"Classic" songs by great bands/artists that are actually crappy sell-out?
#1
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"Classic" songs by great bands/artists that are actually crappy sell-out?
A little bit of music snob whining ahead, I apologize in advance.
There are lots of bands that make shallow music designed to sell a lot of record. If you expect it from them, it's not that bad.
What's painful is when a great band waters down their strengths in a naked attempt to sell some records. I don't really mind it if the song works (The Stones going disco to great effect with the "Some Girls" album, the Dead's classic "Touch of Grey"). What is annoying is when the song is way below the standards of the band. Even worse is when the sellout song becomes one of the more famous songs by this artist...
Here's a few examples:
Bob Marley: "We're Jammin". Ugh. Whenever I hear "I hope you like jammin' too!", it just stings. It's hard enough hearing one of the greatest artists of the past fifty years, a man with deep spiritual conviction and political vision, make a cheap bid for American R+B radio play. The fact that this piece of crap went on to be his biggest hit is just awful.
The Who: "Magic Bus". The Who were lots of things, but they certainly weren't hippies. Here's one of the most explosive, fuck-it-all bands of all time recording a pat, tuneless, folksy "Summer of Love" jam session. And they did it when they were at their tense, wound-up best as a band. It's the low point of their career. Of course, it went on to sell millions and become a 15-minute concert staple.
The Clash: "Should I Stay or Should I Go". Not really a deliberate sell-out. I'll bet they threw this on Combat Rock as filler. Joe Strummer even admitted that it's "something we used to play just to warm up". So now, a band that made many of the best, wide-ranging and charged punk albums of all time is mostly remembered for an incredibly stupid frat-boy sing along. You could argue that it was knowingly dumb, but that doesn't make matters any better.
Any others?
There are lots of bands that make shallow music designed to sell a lot of record. If you expect it from them, it's not that bad.
What's painful is when a great band waters down their strengths in a naked attempt to sell some records. I don't really mind it if the song works (The Stones going disco to great effect with the "Some Girls" album, the Dead's classic "Touch of Grey"). What is annoying is when the song is way below the standards of the band. Even worse is when the sellout song becomes one of the more famous songs by this artist...
Here's a few examples:
Bob Marley: "We're Jammin". Ugh. Whenever I hear "I hope you like jammin' too!", it just stings. It's hard enough hearing one of the greatest artists of the past fifty years, a man with deep spiritual conviction and political vision, make a cheap bid for American R+B radio play. The fact that this piece of crap went on to be his biggest hit is just awful.
The Who: "Magic Bus". The Who were lots of things, but they certainly weren't hippies. Here's one of the most explosive, fuck-it-all bands of all time recording a pat, tuneless, folksy "Summer of Love" jam session. And they did it when they were at their tense, wound-up best as a band. It's the low point of their career. Of course, it went on to sell millions and become a 15-minute concert staple.
The Clash: "Should I Stay or Should I Go". Not really a deliberate sell-out. I'll bet they threw this on Combat Rock as filler. Joe Strummer even admitted that it's "something we used to play just to warm up". So now, a band that made many of the best, wide-ranging and charged punk albums of all time is mostly remembered for an incredibly stupid frat-boy sing along. You could argue that it was knowingly dumb, but that doesn't make matters any better.
Any others?
#2
Moderator
I think "Magic Bus" worked well live, and Townshend's original demo was pretty awesome. It's probably the lamest single The Who released prior to "Squeeze Box".
It always bothered me when U2 ripped off the "Madchester" sound on Achtung Baby, particularly with "Mysterious Ways".
It always bothered me when U2 ripped off the "Madchester" sound on Achtung Baby, particularly with "Mysterious Ways".
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Hiro, I actually LOVE those Marley and Clash tunes (and yeah, I'm a fan of their earlier work). The Who song doesn't seem like a sellout to me even though it doesn't blow me away.
It's funnier to me to see a band like Jefferson Airplane or Heart make the hideous transformation top to bottom. Not saying they are up there with The Who, but wow did they stink it up in the 80's.
How about Eric Carmen? The Raspberries were pretty damn great, but his solo work scraped the bottom of the barrel as the years went on.
And I heard Dire Straits "Money For Nothing" the other day on the radio and never really realized how bloody awful that song is in almost every respect (from a pretty good album).
