Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

I was listening to Avenged Sevenfold's second album and was thinking about the big difference between the second album (sort of metalcore) and the third album (sort of power metal). But even that difference really isn't that big to non-metal fans (the biggest difference being the complete absence of screamed vocals).

So I thought about other bands that had marked style changes in the middle of the career. I'm not talking about things like Genesis becoming more poppy over the course of a dozen years or Metallica gradually slowing down. I mean a change of direction that is not very subtle.

Some that I could think of:

* Probably the most famous example, U2 turned electronic for the 90s. Then went back to rock in the 00s

* The second most famous example, Radiohead turned electronic.

* Papa Roach was a rap-metal band. Their third album completely abandoned the rap aspect.

* The most drastic change I can think of is Ministry. They started as a "new wave synth-pop" band. Within two albums, they were one of the pioneer "Industrial" bands. Then they abandoned keyboards altogether.

Other examples?

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

Corrosion of Conformity
Bad Brains
TSOL
PJ Harvey
Beastie Boys

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

Bob Dylan-

Folk - Rock - Country - Gospel - Hip-Hop - Folk

I may be missing a few genres in there, and the hip-hop is obv. a joke, but the man has changed gears, both musically and vocally, many times in his career.

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

green day

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

Sugar Ray- they went from a metal band to a gay ass top40 band, biggest bunch of sellout lame asses ever IMO

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

Goo Goo Dolls

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

oh yeah, and evryone's favorite
http://home.comcast.net/~mgblog/pics/gbrooks2a.jpg

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

Linkin Parks new album, from Nu-Metal to ???

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

The Originals, The New Originals, The Dutchmen, Rave Breakers, Hellcats, Flamin' Daemons, Shiners, Mondos, the Doppel Gang, the Peoples, Loose Lips, Waffles, Hot Waffles, Silver Service, The Mud Below, the Tufnel-St. Hubbins Group, Spinal Tap. A variety of styles there.

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

[ QUOTE ]
Sugar Ray- they went from a metal band to a gay ass top40 band, biggest bunch of sellout lame asses ever IMO

[/ QUOTE ]

first one i thought of...similar for staind, korn etc although not to the same extent as sugar ray...

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

The Byrds

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

Alanis used to be a dance-pop artist.

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

Smashing pumpkins.

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

Madonna picks whatever style is currently most popular for each album.

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

http://handson.provocateuse.com/imag...d_bowie_06.jpg

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

[ QUOTE ]
Linkin Parks new album, from Nu-Metal to ???

[/ QUOTE ]


Vag-metal?



i still love em.

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

Ministry for sure.... The Cult albums Love, Electric, and Sonic Temple were all different.

Metallica went from thrash to warmed over crap in the span of three albums.

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

[ QUOTE ]
Bad Brains

[/ QUOTE ]
Worst transition of all time.

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

[ QUOTE ]
Sugar Ray- they went from a metal band to a gay ass top40 band, biggest bunch of sellout lame asses ever IMO

[/ QUOTE ]
Haha, I opened the thread just to say this. Also to add that I actually saw one of their old metal videos in HS on MTV's 120 Minutes, and they were even worse at that than the top 40 crap.

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

[ QUOTE ]
Goo Goo Dolls

[/ QUOTE ]
What were they before becoming a radio-sanitized Replacements ripoff? Or are you saying they've changed from that?

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

People are underestimating what Dylan did when he went electric. He changed the face of popular music, and he went into it knowing that initially people would hate it. When he broke out the electric at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 - some guy in the audience actually yelled out "Judas". Dylan just laughed and ripped one of the most infamous sets in rock history. 40 years later he's still around and widely considered one of if not the most influential artists in rock history. Hate him or love him, you can't deny that he changed the face of popular music.

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

David Bowie is king.

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

The Cure.

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

Beck does this all the time.

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

Anyone mention the Beatles?

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

[ QUOTE ]
green day

[/ QUOTE ]first one i thought of. wtf )-:

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

[ QUOTE ]
David Bowie is king.

[/ QUOTE ]

Such a great example. He didn't just change the style of the music, he would alter his entire peronality.

