# Artists that have grown more than one level bigger since you liked them **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 18, 2012, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-that-have-grown-more-than-one-level-bigger-since-you-liked-them/644388 "2012-12-18T02:09:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![andrew\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@andrew\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrew_1)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-that-have-grown-more-than-one-level-bigger-since-you-liked-them/644388/21 "2012-12-19T10:12:42Z")
The genres I like don’t tend to produce many famous bands, and indeed a quick perusal of my music folder and I’d guess 1 in every 20 bands I have a full album by has a Wikipedia page, but one band that fits this thread perfectly is **The White Stripes**. I bought their self-titled CD that came out in 1999 a year after it did. I was 9 years old in 2000, trying to find something I liked in HMV to make use of a $20 gift card and, as you can imagine, having no idea about music at all. But I knew my favorite colors were red and white, so I grabbed their CD, and loved it to death. I went back and bought their second album _De Stijl_ a week later. In 2001, White Blood Cells was released, with the singles **Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground** , **Hotel Yorba** , **Fell in Love With a Girl** , and **We’re Going to Be Friends**. The rest is history. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-that-have-grown-more-than-one-level-bigger-since-you-liked-them/644388/22 "2012-12-19T13:47:17Z")
I think I’ve found one that barely qualifies. **Fountains of Wayne** had a few semi-hits from their eponymous debut album, but by the time _Welcome Interstate Managers_ came out, they were back in relative obscurity, having only had one studio album since and it didn’t spawn any hits. Plus if you said “Fountains of Wayne” to nearly anyone they’d be all “Fountains of _Who_?”. Then, of course, Stacy’s Mom. So they had been at their nadir right before that album, then rose to their peak. While if you look at their popularity when I first liked them versus today, you wouldn’t think they’d risen all that far. ---
**Author:** ![Chicagojeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@Chicagojeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicagojeff)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-that-have-grown-more-than-one-level-bigger-since-you-liked-them/644388/23 "2012-12-19T14:02:01Z")
Saw Frankie goes to Hollywood in 1982? Right before the broke big. It was at the old Bismarck theatre in Chicago… and the fucking floor collapsed… Leadin to the headline FRankie sank the Bismarck… Caught Husker Du at University of Chicago right around Zen Arcade… I swear Soul Aslyum was with them… and I also was into Ten thousand Maniacs… they played Caberet Metro… and I remember Natalie Merchant… was 1) hot to me. i was 14… 2) demanded that we not smoke… which… was … odd lol. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-that-have-grown-more-than-one-level-bigger-since-you-liked-them/644388/24 "2012-12-19T18:20:24Z")
I didn’t discover Barenaked Ladies until just before _Rock Spectacle_ came out and I happened to catch “Jane” on the radio. They were getting big by then, but I was into them before they were _Maroon_ big. I got really in to ska just before it became a household word. Before Reel Big Fish and No Doubt. I had the real thing going on, with my paper ska zines from New York and hunting all over town to find affordable braces and boots. Now it’s just annoying to mention anything about ska because people assume I was merely swept up in the wave. I wasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-that-have-grown-more-than-one-level-bigger-since-you-liked-them/644388/25 "2012-12-19T21:14:46Z")
Not musical, but a friend from California sent me the first “Life in Hell” book (_Love is Hell_) way back in 1986 and I found it weasel-rippingly hilarious. No one else I knew had ever heard of this simplistic cartoonist named [Matt Groening.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Groening) Clearly enough people knew about him that he had a book published, but I daresay the number of people in Wisconsin that knew the name at that time was under a dozen. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-that-have-grown-more-than-one-level-bigger-since-you-liked-them/644388/26 "2012-12-19T21:18:20Z")
I saw a young guy play in a little club in 1973 and knew he would be huge. Name of Billy Joel. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-that-have-grown-more-than-one-level-bigger-since-you-liked-them/644388/27 "2012-12-19T21:32:49Z")
Is this just music? Cuz Dale Chihuly is my guy. I caught on to him before the OMGfamous thing. That’s all. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_the_turtle/32/2926_2.png) [@Fear\_the\_Turtle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_the_Turtle)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-that-have-grown-more-than-one-level-bigger-since-you-liked-them/644388/28 "2012-12-19T22:16:00Z")
