# Musicians/groups that underwent huge transformations **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 5, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244 "2005-01-05T18:44:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![nitroglycerine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nitroglycerine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nitroglycerine)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/61 "2005-01-07T02:29:02Z")
> [@vl\_mungo](#): > > **Stiff Little Fingers** went from angry to sad (aka brilliant to gawdawful). In fact a lot of bands that started the 80’s well (especially UK ones), seemed to turn into steaming piles of smarmy smegma as the decade progressed… **Undertones** , **Stranglers** and **English Beat** , I’m looking at you. Awwww…'Cmon Stiff Little Fingers were always pretty good…have you heard any of their newer stuff? Pretty good IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/62 "2005-01-07T02:41:34Z")
**Elvis Costello** went from sharp, snappy, and intelligent to Burt Bacharach. ---
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/63 "2005-01-07T02:43:08Z")
**Stevie Wonder** went from young Motown R&B hitmaker, through funk, harmonica driven music, into what I guess could be considered adult-contemporary. As he aged he began to write more and more of his own songs (he started his pro career at 12 so you can’t really blame him for not writing his own songs in the beginning) and also he put more and more depth and social commentary into him as he grew up. **Wilco** has gone from country to smart pop to experimental pop to Niel Young-esque roots rock. ---
**Author:** ![Alma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alma)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/64 "2005-01-07T03:54:39Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > **Elvis Costello** went from sharp, snappy, and intelligent to Burt Bacharach. Have you heard his latest? It’s quite good. (Great username, btw). ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/65 "2005-01-07T05:19:00Z")
**Brian Setzer** started out as a Stray Cat, and wound up a big band leader. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/66 "2005-01-07T05:39:57Z")
[QUOTE=iggy popov] > [@An Arky](#): > > The Velvets went from avant-garde rock&roll then made a stab at pop music with Loaded. Their third album was also sort of a change before Loaded. Lou Reed also reinvented himself a few times during his solo career. ---
**Author:** ![Skott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Skott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skott)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/67 "2005-01-07T07:25:35Z")
Didn’t **The Who** , like Journey, start out completely different, then got a new front man and ended up as the band we know today? ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/68 "2005-01-07T16:54:27Z")
**Pearl Jam** has certainly come a long way from the balls to the wall grunge rock of _Ten_. I’m not really even sure _what_ to call them now. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/69 "2005-01-07T16:55:48Z")
Oops, forgot to mention **Jewel** her new album is horrendous, Britney Spears/Destiny’s Child type stuff. Did she lose her guitar in a bet? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/70 "2005-01-07T17:36:10Z")
> [@Captain Crunchy Crunch](#): > > :eek: > > Wow, really? > > _Kiss You All Over_ is probably my favorite '70s Pop song. It’s right up there with **Gerry Rafferty’s** _Baker Street_, and **Seals & Crofts** _Summer Breeze_. 😉 A wee bit of trivia that most people don’t know as the songs are so different, but several years before Rafferty had his hit with _Baker Street_, he was the lead singer of Stealers Wheel, which had a hit with _Stuck In The Middle With You_. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/71 "2005-01-09T06:37:34Z")
The other day a friend and I were in a restaurant. “I Wanna Know What Love Is” by **Foreigner** was playing on the piped-in music. I had a hard time convincing my friend that the song was really by Foreigner. Had I not already known myself, I would have had a hard time believing someone who told me this. When you compare their latter love-ballad dreck to their harder-rocking hits of the 70s, such as “Hot-Blooded”, “Cold As Ice”, “Jukebox Hero”, etc., the band made a big change. I realize they put out “Waiting for a Girl Like You” during their “rock” era, but this song was still an exception to their style at the time. Another song that comes to mind is “Second Chance” by **.38 Special** , which is now a staple on the (yawn) adult comtemporary station. This sounds nothing like “Rockin’ Through the Night” and other songs of their past. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/72 "2005-01-09T06:43:52Z")
**Pulp** started out life as an unsuccessful folky-pop band in the 1980s. In the 1990s and several lineup changes later, they became a sex-obsessed, synth-drenched, highly successful dance-pop band. ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/73 "2005-01-09T22:52:59Z")
> [@nitroglycerine](#): > > Awwww…'Cmon Stiff Little Fingers were always pretty good…have you heard any of their newer stuff? Pretty good IMHO. I haven’t heard the new new stuff (I’ll give it a listen)… but ya gotta agree that it’s a pretty sharp downhill slope from _Suspect Device_ and _Alternative Ulster_ to _Price of Admission_ and _That’s When You Blood Bumps_. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/74 "2005-01-09T23:03:25Z")
