# What musician (or band) changed styles midstream and lost you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 3, 2011, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913 "2011-12-03T01:47:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/1 "2011-12-03T01:47:54Z")
I don’t mean a new musician or band that you liked the first album or two and then lost interest. I mean an established musician who after years of enjoyment went in a direction you just couldn’t follow? This is not meant to be a thread to attack musicians for changing direction. They’re the artist, and are entitled to create the art they want, and if I don’t like it, oh well–too bad, too sad. Tom Waits. After 12 years and nine albums, Rain Dogs was the last I could tolerate. I’ve found a song or two of his since then that I like, but every time I’ve tried to listen to a full album, I just can’t take it. I loved his bluesy, boozy, lounge singer style, but just can’t take the frenetic and cacophonous style he’s moved into since the mid-80’s. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/2 "2011-12-03T01:50:52Z")
The Doobie Brothers after Michael McDonald took over and caused them to suck out loud. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/3 "2011-12-03T01:56:19Z")
REO Speedwagon were actually quite good until they decidedly turned to pop treacle. ---
**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:** [December 3, 2011, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/4 "2011-12-03T02:06:45Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > The Doobie Brothers after Michael McDonald took over and caused them to suck out loud. Agree with this. Blood Sweat and Tears before David Clayton-Thomas joined them. Dropped the blues for pop, and made millions (though they do deserve credit for highlighting Laura Nyro – she should have accepted their offer and become their lead singer). ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/5 "2011-12-03T02:07:03Z")
The correct answer to the OP is Sting. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/6 "2011-12-03T02:12:08Z")
And, of course, Metallica. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/7 "2011-12-03T02:16:23Z")
I think this thread would be more interesting if posters would give a synopsis of before and after. Why’d you like them? Why’d you stop? ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/8 "2011-12-03T02:23:50Z")
I lost interest in Marillion after Fish left,saw them in concert one more time,just wasn’t the same. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/9 "2011-12-03T02:44:54Z")
The Incredible String Band [Ancient history since their last good album was in 1972.] They started out as a weird psychedelic folk band with boatloads of unusual instruments, gorgeous lyrics and vocals that were as inspired as they were peculiar. An acquired taste, to be sure, but they had (and still have) a devoted following and to me their music was wonderfully [strange](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2Z00tEMEIo) and [beautiful](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04ZUUbb8CWg). Then came Scientology, a few more decent albums and finally a horrible attempt to go mainstream. Then they broke up. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/10 "2011-12-03T02:46:49Z")
Steve Miller. I was a huge fan up until Fly Like An Eagle. He was (and still is) a great guitarist and wrote some great stuff until he went Top 40. I gave up a long time ago, but the last two albums have been decent. He may redeem himself yet. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/11 "2011-12-03T03:10:00Z")
I just found out that Sir Paul was in [this tight little club band](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls-UKGlExk0) that played bars in a rough neighborhood in Hamburg. And guess what? They played _ **Rock and Roll** _! No, I am serious. McCartney had this whole other life before. You will not recognize the guy who did “My Love” and “Ebony and Ivory”. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/12 "2011-12-03T03:47:18Z")
Indie guitar master Bob Mould took an odd detour into electronic music that I was not thrilled about. Thankfully, he has returned to putting out guitar-based music, albeit with some electronic flourishes. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/13 "2011-12-03T04:18:12Z")
Huge fan up till the synth took over. And I got older. I try some of the newer stuff from time to time. Doesn’t grab me like it used to. But I’ve developed different tastes over the years and listen to some shit I never dreamed I’d be listening to now. I’ll add _Pearl Jam_. First couple albums were great. Then came The Suck. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/14 "2011-12-03T04:27:51Z")
> [@koeeoaddi](#): > > Then came Scientology, a few more decent albums and finally a horrible attempt to go mainstream. Then they broke up. That’s what happened? They were so wonderful! The only band whose sitarist didn’t try to play like Ravi Shankar. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/15 "2011-12-03T04:45:04Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Tom Waits. I’m quite the opposite. I like some of his lounge singer stuff, but I far prefer the music he’s made since his wife turned him on to Captain Beefheart. > [@digs](#): > > I just found out that Sir Paul was in [this tight little club band](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls-UKGlExk0) that played bars in a rough neighborhood in Hamburg. > > And guess what? They played _ **Rock and Roll** _! No, I am serious. McCartney had this whole other life before. You will not recognize the guy who did “My Love” and “Ebony and Ivory”. I am currently listening to [one of his ambient electronica](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rushes_%28album%29) albums. It’s quite a lot better than most of the pop stuff he’s done since his rock band split. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/16 "2011-12-03T04:55:04Z")
My nomination: [Dr John](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr_John). [First album, a voodoo blues masterpiece](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gris-Gris), one of the spookiest albums you’ll ever hear. A big influence on the aforementioned Tom Waits, too. The next few albums, a few more voodoo-blues classics and a lot of what sounds like directionless stoned messing around. After that, straightforward New Orleans funk-blues, with the occasional good song but mostly pretty ordinary stuff. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/17 "2011-12-03T05:14:37Z")
Rod Stewart, since “Atlantic Crossing,” has sucked big time. His albums before that were superb. Even the hit-or-miss stuff with Faces was pretty good. Oh Rod, Rod, Rod… ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/18 "2011-12-03T06:05:26Z")
Andrew Bird when he was “Andrew Bird’s Bowl of Fire.” Made two absolutely amazing swing jazz crooner albums. Fanfuckingtastic live show. I loved them to pieces. I also loved his drummer’s side project, the Quality 6, which was the same band but with Kevin’s name on it. Then Andrew became “Andrew Bird” and did some sort of indie album and now I think he’s a big indie star but I just sort of don’t care. And second me on Pearl Jam but I can’t quite figure out what changed. I sort of think it was me, not them. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/19 "2011-12-03T06:31:10Z")
Sugar Ray. I liked songs like “10 Seconds Down” and “RPM.” Then they released “Fly” and totally lost their edge. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913/20 "2011-12-03T06:46:17Z")
KISS–they went disco for some reason. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-musician-or-band-changed-styles-midstream-and-lost-you/604913.md?page=2)