"Master" came out my junior year in HS and I wore the vinyl (that’s right - vinyl) out on that album. “Justice” came out freshman year in college and “Black Album” came out senior year. After that, they definitely sold out and not just because I am od now. I have seen them at least a dozen times and they have been a great live band. However, here are a few examples of how they sold their souls to the record company.
Here is how they sold out:
Put out terrible box set/video set “Binge & Purge” which costs like $75.00. Beginning re-packaging of old material and re-selling in time for the holidays.
Put out Garage Days Inc. - re-packaging and re-selling continues. By this point, they have gotten fat and lazy and are not touring like once did.
Put out “Load” and “Re-Load” ; two bad studio albums that attempt to characterize the band as “Alternative” in order to sell albums. Band cuts hair, Kirk pierces nose and tongue, old fans interest wanes and younger fans are less interested.
Put out that god-awful “S & M”. Running out of fresh ideas and too rich and fat to put out good new studio material, band re-hashes old material again with symphony in time for holdays. Old fans completely alienated and new fans completely confused.
Lars sues Napster - says that people can’t share their music amongst each other. Totally short-sighted move by a guy who is obviously more concerned with his royalty checks than with developing/fostering a loyal fanbase that freely trades material amongst themselves.
Conclusion: SELL-OUTS!!!
At this point, i am sure Metallica still has issues with their label - probably owes them a couple more albums under current contract - so don’t be surprised if a few more lame albums come out. Also, this isn’t about whether their new stuff is better than their old stuff, it is about their
so-called integrity in respect to what they expect their audience to buy and pay for. It takes a very special type of band that grows and matures over time and doesn’t get fat, rich and lazy. Metallica used to have an “us versus the world” mentality. Remember “Metal Up Your Ass”? Too bad all they care about now is their own portfolios - which due to the market decreases - will need bolstering with a little “Greatest Hits” package just in time for X-Mas.
If the band had announced they were breaking up after “… And Justice”, and then announced they were reforming a new group with a new name. The slide from rebellious heavy metal dudes to fat cat pop stars alientated their oldest and most dedicated fans. Metallica might have been ready to let go of that heavier style, but their fans weren’t. Personally, I could have cried the first time I saw the photos of them on the cover of “Load”… eyeliner, for crying out loud. They were wearing more makeup than I do, and I’m a girl. They looked like a bunch of pansies, and I was not impressed.
If I recall correctly, the old Metallica were outspoken about bands they considered to have sold out. A friend used to quote them all the time, he claimed they said they’d never release a lame live music video, and yet during the Black days of the self titled album, they released at least one live clip as a music video.
Over the last few years, they’ve shown time and time again that they’re more interested in the money than the music. It’s a shame, because they were excellent, and from time to time they can still come up with a damn good song. I guess they must be happier people, now they’re stinking rich and have stylists, but they sure don’t show it when they appear in public bitching because someone is listening to their music and not paying for it.
If only Metallica had broken up and renamed themselves. It still would have disappointed their fans, but not to this extent.
Am I wrong in thinking they announced they were breaking up around '91 or '92, at one of their Australian shows?
That’s not how I define selling out. There are many popular bands, such as Rage Against the Machine, that haven’t sold out. Its just that Metallica is just so blatantly in it for the money “and nothing else matters.”
Hes a hypocrite. I have no respect for the group, and will never listen to anything they make anymore.
Furthermore, I’ve heard that the fans who joined the official Metallica Fan Club have been completely neglected.
Also, I remeber reading an article (I’ll see if I can find a cite) that they were suing a small Texas furniture store because he used the adjective “metallica” to describe a product. Shows how they feel about free speech, which is ironic considering the amount of garbage they put out.
