Rolling Stones: Their Majesties' Satanic RequestRolling Stones were (and are still) usually an R&B influenced "rawk'b'rawl band". However, for one album, they changed completely and turned into...well... The Beatles..."Their Majesties Satanic Request" is actually a great psychedelic pop album, but it was "different" to say the least, and again, their fans hated it.
Captain Beefheart: Bluejeans And MoonbeamsUsually, an act may suddenly alienate fans by releasing a "weird" album. Don Van Vliet, though, was always weird, and that's what his fans expected of him. So when he suddenly changed for one album, he did so through releasing an ordinary commercial and slick pop album instead.
Neil Young: TransPicking an "unrepresentative" album by a man who has been all over the place musically is a bit hard. However, it must be said that "Trans" was considerably more different from the rest of his output than the 50s rock'n'roll of "Everybody's Rockin'" or the Memphis soul of "This Note's For You". The usually quite "rootsy" country rocker suddenly started making synthpop for just one album. Particularly the vocoder, he seemed extremely fascinated with here. He never got any weirder than this.
Queen: Hot SpaceEvery single Queen album from the 70s had "No Synthesizers!" written in its liner notes. On "Play The Game" from 1980 there were a few synths present, but the synth was still hardly a prominent instrument in their sound. Then, suddenly, along comes their disco/synthpop album, "Hot Space", sounding like nothing else they had done before, and more or less crowded with synth sounds and disco beats. The synths would reappear in their later albums (notably on "Radio Ga Ga"), but they would never again dominate a Queen album like this one. Also the extensive use of disco beats (inspired by the success of "Another One Bites The Dust"?) remained a one-off.
Squeeze: Cosi Fan Tutti FruttiThe songs weren't bad here either, it just that "Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti" sounded like a Paul Fucking Young album. Producer Laurie Latham didn't quite seem to have recovered from the "Secret Of Association" sessions, and he used the same synth sounds and bass sounds on this Squeeze album that he had previously used on that Paul Young album. The result is, well... different, from a band that did otherwise not change their style a lot throughout their career.
Any other examples of bands or acts "going mad" and changing their styles completely for just one single album?
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 08:17 (twenty-two years ago)
Felt Mountain was one of the greatest debuts of all time, adverts or no adverts.
Black Cherry is undoubtedly one of the weakest follow-ups. Appalling.
― russ t, Wednesday, 23 April 2003 09:38 (twenty-two years ago)
― piscesboy, Wednesday, 23 April 2003 09:41 (twenty-two years ago)
― geeta (geeta), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 09:56 (twenty-two years ago)
― Nick Mirov (nick), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 10:04 (twenty-two years ago)
― russ t, Wednesday, 23 April 2003 10:07 (twenty-two years ago)
Sure, Air and Leftfield haven't been going on for long yet, but I doubt those particular albums will stick out as very different from all of their other output when they are more established acts with several albums behind them
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 10:13 (twenty-two years ago)
...and the marked difference between the Leftfield and Air albums to their predecessors will almost certainly be remembered long from now. To say that it wouldn't is belittling the dance scene and its contributors, which is still huge, and continues to grow.
― russ t, Wednesday, 23 April 2003 11:10 (twenty-two years ago)
― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 11:40 (twenty-two years ago)
I had a boss who did, actually, thinking of it.
But he was quite retarded.
So my question is - is Geir being 'ironic' with his musical tastes? Or deadly serious? (sorry Geir).....
― russ t, Wednesday, 23 April 2003 12:12 (twenty-two years ago)
And Kiss Alive! is one damn great record.
― Evan (Evan), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 12:19 (twenty-two years ago)
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 12:21 (twenty-two years ago)
― ArfArf, Wednesday, 23 April 2003 12:21 (twenty-two years ago)
Once again, with depressing inevitability, Geir gets it hopelessly wrong. The album before "Bluejeans and Moonbeams" is "Unconditionally Guaranteed" which, if anything, is even more ordinary and is certainly every bit as "pop" as "Bluejeans". Not only that but Beefheart wasn't always "weird" - there are pop songs on "Safe As Milk" AND "Clear Spot". Unless you think "Too Much Time" and "I'm Glad" are weird: in which case, you're weird.
