It can be a blessing or a curse. Some bands seem to evolve and change over time keeping the die hard fans and bringing in new ones. Others get panned or called sellouts because their music becomes too mainstream. Other bands don't ever seem to change their sound and sometimes loose their hardcore fans because their music becomes boring. It seems like a delicate ballance and sometimes it's a damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario. However, some of the greatest bands of all time have managed to pull this off for decades. What are some of your favorite bands that did, or didn't mange to effectively evolve? Did you ever discover a band that had been around for a long time but never really cought your attention, but now you love? In your opinion(fan or not) what band has done the best job of staying relivant for the longest time? Which band do you feel has managed to stay relivent but sold out and lost their origional sound?
Bands and their evolution
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I'm a big Grateful Dead guy and they seem to be the obvious answer for me. Starting as a completely thrown together group of guys playing the Acid Tests and developed into one of the greatest bands of all time. Hell, Phil Lesh hadn't played bass before he joined and wound up being one of the most innovative bass players of all time.
You've got rock, blues, folk, electric, acoustic. You've got some of their most popular songs having never been recorded on a studio album. And while people have varying opinions about Dead and Co., it's bringing the music to a new generation and people are realizing how great they are.
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AC/DC..... Never changed their style and it worked for them.
RUSH.... Changed a lot through the years and became more popular and successful.
Bon Jovi.... Started out good, sadly they sold out and are now a soccer mom band.
Metallica... Changed their style, lost a lot of fans, but gained more because of it.
KISS.... Fun theatrical band, musically stunted. Yet, carved out a nice career.
Van Halen... Changed singers and went a different direction but stayed popular.
RUSH.... Changed a lot through the years and became more popular and successful.
Bon Jovi.... Started out good, sadly they sold out and are now a soccer mom band.
Metallica... Changed their style, lost a lot of fans, but gained more because of it.
KISS.... Fun theatrical band, musically stunted. Yet, carved out a nice career.
Van Halen... Changed singers and went a different direction but stayed popular.
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Beck is an example of a musical act that intentionally changes their style and sound basically from album to album. The eclectic nature of his music is part of the appeal to fans.
Without being able to fully articulate the differences in albums, I feel like Queen had a really diverse catalogue that changed over time.
The two bands that immediately come to mind for me are Phish and Grateful Dead. You almost bever hear the same version of a Phish song. They are constantly tweaking and adding in little nuances. Their sound has taken on many different forms over the years which makes them really unique.
The Beatles changed everyone's style not only their own. Pink Floyd has big transformations. The Mars Volta, Tool, Metallica some bigger ones off the top of my head.
The Beatles are an obvious band that evolved over time and succeeded. (Edit: @BWRhasnoAC - jinx!)
A recent band that changed for the worse IMO is Cage the Elephant. They started off gritty and took a very "produced" turn.
A recent band that changed for the worse IMO is Cage the Elephant. They started off gritty and took a very "produced" turn.
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Chicago
At some point the entire band decided to get a group castration.
Then again....I never liked them to begin with
At some point the entire band decided to get a group castration.
Then again....I never liked them to begin with
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard change styles often and proficiently.
The band Deafheaven certainly mixed things up adding shoegaze sounds to metal.
I would argue Nine Inch Nails is always constantly evolving while still sounding exactly like Nine Inch Nails.
Bon Iver as well.
The band Deafheaven certainly mixed things up adding shoegaze sounds to metal.
I would argue Nine Inch Nails is always constantly evolving while still sounding exactly like Nine Inch Nails.
Bon Iver as well.
Not a band, but Bob Dylan has never stopped evolving. The Velvet Underground changed their sound a little after they fired John Cale.
When I first discovered and became a fanatic of the Beatles as a teen when my friends were obsessed with 90s grunge and gangster rap I only liked the middle phase psychedelic stuff and the later post psychedelic stuff. Then as I kept listening the early stuff is at least as good. All three phases are so great.
The gun incident probably changed some things too.
John Prine never really evolved, but he was making great albums late in his life. Tom Petty too.
Van Halen
Metallica
Motley Crue
I know the younger ones here don't realize how great Crue was in their prime. Shout at the Devil album was killer. Then they started with some radio friendly stuff. Vince has never been great live. His voice is average live. Saw in the recent Vegas Residency that he is now doing lip since vocals with him doing a little singing over them. Which in my opinion is perfect. People want to see them, we just don't want to hear the Vince voice now. So we can see them and not be saying "Why are we here"
Metallica
Motley Crue
I know the younger ones here don't realize how great Crue was in their prime. Shout at the Devil album was killer. Then they started with some radio friendly stuff. Vince has never been great live. His voice is average live. Saw in the recent Vegas Residency that he is now doing lip since vocals with him doing a little singing over them. Which in my opinion is perfect. People want to see them, we just don't want to hear the Vince voice now. So we can see them and not be saying "Why are we here"
I’m surprised no one has mentioned David Bowie already.
The Clash is another, if you consider the short timespan.
The Clash is another, if you consider the short timespan.
You are being very kind. Saw him about 6 years ago opening for Sammy Hagar and Vince was TERRIBLE.
Not really a fan of the band, but while this is technically true he was, and remained, far-and-away the most accomplished musician in the band.
Starting to think back to recent concerts I've been to and I'm thinking Weezer's sound definitely varied on their albums.
My obvious answer was Beck but Mr. Janny beat me to it. The concert at Waterworks highlighted this. The first half was with the Des Moines Symphony, which is way different the Where it's at and Loser. He let the Symphony go and played his quirky goofy hits at the end of the set. I was always a fan of old Beck and didn't really get the newer stuff that won him Grammy's but that concert made me appreciate him so much more!
Beatles before and after drugs is an obvious one.
As we are a Swifty family, I'll say Taylor Swift, She went from pure country to pop, Folklore and Evermore is something different, Tortured Poets is not like the Pop albums, and the latest one has a different feel as well, pulling some 80s music vibes. (This swifty family doesn't love the most recent album, but its growing on us a bit.)
Beatles before and after drugs is an obvious one.
As we are a Swifty family, I'll say Taylor Swift, She went from pure country to pop, Folklore and Evermore is something different, Tortured Poets is not like the Pop albums, and the latest one has a different feel as well, pulling some 80s music vibes. (This swifty family doesn't love the most recent album, but its growing on us a bit.)