When I was in college, early 80’s, there was an oversized gym behind our house. Me and a friend used to kick around a soccer ball in there, it was just about the right size. In fact the men’s basketball team had abandonned it years earlier because it was too small. They used to hold concerts in there, it wasn’t much bigger than a club. Standing room only, they didn’t use the bleacher seats. One of our brothers got a job working security, and he would let us in for free when he could. An Irish band was playing there. They had released 2 previous albums that didn’t do too well in the states, but I had heard 2-3 singles on the college radio station and really liked them. They were promoting their 3rd album, which absolutely blew up and put them on the map. The next year they were playing large arenas and later stadium concerts. That band, of course, is U2. Not sure how many levels that is, but I’m sure it’s more than 1 or 2. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-that-have-grown-more-than-one-level-bigger-since-you-liked-them/644388/29 "2012-12-20T00:05:14Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > Is this just music? Cuz Dale Chihuly is my guy. I caught on to him before the OMGfamous thing. I saw _100,000 Pounds of Ice and Neon_ at the Tacoma Dome in '93. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-that-have-grown-more-than-one-level-bigger-since-you-liked-them/644388/30 "2012-12-20T00:25:21Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > I became a fan of REM the first time I heard “Radio Free Europe” in 1983 when I was 14. You know the rest. 😉 > More recently, Alabama Shakes were playing our local brews cruise and at a small local bar for one of my friend’s birthday party about 1 1/2 years ago. They’ve gotten a lot of music industry buzz and are touring with Neil Young and Crazy Horse. I have a copy of the original “Radio Free Europe” single (i.e. before they re-recorded it during the sessions for _Murmur_). ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-that-have-grown-more-than-one-level-bigger-since-you-liked-them/644388/31 "2012-12-20T00:36:09Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I have a copy of the original “Radio Free Europe” single (i.e. before they re-recorded it during the sessions for _Murmur_). I have a copy of Michael Stipe’s Diphtheria and Tetanus immunization records. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-that-have-grown-more-than-one-level-bigger-since-you-liked-them/644388/32 "2012-12-20T00:53:23Z")
When I was growing up, a punk/metal band called The Weasels was renting the house on the corner. All us youngsters would hang out in their driveway while they practiced and jammed. Eventually their biggest song “Beat Her With A Rake” got airplay on KROQ (when it was still an indie punk station). The biggest they got was opening for Van Halen when Van Halen was still playing clubs. I guess that counts as one or more levels above a driveway, even though they never got “big”. During the 80s, UCLA had lots of free concerts from rising bands. I recall seeing Red Hot Chili Peppers, Social Distortion, Guns n’ Roses, Jane’s Addiction, Dramarama, Mr. Mister, all of whom made it big for various levels of “big”. Plus a lot more from bands that never got bigger than “college rock” hero status - Del Fuegos, Rank and File, Beat Farmers, The Dickies, Burning Sensations. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-that-have-grown-more-than-one-level-bigger-since-you-liked-them/644388/33 "2012-12-20T01:12:56Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > For instance, have you ever liked an artist ever since they were a completely unknown entity (i.e. not even playing shows,) and then they became either an uber-famous local artist, or a very obscure national act? > > Or, for instance, you like an artist that was an obscure national act, and they became celebrities? In 1986 or so, I saw Suzanne Vega in a small (~400 person capacity) college auditorium and loved her. She played mostly songs from “Tom’s Diner” but also sang a song that hadn’t been released yet - “Luka” [Luka (song) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luka_%28song%29) which became a huge hit the next year. I owe my college roommate a debt for dragging me to that one. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-that-have-grown-more-than-one-level-bigger-since-you-liked-them/644388/34 "2012-12-20T01:14:33Z")
> [@hrhomer](#): > > I have a copy of Michael Stipe’s Diphtheria and Tetanus immunization records. A real fan would have his ultrasound. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-that-have-grown-more-than-one-level-bigger-since-you-liked-them/644388/35 "2012-12-20T02:05:33Z")
Doesn’t totally fit the OP because I am not a big fan but I listen to their music on the radio. Just like everyone else in the world. When I was I believe a freshman in high school I would listen to a rock station called WAPP. It started off with a commercial free summer so I got hooked. They had a contest for unsigned bands and put out an album of the contestants. There was one song that they played over and over on that station. The song was Runaway and the group was Bon Jovi. They got pretty big right after that. Later found out that Jon Bongiovi went to high school with my brother. Jon went to the same Catholic high school his first two years. My brother was a senior when he was a freshman and didn’t know him. He is in his yearbook. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-that-have-grown-more-than-one-level-bigger-since-you-liked-them/644388/36 "2012-12-20T02:47:40Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > I saw a young guy play in a little club in 1973 and knew he would be huge. Name of Billy Joel. A friend of mine played _Cold Spring Harbor_ for me in early '71; I introduced it to the college radio station. I also found Bruce Springsteen’s first album and put it on the playlist; it was sitting in the “to be reviewed” box and I decided to give it a spin. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-that-have-grown-more-than-one-level-bigger-since-you-liked-them/644388.md?page=1)