The Beatles, who not only changed through a multitude of styles, but changed the world while doing it.
I think R.E.M. is a great example. Just look at their last few albums. Out of Time/Automatic For The People are kinda slow, mellow, orchestral albums. Then they made a hard (often unappreciated) turn to rock, with Monster* and New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Then they went kinda artificial/electronic with Up and Reveal. I can’t wait to hear what their new album sounds like.
How about the Beatles? Look at what they did once they quit touring and ignored the standards of music for their time. Listen to, say, Please Please Me or A Hard Day’s Night and then listen to Revolver. Wow.
*I swear, I see this album in used record stores in stacks. I’m guessing people either bought it expecting another OOT or AFTP, or expected another Nevermind or something.
And I shan’t forget the illustrious Frank Zappa, for whom it was often de rigueur to change styles several times per song.
Sorry, never heard of them.
Yeah, I remember reading a review for Monster when it came out, and it got a pretty bad one. From what I remember, I think that people felt, or at least the critics felt, that it didn’t live up to their previous work.
Of course, I didn’t really know because, at the time, I had only just started hearing about them. Somewhere around 1990, give or take a year, is when I first heard of them. Even if I knew any of their songs before then, I didn’t know who did them.
Come to think of it, there were a few established artists that I didn’t know about till long after they’ve been around. In 1988 I saw a Glenn Frey video for “True Love”. Yes, I knew who the Eagles were, and yes, I know I’ve heard Glenn Frey songs before, but, for some reason, I’d neer heard the name before then, so when I saw the video, I thought that he was a new artist.:rolleyes: Same with Don Hennly when I saw the “End of the Innocence” video, thought he was new too :smack:
Yeah, I remember reading a review for Monster when it came out, and it got a pretty bad one. From what I remember, I think that people felt, or at least the critics felt, that it didn’t live up to their previous work.
Of course, I didn’t really know because, at the time, I had only just started hearing about them. Somewhere around 1990, give or take a year, is when I first heard of them. Even if I knew any of their songs before then, I didn’t know who did them.
Come to think of it, there were a few established artists that I didn’t know about till long after they’ve been around. In 1988 I saw a Glenn Frey video for “True Love”. Yes, I knew who the Eagles were, and yes, I know I’ve heard Glenn Frey songs before, but, for some reason, I’d never heard the name before then, so when I saw the video, I thought that he was a new artist.:rolleyes: Same with Don Henley when I saw the “End of the Innocence” video, thought he was new too :smack:
Gary Moore has changed a lot. He started out doing rock type stuff in the late 60s to early 70s, changed over to doing Jazz Fusion in the mid 70s, to a harder rock in the late 70s thru the 80s, blues in the early 90s, then did some experimental stuff that’s kind of rock but I couldn’t tell what to classify it as then back to the blues.
Golden Earring started as a 60s pop group in the early 60s, started to do progressive stuff in the late 60s and early 70s, in the late 70s and early 80s they were doing the new wave type stuff. The early 90s they started doing just straight rock, then did some unplugged albums and then went back to a harder rock.
Paul Simon; pretty much every album of his tries on a dramatically different style, and each of them are different than the folk/folk rock of Simon and Garfunkel.
Wow, my example cant compare to all these :mad:
Catherine Wheel seems to have changed their style. Their mid 90s stuff was a straight grunge ripoff. Their “Sparks are gonna fly” is a “Rage Rock” ripoff. So, looking at it, it seems like they were just doing what was “in” at the time. Ironically, they did it better than most of the performers doing it “For real”.
Whaaa?
No one’s mentioned Radiohead yet?
The went from Alternative Rock in ‘The Bends’ to Mostly electronica in ‘Kid A’.
‘Ok Computer’ was a sort of bridge between the two albums, but its still an insanely huge shift in style.
