Biggest Musical Change of Direction?

Posted by: GraemeH on 07 July 2013

Which group or individual would you say has undergone a major change of direction and was it for better...or worse?

I nominate Phil Collins...and definitely for the worse as both group and individual.

Any others you care to suggest?

G
Posted on: 07 July 2013 by Steve2701

A fair few from what I listen to.

Tangerine Dream - from something I listened to all the time early days to me not bothering with at all from Poland / Underwater Sunlight on.

Anathema - Death Metal to progressive, and good with it (at least for me, a fair few fans are rather peeved)

Opeth - Likewise.

Steve Wilson - His journey is just amazing - and getting better and better.

Genesis post W&W was a change too far for me.

 

There are more but others may be writing the same.

 

 

Posted on: 07 July 2013 by Naimiac

Bee Gees? Their first albums were of interesting, inspired pop, mix of lysergic and melancholic, of guitars and symphonic.

 

Then came Saturday night fever.

Posted on: 07 July 2013 by Cbr600

Graeme,

     An obvious one is David Bowie, who is the king of reinvention, on a number of occasions

Posted on: 07 July 2013 by Mike G1HGD
Originally Posted by Steve2701:

Steve Wilson - His journey is just amazing - and getting better and better.

Genesis post W&W was a change too far for me.

 

There are more but others may be writing the same.

 

 

+1 to both of those!

 

Steve Wilson hardly ever fails to impress (if you ignore his Bass Communion album IMO!)

 

I really MUST get his new one!! ;-)

Posted on: 07 July 2013 by Voltaire

May I nominate Scott Walker?

 

Scott Walker (born Noel Scott Engel; January 9, 1943)[1][2] is an American singer-songwritercomposer and record producer. He is noted for his distinctive baritone voice and for the unorthodox career path which has taken him from 1960s pop icon to 21st century experimental musician.

I would argue that Scott Walker has undergone some of the biggest changes in musical direction both good and bad and back to good and back to bad...etc.,

Posted on: 07 July 2013 by Marou

Bobby Darin on the back of his million-selling pop hit Dream Lover cut That's All, an album containing Mack The Knife and Beyond The Sea, which out-Sinatrad Sinatra

Posted on: 07 July 2013 by mrclick

I think you could argue Miles Davis takes the crown. Not only did his sound touch just about every development in jazz (and a number in rock) but he led much of the way.

 

You could pick any number of his titles as landmarks of different directons, but here are just a few:

 

Birth of the Cool, Kind of Blue, Bitches Brew, On the Corner, Agharta, Aura, and Amandla.

 

Astonishing they are by the same artist and of such high quality.

Posted on: 10 July 2013 by jamesfuge
Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant. That album with Alison Krauss is nothing like Led Zeppelin! James
Posted on: 10 July 2013 by GraemeH

Miles is difficult to beat in this category I agree. G

Posted on: 15 July 2013 by fred simon
  1. Miles Davis
  2. The Beatles
  3. Joni Mitchell
Posted on: 15 July 2013 by Geofiz

Robert Plant - quite the shift in some ways from Led Zeppelin to Plant & Allison Krause and now with Circle of Joy.  Almost like he is repenting for the Led Zeppelin days as the music is taking on more religious overtones.

 

Joni Mitchell is a self declared changeling with her music (which in a recent CBC interview she declared she doesn't like her "old" stuff).  From folk to rock to Jazz and everything in between.

 

Neil Young.  Each album pushes the limits.  Has gone from almost bluegrass folk to folk, to rock, to rockabilly, to punk, to country, to the bizarre "Americana", to pseudo pyschedelia (Psychodelic Pill) , with stops bordering on hard rock and everything else along the way.  Love some, hate some, but never a dull moment.

Posted on: 15 July 2013 by Bert Schurink

Miles Davis

Chick Corea (accoustic, electric)

Opeth

Porcupine Tree

Pat Metheny (multiple changes)

Posted on: 16 July 2013 by DrMark

Fred beat me to the Beatles, but I must admit the Miles Davis points are very strong for the biggest change(s).  Bowie is another good suggestion too, as are others above. 

 

Interesting thread.

Posted on: 16 July 2013 by Bertie Norman

i suggest Bob Dylan compare 'The freewheelin' Bob Dylan' or any of the very early albums with 'Highway 61 Revisted' and then you get the move to country music with 'Nashville Skyline' after Blonde on Blonde albeit with  JWH and the basement tapes in between. 

Posted on: 16 July 2013 by Shanks

What about Bon Jovi?

They moved from be rockish to popish...

Posted on: 16 July 2013 by GraemeH

XTC would be another by my measure, moving from a sort of 'funk punk' to sophisticated layered musicianship and sensitive lyricism. G

Posted on: 17 July 2013 by Briz Vegas

P J Harvey, gotta love PJ.  She does a reinvent with each album.  

Posted on: 17 July 2013 by Bert Schurink

Just some other input:

 

Pain of Salvation - changing by the album