― Dadaismus, Wednesday, 23 April 2003 12:22 (twenty-two years ago)
Scott Walker - Tilt
― dleone (dleone), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 12:27 (twenty-two years ago)
― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 12:29 (twenty-two years ago)
*raises hand*
― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 12:31 (twenty-two years ago)
I like Kiss. But I'm a classic rock loser, so I'm not proving anything.
― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 12:32 (twenty-two years ago)
― Dallas Yertle (Dallas Yertle), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 12:36 (twenty-two years ago)
― Dallas Yertle (Dallas Yertle), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 12:39 (twenty-two years ago)
Shame, I really thought they had the potential to be a great band, in the same vein as maybe the Cocteaus. Not any more.
I hate everything about the new album - even down to the dreadful artwork, it's hideous.
― russ t, Wednesday, 23 April 2003 12:41 (twenty-two years ago)
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE MENINBLACK by the Stranglers - A cryptic concept album about aliens strangely devoid of conventional song structure and, some say, discernable melody.
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 13:29 (twenty-two years ago)
Pardon my rude ire, but UP YOURS, JACKASS, I LOVE KISS!
There, glad I got that off my chest.
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 13:31 (twenty-two years ago)
― russ t, Wednesday, 23 April 2003 13:55 (twenty-two years ago)
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 13:59 (twenty-two years ago)
― earlnash, Wednesday, 23 April 2003 15:21 (twenty-two years ago)
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 15:24 (twenty-two years ago)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 15:44 (twenty-two years ago)
― s woods, Wednesday, 23 April 2003 15:53 (twenty-two years ago)
― Dadaismus, Wednesday, 23 April 2003 16:00 (twenty-two years ago)
― buttch (Oops), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 16:16 (twenty-two years ago)
― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 16:17 (twenty-two years ago)
Haha! No, more like epic semiprog. It is however some kinda brilliant. It is disowned and officially out of print; never seen a release on CD.
I would have thought a pro-Israeli Muslimgauze album would have been considerably "madder" than one called "Hebron Massacre"
Sometimes it's all about the small steps.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 16:28 (twenty-two years ago)
From what little I've heard of it, Beautiful Garbage sounds like the anti-Garbage album.
― Vinnie (vprabhu), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 16:29 (twenty-two years ago)
― Charles McCain (Charles McCain), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 16:35 (twenty-two years ago)
― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 23 April 2003 17:57 (twenty-two years ago)
Boy, that's some dangerous, cutting-edge controversial analysis on my part!! (ha ha, sorry...)
― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 18:00 (twenty-two years ago)
Ah, you mean Fear of Pop complete with 7-minute clavinet-fueled funk-jams and William Shatner spoken word. Definitely.
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 18:01 (twenty-two years ago)
Unlike Denim--did Felt fans think Lawrence had gone mad when the first Denim record came out? Or did they already think he was mad?
Also, I guess Give Out But Don't Give Up fits in with this thread.
― Arthur (Arthur), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 18:31 (twenty-two years ago)
― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 23 April 2003 18:37 (twenty-two years ago)
I quite liked Felt Mountain, but have yet to hear a note off the new one.
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 18:38 (twenty-two years ago)
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 18:39 (twenty-two years ago)
― Arthur (Arthur), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 18:43 (twenty-two years ago)
― Douglas (Douglas), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 19:06 (twenty-two years ago)
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 19:09 (twenty-two years ago)
― buttch (Oops), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 19:19 (twenty-two years ago)
― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 23 April 2003 19:21 (twenty-two years ago)
― s woods, Wednesday, 23 April 2003 19:35 (twenty-two years ago)
yes, I believe one critic likened the experience of listening to OTC to coming home to find Miles in your easy chair with his feet propped up... something like that. Pure arrogance, they cried!!!