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

Rush

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s3386.jpg

pure heavy metal back then

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Sugar Ray- they went from a metal band to a gay ass top40 band, biggest bunch of sellout lame asses ever IMO

[/ QUOTE ]
Haha, I opened the thread just to say this. Also to add that I actually saw one of their old metal videos in HS on MTV's 120 Minutes, and they were even worse at that than the top 40 crap.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ha, me too. Good lord, they are sellouts.

Another band that comes to mind is Incubus. Songs from the album S.C.I.E.N.C.E are way different than some of their later stuff (Amber, Love Song, etc.).

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

Fleetwood Mac - hardcore blues rock with Peter Green, sappy pop [censored] once he left

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

For the hardcore kids, Cave In, the band was a metalcore stalwart of the 90s, just sick metal guitars and super harsh screaming, with the occasional offkey singing. In 2001 they released Jupiter, which was essentially a progrock album. Basically like a hardcore rush. The album was critically aclaimed they got signed to a major label, released a pretty mediocre follow up, then released another piece of trash after they were dropped and now are broken up.

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

Jello Biafra

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

[ QUOTE ]
For the hardcore kids, the band was a metalcore stalwart of the 90s, just sick metal guitars and super harsh screaming, with the occasional offkey singing. In 2001 they released Jupiter, which was essentially a progrock album. Basically like a hardcore rush. The album was critically aclaimed they got signed to a major label, released a pretty mediocre follow up, then released another piece of trash after they were dropped and now are broken up.

[/ QUOTE ]
Wait, which band?

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

1st time I saw the Beastie Boys they were called the Young & the Useless at CBGBs, they were a typical NYC Hardcore band with punk influences (they worshiped the Bad Brains like the rest of us did back then). Their drummer was Kate Jackson from Luscious Jackson. They didn't do any rapping at all(check out Pollywog Stew for an example). A year later they came out with a joke 12" called Cookie Puss which surprisingly got some club play which made fun of Carvel's ice cream cake character. Rick Rubin picked them up and produced She's On It and that was the first punk-rap crossover album ever.

Fast forward... I think you know what happened.

Two other honorable mentions:

1) Ministry (as previously mentioned - except the OP was wrong, the whole point of the band was heavy guitar lines sampled and played on keyboard/ProTools). They went from Depeche Mode early 80's synth pop to a band that makes Trent Reznor sound tame. This would make a great thread started by Electrical, Steve Albini and this band have some history

2) Michael Bolton. Before he was the second coming of the white soul singer he was signed as a heavy metal artist. He switched because he started working with a producer as a demo singer to make some extra bucks, they sold a jingle or two, and the producer (Kieth Diamond - RIP) pitched the idea to the label who authorized the switch in genres. If you think he was a cheese soul singer then you really have to check out the cheese wizz he spread thick when he was a metal singer in the early 80's.

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

Two early 90's classics....

Vanilla Ice to some sort of hardcore noise.

MC Hammer to Hammer - straight corny to straight corny gangsta.

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

[ QUOTE ]

2) Michael Bolton. Before he was the second coming of the white soul singer he was signed as a heavy metal artist. He switched because he started working with a producer as a demo singer to make some extra bucks, they sold a jingle or two, and the producer (Kieth Diamond - RIP) pitched the idea to the label who authorized the switch in genres. If you think he was a cheese soul singer then you really have to check out the cheese wizz he spread thick when he was a metal singer in the early 80's.

[/ QUOTE ]

oh. my. god.

wow

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
For the hardcore kids, the band was a metalcore stalwart of the 90s, just sick metal guitars and super harsh screaming, with the occasional offkey singing. In 2001 they released Jupiter, which was essentially a progrock album. Basically like a hardcore rush. The album was critically aclaimed they got signed to a major label, released a pretty mediocre follow up, then released another piece of trash after they were dropped and now are broken up.

[/ QUOTE ]
Wait, which band?

[/ QUOTE ]

hah. still groggy. Cave In. Check out everything up until Jupiter. One of the best modern hardcore bands.

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

Pat Boone.... didnt he do a cover album of hard rock songs?

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

Moby- Techno/Electronica to Ambient/Gosphel

Re: Bands that drastically changed musical styles
 

[ QUOTE ]
Pat Boone.... didnt he do a cover album of hard rock songs?

[/ QUOTE ]

they werent done heavy metal style though .. just the words

and it was a joke album