When did Rush sell out?

[Relayer2112]

As others have said, they never sold out. Over the years they just delved into styles which I don't think necessarily suited them well. They certainly didn't want to be stuck in the 70's, so things had to change (even if just for their own artistic sanity).

 

Another poll question could be "On what album did Rush start "mailing it in"? ". I would say the answer to that is "Roll the Bones", though there are some albums after that which I don't think are mailed in.

[Syrinx]

Rush is one band that NEVER sold out. They experimented with different styles and trends but I don't think they ever went for commercial success as priority one.

[invisible airwave]

Feedback :)

This was not a sellout, it was a bunch of songs they learned to play and love in their early yearsand they used it to mark their 30 years as a group. It was the first ep/album of theirs that I bought. I happen to love it a lot, Buffalo Springfield, The Who and an homage to Cream..what's wrong with that?

No they never sold out, may have got a bit stale at times (they seemed tired to me on Test for Echo) but even if some of the songs had less than stellar lyrics, the music was good. IMHO

 

True, lots of bands do cover albums and it’s an EP so it’s nothing to get worked up about.

[Relayer2112]

Sell out??? .... No, they never did. Changed their sound, to an large extent yes. For the better, not necessarily always.

It really all depends on individual fans' musical preferences ..... I lean strongly to Prog so naturally i will gravitate towards the earlier stuff.

I mentioned in another post that I struggled with their music for a bunch of years post Signals ... which coincides with the departure of Terry Brown .... significant? ..donno, just sayin'!

As I got older and more mature (although my wife would dispute that!!) I embraced the later stuff, and recognised that Rush had to progress and experiment with their sound to allow their career to flourish.

 

I couldn't agree with this more (including the part about my wife not thinking that I'm more mature now that I'm older).

 

I think they viewed Terry Brown as an unnecessary restraint due to the arguments they had over the making of Signals. They realized that he was never going to be artistically "on board" for their future plans.

 

It doesn't mean they sold out at that time, just that they were more able to explore.

 

I also embraced the keyboard era much later than I would have liked and skipped countless concerts of theirs that (retrospectively) I very much would have liked to see in person.

[Pound of Obscure]

They played what interested them.

Well, except Alex.

[Pound of Obscure]

No sell out. They clearly never quit doing their own thing. Just got lost a bit mid 80s. Took things too far, shall we say.

[Weatherman]

Another poll question could be "On what album did Rush start "mailing it in"? ". I would say the answer to that is "Roll the Bones", though there are some albums after that which I don't think are mailed in.

 

They recovered themselves nicely on Counterparts, which has grown on me recently.

My double penny: They started mailing it in with Test For Echo. There's nothing standing out on that record at all -- whereas every previous record had at least 2-3 standout songs, even RTB.

[New World Kid]

I've always thought the concept of "selling out" was a dumb one created by jaded and resentful fanatics or something.

 

I think Rush were always chasing their ambitions and ideas, trying to fit their massive creativity into new packages.

 

If there's a moment where they attempted to access the mainstream and 'sell out', I'd honestly say that the most noticeable shift was between Hemispheres and Permanent Waves.

 

Oh, but you LIKE those albums, so no one calls them a sell out!

 

And that's kinda my point about the whole concept.

[goose]

Another poll question could be "On what album did Rush start "mailing it in"? ". I would say the answer to that is "Roll the Bones", though there are some albums after that which I don't think are mailed in.

Bones was one of their most successful albums, and THE most successful in terms of the singles charts. Not bad for mailing it in. ;)

 

 

ETA: If any album is mailed in, it's T4E. "It doesn’t really have a defined direction. I kind of felt like we were a bit burnt creatively. It was a creative low time for us."

 

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/rush-test-for-echo/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

Edited July 30, 2020 by goose

[_hi_water._]

Feedback :)

This was not a sellout, it was a bunch of songs they learned to play and love in their early yearsand they used it to mark their 30 years as a group. It was the first ep/album of theirs that I bought. I happen to love it a lot, Buffalo Springfield, The Who and an homage to Cream..what's wrong with that?

No they never sold out, may have got a bit stale at times (they seemed tired to me on Test for Echo) but even if some of the songs had less than stellar lyrics, the music was good. IMHO

 

True, lots of bands do cover albums and it’s an EP so it’s nothing to get worked up about.

^^^^^^^^

[Rhyta]

Feedback :)

This was not a sellout, it was a bunch of songs they learned to play and love in their early yearsand they used it to mark their 30 years as a group. It was the first ep/album of theirs that I bought. I happen to love it a lot, Buffalo Springfield, The Who and an homage to Cream..what's wrong with that?

No they never sold out, may have got a bit stale at times (they seemed tired to me on Test for Echo) but even if some of the songs had less than stellar lyrics, the music was good. IMHO

 

True, lots of bands do cover albums and it’s an EP so it’s nothing to get worked up about.

^^^^^^^^

As I said :finbar: we'll just have to agree to disagree.

