# Singers/Bands that constantly change styles **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 13, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508 "2003-04-13T22:16:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/1 "2003-04-13T22:16:56Z")
Which singers or bands are out there that you can think of that constantly change musical styles? I can think of a couple \*\*1) Kenny Loggins. \*\* [ul][li]1970’s in Loggins and Messina - Easy Listning/Country rock/Folk[/li][li]Late 70’s to late 80’s - Rock n roll[/li][li]Late 80’s till Now - New age/Childrens songs[/ul][/li]**2) U2**[ul] [li]Late 70’s to Late 80’s - Punk inspired rock (No, I’m not saying they played punk music, but their rock was inspired to some extend by punk)[/li][li]Late 80’s - Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum - More…shall we say, folksy rock?..[/li][li]90’s - Primarily dance and pop music[/li][li]2000’s - Back to rock again.[/ul][/li]Any others you can think of? ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/2 "2003-04-13T22:21:48Z")
Lou Reed has changed a lot. I’m sure someone else around here can be more precise about how and when. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/3 "2003-04-13T22:25:40Z")
Madonna, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/4 "2003-04-13T22:33:29Z")
Neil Young: folk, rock, electronic, early grunge, rockabilly, blues, etc. Jefferson Airplane: psychadelic rock Jefferson Starship: slick 70s pop Starship: Inexcusable crap ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/5 "2003-04-13T22:37:04Z")
Ah, I’ve just thought up one. Dax Riggs. In the early '90s, Dax was the singer for New Orleans sludgecore/acid metal band Acid Bath. They quickly gained a cult following, and produced two CDs, \*When the Kite String Pops \* (1994) and _Paegan Terrorism Tactics_ (1996). In 1997 their bassist was killed in a tragic accident by a drunk driver, and the band split. In 2000 Riggs and former Acid Bath guitarist Mike Sanchez formed Agents of Oblivion, a more mellow sounding version of Acid Bath, basically. They were also more psychadelic. They produced a self titled album that year and then split. Now Dax is the singer for another New Orleans band- Deadboy and the Elephantmen, which was formed in 2002. They are very mellow, slightly psychadelic, and almost mesmerizing at times, a far cry from the harsh torrents of guitar and staccato drumming that stylized Acid Bath. ---
**Author:** ![Auntie\_Social](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@Auntie\_Social](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntie_Social)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/6 "2003-04-13T23:46:28Z")
Beck – alternates between pop-culture-pastiches and folksy acoustic stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/7 "2003-04-14T00:20:13Z")
**No Doubt** popped into my head the second I saw this thread title. ---
**Author:** ![noddygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/47e85d/32.png) [@noddygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noddygrrl)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/8 "2003-04-14T00:47:00Z")
Ween, Momus, David Bowie, REM, and U2 come immediately to mind as artists that consciously have tried on a lot of different styles. I don’t know if I would include in this category bands that simply “evolved,” or matured, or what have you. A lot of artists which started out as punk or garage rock ended up developing a completely different kind of sound–the Replacements, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Nick Cave, Bjork…the list is endless. I suppose Fatboy Slim deserves a mention as well, although I greatly preferred his older, less annoying incarnation. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/9 "2003-04-14T01:40:58Z")
No one’s mentioned Bob Dylan yet? From pure folk, to electric folk, to country, to gospel, and all sorts of styles in between. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/10 "2003-04-14T02:04:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Blue Sky \* > \*\*Neil Young: folk, rock, electronic, early grunge, rockabilly, blues, etc. > Jefferson Airplane: psychadelic rock > Jefferson Starship: slick 70s pop > Starship: Inexcusable crap \*\* :eek:Hey, I liked “Sarah”, “We Built This City”, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”, and I’m sure there’s one or two others out there too. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/11 "2003-04-14T02:06:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Daoloth \* > \*\*Lou Reed has changed a lot. I’m sure someone else around here can be more precise about how and when. \*\* He’s allways been kind of…I’ll say underground…hasn’t he? Anyway, I guess I wouldn’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/12 "2003-04-14T02:07:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RikWriter \* > \*\*Madonna, obviously. \*\* Hasn’t she allways been dance/pop? ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/13 "2003-04-14T02:10:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Auntie Social \* > \*\*Beck – alternates between pop-culture-pastiches and folksy acoustic stuff. \*\* I’ve only heard what songs he’s put out on the radio, and the style seems pretty consistant. But then again, if I bought his albums, I might think differently. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/14 "2003-04-14T02:12:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Troy McClure SF \* > \*\ ***No Doubt** popped into my head the second I saw this thread title. \*\* That’s a good one. Let’s see, they started out ska, then went more standard pop, and now, they want to be a little more rock, right? Or something like that? ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/15 "2003-04-14T02:17:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by noddygrrl \* > \*\*Ween, Momus, David Bowie, REM, and U2 come immediately to mind as artists that consciously have tried on a lot of different styles. I don’t know if I would include in this category bands that simply “evolved,” or matured, or what have you. A lot of artists which started out as punk or garage rock ended up developing a completely different kind of sound–the Replacements, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Nick Cave, Bjork…the list is endless. > > I suppose Fatboy Slim deserves a mention as well, although I greatly preferred his older, less annoying incarnation. \*\* I’m only familiar with three Fatboy Slim songs, “Praise you”, “Weapon of choice”, and “Rockafeller Skank” I know that Weapon of Choice is only a year or two old, but anyway, I can’t think of any other songs. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/16 "2003-04-14T02:19:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RealityChuck \* > \*\*No one’s mentioned Bob Dylan yet? From pure folk, to electric folk, to country, to gospel, and all sorts of styles in between. \*\* That’s another good one too. ---
**Author:** ![lightingtool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/57b2e6/32.png) [@lightingtool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lightingtool)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/17 "2003-04-14T03:24:11Z")
I see Ween has already been mentioned, so I’ll toss in The Flaming Lips. I can’t beleive this hasn’t come up yet, but **Tom Waits** is a perfect example, IMO. -tool ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/18 "2003-04-14T04:01:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Joel \* > \*\*I’m only familiar with three Fatboy Slim songs, “Praise you”, “Weapon of choice”, and “Rockafeller Skank” > I know that Weapon of Choice is only a year or two old, but anyway, I can’t think of any other songs. \*\* Might be referring to his time with the Housemartins. ---
**Author:** ![Banger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@Banger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banger)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/19 "2003-04-14T04:55:51Z")
Spinal Tap 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508/20 "2003-04-14T05:01:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Auntie Social \* > \*\*Beck – alternates between pop-culture-pastiches and folksy acoustic stuff. \*\* Yeah … as he observed in an interview, after he puts out an album in one style, then tours behind it for a few months, he’s kind of tired of it, so he switches. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-bands-that-constantly-change-styles/168508.md?page=2)