By the late '90s so many bands had fallen victim to the industry's alt-rock binge 'n' purge – suits signing, then pink-slipping acts before so much as issuing a single to radio – that only the most naive optimists would've been shocked when the Wire-y post-punks in Spoon became major-label casualties in 1998. Still, when Elektra gave up on Austin, Texas's Great White Rock Hope only months after releasing A Series of Sneaks, die-hard fans threw their fists to the sky and angrily demanded justice.

Not that Spoon wasn't a worthy indie rock cause célèbre. it's just that the outcry was surprising considering how typical the trio's tale was. After releasing the promising Telephono LP and an EP on Matador, guitarist-vocalist Britt Daniel, drummer Jim Eno, and bassist Joshua Zarbo decided to move to the majors. But by the time they were primed to go platinum with Sneaks – a stunningly tuneful near-masterpiece of erratic, pop-punky rhythms and Daniel's brutally earnest delivery – the brainiacs at Elektra realized all those underground underdogs weren't recouping expenses and quickly let the release go out of print.