A band can have all the confidence in the world that their record will do well, but labels will need quite a bit of convincing to get those records out there. That’s what happened with these five now-famous albums that were almost dropped by their bands’ labels before they could see the light of day.
1. ‘Pet Sounds’ by The Beach Boys
Listening to Pet Sounds now, it’s hard to imagine a label doing anything other than throwing money at that record. However, that wasn’t what happened. The Beach Boys put their all into the production and performances on this record. Unfortunately, their label gave them lackluster support, alleging that the record wasn’t a good “pop” album.
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Thankfully, even though the label thought they would lose money from the release, they put Pet Sounds out there anyway. And it has since become one of the most legendary pioneering rock records of the 1960s.
2. ‘Nevermind’ by Nirvana
Plenty of famous albums were almost dropped through the years, but few ended up being the band’s magnum opus. Nirvana blew up pretty quickly along with the rest of the grunge scene, and their label didn’t want to give their hopes up that Nevermind would be an enormous hit, despite the potential.
Geffen Records based Nevermind’s potential on Sonic Youth’s Goo sales in order to stay ahead of the album’s potential failure. Obviously, Nirvana proved their label wrong in the end.
3. ‘Desperado’ by Eagles
Upon hearing Desperado ahead of its release, the Eagles’ label believed they were done for. The country elements were strong on the record, and the label believed they would not be able to market the album to fans of rock music. Rock was where the money was, after all. Allegedly, one rep stormed out of the room after hearing it and claimed they had made a “cowboy” record.
They released it anyway, and the sales were a bit slow to start. Luckily, with a little help from Linda Ronstadt, the title track became a huge hit and the Eagles were able to sail on toward fame.
4. ‘Aerosmith’ by Aerosmith
Out of many famous albums that were almost dropped, Aerosmith really didn’t deserve the headache. For quite a while, Aerosmith was not taken seriously and compared far too often to The Rolling Stones. Their sound, aesthetic, and identity as a band were unique from the get-go.
Unfortunately, Aerosmith’s label put all their eggs in Bruce Springsteen’s basket back in the day, rather than investing more money in promoting Aerosmith’s self-titled debut album. They also didn’t get the biggest budget when working on the album. Luckily, the record still did well with songs like “Dream On” and “Mama Kin” becoming classics that are still loved today.
5. ‘Somewhere In England’ by George Harrison
By the 1980s, the Beatles were long done and all of the former members had moved on to their solo careers. Sadly, George Harrison’s solo career was losing steam. When he finished Somewhere In England in early 1980, his label was convinced that none of the tracks were suitable for radio. Harrison had to go back to develop some new material made very obviously out of obligation. (We’re looking at you, “Teardrops”.)
Harrison only saw one major hit from the finalized release (“All Those Years Ago”) and one can’t help but wonder how much better it would have been without the label’s tinkering.
Photo by Paul Bergen/Redferns
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