 02:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm looking for bands more along the lines of a bunch of nobodies finding a way to get their music out without taking the usual "play live to get your name out there" path.

shellac's got albini, and he can easily find his way to a label like touch and go.

― takesyearstofindthenerve (takesyearstofindthenerve), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 02:03 (twenty-one years ago)

"i thought all bands did this now."

really?

― takesyearstofindthenerve (takesyearstofindthenerve), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 02:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, there's The Normal route. Recorded "Warm Leatherette" in his room. But since he never did anything anything else (that I know of) other than start a label, I guess he hardly constitutes a "band".

But thiking more about it I'm sure a lot of electronic start this way. Bands under the broad spectrum of "rock music" would be harder to find.

― Mike Salmo (salmo), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 04:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Pet Shop Boys didn't tour until ... 1990? IIRC, there was a stage fright issue involved? And after their first tour, they'd had enough for a while and didn't tour again for years.

The same was true of Kirsty MacColl (stage fright).

If you include vocal bands ... Spice Girls didn't play a single gig to support "Spice". Their first tour wasn't until 1998.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 04:50 (twenty-one years ago)

this always comes up...after the Normal, Daniel Miller released a record and a few singles as the Silicon Teens, collaborated with Robert Rental and probably was involved in the Missing Scientists single.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 05:57 (twenty-one years ago)

did sparklehorse play any gigs before their first album had been out for quite awhile? methinks not, but correct me if i'm wrong.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 11:26 (twenty-one years ago)

not sure how you would count this one, but shania twain STOPPED playing live gigs when she was still a relative unknown, then retreated into the studio and recorded two mega-zillion selling albums before playing again.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 11:30 (twenty-one years ago)

i don't remember Britney Spears or Busted or Fabolous or the Strokes or etc blowing the doors off clubs in advance of getting signed and selling millions of records

― You've Got to Pick Up Every Stitch (tracerhand), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 11:54 (twenty-one years ago)

re: Strokes, for instance, i remember reading all these articles, especially from the British press, that leaned so hard on their genuine gritty New Yorkness, you know, just a bunch of boys playing rock and roll, and this was at a time when i went to see a LOT of bands and i was like "how come i never heard of them before?" it turned out they played each important venue exactly once: Arlene Grocery, Mercury Lounge, Bowery Ballroom.. (IIRC)

― You've Got to Pick Up Every Stitch (tracerhand), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 12:00 (twenty-one years ago)

arlene grocery in being named an important venue shockah!

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 12:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Boston, aka Tom Scholz. (Achieved fame on the strength of a debut LP that was basically a sweetened-up demo. "Band" was an afterthought.)

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 12:16 (twenty-one years ago)

i think it is, cuz. i mean it's right above amateur-hour level, but it's part of the constellation of places that bands all seem to play at, at one point or another. but my point is that it was so tokenistic, the "live gig" dues-paying.. not that there's anything wrong with that!!

― You've Got to Pick Up Every Stitch (tracerhand), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 12:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Guided By Voices rarely played gigs until "Bee Thousand" caught on.

All of the members of Shellac had been in bands that had put out records and toured.

― earlnash, Wednesday, 29 September 2004 14:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Electronic music to thread?

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 14:50 (twenty-one years ago)

(x-post)
actally gbv recorded several albums before they toured. but they didn't make any money that way -- presumably they were losing money at it -- and they all had day jobs. they started playing live a few months before vampire on titus came out, and by the time bee thousand came out the following year, they were playing out a lot. and it was playing live that put them on their way to making a living at it. so i don't think they're a good example.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 14:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Apparently Harry Nilsson never ever played a real live gig and was proud of it.

― everything, Wednesday, 29 September 2004 14:55 (twenty-one years ago)

after 1965, the beatles didnt play live.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 14:58 (twenty-one years ago)

oh ok - from the start. nevermind...

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 14:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Xtc stopped touring circa English Settlement.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 15:11 (twenty-one years ago)

paging Mr. Jandek...

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 29 September 2004 15:22 (twenty-one years ago)

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