Steve Tesluk (bass) and
Frank French (drums) joined the group in 1983, replacing Staydohar and Becker, both of whom left to join
True West. In 1984, a four-track recording with about 14 songs was sent to a number of labels, and an additional demo was recorded in December with
Scott Miller producing. At this time, Jozef Becker rejoined the group, replacing French. Lisa Fancher of
Frontier Records, who heard of Thin White Rope through a magazine review of the 14-song demo, signed the group to Frontier, and the band then recorded
Exploring the Axis. Over time, the band retained singer/songwriter/guitarist Guy Kyser and guitarist Roger Kunkel, with a changing line-up of drummers and bass guitarists. Like
Television, it was noted for its twin guitar attack, innovative use of feedback structures and oblique lyrics.
The Rough Guide to Rock called Thin White Rope "one of the few worthwhile traditional American guitar rock bands of their era. While most of the essential groups of the time were pushing back the limits of the form, Thin White Rope had the distinction of managing to breathe new life into the genre." The band contributed a cover of
Roky Erickson's "Burn the Flames" to the 1990
tribute album Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye. British rock journalist Graeme Thomson attributed the band's 1992 breakup to their having "proved much too idiosyncratic to join the ranks of US breakout alternative bands", citing more successful contemporaries such as
R.E.M.,
The Replacements,
American Music Club, and
Pixies. The double live LP
The One That Got Away chronicled TWR's last show in
Ghent, Belgium, on June 28, 1992. Guitarist Roger Kunkel went on to form the band
Acme Rocket Quartet. ==Critical response==