The Big Sellout

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fat_fleet

fat_fleet

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As long as there's been music releases, fans have been accusing their favorite artists of selling out. Sad really, all those poor artists work their way out of obscurity to get a recording budget to try to improve their sound and the fans go right for the jugular. "It's too polished!", "I like their old stuff better!" etc... We've all done it tons of times.

What about you fair listener? Ever loved an artist and then they put out something you just can't abide by? Did you lose interest in the artist? Ever write off an album and then go back years later and realize it was really pretty good? Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine. Grim, you must have something..... :D
 
I have artists that I like some earlier work better than later.
Steve Miller Band is a great example. His early albums were amazing but around 'The Joker' and "Big ol' Jet Airliner' I lost interest.

However ...... I don't remember ever even so much as thinking that he had sold out or thinking that about anyone else either. I just didn't like his later stuff much.

But, in general if I like someone I like everything they do ..... I'm always interested in how artists change and grow into different creatures.
 
Well, my favourite artist was Michael Jackson, he has never actually done something that I wasn't proud of. RIP Michael Jackson, the king of pop!
Also: Humans change, so I can't expect people to say the same "old" people they were 10 years from now.

Cheers,
Darren.
 
Lt. Bob said:
But, in general if I like someone I like everything they do ..... I'm always interested in how artists change and grow into different creatures.
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Yeah I'm interested in that too, but I'm like the exact opposite. I'm very "no one bats a thousand". I love the Beatles, but I think even they had some clunkers. Lots of times an artists changes to a style I already like for one album and that album will be the only one I listen to by that artist. I just kinda have certain qualities in music I respond to. I understand it's a subjective thing, but I naturally like some songs more than others regardless of the band.

Lt. Bob said:
I have artists that I like some earlier work better than later.
Steve Miller Band is a great example. His early albums were amazing but around 'The Joker' and "Big ol' Jet Airliner' I lost interest.

However ...... I don't remember ever even so much as thinking that he had sold out or thinking that about anyone else either. I just didn't like his later stuff much.
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I've heard that his late 60s records are really good but haven't gotten around to checking them out....he was kind of a San Francisco psychedelic guy then wasn't he? I keep hearing the early Bob Seger System albums like Noah are really good too, but it's hard for me to get motivated to check out a Bob Seger album, knowing what we know about what he eventually became. :)
 
DarrenVocal said:
Well, my favourite artist was Michael Jackson, he has never actually done something that I wasn't proud of. RIP Michael Jackson, the king of pop!
Also: Humans change, so I can't expect people to say the same "old" people they were 10 years from now.

Cheers,
Darren.
Click to expand...

I can think of a few things he did you shouldn't be proud of.
 
DarrenVocal said:
Well, my favourite artist was Michael Jackson, he has never actually done something that I wasn't proud of. RIP Michael Jackson, the king of pop!
Also: Humans change, so I can't expect people to say the same "old" people they were 10 years from now.
Click to expand...

I hated Thriller at the time (I was like 9), but years later I was able to say "Yeah, that was a decent bunch of songs for it's time". To be honest though I never gave anything after that much of a chance.
 
fat_fleet said:
I've heard that his late 60s records are really good but haven't gotten around to checking them out....he was kind of a San Francisco psychedelic guy then wasn't he?
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yeah ..... his early stuff was totally different than Joker and beyond.
They actually varied a lot in styles but I like 'em all. Number 5 is killer .... Brave New World, and Children of the Future are pretty psychedelic ... Sailor gets into more regular songs with still a bit of psychedelicism ...... Your Saving Grace is still in that 60's vibe but with pretty sophisticated sound and harmony and Journey From Eden is just an amazing album to me.
And he had a live album ..... ummmmm ...... Rock Love I think. It was a very cool live-blues album.
You know Boz Scaggs was with him back then?
I was WAY into Steve Miller for a long while :D

But I agree with the idea that I'll like some of an artist's work way more than others.
But generally if I like 'em I'll like something about most of their work.
 
Yeah I thought the whole MJ thing was a media crucifixion myself.
 
OMG, I LOVE Michael Jackson! He could do no wrong in my eyes! He's my musical idol (so don't talk bad about him OR ELSE! haha jk). Imo, his later works were his best as he rebelled against the "system," and I love EVERY song of his, whereas I can't say the same about any other artist.
 
