Most bands change their sound with time. Even Status Quo, always the 'three chords, lol' punchline for the ignorant, started out as a pop-psych band (and had put out singles before that under different names). 'Pictures Of Matchstick Men' is pretty much the only hit they had in the US, but they are one of the most successful groups ever here, on both the albums and singles charts.
Utopia
Henry Cow started with an almost Canterbury sound and become a lot more experimental dark and edgy.
Radiohead & Crimson are the most obvious ones of those already mentioned.
Gong changed pretty dramatically after You when they became more of a fusion band (still great stuff)
Tangerine Dreams change from Atem to Phaedra was pretty significant
Soft Machine had two or three evolution's during their prime years
Hawkwind went from the Deep Spacey sound to the Bob Calvert more punky stuff and then closer to hard rock.
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
Marillion.
From Genesis clone band to a band that sounds nothing like Genesis. They started transitioning on Clutching, but after Fish left they changed completely.
I wouldn't count the Eagles in this thread, even though they deliberately made changes to their style/sound. They started out as a country rock band (even with fake southern accents from Detroit born Glenn Fry). They eventually got rid of their country lead guitarist (from the Flying Burrito Brothers) and brought in hard rock guitarist Joe Walsh to give them a rock boost.
Yes, I hear the change, but to me they are fairly consistent sounding over their albums and didn't change that dramatically.
And then into electronic new agey stuff. I think the constant line up changes and frequent law suit battles have a lot to do with this.
If you want to include musicians, Knut Magne Valle is a total change of direction with his output-he is this chaotic guitarist in Arcturus and then he does this mellowed out new age stuff on Time Space and Circles and Solfeggio Body albums.
Ihsahn also bounces around on direction: aggressive work with Emperor, but classical sounding stuff on the Thou Shalt Suffer's Somnium album and folky stuff on Grimen.
"Alienated-so alien I go!"
Well, I disagree. Just Can't Get Enough was a hit because it was so radio friendly and accessible. Their albums as whole entities, earlier and later are not like that. Many, if indeed not most, bands have hits with songs that aren't representative of their albums, e.g. there is nothing else remotely like the steamroller super hit and still uber-popular "We Will Rock You" on Queen's News of the World. I could give loads more examples of that but I have to go home now.
Chicago
Deep Purple
Japan
Kraftwerk
Split Enz
Thompson Twins
Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...
You could add Tears for Fears to that list as well.
I'd have to say Marillion - a band who have advanced enormously from their sub-Genesis neo-progressive beginnings to being something altogether different in the present without entirely losing touch with their past. Quite some achievement, in my humble opinion. A similar sort of thing, though from a different musical direction, could apply Rush as well, whose musical direction has varied enormously over the years, only to come full circle but with the benefit of 40+ years of music making at the highest level.
Marillion started to change their sound whilst Fish was there. I'd say it goes back as far as 'Misplaced Childhood', and inarguably with 'Clutching At Straws'- these albums are much more concise and focussed, and connected with the mainstream. I seldom play their first two albums, to be honest...there's a 'clunkiness' about them for me. Stuff like 'She Chameleon' I find very overwrought.
I think Crimson was already mentioned - essentially four eras (early, mid-Red, 80s Byrnes, and 90s/00s new prog metal/at least heavy sounding). One interesting anomaly is that Power to Believe was a complete reach back directly to Red.
How's about them Strawbs? Bluegrass trio to folk quartet to bombastic prog quintet to folk trio. They always had a folk streak in them no matter how they displayed it.
Lou
Looking forward to my day in court.
Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...
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