Bands, Musical Direction, and "Selling Out"

[Andy Mancini]

I've been thinking about that very topic recently, all because of two albums I picked up.

I got a record player for Christmas last year, and I have been spending a good amount of free time (as in, "not driving my brother places/doing homework/studying") listening to my ever-growing collection. This is mainly due to the fact that I've doing a lot of writing as of late, and they seem to aid in the "creative process". I've quickly come to the conclusion that my two "new" favorite bands are Genesis and Queen with "Invisible Touch" and "A Night At the Opera" as my favorite albums.

This leads me to this morning. I had nothing to do (finally), so I threw a bunch of 70's Jazz records that I'll never listen to into the car to trade at the local record store, Record-Rama. I took the $9 in credit that I recieved, of course, bought more records. Two of the albums I picked up were Queen's "The Works", which was recorded after their legendary synth ban was lifted, and Genesis' "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway", the last album with Peter Gabriel on it. I knew that they were different from I'm used to before I put them on, but I wasn't expecting this.

Queen: Disappointing synth-pop. There were some highlights, like the energetic "Hammer To Fall", but it was nothing like their 70's heyday.

Genesis: Simply amazing. As a writer of furry-themed fiction and a wannabe fur myself, this furry-themed concept album about life, death, and other pressing matters was a welcomed surprise. Basically, this was the album that progessive rock bands like Yes and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, have tried to record but failed miserably.

This got me thinking: Did these bands "sell out"? I personally don't think so, as it's the artist's decision to change their muscial direction, but I know that others would disagree. Does a band "sell out" in your opinion if they're unable to please the hardcore fans, change their "sound", or simply make the move to major label?

(PS: To hear exactly what "change" I'm talking about, listen either "The Carpet Crawlers" and "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight", "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" and "Sledgehammer", or "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Machines" back-to-back.)

[Mynd Hed]

In my opinion, the only time a band actually "sells out" is when they change their sound (or make another change, like kicking out a member or whatever) solely for the purpose of making more money or increasing their popularity and/or publicity, at the expense of their artistic drive to make good music. Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to really make a solid case that a band has "sold out" by that definition, because a supporter of the band can always say, "well, I'm sorry you don't like the new sound, but the band felt it was the way to go. They couldn't stay the same forever, you know."

[EinBebop]

Perhaps selling out for some bands is continuing to do the same music they've been doing for three albums now even though their artistic soul wants to go a new direction. But if they do go a new direction... sad irony, eh? You never know what's going through their heads.

I loved when Metallica came back after five years, everyone with short haircuts. People took one look at them and cried, "Sell-outs" like they all woke up one day and said, "Hey! Let's all go cut our hair!" The eighties were over! You hadn't seen them in five years! Granted, their album was received even less warmly.

[Arkangel]

I loved when Metallica came back after five years, everyone with short haircuts. People took one look at them and cried, "Sell-outs" like they all woke up one day and said, "Hey! Let's all go cut our hair!" The eighties were over! You hadn't seen them in five years! Granted, their album was received even less warmly.

Branding Metallica as sell-outs has nothing to do with their hair. They could have shaved their heads if they had wanted to, as long as their music had remained of the quality one finds on their first four albums (maybe five, though the Black album was already a downturn).

I don't personally care whether they decided to change directions based on artistic impulse or a desire for more money. I judged the results and found them to have turned into mere shadows of their previous selves. Nothing they've done since the Black album came out is worthy of their earlier music which is some of the best heavy metal ever recorded.

[EinBebop]

One band that I can confirm was sell-outs: Stryper. They turned their backs on the Christian music scene in the eighties because they thought they could make more money mainstream. Then, when they bombed out in mainstream, they released what their label confirmed was a "test album" of greatest hits to see if they should go back into Christian music again.

I guess your views of musicians come into play: are they artists first, or entertainers? I think an entertainer is only really selling out if he's doing something he hates, whereas an artist is selling out if he's not doing what he truly loves.

[Mynd Hed]

I don't personally care whether they decided to change directions based on artistic impulse or a desire for more money. I judged the results and found them to have turned into mere shadows of their previous selves. Nothing they've done since the Black album came out is worthy of their earlier music which is some of the best heavy metal ever recorded.

I think that's the best way to go about it: I try not to worry so much about whether an artist has "sold out" as I do whether I, personally, still enjoy the music. It's just simpler that way.

[Damien]

I declared Metallica sellouts when they went against Napster because it took money away from record labels and bands, not realizing that people weren't buying their stuff as much as they used to, anyway.
Blink182 is a band I hear called sellouts commonly. The sound changed and all that, but I never really understood until I saw them on Cribs (one of those rare occasions when I watched that dumb channel) and saw the band livin' it up in their skater clothes and million dollar mansion.

[Arkangel]

I declared Metallica sellouts when they went against Napster because it took money away from record labels and bands, not realizing that people weren't buying their stuff as much as they used to, anyway.

The whole Metallica/Napster fiasco didn't bother me in the slightest because by the time that rolled around it had been years since I'd had any interest in Metallica.