| Author |
 Topic Search  Topic Options
|
The Whistler 
Prog Reviewer
Joined: August 30 2006
Location: LA, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 7113
|
 Topic: Did Pink Floyd...SELL OUT?!?
Posted: January 26 2007 at 03:17 |
Okay, as stuffy, pretentious progsters, we tend to view "classic" bands in three lights: those who sold out, those who didn't sell out but kept going regardless of public opinion, and those who sort of fell apart.
As we all know, Yes Genesis and ELP sold out, Crimso and Tull kept going pointlessly, and Family died somewhere in the background. V Der G either sold out, died, or kept going, depending on who you ask.
HOWEVER, regardless of what comments I may or may not get, that's not why I'm here. Pink Floyd was a band that I would have said didn't sell out; they closed out the seventies with a double disc rock opera.
However, I got to thinking...Floyd never really sold out in that they started playing less complex and/or atmospheric music, but after Gilmour got a hold of the band, all they did was release superfluous live albums (Pulse) or studio albums that were carbon copies of older, better moods (Division Bell). Cool covers though.
Does that qualify on selling out? I recall how the allmusic guide said that everytime the Floyd changed ownership, it went on to bigger commercial success.
|
|
"There seem to be quite a large percentage of young American boys out there tonight. A long way from home, eh? Well so are we... Gotta stick together." -I. Anderson
|
 |
Atavachron
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: September 30 2006
Location: Pearland
Status: Offline
Points: 65993
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 03:31 |
|
Floyd sold out in the best way, allowing themselvs to mature as pop stylists with each new member and change. Relative to the predominant pop music of the 80s, Gilmour's "Pink Floyd" was a pleasant if cold reminder of better days.
|
|
Wilcey
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member
Joined: August 11 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 2696
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 03:33 |
I don't like the term "Sold out" ...... it tends to be used for merely bands that have become succesful and that success is resented in some way.
OK, Genesis went on to play more 'pop' orientated stuff, but "Selling out" is used in most places as a derogatory term, and really is just used to put down what we have spent ages building up. Why do folk big up the little man and go to herculean effort to put him down once he has got to the top?
Yes, the music changes, does that mean they have sold out, or merely evolved? (Is "selling out" just a term for a band who have evolved in a way we don't like?) If you spent a year or two spilling your guts into a musical project do you think that you would feel good having it described as "selling out" ? Feelings, you know those human feelings don't alter as you get more cash in the bank, you are just as insecure about baring your soul on vinyl (or whatever they make cd's out of)
Or would we prefer our musicians not to evolve, not to try new stuff, not to mature, not to have their own personal preferences?
|
|
The Whistler
Prog Reviewer
Joined: August 30 2006
Location: LA, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 7113
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 03:34 |
|
Yeah, put a positive spin on it why don'tcha...
|
|
"There seem to be quite a large percentage of young American boys out there tonight. A long way from home, eh? Well so are we... Gotta stick together." -I. Anderson
|
|
The Whistler
Prog Reviewer
Joined: August 30 2006
Location: LA, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 7113
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 03:35 |
|
Right...so you like pudding I'm assuming? And I'm assuming I should quote these before I comment on 'em?
|
|
"There seem to be quite a large percentage of young American boys out there tonight. A long way from home, eh? Well so are we... Gotta stick together." -I. Anderson
|
|
Wilcey
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member
Joined: August 11 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 2696
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 03:38 |
Yup, choccie pud with raspberry sauce and custard 
|
|
The Whistler
Prog Reviewer
Joined: August 30 2006
Location: LA, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 7113
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 03:40 |
Agreed. Maybe without the raspberry though...
|
|
"There seem to be quite a large percentage of young American boys out there tonight. A long way from home, eh? Well so are we... Gotta stick together." -I. Anderson
|
|
Atavachron
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: September 30 2006
Location: Pearland
Status: Offline
Points: 65993
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 03:41 |
|
Mmmm...pudding
|
|
Alibongo
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 10 2007
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 103
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 04:18 |
Gilmour's takeover, and i'll tell you for why.When they were a four-piece, releasing the some of the best albums ever, Obscured by Clouds, Meddle, Saucerful of Secrets, and Dark Side, the Floyd could never be the same again. Everyone says Waters took over and ruined Floyd, but it was only when Gilmour took over did the Floyd "fall apart"
|
|
|
|
ryba
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 20 2006
Location: Slovakia
Status: Offline
Points: 117
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 04:20 |
|
every one does when he/she want to live off music. the point is that the music must be true.
|
|
Masque
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 01 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 808
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 05:00 |
Pink Floyd sold out but in their case it worked so thats OK ! One of the greatest sell out bands in the history of prog  BTW I love pudding but when I was a Kid my mother use to put money in the Christmas pudding this was great till I chipped a tooth 
Edited by Masque - January 26 2007 at 05:02
|
|
Guests
Forum Guest Group
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 05:37 |
|
That was the feeling I immediately felt upon hearing "Dark Side Of The Moon". They had gone from an underground psychedelic rock band with plenty of interest and variety to what? Sure, it sounded far more polished and with a wonderful production, especially for the time. However, it sounded far too conventional. Apart from some interesting sound effects and stereo phasing it was just too bland and formulaic. I was only too aware that the emphasis had changed and no longer would we hear the music of old but, for me, the band were providing music for a mass audience. I felt alienated from the band I'd spent some of my most formative years growing up with.
