Biggest musical SELL-OUTS of all time.

[playahata1]

Any genre. Anywhere. Any time.

I just got off the Southern Rock thread, in which I mentioned -- in passing -- the very un-Southern Starship, one of the great musical ABOMINATIONS ever. (Damn you, Grace Slick and Paul Kantner!)

Another is Heart. Also worthy of mention are Lionel Richie (when he left the Commodores) and Kool & The Gang (when J.T. Taylor joined the band.). Fire away.

[Taverner]

1. Steve Winwood

From Traffic and Blind Faith to that Adult Contemporary crap!

[playahata1]

5. I kinda like "Higher Love," though.

Still, almost everything he did after "The Low Spark of High Heel Boys" IS crap.

[Taverner]

8. What about Traffic's "Where the Eagle Flies"?

That album was simply the best Traffic album, and their last good one

[playahata1]

10. Haven't heard (of) that one, but I'll check it out. Thanks.

n/t

[noahmijo]

2. Metallica and Axel Rose

Dream Theater will NEVER sell out thank God!

[realisticphish]

18. DT selling out

would be like Mozart selling out...

Mike Portnoy is god!

:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[noahmijo]

22. Portnoy!!

I love every last one of those guys always have always will...but of course everyone REALLY loves "Mad Mike"

[realisticphish]

27. i have several videos of his solos

its just sick

:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[Melodybe]

34. Metallica, hands down

[slutticus]

36. DT rocks!!!

I'm listening to Erotomania right now as a matter of fact!!!!

[Barad Simith]

3. Rolling Stones

post-Emotional Rescue (1980)

[playahata1]

6. Kinda beg to differ with "Tattoo You" and "Steel Wheels."

n/t

[AntiCoup2K4]

17. Voodoo Lounge was one of the best stones albums overall.

Not as good as Exile or Some Girls, but definitely far better than Steel Wheels. That one had some great songs but got kinda flat in the middle. Probably because they had to rush it out and get back on the road (after the band being in limbo the previous 3 1/2 years.)

As for Tattoo You, it was a great record, but hard to rank it among the best, since it wasn't a real album.

For those unaware of the record's history, Tattoo You was actually a compilation of songs leftover from the Stones 70's albums, some going back as far as 1972. Mick Taylor, needless to say, was surprised to find himself playing on the "new album" of a band he had left 6 years earlier. Most of the songs were instrumentally finished, but Mick had never finished the lyrics or recorded a proper vocal - or wasn't happy with the one he did record. Actually, I prefer the original recording of "Tops" where Mick spends half the song in his ridiculously high falsetto (same one used in Emotional Rescue) and then suddenly transforms into Barry White or something singing every man you ever known told you the same goddamn thing and you believed it every time....

Despite the album's dubious origins, they managed to build a huge tour around it in 81. And have a huge hit with "Start Me Up" besides. (Which started out as a reggae song in the Black n Blue sessions)

[playahata1]

21. That '81 tour, I believe, was the first concert tour that was underwritten

via corporate sponsorship. (Jovan Musk Oil)

[AntiCoup2K4]

24. Yep. It was the first "corporate" tour.

Wonder if Mick and Keith would have reconsidered if they could have seen the future? (i.e. Clear Channel)

[jeff30997]

4. Metallicrap.

:puke:

[RandomKoolzip]

7. Rod Stewart.

THE sell out to end all sell outs.

His early solo work and Faces material is STILL astounding, soulful stuff. Then he "went disco," "went for the market," abandoned his working-class roots, stopped rocking, dated famous models, acted like a right prat on the telly, etc.

Rod: you'll always just be the lead singer of the Faces to me. Sorry.


Oh, and let me add The Lemonheads in here too; more accurately, just Evan Dando. Early Lemonheads: two songwriters, good stuff.

[playahata1]

9. I know that Rod has cancer,

and I wish him strength as a fellow patient. Still, I cannot think of Rod Stewart without thinking about "The Rumor."

[RandomKoolzip]

11. Oh....THAT rumor.

I was confused for about ten seconds. Ahhhhh.


Well, "the rumor" was probably started by some of his betrayed working-class ex-fans.

Rod, circa 1971-73, is STILL one of the greatest performers/singers to ever grace the rock and roll stage. Never has one artist fallen so procipitously in quality while ascending so high in material wealth and fame.

[playahata1]

14. That damned concert footage of "Do You Think I'm Sexy?" irritates me

so much I have to laugh. Jumping up and down onstage in that tight-ass Spandex....

[RandomKoolzip]

19. Yeah, that was truly his "shark-jumping" moment.

I was three when that song came out and I LOOOOVED it back then. I hate it now: just goes to show you that his target audience at that point had the mentality of a slightly gifted three year old.