[quote]
originally posted by ElwoodCuse
I think R.E.M. is a great example. Just look at their last few albums. Out of Time/Automatic For The People are kinda slow, mellow, orchestral albums. Then they made a hard (often unappreciated) turn to rock, with Monster* and New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Then they went kinda artificial/electronic with Up and Reveal. I can’t wait to hear what their new album sounds like./quote]
New song The Final Straw (listen to it at http://www.remhq.com) sounds rather folky old school R.E.M. - think Fables of the Reconstruction era. It’s alright, but I’m always wary when bands return to an old style. It usually signals that they’re out of ideas and are looking for something a bit more comfortable to head them into retirement. 
Wasn’t Mercury Rev an electronica/dance band until they mutated into their present style?
Well, I can think of several bands who made one HUGE transformation in styles.
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The Moody Blues started out as a pop/soul band, playing songs like “Go Now,” which couldn’t be much farther from the orchestral sound they later embraced.
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Exile started out as a disco band, playing hits like “Kiss You All Over,” but evolved into a popular Country and Western band.
But the band that’s made the most drastic changes in style (mainly because they chanegd their lineup as often as they changed their socks) was King Crimson. Their original lineup played mellotron-heavy gloomy songs in the style of the moody blues. Their second lineup played more sax-dominated jazz. Their sound later evolved into a style that mixed heavy metal and Bela Bartok-inspired violin. After a lengthy breakup, they returned playing a style influenced by the Talking Heads, with an unmistakeable African sound.
Which world was that exactly? The one where Beatles fans continuously overstate the significance of the Beatles, perhaps? Sadly, it is the world we share even today. :eek:
I thought of Blur when I saw the thread title. They change styles so often, even on just one album, that it literally makes me feel woozy and I can’t listen to them anymore.
Also, reading some of the other entries, like Bob Dylan or R.E.M., isn’t there a difference between trying lots of different styles and simply evolving slowly? If there is a linear progression from one album to the next, can it really be said that the artist is trying completely new styles?
Smashing Pumpkins went from hard rock to a more electronic rock. Compare “Zero” to “Adore” and “Eye.” They went back to their original style with “Everlasting Gaze” but by then the band was ready to break up.
Rush has also changed its style significantly (I’m surprised Rush hasn’t been mentioned yet). Their early 70s works such as “Working Man” and “Fly By Night” sound different than what they put out in the 80s when Geddie Lee started playing synthesizers (still very good, of course). My interest began to wane after Power Windows was released. I don’t really know what to call everything released after that, but it doesn’t compare to everything they put out beforehand.
Foreigner is another big example. Anyone who had never heard any material from this band before would likely not recognize “I Wanna Know What Love Is” and “Waiting for a Girl Like You” as coming from the same group that brought us “Double Vision”, “Hot Blooded” and “Jukebox Hero.”
Chicago went from “jazz rock”, which I have always thought to be quite innovative and distinctive of the band’s earlier works, to a sort of an Air-Supplyish style (for lack of a better term), even while Peter Cetera was still in the band.
How about Ryan Adams? Listen to ‘Gold’ and here him cover Rock, Blues, Folk, and Pop all on the same album…
**gex gex:**As far as Mercury Rev, there early stuff was, I guess you would say, ‘noise rock’. Loud, obnoxious guitars with nursery rhyme lyrics, and inexplicably, a flute…
BTW the new KC album is AWESOME!, you can easily tell that they have been touring with a rock band (Tool), if you get a chance to check out “the power to believe”.
unclviny
Ween
Bowie
Mercury Rev
Flaming Lips
The Beastie Boys
Early to mid 80’s : Hardcore Punk Rock
1986 - Liscensed to Ill: Hip hop
1989 - Paul’s Boutique: Hip hop (sidenote: almost everything on this album was sampled)
1992 - Check Your Head: Rock and funky, 70’s-esque jams, some rap (sidenote: almost nothing on this album was sampled)
1994 - Ill Communication - A mix of punk rock, rap, instrumental jams and songs inspired by the Bodhicaryavatara
1998 - Hello Nasty - Primarily rap, but quite a few rock songs and instrumental jams
The significance of The Beatles cannot be overstated.
Well, I should have specified that I ment bands that change styles 3 times or more.
I guess Rush would qualify. 1970’s hard rock/heavy metal, early to mid 1980’s more mellow, kind of new wave, late 80’s to now, started rocking out again.