Of course, over the years I have grown to love "Dark Side.." but I still feel that's when they sold their souls to Old Nick. Mind you, who can blame them - rather like Genesis who also did the same when they became a commercial rather than a prog band. They have both done rather well financially from the deal.
|
|
salmacis
Forum Senior Member
Content Addition
Joined: April 10 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 3928
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 05:46 |
|
I think Floyd NEVER have sold out artistically, really. The music got a bit more direct, I guess, and the spacey jams of their late 60s and early 70s period (which I love) were toned down into a more soluble and conventionally melodic whole, but lyrically I think they got more complex than ever, digging into some really challenging themes. I think Floyd are the epitome of the 'direct' approach that worked wonderfully.
But Genesis are the opposite, imho. Floyd had never done sappy AOR ballads like 'In Too Deep' or 'Invisible Touch' or 'Anything She Does'- Genesis got simpler musically and lyrically in a way few other prog acts did. Fans of the later material always say 'they got more direct' etc. but I think they just sounded like most any other adult contemporary act on some of their worst stuff from Invisible Touch, especially, imho.
|
|
micky
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: October 02 2005
Location: .
Status: Offline
Points: 46843
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 06:20 |
|
of course they sold out... let's not be naive here. The
reemergence of Floyd in the late 80's was nothing more than a game of
one-upsmanship with Roger Waters and to satisyfy the Floydian love of
money... hahhahah. Not to mention the albums were stale and a
pale imitation of past glories. Sounds like a textbook 'sell out'
if I've ever heard one hahahhaha.
|
|
The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip
|
|
akin
Forum Senior Member
Joined: February 06 2004
Location: Brazil
Status: Offline
Points: 976
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 06:20 |
|
For me their late works with Waters are a sell out. Their comeback is
kinda sell out too, though their music is good all the time.
|
|
Masque
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 01 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 808
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 07:05 |
I`m listening to "Amused to Death" as I type this and I`m not much of a
floyd fan but I have to say that this Roger Waters CD is excellent hasn`t got anything to do with this poll but I just wanted to express my joy ! 
|
|
Norbert
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 20 2005
Location: Hungary
Status: Offline
Points: 2506
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 07:06 |
|
Artistically they never sold out.
|
|
jonali
Forum Newbie
Joined: October 10 2005
Location: Norway
Status: Offline
Points: 34
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 08:02 |
Actually, they "sold out" a bit already with the release of Arnold Layne and See Emily Play - catchy, disciplined tunes which were a far cry from the terrifying intrumental freakouts they were known for in the London Underground.
Then they "sold out" a bit with the release of DSOTM, which is more commercial and song-orientated than the more abstract and spacey stuff they had done from ASOS to Meddle.
And then again, they "sold out" a bit with the release of prog rock's answer to Hits for Kids: The Wall ("We don't need no edu-kay-shun"!) is far more commercial than its two progressive predecessors.
With respect to the last two efforts with Gilmour, I wouldn't say that they have sold out more than Waters - in fact both camps have since the 80's seemed happy to just recirculate their old formulaes from the 70's (that sometimes work perfectly fine). Gilmour worked very hard (with a little help from his friends) to make AMLOR sound more Floydian and mystical, and thus less blatantly commercial. The problem with latter day Floyd (and related) efforts is not that they contain commercial tunes per se - even Ummagumma contains the radiofriendly Grantchester Meadows - but that they do not contain any more experimental stuff. And live, they haven't done much improvisation since the magic pre-Dark Side days.
|
|
Dieu
Forum Senior Member
Joined: August 26 2005
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 112
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 08:05 |
|
"it has also remained the longest standing album on the US Billboard Top 200 chart in history (at over 741 weeks on the chart)."
- Wikipedia, about Dark Side Of The Moon.
Guess you could call it a sell out...
Edited by Dieu - January 26 2007 at 08:06
|
|
Only sick music makes money today.
- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900)
|
|
Guests
Forum Guest Group
|
Posted: January 26 2007 at 08:14 |
 jonali wrote:
Actually, they "sold out" a bit already with the release of Arnold Layne and See Emily Play - catchy, disciplined tunes which were a far cry from the terrifying intrumental freakouts they were known for in the London Underground.
Then they "sold out" a bit with the release of DSOTM, which is more commercial and song-orientated than the more abstract and spacey stuff they had done from ASOS to Meddle.
And then again, they "sold out" a bit with the release of prog rock's answer to Hits for Kids: The Wall ("We don't need no edu-kay-shun"!) is far more commercial than its two progressive predecessors.
With respect to the last two efforts with Gilmour, I wouldn't say that they have sold out more than Waters - in fact both camps have since the 80's seemed happy to just recirculate their old formulaes from the 70's (that sometimes work perfectly fine). Gilmour worked very hard (with a little help from his friends) to make AMLOR sound more Floydian and mystical, and thus less blatantly commercial. The problem with latter day Floyd (and related) efforts is not that they contain commercial tunes per se - even Ummagumma contains the radiofriendly Grantchester Meadows - but that they do not contain any more experimental stuff. And live, they haven't done much improvisation since the magic pre-Dark Side days.
|
I'd go along with all that.
|
|
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.
/PAlogo_v2.gif "Progarchives.com Homepage")
Did Pink Floyd...SELL OUT?!?
