Great 'Artistic/Sellout' Albums

[Southy]

The whole Metallica sellout/not sellout-bullshit boo-hoo argument about the long road home back to an almost pure metal album has got me to thinking of other great periods in other bands history's, when they made great albums people at the time shit on because they were/are wankers, or just didn't expect the music the band released and reacted in a fairly stupid way at time of said band's album release (I will right now admit to being one of said wankers at one time or another)

Some albums I can think of that I loved at release and still love are

Entombed - Same Different
Machine Head - The Burning Red
.......Sorry got inturrupteed here and lost my train of thought completly

So what do you much more educated lot think, shot some album that you have looked back on then and now and now think are good, or think are still fucking shit

Oh and at the time of Load I wasn't really a fan but it only took a year or two before I actually loved it, I rate it and RE higher than Black, I triewd to listen to blackj the other day and can onlty still really enjoy the few songs AFTER Nothing else makes me vomit...

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Is hard to classify albums in such a way, but I guess we can give it a shot.

Brucey's Skunkworks comes to mind, as he was obviously influenced by the grunge of the time, and it is a strong album.

I think Megadeth's Cryptic Writings is kind of a similar thing to Load, but people didn't notice as much as it was a gradual change from Countdown to Youthanasia to CW (and then even further with Risk). CW is a great album.

This is kinda different, but I think Cradle of Filth have also gradually watered down their sound with successful results. Nymphetamine is one amazing album and is much more listenable than anything before it. Thornography is almost a straight up heavy metal album in comparison to their earlier stuff, and it is also great. Can't wait for their new one.

Another one that is kinda different is Samael, who didn't so much sell out or anything, they just drastically changed their style and became more accessible, and I really like their newer sound.

Perhaps Anthrax's Volume 8?

 

[Blitzkrieg]

...and are you serious about not liking the end of the black album!? Of Wolf and Man? The God That Failed? STRUGGLE WITHIN!?

 

[Goreripper]

"My Friend of Misery" always kills it for me. Something about that song I could just not like.

Definitely Volume 8: The Threat is Real. Also, 34.788%... Complete by My Dying Bride is considered to be the sell-out album from them.

 

[Southy]

Nah I only Like the album AFTER nothing else...I have never really been a fan of what is before that song, and that song is sooo watered down I hate it, yet I love Low Man's Lyric, go figure

Gorey: Vol8 is probably my fav Anthrax album, but again I am really only a fan of the few JB era albums, they are all ace as fuck, just Vol 8 is my fav for some reason

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Ahh I see. Well thats good, because the solo in The Struggle Within is pretty much the best thing ever.

I like John Bush, but love Joey. This gives me the idea for a new thread...

 

[Stonewall]

I'm not really familiar with the context of the MDB album mentioned, but it is hardly catchy or anything. In what ways was it considered sell-out?

 

[AussieTerry84]

I fucking love Same Different by Entombed, that's the albums that got me into em well first was "Uprising" then we i bought there newest one expecting it to be rock n roll like Uprising n Same DIfferent i was kinda dissappointed cause i knew them as a rock type band but i still like the new one

 

[Goreripper]

I'm not really familiar with the context of the MDB album mentioned, but it is hardly catchy or anything. In what ways was it considered sell-out?

I think the poppy synths and the way Stainthorpe sings instead of moans turned a few people off.

 

[FerretallicA]

Already mentioned ones like Load/Reload, Risk and Skunkworks I like quite a lot and pretty much always have. Perhaps slightly more controversially, I think Helloween's "Pink Bubbles Go Ape" and "Chameleon" are not only good albums but are both FAR better than any of their prior releases. No, seriously. They're still not as good as their later albums but both have some awesome moments.

Two other 'sell-out' albums I absolutely love are Amorphis's "Am Universum" and Opeth's "Damnation", although "Damnation" in particular doesn't really get as much criticism as most other bands would get by doing what they did since most people tend to be divided into fanatics who believe Akerfeldt can not possibly to wrong and staunch haters anyway.

If there's any particular style of 'sell-out' which I can't stand it's in the gothic/chick-fronted/beauty-and-beast/whatever-the-current-buzzword-for-the-genre-is arena. Pretty much all the bands in that style that I've ever REALLY liked (especially Within Temptation's "Mother Earth" and After Forever's first two albums) have released one or two kick-arse albums at the start then systematically dumbed-down and Evanescenscised their sound. Nightwish seem to have forgotten what a riff is as well but that's a rare example of a band in that genre which I originally considered sell-outs (as of "Once") and later appreciated more once I took it on its own merits instead of for its shortcomings in the context of the band's discography overall.

Hopefully we can all at least agree "St Anger" took the cock when it was first released and will forever take the cock in hindsight and retrospect.

 

[FerretallicA]

Add Queensrÿche's "Promised Land" to the list of 'sell-out' albums that I absolutely love.
Their best album by far.

 

[FerretallicA]

Motley Crue's self titled as well. It sits pretty much equal with Saints as my second favourite Crue album behind "New Tattoo".

 

[Spiff]

"Promised Land" wasn't Queensryche's sell-out album - they'd already sold out with "Empire".

Both fantastic albums btw.

 

[Bucko]

The Who: A quick one a Sell out ....

 

[Winmar]

although "Damnation" in particular doesn't really get as much criticism as most other bands would get by doing what they did

I guess Opeth had always done slow songs anyway, and they just decided to do a whole album of them.

Pretty much all the bands in that style that I've ever REALLY liked (especially Within Temptation's "Mother Earth" and After Forever's first two albums) have released one or two kick-arse albums at the start then systematically dumbed-down and Evanescenscised their sound.

+1 It's strange how that happens. I suppose they all end up realising that they're not going to achieve a lot of commercial success with a dude doing growly vocals, so they end up just sticking to the chick vocals and making songs simpler. Mother Earth itself had way too many slow songs for my liking. The album before it was better.

 

[Mean Machine]

Hopefully we can all at least agree "St Anger" took the cock when it was first released and will forever take the cock in hindsight and retrospect.

I actually really enjoy the music on that album for the most part. Chuck in a few solo's and a better recording and it would be fantastic. Gotta say I prefer the tracks played live than that recording though.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Within Temptation are a great example. Enter, their first album, is slow, gothic, and awesome. Mother Earth isn't bad, but The Silent Force, which was certainly heading in more of a commercial direction, is an amazing album. Then they took it too far with the next album, and fucked everything...

I also do have a soft spot for St Anger on some levels. I think that if many of the songs were recorded during the Death Magnetic sessions instead of the St Anger sessions (in other words, with a better producer and the band not being surrounded by yes men, when they were looking to get the most from their songs and not just copy and paste sections with pro tools, and they were keen to add some lead guitar), then they would have turned out fantastically. For example, Dirty Window live with a better sound and full of lead guitar, is awesome.

 

[Southy]

There are a fair few good songs on St Anger, I have always stated that I enjoy that album, yes some songs are overly 'cut & paste' long, and the snare is shit, but it is still a great album, I listen to the DVD version more than the album version because of the better snare and less production

 

[FerretallicA]

Within Temptation are a great example. Enter, their first album, is slow, gothic, and awesome.

This is at Winmar as well: Check out After Forever's "Prison of Desire" and "Decipher" (if you haven't already ). They're a bit proggier (not too much) and vary their pace a bit more but it's still fairly similar to Within Temptation's "The Dance" / "Enter".

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Sounds good, I shall give them a go sometime. Enter is one awesome album.