After difficulties with their manager, the Blow Monkeys concentrated on the live circuit and thereby attracted the interest of a number of major labels. The group signed to RCA and remained with them until the split in 1990. An early RCA press release described the Blow Monkeys as "born out of desperation, blessed with direction". The first RCA release was Go Public in 1984. The record received good reviews aside from limited sales. The Man from Russia quickly followed, widening the group's fan base. Atomic Lullaby was released before the first album Limping For A Generation. The album received critical acclaim but didn't sell particularly well, although it was re-released in a new cover after the success of their second album Animal Magic. Limping For A Generation was a strong base for the group's later work. Few groups actually contain a saxophonist as a key member of the group and Neville's sax playing featured strongly throughout the album. Many groups that have major success with their debut LP often claim later that they wished they hadn't been so successful straight away. Therefore the limited success of Limping For A Generation wasn't too disheartening and served as a indicator of future prospects. The song He's Shedding Skin was lined up for the next single but was replaced instead by Wildflower and is the most distinct track on the album. Dr. Robert even describes Wildflower as a really deliberate copy of Marc Bolan. The 12" version included three live tracks including the group's version of It's Not Unusual.

In the autumn of 1985, the Blow Monkeys released a new single after extensive touring. Forbidden Fruit came in a variety of formats including a double 12" set which featured two extended tracks with reggae vocalist, Eek-a-mouse. The RCA press release had difficulty describing it saying it was "a unique brand of reggae/rock/dance/crossover music". The B side - My America appears to be The video for Forbidden Fruit received a good deal of airplay on MTV's show 120 Minutes however, it proved to be Top 40 illusive.

In February 1986 the Blow Monkeys released the single that many people remember the group by. Digging Your Scene saw the group just scrape short of the Top 10 and catapult them into the limelight of pop stardom. Numerous articles and interviews followed with the other group members tending to stay away from the interview circuit leaving Robert to stamp his personality on the group's image further. The B side to Digging Your Scene was an interesting barber shop quartet track which contrasted wonderfully with the A side. Digging Your Scene was was released with numerous mixes, many of which emphasised the female backing vocals. The success of Digging Your Scene enabled the album Animal Magic to be released to similar success. The album received nearly universal good reviews - one said "Animal Magic has wedged itself into that perfect groove. With a soupcon of blues, a pinch of jazz and a large helping of cheek, a minor classic has been shaped." During this time the group had a strong team of background musicians and vocalists, including Sylvia-Mason James and Mickey Finn.

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