― Scott Kos (Scott Kos), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 20:01 (twenty-two years ago)
Bad Religion - Into The UnknownNamechecked above, but I've got a copy so I can add a little bit more. Part of the mystery is that BR has disowned it and few folks really have a copy so the rumors about it are blown way out of proportion. It's basically a below average hard rock album that's not punk enough for the hardcore. Couple other bands at the time like T.S.O.L. and J.F.A. were experimenting around with keyboards and I didn't think ITU was all that different.
Couple others come to mind but I've never heard them. There's that J. Geils Band album made without Peter Wolf that's all synthesizers and I seem to recall that Steve Miller released a keyboard/synth-laden album sometime in the late 80s.
Didn't Eric Clapton make an electronic album?
― Chris Barrus (Chris Barrus), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 20:35 (twenty-two years ago)
I believe he did ---- with an ex-member of Naked Eyes, I think.
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 20:38 (twenty-two years ago)
― s woods, Wednesday, 23 April 2003 21:54 (twenty-two years ago)
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 21:56 (twenty-two years ago)
Hmmm. I forgot about that one. :-)"The Liverpool Oratotio" could also be seen as some kind of a departure btw.
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 21:58 (twenty-two years ago)
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 21:59 (twenty-two years ago)
― s woods, Wednesday, 23 April 2003 22:06 (twenty-two years ago)
Likewise, "Zooropa" was followed by "Pop".
Those albums may have been departures at the time, but there were other similar albums from the same artist later on.
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 22:10 (twenty-two years ago)
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 22:12 (twenty-two years ago)
― Prude (Prude), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 22:19 (twenty-two years ago)
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 23 April 2003 22:40 (twenty-two years ago)
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 2 May 2005 22:17 (twenty years ago)
― Steve Gertz (sgertz), Monday, 2 May 2005 23:38 (twenty years ago)
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 2 May 2005 23:39 (twenty years ago)
All of them fantastic albums too!
― Kodanshi, Tuesday, 3 May 2005 00:38 (twenty years ago)
Celtic Frost "Cold Lake"Master's Hammer "Slagry"Judas Priest "Turbo"My Dying Bride "31.788% Complete"
― Siegbran (eofor), Monday, 9 May 2005 14:19 (twenty years ago)
― Dominique (dleone), Monday, 9 May 2005 14:32 (twenty years ago)
― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Monday, 9 May 2005 14:35 (twenty years ago)
― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 9 May 2005 14:40 (twenty years ago)
Dwarfs were always kinda mad, in a good way, but Stumpy was their most experimental release in that it was constructed from fan-submitted excerpts of sound, which were requested on their previous (and possibly best release) The 3 EPs. Too bad, Stumpy is their only release where I just can't remember even one tune after a few listens, whereas all their other albums and EPS have had at least half of the release get branded in my brain after just a handful of listens.
They do deserve kudos for actually following through with their promise to incorporate fan-delivered loops as they requested. Apologies to the people whose tapes actually got used. You are good and great, people.
― donut debonair (donut), Monday, 9 May 2005 19:25 (twenty years ago)
― donut debonair (donut), Monday, 9 May 2005 19:27 (twenty years ago)
― Steve Gertz (sgertz), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 04:15 (twenty years ago)
― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 04:58 (twenty years ago)
― Siegbran (eofor), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 11:34 (twenty years ago)
The two newest Bright Eyes albums?
― Mickey (modestmickey), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 13:32 (twenty years ago)
Porcupine Tree put out tons of albums as a prog rock band that sounded like Pink Floyd's older, less popular albums like Ummagumma or something. Fifteen minute songs with 8 minute long instrumental parts.
All of a sudden they met Michael Akerfeldt from Opeth and become a much heavier, 4 minute song rock band.
― Mickey (modestmickey), Tuesday, 10 May 2005 13:36 (twenty years ago)