Whacko Jacko was a perfect case of too much money & fame meets no one game to say you've lost it. I really don't like anything he did after he stopped being an early teen Jackson. I can undertand why it was popular, be amazed at the craft/graft/innovation/regurgitation but just didn't like it.

Miller's early work was way better - & Scaggs was good with him too (didn't like sophisticated Boz at all) as was Leon Russell's early work. Particularly carni - recorded in a caravan or something.

Queen's work up until Races (& coincidentally their use of synths) was good rock with pompous rock but it translated well in my ears. After that they were too concerned with being pop in all senses of the word except the art sense.

Elvis costello's 1st 8 were simply great but it's been cherry picking since then and most def not at all since his 3rd marriage.

And so it goes. Eras/styles/motivation/popularity/insularity all have an affect on the listener given that there are a whole pile of personal biases that go with it.

Beatles? Well, Pepper's was amazing in many ways but the Music Hall lifts & pastiche's didn't convince me even back then. I liked them when they rocked & popped or were really running ahead of the pack.

I probably sold out last year when I wrote and recorded three songs that were definitley rooted in classic rock - way distant from what I listen to and normally write/record but the collaborations simply took the songs in that direction & they ended up really quite good albiet not what I would normally gravitate towards.
 
EDIT: Maybe my comments were over the top... :rolleyes. I think I sucked the life out of this thread.

Now, back on topic. I think Van Halen fits into what you're saying. They started out great then went through so many line-up changes. Enough to make your head spin. And their music suffered because of it. Never really listened to them again after they brought on Cherone.
 
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rayc said:
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Miller's early work was way better - & Scaggs was good with him too (didn't like sophisticated Boz at all) as was Leon Russell's early work. Particularly carni - recorded in a caravan or something.

I probably sold out last year when I wrote and recorded three songs that were definitley rooted in classic rock - way distant from what I listen to and normally write/record but the collaborations simply took the songs in that direction & they ended up really quite good albiet not what I would normally gravitate towards.
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I'll definitely check that Miller stuff out. The only song I know by Boz Scaggs is Lido Shuffle which is pretty rank. I thought it was Elton John for decades. I wouldn't mind hearing your "classic rock" tunage. Did you post em here?

Chili said:
EDIT: Maybe my comments were over the top... :rolleyes. I think I sucked the life out of this thread.

Now, back on topic. I think Van Halen fits into what you're saying. They started out great then went through so many line-up changes. Enough to make your head spin. And their music suffered because of it. Never really listened to them again after they brought on Cherone.
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I caught those comments, Chili, and didn't think they were too over the top. I've definitely heard people say similar things. I'm no MJ fan and have no sympathy for child molesters but his whole quality of life was something you'd see in the tabloids all the time and it often just made me sad...like without all the weird sexual predator stuff it was already the kind of life you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. I didn't follow the trial that closely but just thought it must suck to be the focus of so much negative attention.

Yeah Van Halen jumped like 1000 sharks. I was 11 and into hair metal when 1984 came out and that felt like a sellout, I guess just because Warner Bros. pushed Jump and Hot For Teacher so hard and they crossed over onto MTV then. Years later I was able to dig that album, but still think they peaked a lot earlier.
 
I don't know if it's a by product of selling out, but don't all bands that stick around long enough decline? I can't think of any that just kept getting better and better...?

But yeah, I guess I have felt that way about almost every band I liked. At some point, they sounded cheesey as if they were selling out. I never really cared about their motivations or anything, but it always seemed like the music would get more elaborate and produced and commercial sounding until the essence of what drew me to them in the first place was all but lost.
 
flat_feet,
I did post the "classic rock", (not my description but applied by a few people and one I've now come to accept as being as valid as anything else), tracks in the MP3 Mixing Clinic but here they are in chronological order with the links going to the 3 in reasonable MP3 quality:



Recorded in collaboration with GregL, Ido1975 and JoeyM.
Let me know if the tag fits.
 
None of the bands I like ever got popular enough or lasted long enough to be accused of selling out.
 
That's why I always enjoyed The Monkees - sold out right from the get go!
 
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