# What band/artist was the biggest sellout? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 10, 2016, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782 "2016-04-10T08:50:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/121 "2016-04-13T11:57:05Z")
Only my opinion here but I question the OP. \*\*Billy Idol \*\*sold out after **Generation X**? Generation X were never really any more than _Plastic Punks_ from my recollection. Idol himself has said he was always into pop. There is, to me, a pretty seamless development from later **Gen X** stuff like **King Rocker** and **Dancing With Myself** to Idol’s solo career which included a new version of Dancing With Myself. He called himself ‘Idol’ because he wanted to be a pop star. From the beginning… TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/122 "2016-04-13T12:00:53Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > According to some of the comments about Metallica and my experiences in school, the definition is something along the lines of “When a band gains any fans who weren’t farmers in special ed classes in high school”- or insert some other micro-clique. It could be “eww, poor kids started singing along to that one song” or “eww, nerds starting liking them; they aren’t cool” or “some guy who wore pants was humming along to their 3rd single on their 6th album.” I lived in Athens, GA during REM’s heyday and I saw this a lot, especially when “Stand” was released… “Man, REM are such sell outs! I used to like them back in '84, '85 when nobody knew who they were, before they sold out to become part of the establishment!” “Uh, you mean after _Murmur_ was voted 1983’s album of the year by Rolling Stone magazine?” As for myself, I don’t care. This is America baby, let the dollars roll in! ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/123 "2016-04-13T12:53:32Z")
> [@Dahnlor](#): > > In their defense, Yes had actually broken up at that time, and the songs on 90125 were intended to be a new project called “Cinema” that was a collaboration between Chris Squire and Trevor Rabin. However, they kept adding former members of Yes to complete the band, to the point where the record company insisted that they call it Yes. > > So even though they had the same name and most of the same members, it was definitely a different band from the Yes of the '70s. And they were awesome, too, so sod off! Great post **Dahnlor**. Wish I had thought of it :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/124 "2016-04-13T13:38:20Z")
> [@TCMF-2L](#): > > Only my opinion here but I question the OP. \*\*Billy Idol \*\*sold out after **Generation X**? > > Generation X were never really any more than _Plastic Punks_ from my recollection. Idol himself has said he was always into pop. There is, to me, a pretty seamless development from later **Gen X** stuff like **King Rocker** and **Dancing With Myself** to Idol’s solo career which included a new version of Dancing With Myself. > > He called himself ‘Idol’ because he wanted to be a pop star. From the beginning… > > TCMF-2L Agreed on all fronts. **Gothic** - you cite Bowie and his Bowie Bonds. That is NOT selling out - that is making sure YOU get paid. If anyone immersed themselves in different music scenes, gained huge influences in his own writing and sound, but stayed true to his artistic vision, it is David Bowie. He couldn’t be more at the opposite end of the spectrum vs. selling out. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/125 "2016-04-13T13:42:51Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Rush is practically the anti-example of selling out. After their first three albums went nowhere, the record label insisted that they write more radio-friendly pop tunes or else they’d get dumped. Instead, they went the other direction and wrote “2112”, a 20-minute prog rock opera – they figured hey, if they’re gonna go down they’re gonna do it on their own terms. Lucky for them (and the rest of the world, natch) “2112” was a smash success, allowing them to do whatever they felt like doing for the rest of their career (even their synth-drenched 80’s phase was based on Geddy Lee’s unhealthy addiction to keyboards.) Don’t get me wrong, I like Rush, but come on. They’ve spent the better part of their career trying to sound like whatever is popular at the time. In the 80s, they synthed out, which was what a lot of 80s music was about. When the grunge thing hit in the 90s, all of the sudden they dropped the keyboards and went for a heavier sound. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/126 "2016-04-13T13:50:46Z")
So, I’m defining “sellout” as an artist going from a style of music that was, in the context of the times, idiosyncratic or experimental, to a style that was much more in synch with prevailing commercial trends and formulas, implying a decrease in creativity and a surrendering of one’s dedication to their personal muse. However, I’m using the word “implying” because in many cases the artist may in fact be following their muse and may end up making music that is not only successful but still creative. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is Dylan’s going electric in the mid-60s. Legions of fans of the acoustic protest-singing Dylan screamed “sellout”, but the consensus nowadays seems to be that that was a creative peak for him. I felt that way about David Bowie when he abandoned Ziggy Stardust for the Thin White Duke. It took me years to figure out what he was doing. Another example might be Marc Bolan. He put out a string of fey acid-folk albums as Tyrannosaurus Rex before switching to the electric pop of T. Rex… which was, arguably, a huge improvement. One that I’ve never really been able to accept, however, is Johnny Burnette’s transformation from one of the original wild men of rockabilly to the teen idol of “Dreamin’” and “You’re Sixteen”. But hey – he wasn’t making any money the other way. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/127 "2016-04-13T14:01:36Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > One that I’ve never really been able to accept, however, is **Johnny Burnette’s** transformation from one of the original wild men of rockabilly to the teen idol of “Dreamin’” and “You’re Sixteen”. But hey – he wasn’t making any money the other way. Ignorance fought!!! I had NO idea Johnny Burnette sold out and recorded crap like Dreamin’!! Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio are SO, SO badass. The original Train Kept a Rollin’ that led to the Yardbirds and Aerosmith’s versions (and trivia note: the first song that Page, Plant, Jones and Bonzo played together when they were figuring out the New Yardbirds/Led Zeppelin). Between Honey Hush, Train Kept a Rollin’ and a few others, it kills me that he is not held up even as high as Eddie Cochran or Gene Vincent. Youtube for Train - I love how the person who posted this edited visuals from 50’s era dance scenes. [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ufzRV3xspYA](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ufzRV3xspYA) ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/128 "2016-04-13T14:13:47Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio are SO, SO badass. The original Train Kept a Rollin’ […] Badass indeed, but **not** the original. [Tiny Bradshaw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci4EQDD4CqA) ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/129 "2016-04-13T14:31:02Z")