It's funnier to me to see a band like Jefferson Airplane or Heart make the hideous transformation top to bottom. Not saying they are up there with The Who, but wow did they stink it up in the 80's.
How about Eric Carmen? The Raspberries were pretty damn great, but his solo work scraped the bottom of the barrel as the years went on.
And I heard Dire Straits "Money For Nothing" the other day on the radio and never really realized how bloody awful that song is in almost every respect (from a pretty good album).
#6
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Originally Posted by GuessWho
Rod Stewart & Kiss cashed in on the disco fad (Do You Think I'm Sexy; I Was Made For Loving You)
#12
Moderator
Originally Posted by mphtrilogy
The Stones and Start Me Up never worked for me.
#13
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Originally Posted by wendersfan
That song was recorded around 1975 or so. They just took years to finally release it.
But did that Ed Sullivan thing with "let's spend the night..." to "let's spend some time..." time bother anyone when compared to The Doors letting it rip?
From Wikipedia:
Bob Dylan was slated to make his first nationwide television appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on May 12, 1963, and intended to perform "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues," a song he wrote lampooning the John Birch Society and the red-hunting paranoia associated with it. During the afternoon rehearsal that day, CBS officials told Dylan they had deemed the song unacceptable for broadcast and wanted him to substitute another. "No; this is what I want to do," Dylan responded. "If I can't play my song, I'd rather not appear on the show." He then left the studio, walking out on the stint.
On September 17, 1967 The Doors appeared on the show. The show's network censors demanded the group to change its lyrics for their hit song Light My Fire, altering the line "Girl, we couldn't get much higher" because of what the censors said was a reference to drugs. Jim Morrison, the band's lead singer, agreed but changed his mind after a quick band meeting and sang the original line instead with no notice to the show's producers. Morrison insisted that it was an accident, and that he meant to change the lyric but was so nervous about performing on live television that he forgot to change it when he was singing. Sullivan was reportedly so furious that he refused to shake their hands. They were never invited back.
In contrast, the Rolling Stones were instructed to change the title of their "Let's Spend the Night Together" single for the band's January 15, 1967 appearance. The band complied, with Mick Jagger ostentatiously rolling his eyes heavenward whenever he reached the song's one-night-only, clean refrain, "Let's spend some time together.". Jerry Lee Lewis in 1969.
I love the Stones music generally speaking, but that never sat right with me...
#14
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Mick Jagger has never been, nor will ever be, a sell-out. One must have principles beyond wanting to be rich and famous in order to sell out.
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David Bowie - I'm a huge fan of his, but I can live without ever hearing Fame, Let's Dance, Golden Years or anything off Ziggy again. Not that they aren't all great songs and Ziggy's a great album, but I'm so burnt out on all of it that there's no excitement when I hear them now, just boredom
KISS - I hate Rock And Roll All Nite, and I love a lot of their stuff
KISS - I hate Rock And Roll All Nite, and I love a lot of their stuff
#17
DVD Talk Special Edition
Originally Posted by Hiro11
The Who: "Magic Bus". The Who were lots of things, but they certainly weren't hippies. Here's one of the most explosive, fuck-it-all bands of all time recording a pat, tuneless, folksy "Summer of Love" jam session. And they did it when they were at their tense, wound-up best as a band. It's the low point of their career. Of course, it went on to sell millions and become a 15-minute concert staple.
As for the Stones, I humbly submit "Emotional Rescue". Thank you.
#18
Eh, sounds like Hiro's having a bad day. I like all 3 songs he mentioned. Each one is a good time. I don't listen to the radio much, but when I do, I am most grateful for anything halfway decent. That's a rare thing. To be fair, I've never spent time with singing frat boys. I imagine they could ruin anything.
If you want a horrible Who hit, let's jump to "Who Are You." It's one of those songs you hear so much for your whole life that you almost don't realize how bad it is. & if you want to talk sell-out, how about turning 3 of your best known songs into television theme songs so that now no one wants to ever hear them again? Or Bob Dylan releasing what may be his most boring sounding album ever & it selling like mad because he made an ipod commercial. Or Tom Waits complaining for years about other artists allowing their songs in commercials & then re-recording a song he had already written & recorded for ANOTHER movie to be used in Shrek 2! SHREK 2!!! Oh geez, now I'm having a bad day...
