Why is Ghost Reveries regarded as a "sellout" by so many?

[The Antihero]

I have been listening to GR the last several days and have developed a new appreciation for it.

Is the whole "sellout" accusation solely because the band became more high-profile all of a sudden?

Because musically, I'm not seeing it. This is the most complex, mysterious, and inaccessible record the band has put out to date, IMO. There's certainly nothing here as remotely poppy as some of the stuff on BWP or Damnation. Hardly a recipe for a "sellout" album.

Anybody got any thoughts?

 

[Holocaust on the Moon]

If Roadrunner wasn't the label, no one would have complained about it.

 

[Uthark]

Eh, I found GR more accessible than any of their other material. I'd never call it a sellout, but that might be one of the reasons... along with Roadrunner of course.

 

[Klämrisk]

It's regarded as a "sell-out" album because of the fact that everyone who calls the album a "sell-out" album are jelaous at Opeth for making such a magnificent record.

 

[BlueSky]

Because they're retarded, and see roadrunner, and call fowl, but don't even realize Koch has just as mainstream bands, but who really gives two shats in the first place, blah blah blah...

 

[osmosis2259]

selling out... They have 4 songs longer than ten minutes... I think its just the whole roadrunner deal.

 

[Luann]

by so many dicks

 

[Tash]

Because they're retarded, and see roadrunner, and call fowl, but don't even realize Koch has just as mainstream bands, but who really gives two shats in the first place, blah blah blah...

Quoted for truth.

 

[Prestige]

grs fucking awesome, i duno where they got this sell out business from.

 

[The Antihero]

selling out... They have 4 songs longer than ten minutes... I think its just the whole roadrunner deal.

Heh, I guess that could be it, although I never realized that merely being on Roadrunner could be viewed as detracting from a band's "tr00" factor.

Actually, I never even realized they changed record labels. I don't pay a lot of attention to that stuff.

 

[Noel]

I have only heard that they sold out on this forum, my friends like that album as much as the others.

 

[BefriendedUnit]

Opeth sold out a long time ago when they signed to bigger labels than Peaceville and Candlelight. And thank god, because if they hadn't I wouldn't be able to buy their music everywhere.

Ghost Reveries was written before Opeth signed to Roadrunner, by the way.

 

[FUBAR]

Opeth fans are so annoying

 

[Commence Destruction]

some people simply listen to music due to appreciation for the art,others listen to it so they can analyze the most irrelevant shit pertaining to it and make a nuisance of themselves,this board is rampant with the latter.

 

[Blackwater Demon]

"selling" out to me, in modern day music is considered a band going mainstream, which Opeth is not. The way I look at is and you can quote me on this, music is music whether it be mainstream or underground if its good its good and thats all that matters.

 

[Vuashke]

the popularity of a band really isnt important, it just so happens that alot of popular music is really really bad. in the same way, lots of unpopular music is really really bad.

 

[the weaver]

I never understood the "sellout" thing either. It goes hand-in-hand with, "oh, if you weren't into [Insert Band Name Here] since their demo years then you're not One Of Us, maaaan." It's ridiculous.

 

[darrkon]

Only the wanna be elitists say Blackwater Park is a sell out album, they just want to feel they have better knowledge of Opeth's music.

 

[HaTeMaN]

they sold out with this album because it says RoadRunner in the cover

FUCK YOU GR IS A MASTERPIECE!

 

[Metamyr]

Selling out doesn't just mean you're becoming more popular or making more money. It doesn't have to do with the record label or anything like that.

To sell out means to compromise your musical production (literally change the way you make your music) for the sole purpose of attracting more fans and making more money. Only a band can really know in their hearts if they've sold out, everything else is just accusations.

Who knows, maybe Metallica still felt extremely confident about their music while they were writing Saint Anger and they were actually producing the music they love...

...but I kind of doubt it.