Metallica. A funny one there. I got into them at “And Justice for all”, which I loved, but after hearing the previous albums, became clear as a drop in form compared to those… When the Black album came out, various fans seemed quite happy that they might get more popular, and I liked the album. But never loved it. I can’t say I’ve played a track from it for 20 years, yet might have played more from Load. Load wasn’t a sell out, per se. It was just bad. Reload worse. Never listened to anything after that. However, the music industry stuff makes them a sell out in that sense. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/130 "2016-04-13T15:38:36Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > It’s amusing to hear a band like Kiss accused of selling out. That’s like accusing Ryan Seacrest of selling out. > > If the only point of your band in the first place is to make money and get laid how can you sell out? Yeah, I think it shows how silly and broken the concept of ‘selling out’ is that someone can say that with a straight face. What part of their music did KISS have at the start that they later ditched for commercial success sold out? Everything I’ve read or heard in interviews with them says that they were doing hard rock with a bunch of stage show antics from the get-go hoping to be a commercial success, they didn’t start off with some artistic vision beyond ‘do stuff that gets people in the door for our shows’. If ‘engineering your act to be a commercial success from the get go’ is selling out, then you’re going to have to count highly designed-for-cash bands like the NSync, Backstreet Boys, and the Monkees as ‘selling out’ too, which just seems silly. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/131 "2016-04-13T16:21:14Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Badass indeed, but **not** the original. > > [Tiny Bradshaw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci4EQDD4CqA) Shoot - I actually knew that. It was one of the cuts on that thread where I linked to 50 proto-rock songs. A wonderful version - more r&b, whereas Johnny Burnette’s is the rock-ier template for Yardbirds, Zep and Aerosmith… ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/132 "2016-04-13T17:39:43Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > To be clear, I fucking hate Sting’s solo work, but have to agree with **madsircool** in concept: in his book, Sting discusses smooth jazz as his first love (perhaps not by that name) and how his first successful band played that type of music. I think that his learning reggae chops and putting on a punk-pop vibe for The Police was more selling out on his true music sensibilities. His solo stuff is the music he loves. [http://www.theonion.com/blogpost/you-know-i-used-to-be-kind-of-cool-once-10932](http://www.theonion.com/blogpost/you-know-i-used-to-be-kind-of-cool-once-10932) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/133 "2016-04-13T18:13:44Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > [http://www.theonion.com/blogpost/you-know-i-used-to-be-kind-of-cool-once-10932](http://www.theonion.com/blogpost/you-know-i-used-to-be-kind-of-cool-once-10932) ::snerk:: Thanks. Yeah, I think I enjoy my hate of Sting’s persona too much. But seeing him play the lute just grinds me, and his invocation of Shakespeare sonnets, and just…oh, nevermind. (I have stated many times on this board: the lute can be really cool. It’s him with a lute: such a distilled essence of Sting-y pretentiousness) ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/134 "2016-04-13T19:59:44Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Big question: what’s wrong with changing styles or directions for ANY reason? If nobody was buying Journey’s early progressive rock albums or if fans were tiring of Genesis’ lengthy songs about the Meaning of Life, why SHOULDN’T they have tried going in a more pop oriented direction? Yeah, I disagree with the concept of “selling out” but I understand what people mean when they say it. . . “which artist changed the most when they decided they really wanted to make some money.” I’m going with: Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer, etc. Great but a total pop money-grab. YES - Owner of Lonely Heart, 90125 ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/135 "2016-04-13T22:31:18Z")
Frank Zappa - Don’t get me wrong; I’ve got most of his stuff from jazz, MOI days, 200 Motels, orchestral stuff. Sell-out /= more commercial stuff to fund his musical direction (s). He was honest. And, he never did a Christmas album to my recollection. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/136 "2016-04-13T22:55:25Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > [http://www.theonion.com/blogpost/you-know-i-used-to-be-kind-of-cool-once-10932](http://www.theonion.com/blogpost/you-know-i-used-to-be-kind-of-cool-once-10932) I really wanted to post this, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Radio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58f4c7/32.png) [@Mr\_Radio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Radio)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/137 "2016-04-13T22:58:10Z")
> [@tullsterx](#): > > Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer, etc. Great but a total pop money-grab. Maybe he was tired of seeing Genesis (and especially Phil) making all the money. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/138 "2016-04-13T23:40:27Z")
When the Bee Gees went disco, I regarded it as a huge sell-out. But I’m sure a lot of people think that was their best work. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/139 "2016-04-14T01:59:35Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > When the Bee Gees went disco, I regarded it as a huge sell-out. But I’m sure a lot of people think that was their best work. The Bee Gees went disco? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782/140 "2016-04-14T02:10:14Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > When the Bee Gees went disco, I regarded it as a huge sell-out. But I’m sure a lot of people think that was their best work. Look, I was anti-disco and liked Ted Nugent back in the day, but anyone who doesn’t respect the BeeGee’s Saturday Night Fever songs and stuff like Donna Summer’s I Feel Love simply aren’t listening. Great music. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-band-artist-was-the-biggest-sellout/751782.md?page=8)