This is reminding me of high school. People would find out that I liked Pink Floyd & would inevitably come up to me all excited, breathing heavy through their mouth, crazed look in their eye, & ask, "do you know The Wall!?" Frustrating, sure, (doubly so because The Wall was probably the only Floyd album I didn't like at the time) but you can't blame the artists for things like that.
If you want a horrible Who hit, let's jump to "Who Are You." It's one of those songs you hear so much for your whole life that you almost don't realize how bad it is. & if you want to talk sell-out, how about turning 3 of your best known songs into television theme songs so that now no one wants to ever hear them again? Or Bob Dylan releasing what may be his most boring sounding album ever & it selling like mad because he made an ipod commercial. Or Tom Waits complaining for years about other artists allowing their songs in commercials & then re-recording a song he had already written & recorded for ANOTHER movie to be used in Shrek 2! SHREK 2!!! Oh geez, now I'm having a bad day...
This is reminding me of high school. People would find out that I liked Pink Floyd & would inevitably come up to me all excited, breathing heavy through their mouth, crazed look in their eye, & ask, "do you know The Wall!?" Frustrating, sure, (doubly so because The Wall was probably the only Floyd album I didn't like at the time) but you can't blame the artists for things like that.
#19
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Thread Starter
Originally Posted by Lokimok
Eh, sounds like Hiro's having a bad day.
If you want a horrible Who hit, let's jump to "Who Are You."
Oh geez, now I'm having a bad day...
/rubs hands gleefully.
#20
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Originally Posted by nothingfails
David Bowie - I'm a huge fan of his, but I can live without ever hearing Fame, Let's Dance, Golden Years or anything off Ziggy again. Not that they aren't all great songs and Ziggy's a great album, but I'm so burnt out on all of it that there's no excitement when I hear them now, just boredom
KISS - I hate Rock And Roll All Nite, and I love a lot of their stuff
KISS - I hate Rock And Roll All Nite, and I love a lot of their stuff
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Metallica - Black Album and St. Anger.............
They were first metal and sold out to make the black album, then made st. anger to capitalize on the rap metal scene.
Pretty much the entire black album is a "classic song"
They were first metal and sold out to make the black album, then made st. anger to capitalize on the rap metal scene.
Pretty much the entire black album is a "classic song"
#22
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Originally Posted by Hiro11
.
The Clash: "Should I Stay or Should I Go". Not really a deliberate sell-out. I'll bet they threw this on Combat Rock as filler. Joe Strummer even admitted that it's "something we used to play just to warm up". So now, a band that made many of the best, wide-ranging and charged punk albums of all time is mostly remembered for an incredibly stupid frat-boy sing along. You could argue that it was knowingly dumb, but that doesn't make matters any better.
The Clash: "Should I Stay or Should I Go". Not really a deliberate sell-out. I'll bet they threw this on Combat Rock as filler. Joe Strummer even admitted that it's "something we used to play just to warm up". So now, a band that made many of the best, wide-ranging and charged punk albums of all time is mostly remembered for an incredibly stupid frat-boy sing along. You could argue that it was knowingly dumb, but that doesn't make matters any better.
Agree 100% with this one. I love The Clash, but never cared for this, which is what I feel to be a mediocre at best Clash song, definitely sounds like filler. Too bad I tend to hear it on the radio more than any of their other songs.
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Originally Posted by GuessWho
What does a song being overplayed and now boring have to do with it being a sell-out?
If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say it. No reason to be a freaking douchebag
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A thread of this ilk is going to create an element of controversy. However, calling someone a douchebag and suggesting that they have an "attitude" because they challenge your preconceptions will not endear you to any moderator or many other Music Talkers. Please restrain yourself before I am forced to take on that job. Thank you in advance for your understanding and co-operation. [Benedict]
Last edited by benedict; 05-22-07 at 12:08 PM.
#25
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Berlin's "Take My Breath Away"- couldn't believe it was the same group that gave us "Sex (I'm A.....)"
Also The B-52s "Love Shack"- definitely didn't deserve to be their most well-known song. I thought "Human" by Human League was a complete sell-out the first moment I heard it, but thankfully that one's been largely forgotten by now.
Also The B-52s "Love Shack"- definitely didn't deserve to be their most well-known song. I thought "Human" by Human League was a complete sell-out the first moment I heard it, but thankfully that one's been largely forgotten by now.