Bands that have progressed the most in the shortest period of time.

Not necessarily for the better...

Wire, I think, are the prime example of this. The development between Live at the Roxy and 154/Chairs missing was phenominal. Other examples of this are The Fall. Live at the Witch trials to hex Enduction Hour in little over 3 years and, of Course, the Beatles. I wanna Hold your Hand to Strawberry field in less than 4 years.

Any others?

Siouxsie went from punky versions of the Batman theme eto Suburban Relapse in what, 6 months?

And ol' Poly Styrene from "Silly Billy" to "Oh Bondage up yours" in 5.

erstwhile noo-wavers Talk Talk, 4 years to Colour Of Spring, 6 years to Spirit of Eden...

I imagine there were plenty of 60's bands who went from some varient of merseybeat to peace and love in a pretty short space of time. Likewise, plenty of early punks that were doing the progressive/heavy thing just months before. I remember reading something about Slaughter and the dogs being a hippy group until early 76. The Jam and the Stranglers had a similar wiggy past also, The Boomtown Rats., but that's nor really what I mean.

X-Ray Spex definitely fits the bill...could have been one of the greatest bands of the 80's if line up changes/menal illness had not curtailed their development.

this thread is based on a false premise

it has a shaky foundation

allowing only lightweight, facile comments to be added

and swings.

http://www.ehponline.org/members/2003/111-13/swings.jpg

Sorry, I meant Zings.

The Who - the progression from "A Quick One" through "Sell Out" to "Tommy" is staggering.

Even more so because every member of the band was improving at a phenomenal rate, there was no-one lagging behind.

Boo Radleys: Everything's Alright Forever (1992), Giant Steps (1993)

Other examples of this are The Fall.

Depends what you mean by "progress".

Throbbing Gristle.

"Change" rather than "progess" might have been a better bet

this thread is based on a false premise

Yes -- the question doesn't really make sense. Is there a distinction between progression and completely changing genres/styles? If not, then I nominate Alanis Morissette (four years between "Alanis" and "Jagged Little Pill").

NIN? Pretty Hate Machine to Downward Spiral in five years.

The Who - the progression from "A Quick One" through "Sell Out" to "Tommy" is staggering.

Ha...I was going to say the Who also, but from "I'm the Face" to "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" (in less than a year).

Talk Talk were great from the start, though

Stereolab: four years between Transient Random Noise-Bursts (1993) and Dots and Loops (1997).

Talk Talk were great from the start, though

And so were the Fall and Wire etc etc

Public Enemy

Between 1987 album Bum Rush, and Rebel (a later recorded Bum Rush b side), to Bring the Noise ending 1987 on Less than Zero sdtk, they came to full prominence in months.

Other examples of this are The Fall.

Depends what you mean by "progress".

Throbbing Gristle.

― Ich Ber ein Binliner (Tom D.), Thursday, 13 November 2008 16:35 (38 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Musically from bouncy pop/punk to dense, gnarly, knotty, sparawling brilliance.
Lyrically from sub Philip K Dick imagery and an almost childish obsession with drugs to something that is indescribably dense, and powerful.

Um, sprawling.

A lot of us prefer "Live at the Witch Trials" to "Hex Enduction Hour"!

progress can only be measured with the protractor of history

A lot of us prefer "Live at the Witch Trials" to "Hex Enduction Hour"!

― Ich Ber ein Binliner (Tom D.), Thursday, 13 November 2008 17:30 (24 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I do sometimes, but that doesn't stop the line of albums from Witch Trials through to Hex being a hue progression.

I'm not saying necessarily for the better (as stated in my opening post)

(xpost) the flexicurve of the future...

The Boredoms? From tape noise bursts to classic rock in a blender to cosmic electronic tribal post music? How about the Notwist or Black Dice or other bands that dropped hardcore for other stuff?

Boredoms is spot on.

The noise stuff is my favourite but no one could deny that they are a band that have progressed an incredible amount.

ok comp to kid a was kinda drastic, no?
obvious i know

Bends to OK Comp was quite a leap as well, albeit a leap in the direction they were already travelling.

The Monkees

My Bloody Valentine - This Is... to You Made Me Realise in three-and-a-half years.

yeah, and xp re:RH yeah

The Stone Roses went from So Young to Fool's Gold in four. Manic Street Preachers reached The Holy Bible in, what, three years? And then onto Everything Must Go in five. The Smiths reached The Queen Is Dead in three (the progression here being in terms of structure and economy, rather than all-round improvement).

There's really no-one to touch the Beatles though.

Amy Winehouse

Moody Blues. From raw and rootsy R&B to symphonic rock concept albums in four years.

The Jam and the Stranglers had a similar wiggy past also

The Stranglers never really left it behind. Even at their most "punky", there was always something slightly "arty" about The Stranglers.

Boredoms is spot on.

The noise stuff is my favourite but no one could deny that they are a band that have progressed an incredible amount.

― Sven Hassel Schmuck, Thursday, November 13, 2008 12:11 PM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i could

Weezer. After Matt Sharp left the band, their transformation from my adolescent heroes into horrible banal radio rock was like a freefall.

oops. "progressed" nvmd

Ween from GodWeenSatan (1990) to Chocolate and Cheese (1994)
The Flaming Lips from Telepathic Surgery (1989) to Hit to Death in the Future Head (1992)
Radiohead from Pablo Honey (1993) to The Bends (1995)
Blur from Leisure (1991) to Modern Life is Rubbish (1993)

god i hate ilm so much

Genesis. No, really. I can't really think of any group that progressed more quickly, save perhaps maybe Wire.

Absolutely ridiculously fast development, only 6 months between the crap sub-Bee Gees of From Genesis To Revelation to the full-fledged prog of Trespass. And the only difference between the two is the drummer (an anonymous pre-Collins guy who didn't write or arrange and was sacked soon afterwards).

Seriously, it's almost difficult to believe that it's the same band. Even Peter Gabriel's vocals sound much different.

god i hate ilm so much

― metametadata (n/a), Thursday, 13 November 2008 23:59 (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

If you stopped being such a pompous arse, you might start liking it a bit more.

God I hate sticking my hand in this fire