> [@paulberserker](#): > > And nobody’s mentioned **Radiohead** yet? The difference between _Pablo Honey_/_The Bends_ and the albums from _Kid A_ onwards is immense. Jangly indie pop nobodies to whatever you’d call their sound these days, thats a big difference. > > **Roxy Music** sounded a hell of a lot different at the end of their album making days. > > **Primal Scream** have gone through at least 4 different musical styles with different albums - compare _Screamadelica_ to _Rocks_ etc. > > **Doves** used to be a pop dance band called **Sub Sub** before they changed tack completely to the sound they have now. You missed the biggest transformation of recent British music - **The Verve**. They started as a cult psychadelic band and ended up releasing _Urban Hymns_. ---
**Author:** ![Lathe\_of\_Heaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Lathe\_of\_Heaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lathe_of_Heaven)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/75 "2005-01-09T23:10:52Z")
The British Columbia band Spirit Of The West went, from one album to the next, from a folky Celtic sound to some kind of pop/rock sound. Confused the heck out of their fans. One of them later joined a Vancouver Celtic-rock band, The Paperboys, which subsequently mutated into a country band. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/76 "2005-01-10T00:36:42Z")
Kim Mitchell did an amazing metamorphosis, from crazy, wild front man and killer guitarist with **Max Webster** , which continued for several solo albums and won him several Juno Awards, to a singer of nondescript ballads, completely devoid of life. Of course, getting fucked around by The Men In Suits and losing your recording contract on two different labels because of corporate indifference, and being in his fifties may have had something to do with his mellowing. ---
**Author:** ![Othersider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@Othersider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Othersider)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/77 "2005-01-10T00:43:54Z")
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the Rolling Stones or Aerosmith yet. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/78 "2005-01-10T01:05:16Z")
Hey, he’s back! And so soon! **Ian Thomas** , another Canadian artist, started in the late '60s as a folkie playing coffee houses in Toronto, then founded a group called Tranquility Base, which was the resident rock group with a big orchestra in either Hamilton or Toronto, I forget which. Then he went solo and made a long string of excellent pop records, each more sophisticated than the last, as far as instrumentation, execution, arrangement and production go. He reached a pinnacle of perfection in 1979. Soon afterward, he dumped his wonderful group of local musicians and went with crack US session players and different producers and acquired that totally plastic synth-rock production sheen that was so wrong with so many '80s records. Last I heard, he had a group called The Boomers, but I’ve never heard anything by them, and I don’t know if they’re still together. I really hope Ian has a job. He’s a legend in Canada, but his best material was recorded for GRT, which went tits up. Then it went to Anthem, which never put out his whole catalogue, just a greatest hits and several new works. Now, I think that even Anthem has gone tits up. The guy should never have to be broke, he’s so good at what he does… but he overdid what he does there for quite awhile. ---
**Author:** ![nitroglycerine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nitroglycerine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nitroglycerine)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/79 "2005-01-10T01:05:59Z")
> [@vl\_mungo](#): > > I haven’t heard the new new stuff (I’ll give it a listen)… but ya gotta agree that it’s a pretty sharp downhill slope from _Suspect Device_ and _Alternative Ulster_ to _Price of Admission_ and _That’s When You Blood Bumps_. You’ll really like the newest one _Guitar and Drum_ It’s easily their best one since (my favorite) _Go For It_ Still, ya gotta admit. They’ve managed to put out more quality music than most other punk bands that have been around as long as them like The Addicts or UK Subs. Although, I saw the Subs a few years ago and they put on a hell of a show. Charlie Harper and Nicky Garret are like 80 and they fucking rocked! ---
**Author:** ![nitroglycerine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nitroglycerine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nitroglycerine)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244/80 "2005-01-10T01:17:23Z")
It’s not a band Transformation, but Dave King went from belting out hair metal anthems in the early 80s in Fastway, to the Irish folk punk stylings of Flogging Molly. It surprised the heck out of me when I discovered they were the same guy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musicians-groups-that-underwent-huge-transformations/283244.md?page=5)