Go back and check out what the Faces were doing back then; they were the only band that really gave the Stones something to worry about. Fantastic group, and nearly forgotten and underrated because of Rod's long shadow. More than just Rod's back up band...Ronnie Lane and Ron Wood both made songwriting contributions that held their own.

[playahata1]

25. Which is why the Stones "stole" Woody.

The rest is history.

[playahata1]

30. Now that I think about it, "The Rumor" was the fans' way of calling Rod

a you-know-what. ("You-know-what" cannot be said on DU.) :evilgrin:

[AntiCoup2K4]

23. If you still like the Faces (and don't mind paying Rod some cash)

There's a new Faces box set out now - features a lot of unreleased stuff.

And I agree - Rod Stewart without Ronnie Wood has proven pretty much useless.

[RandomKoolzip]

26. Yeah, I'm psyched.

I've got a little extra money and I GOTTA get tickets to the last Guided by Voices shows in Chicago (New Years Eve!!!!!!) and the new Faces box set.


Man, nobody ever believes me when I tell them I'm a HUGE Faces/early Rod fan, me being a big weirdo punk and all......They were SoooooOOOOoo underrated.

[LTR]

12. The Who

Went back out on the road immediately after their original bass player died of an OD.

Broke up and got back together many, many times.

Play concerts with enormous backing bands and female backup singers. They used to be great, now they suck.

[Webster Green]

13. Used to be great is right....

I loved the early Who. Saw many awesome live shows. I burned out after 'Who's Next', and now I get to see their great old classics on fucking Hummer commercials.

Jeez!

[EstimatedProphet]

15. Loverboy

Well up there for Worst. Band. Ever.

[playahata1]

16. I was about to say, when did THEY have anything resembling

artistic integrity?

[EstimatedProphet]

20. Well, actually, good point there

To sell out you have to have something to sell out...

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

28. Fleetwood Mac?

Maybe it's unfair of me to feel that way because Fleetwood Mac at its origins slowly morphed into something completely different including different personnel. But I remember living in Europe in 1968 and watching the original Fleetwood Mac live on French television broadcast from England before they even recorded their first tune, when they had just formed their group. It was a great power trio of Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie. I know they were officially called something like "Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac" but everyone called them just Fleetwood Mac. They were very loud, playing stacks of 100 Watt Orange (brand) amplifiers and very bluesy, with hard driving slide guitar. I really thought they would go more in the direction of hardcore blues and rock. There were lots of English groups in the same genre at the time, like the Taste and BachHandel. But Fleetwood Mac to me had a very distinctive loud, throbbing delta blues/rock sound that I thought would take them very far. The Fleetwood Mac that later emerged was just an easy listening pop group to me, one that I really don't care for. Sorry if you don't share my taste but I was disappointed with the way the group developed and the direction they took.

[LTR]

29. Phil Collins!!!

There. I said it.

[AntiCoup2K4]

31. Van Hagar

Here's the scenario. Greatest American Rock Band Ever, Van Halen splits up........

Singer from another great, but short-lived band (Montrose) joins up with remaining members. Logically, it should have been a good fit.

Not Van Halen, because that DLR-EVH chemistry wasn't able to be duplicated. But a solid rock band anyway, given the combined histories.

Instead, what do we get?

"How Do I Know Why Can't This be Love Walking In When It Can't Stop Loving You Not Enough Right Now"

Fucking Hallmark card lyrics sung over not a guitar riff, but a cheesy synthesizer. Yeah, that's right. The guy who was a revolutionary guitar hero went out of his way to sound like a Brit popper. And ended up sounding like Journey with a screechier singer

Who turned out to be a Busheep, no less.

Tragic waste of potential.

[CO Liberal]

32. Paul "Moneybags" McCartney

He has half the money on the planet, and he's still touring.

And he hasn't written anything decent since he stopped collarborating with John Lennon.

Exhibit A: "Silly Love Songs".

Exhibit B: "Ebony & Ivory" (duet w/Stevie Wonder)

Exhibit C: "The Girl Is Mine" (duet w/Michael Jackson)

I rest my case.....

[CanuckAmok]

33. Aerosmith....all hatn no cattle.

Also Peter Gabriel...one of the most interesting pop composers in the last 30 years...sold out to video tricks.

[Tom Kitten]

35. you guys have pretty much covered all the bases!

Rolling Stones
the Who
Rod Stewart
Genesis w / Phil Collins &solo
Peter Gabriel
Aerosmith
Paul McCartney
Starship

all former superstars who have sucked for going on eons!

[drumwolf]

37. add another to your list: Eric Clapton

I love the stuff he did with Cream in 1967-68, but he's been a shmalty adult-contemporary hack for some time now.

Personally, I don't think the devolution of artists like Metallica, Rod Stewart and especially the Who or the Stones can be wholly attributed to "selling out." I think that just plain growing old is a factor, too.