[Lorraine]

Rush wasn't a selling-out type of band. In my opinion.

 

They just kept pace with the times. Or tried to. Even their onstage wardrobes reflected that. Except for Neil. Who always following his own pied piper. (I liked his Eddie Haskell look the best. :))

Edited July 30, 2020 by Lorraine

[Entre_Perpetuo]

That time Ray kicked Ged out of the band.

[Texas King]

When did Rush sell out? Never.

 

They never became a commercial band like Metallica or Def Leppard despite changing their sound.

Edited July 30, 2020 by Texas King

[JohnnyBlaze]

I've always thought the concept of "selling out" was a dumb one created by jaded and resentful fanatics or something.

 

I think Rush were always chasing their ambitions and ideas, trying to fit their massive creativity into new packages.

 

If there's a moment where they attempted to access the mainstream and 'sell out', I'd honestly say that the most noticeable shift was between Hemispheres and Permanent Waves.

 

Oh, but you LIKE those albums, so no one calls them a sell out!

 

And that's kinda my point about the whole concept.

 

Agreed.

 

When it comes down to it, I don’t care if a band is universally considered to have sold out. As long as I like it is all that matters. Metallica’s Black album is probably the best example. It’s no Master of Puppets or Ride the Lightning but I still like it. I do dislike every album after it but that’s not due to the “they sold out” thought.

[Fridge]

 

If there's a moment where they attempted to access the mainstream and 'sell out', I'd honestly say that the most noticeable shift was between Hemispheres and Permanent Waves.

 

Oh, but you LIKE those albums, so no one calls them a sell out!

 

And that's kinda my point about the whole concept.

 

That's a very good point actually....I totally agree and couldn't have said it better myself.....

[jacklifeson]

As some others have said...I equate selling out with drastically changing your sound so you can sell more. Rush incorporated sounds of the time, and I think they overdid it with Power Windows and Hold Your Fire, but I wouldnt say they sold out.

 

A recent example of this is Maroon 5. They had a decent (not earth shattering but ok) first album then totally sold out with 15 "producers" and 6 "beat makers" for each song. Its like a local restaurant with decent food suddenly pumping out Big Macs to make more money.

[taurus]

Count me as one of the people who feel they never sold out. But if one takes an extreme position, the moment they released a commercial product would indicate they sold out.

 

Signals is the shining example of Rush not selling out. On the heels of releasing their most successful album MP - they deliberately do not release a Moving Pictures II style album - a sell out? That's the opposite of a sellout

[Chicken hawk]

Im suprised they never sold out. I thought RUSH30 did.

[Weatherman]

As some others have said...I equate selling out with drastically changing your sound so you can sell more. Rush incorporated sounds of the time, and I think they overdid it with Power Windows and Hold Your Fire, but I wouldnt say they sold out.

 

A recent example of this is Maroon 5. They had a decent (not earth shattering but ok) first album then totally sold out with 15 "producers" and 6 "beat makers" for each song. Its like a local restaurant with decent food suddenly pumping out Big Macs to make more money.

 

Another example is found in the world of wine.

Fifteen years ago, Kim Crawford made the world's best sauvignon blanc. It sold for $13. They made about 300,000 cases per year.

Today, that same wine by Kim Crawford isn't even in the top 10. It now sells for $17. They make about 1.3 million cases per year, and have added rose and others.

 

In other words, Kim Crawford sold out. They traded quality for quantity.

It's a choice. They had enough respect. They wanted money.

 

Rush never really did that. They kept respect.

[tangy]

you know, every other record other then caress of steel was an attempt at some level to sell out. LOL. in theory that is why they were in the business. art as expression aside.

 

to me there is a difference between growing and trending upwards and trying to sell out. the boys had had been trending upwards for years and new world man becomes their highest charting single. iirc.

 

what did they do? fire terry brown and bring in producers best known for pop music. then bring in "help" for the keys. and yeah Mtv was king so they had to make cheesy videos. that is when they tried to sell out. imo. and again why not? i would.

Edited July 30, 2020 by tangy

[New_World_Man]

Other as in never. They changed their sound because they wanted to not to deliberatly be more commercial sounding.

[Nova Carmina]

When did Rush first license one of their songs? Has any of their music been used to shill tortilla chips, or soda, or beer, or cars, etc.?

[tangy]

When did Rush first license one of their songs? Has any of their music been used to shill tortilla chips, or soda, or beer, or cars, etc.?

 

 

there a bubble gum deal for permanent waves. they were called chu_bops and i still have the mini record cover. but no gum. chewed that asap most likely

[Nova Carmina]

When did Rush first license one of their songs? Has any of their music been used to shill tortilla chips, or soda, or beer, or cars, etc.?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgol7LvWdEI

 

there a bubble gum deal for permanent waves. they were called chu_bops and i still have the mini record cover. but no gum. chewed that asap most likely

 

Then that would get my vote for the moment. But musically? No, they never sold out.