Our new direction!

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I was going to title this "our nude erection" but I thought that would be puerile even for me.

What bands get "rumours" of a new direction every time they're making an album and never take one? "Oh he's listening to tech house all day now, wait till you hear the new folk album he's making".

What bands have never ever changed direction, or should have changed more? REM always fucked me off in this respect, I mean how can a band make so many albums and change so little. We can nitpick all we want, but there's not a big change is there?

Oasis also spring to mind. OUR NEW DANCE DIRECTION! YEAH ITS LIKE THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS. Sigh.

So who else talks or has talked this bollox throughout the ages.

― Ronan, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"what have you been listening to" is a question that is partly to blame for this.

― Ronan, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think U2 can easily be brought up here.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Pixies claimed that TROMPE LE MONDE was going to be their "heavy metal" album, which was complete bullshit (although "Planet of Sound" did have a reasonably Zepplinesque riff).

Killing Joke (c'mon, gimme a break, I had to bring'em up) have changed directions, then changed *BACK*, mercifully.

I think REM *HAVE* changed in that they've gotten progressively less interesting. What about MONSTER? That was a bit of an about-face (Peter Buck discovers power-chords!)

― Alex in NYC, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think Bad Religion takes the all-time prize for making _Into the Unknown_, followed by _Back to the Known_.

― Douglas, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah Ned it was the U2 thread that made me think of it. Radiohead deserve a big up for actually going and doing the whole change of direction. I say that not even as a fan.

― Ronan, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

_Into the Unknown_

Perhaps the greatest prog record ever. If only for actually going ahead and doing it.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Definitely Nick Drake. His publicist always claim he's making a turn towards drill n bass, but it never happens. Before his last single, "Volkswagen Jingle, Part 2," everyone thought he'd embrace Ibiza couture, but what did we get? More introspection. Lighten up, Nick. Your fans demand it, and a weary world waits for the thundering dance beats to kick in.

― Tim DiGravina, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The best artists are the ones that just do it without talking about! Melvins change every record! Buckethead has made deathmetal albums with Bootsy, free jazz with Tony Williams, dub records with Sly and Robbie, hip hop with Branford Marsales, drum n bass on his on, etc etc

― chaki, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sometimes staying the same has serious benefits. I don't know too many people who argue that Neil Young's change-yr-style-every-album period produced his best work. Serious points for trying something new, mind you.

― Sean Carruthers, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i remember when chapterhouse were allegedly making their 'metal' album but then it came out and it was just their crap album. they could have been light years ahead of the curve.

― keith, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Who was it (Ned?) who made the excellent point about MBV? Namely, that of all the people who claimed they were going jungle, Shields was probably the savviest in that he never actually released anything to prove the claim one way or the other.

― Tim, Friday, 22 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

then why the hell do they all sound the same?

― M. Matos, Saturday, 23 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

miles davis sounded the same on every album. however each one is different. =P

― chippy, Saturday, 23 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Tom Waits' music changed a lot between the Closing Time type ballads and the Rain Dogs/ Swordfishtrombones stuff. I don't know of any other artist who committed themselves to making several albums of a very distinct style and then about-turned completely for the rest of their career.

Also: hate to nitpick but REM's 'Up' represents a helluva progressive leap from their previous work - people have written a lot about Kid A but some songs on 'Up' manage to combine trad. songwriting with beats/electronics in a much subtler way.

― Laavanyan, Saturday, 23 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

then why the hell do they all sound the same?

Because of the power of the chicken bucket.

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 23 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

* slight English accent * Hey what about me?

― Material Girl, Saturday, 23 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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