# Favorite band changes sound:do you dump them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 13, 2013, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207 "2013-05-13T03:06:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/41 "2013-05-13T20:22:53Z")
> [@WreckingCrew](#): > > I have been conflicted in recent years as a couple of bands I really love, the Stooges and the New York Dolls, have resurrected themselves after about 35 years of non-existence. Members of both groups have gone on to other things, several have died. On the one hand, I give them credit for writing and recording new stuff, not just trying to wring a few dollars from their old stuff. On the other hand, for the most part I hate their new stuff. > > Years ago, I would have felt betrayed by these guys stomping on my musical memories. Today, I just acknowledge that they are professional musicians working for a living. But I feel no obligation to either like or consume their current product. It’s painful to hear new Dolls and Stooges albums. I think they are the exact opposite of the original post. They are so deeply stagnated there is little value. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/42 "2013-05-13T21:12:39Z")
I’m a Todd Rundgren fan, and the man changes his style on every album. The most recent, _[State](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_%28Todd_Rundgren_album%29)_, is Electronica. The one before that was an album of Robert Johnson covers. The [one before that](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arena_%28Todd_Rundgren_album%29) was Arena Rock. Over the past twenty years, he’s done and toured [an acapella album](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Cappella_%28Todd_Rundgren_album%29), [a couple](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_World_Order) that featured [him rapping](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Individualist), and a collection of his old songs[recorded in Bossa Nova style](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/With_a_Twist...). Todd fans have to be nimble. In the midst of these, he toured big productions of several of his older albums, produced a number of other people’s album and did orchestral shows. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/43 "2013-05-13T21:15:45Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > It’s painful to hear new Dolls and Stooges albums. I think they are the exact opposite of the original post. They are so deeply stagnated there is little value. Haven’t heard the Stooges newest album, but I was one of two people who liked “The Weirdness”. As far as the Dolls, isn’t David Johansen the only original member left? Anything that deviates from the classic sound might as well be a solo album. ---
**Author:** ![HookerChemical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@HookerChemical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HookerChemical)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/44 "2013-05-13T22:24:36Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > I’ve got an example of a band I’ve stuck with: Marillion. They’ve been going strong for more than 30 years now, and I’ve been a fan since 1985’s _Misplaced Childhood_. Their sound has evolved over the years, and while they have had a couple of albums on the weak side (_Holidays in Eden, Somewhere Else_), overall they have remained solid. They change with the times, but do their own thing. They’re still one of my favorites after all these years, when I’ve given up on other bands I listened to as a kid. Another Marillion fan checking in. I liked the Fish/H transition. I liked the transition to their current sound, though that’s been gradual. Likewise, I’ve stuck with Jethro Tull through numerous transitions, though many of those transitions came before I was even born. They’ve been a blues band (This Was), a progressive rock band (Aqualung-Too Old to Rock and Roll), folk, '80s electronic (I could skip this era), classic hard rock, and world/folk. Since Metallca’s been mentioned, I’ll toss my two cents in there. I’m with them from Ride the Lightning through S&M. I think people overlook the transition from Kill 'Em All to And Justice for All. There’s a pretty steady transition from thrash metal with Hetfield’s vocals closer to barking than anything resembling singing to more carefully composed songs like One with Hetfield trying to carry a melody. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/45 "2013-05-13T22:41:34Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > Haven’t heard the Stooges newest album, but I was one of two people who liked “The Weirdness”. As far as the Dolls, isn’t David Johansen the only original member left? Anything that deviates from the classic sound might as well be a solo album. Actually Sylvain Sylvain is still with the group and he was integral to the early years. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/46 "2013-05-13T22:41:56Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I wasn’t ready to let Tarja go yet either, as Once was a masterpiece. But I did like the band with Annette and I think they were more commercially successful than they otherwise would have been if they’d kept Tarja. Annette’s gone too now though, so who knows what’s going to happen. Probably Floor Jansen, since she can pull off both what Tarja and Annette did. Oh, sure. I waded through the drama at the time, and it’s quite clear to me that giving Tarja the boot was the right thing to do. It’s what \*Paramore \*shoulda done, too, when faced with very similar issues. But… yeah 😕 Didn’t even know Annette was out. That didn’t last long, what happened ? ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/47 "2013-05-13T23:55:53Z")
Many examples I agree with. Loved early 90s Radiohead - _The Bends_, IMO, is a flawless album. I saw them touring with R.E.M. in '95 and in '97 for _OK Computer_ - a little artsy, but still a damn good album. Then _Kid A_… I haven’t listened to them seriously since then. They occasionally put out a single I like, like “There There,” but I haven’t wanted to listen to their new stuff. Thanks to their “change of musical direction” Coldplay was foisted upon us. (Actually, I’ve grown to respect them, but they’re still fun to make fun of.) R.E.M. - absolutely is in this category. I got into them around the _Document_ era, discovered their back catalogue, and basically that was the soundtrack to my college years (along with The Smiths). _Green, Out of Time, Automatic for the People…_ all masterpieces. I even liked _Monster_ and _New Adventures in Hi-Fi_. Then Bill Berry left, and they never recovered. I am a diehard R.E.M. fan and I have not listened to any of the post-Berry albums all the way through. I only own _Up_ and _Reveal_, I think. Turns out Berry was the firewall against the rest of the band’s indulgences. He wrote “Everybody Hurts” which is damn near everybody’s favorite song from the band. I like some stuff from pretty much all eras of Genesis post Gabriel. The really commercial stuff hasn’t held up as well, but I appreciate them now in a way I didn’t when they were popular. New Order is a band I’ve enjoyed morph from Joy Division to John Hughes soundtrack darlings to MDMA fueled dance mavens. I’ll be seeing the latest iteration of the band this summer. The Clash were awesome in all their forms, from punk to rockabilly to dub to R&B. Only misstep was _Cut The Crap_, and actually, there are some pretty good songs on that album. The Police were great from post punk to _Synchronicity_. The contributions from Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland diminished toward the end, and Summers parodied any recognition he’d ever acquired as a songwriter with “Mother.” ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/48 "2013-05-14T00:37:00Z")
Well, Rush has been discussed here a number of times, so I’ll add my thoughts. I got into Rush fairly early in their discography. _Hemispheres_ was my first album, and I immediately bought their earlier stuff and loved it. When new albums came out, I’d buy them as soon as I could. The somewhere around _Grace Under Pressure_ I lost touch with my inner Rushness. Fast forward a few years to _Snakes and Arrows_ which someone gave me as a gift. Okay, I’m back on board. Loved it! Then I went back and bought some of the discs I had skipped. For the most part I liked those too. I went to see them live a few weeks ago. Good show, they are still excellent musicians and put on a good performance. I liked it, but there was lots of grumbling from fans around me. Rush played a few of their old hits from the 80s and 90s, but mostly they played newer stuff, including at least 8 songs from their current release. Turns out, all those old farts around me just wanted to hear the old hits, not the new stuff. Maybe bands HAVE to grow musically to stay fresh. Rush has been recording for 40 years! I guess the fans don’t have to grow, and many choose not to. ---
**Author:** ![WreckingCrew](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wreckingcrew/32/4080_2.png) [@WreckingCrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WreckingCrew)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/49 "2013-05-14T02:09:44Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > Haven’t heard the Stooges newest album, but I was one of two people who liked “The Weirdness”. As far as the Dolls, isn’t David Johansen the only original member left? Anything that deviates from the classic sound might as well be a solo album. > [@tomcar](#): > > Actually Sylvain Sylvain is still with the group and he was integral to the early years. And to be fair, those two are the only living members of the original band. Part of what cheeses me off in that case is that Sylvain did play on a couple of Johansen’s solo albums, and if the latest were billed as Johansen solo albums, I wouldn’t mind. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/50 "2013-05-14T02:55:35Z")
> [@WreckingCrew](#): > > And to be fair, those two are the only living members of the original band. Part of what cheeses me off in that case is that Sylvain did play on a couple of Johansen’s solo albums, and if the latest were billed as Johansen solo albums, I wouldn’t mind. Yeah, I agree. Which brings up the question, when is the band not the band? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/51 "2013-05-14T04:18:52Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Oh, sure. I waded through the drama at the time, and it’s quite clear to me that giving Tarja the boot was the right thing to do. It’s what \*Paramore \*shoulda done, too, when faced with very similar issues. > But… yeah 😕 > > Didn’t even know Annette was out. That didn’t last long, what happened ? They were doing 18-month long world tours and it was just too much for her. She had one baby while with Nightwish, which necessitated a hiatus for the band, then quit entirely when she got pregnant again. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/52 "2013-05-14T14:35:12Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > Well, Rush has been discussed here a number of times, so I’ll add my thoughts. I got into Rush fairly early in their discography. _Hemispheres_ was my first album, and I immediately bought their earlier stuff and loved it. When new albums came out, I’d buy them as soon as I could. The somewhere around _Grace Under Pressure_ I lost touch with my inner Rushness. > > Fast forward a few years to _Snakes and Arrows_ which someone gave me as a gift. Okay, I’m back on board. Loved it! Then I went back and bought some of the discs I had skipped. For the most part I liked those too. > > I went to see them live a few weeks ago. Good show, they are still excellent musicians and put on a good performance. I liked it, but there was lots of grumbling from fans around me. Rush played a few of their old hits from the 80s and 90s, but mostly they played newer stuff, including at least 8 songs from their current release. Turns out, all those old farts around me just wanted to hear the old hits, not the new stuff. > > Maybe bands HAVE to grow musically to stay fresh. Rush has been recording for 40 years! I guess the fans don’t have to grow, and many choose not to. It’s interesting to note that Rush have actually changed their sound numerous times over their career. According to all the interviews I’ve seen, they were were always listening to what other artists were doing and were always intersted in incorporating new sounds, techniques, and technology to their music. The Zeppelin-esque debut is quite different from the _Fly by Night/Caress of Steel/2112_ period, _Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres_ were more progressive rock and showpieces of their technical ability. Reggae, Ska, and New Wave were a huge influence on _Permanent Waves/Moving Pictures/Signals_ I think most fans agree that the synth-rock era and subdued guitar is their least favorite. All this talk about Rush has intrigued me. It’s interesting that people discovered them at different times and then went through their back catalog. I’ve also seen alot of new fans at their shows. [Poll here!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=690918) ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/53 "2013-05-14T15:29:33Z")
It depends on how the sound changes. There was no bigger fan of Jefferson Airplane than me, but once Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen took a hike, and it morphed into Jefferson Starship, I dumped them like yesterday’s paper. On the other hand, when Bernie Leadon quit the Eagles and Joe Walsh came on as his replacement, I LIKED the harder edge of “Hotel California.” ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/54 "2013-05-14T17:13:40Z")
That has to be the most jarring change of all time, from Jefferson Airplane to Starship. What’s funny is that the 80s AOR sound actually fit Grace Slick’s voice pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/55 "2013-05-14T17:18:01Z")
> [@Labdad](#): > > On the other hand, when Bernie Leadon quit the Eagles and Joe Walsh came on as his replacement, I LIKED the harder edge of “Hotel California.” I thought about mentioning this change but came to the same conclusion. I think by that time they’d milked to country-rock sound dry and needed to progress. Apparently, Bernie Leadon disagreed. Kiss’ sound changed dramatically when the released the disco-influenced albums _Dynasty_ and _Unmasked_ which lost me. They tried a concept album \*The Elder \*then Peter Criss left, followed by Ace Frehley sometime before/during/after \*Creatures of the Night. \*This basically ended their classic sound and led to removing the make-up and the 80’s era of Desmond Child bad hair band songs. Alice Cooper has experimented with many sound changes as well. I followed the band and his solo career up until the New Wave album \*Flush the Fashion \*but lost interest until his comeback with _Constrictor_but lost interest again. I’ve seen him on almost every tour since but I’m guilty of being in the “New Song? Time to go on a bathroom/beer run” club. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/56 "2013-05-14T17:20:35Z")
Like i said, almost everyone sold out during the 80s. There’s never been anything quite like it since. If Willie Nelson put out an album about rockin’ that booty with dub step beats, that would come close to what about 50 respected groups did to make money in the 80s. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/57 "2013-05-14T17:35:07Z")
When a band does something like this I try to stick with it long enough to figure out what they’re doing. That can be a fun challenge. But whether I keep listening beyond that point just comes down to whether or not I like the new stuff. I’m still a Radiohead fan. Some of the newer stuff leaves me cold, but when it works I still think it’s very good. I thought _In Rainbows_ merged the older and newer aspects of their sound very well. I sort of got into R.E.M. backward, but the way things developed, I have everything (I think) up through _Monster_ and nothing afterward. I’ve heard some of the stuff from after that point and it doesn’t hold my interest. ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/58 "2013-05-14T17:57:10Z")
I like artists like Neil young, bowie and wilco because they aren’t afraid to experiment with their sound. That’s much more interesting than artists that never throw a curveball. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/59 "2013-05-14T18:35:22Z")
> [@diggerwam](#): > > I like artists like Neil young, bowie and wilco because they aren’t afraid to experiment with their sound. That’s much more interesting than artists that never throw a curveball. I tend to agree with you except those artists are kinda known for deliberately doing whatever they want regardless of what their record companies or fans think. I’d also include the Kinks at the top of that list. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207/60 "2013-05-14T18:46:39Z")
My favorite band’s Pink Floyd, but when Panic! at the Disco changed their sound to be more beatlesque, they still sounded good just based on the singing and guitarist. Then when the guitarist left they went back to their original sound but minus the great guitar work. They’re still good just based on the singing and sound, but I liked it when they had the raw rock energy plus the great guitar licks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-band-changes-sound-do-you-dump-them/658207.md?page=4)