The Indie & Alternative Recommendation Thread

[rubber soul]

Well, the Beatles we're shooting for their own independence until they found out they made lousy businessmen. Enter Allen Klein and you can figure out the rest.

No, I don't think the Beatles (or anyone in the late sixties for that matter) saw themselves as indie artists. While they obviously didn't want to be told what to do by the studio (and they were fortunate to have an ally like George Martin), they nonetheless played ball when it came to having an album ready as per their contract. Touring was a bigger problem for them and you may notice much of the best material came after they gave touring up.

So, no, I don't call the Beatles an indie band in the classic sense, though they, along with Dylan and the Beach Boys (or at least Brian Wilson anyway), would be a big influence on the DIY crowd as early as the late seventies.