Bands or musicians who strayed far from their roots

[Grunge]

Risks are not always worth taking. Some bands need to know when is a good time to take one and be aware of the fact they are responsible for what their experiment could do in terms of the fanbase. Most risks have definitely not paid off. Plenty of examples of it include Megadeth with Risk, Metallica with St Anger, The Haunted with the Unseen album trying to sound like Tool, Morbid Angel trying to mix death metal with industrial and electronic techno sounds, Celtic Frosts Cold Lake to an extent even though I liked that album.

One thing that bugs me is how bands get such a holier then thou attitude that they take a risk and expect every fan to be accepting of a change. Open mindedness is obviously something fans need to be more of but at the same time some bands seem to have big enough egos that they expect everyone collectively to embrace the new sound. Lars is the most guilty of this calling everyone closed minded for not liking the St Anger drums which is rightly hated on because the idea of an album built on first song takes is pathetic anyway.

Point I am really trying to make is I respect bands who want to expand their sound or explore uncharted waters but at the same time, don't expect everyone to just get on board with it blindly...unless they are a particular fanboy.

It's a half and half no matter how we cut it. It seems my messages lately on here aren't getting through correctly. I tend to be upfront and sometimes one sided sounding but I was giving it a look from my perspective. As I mentioned, it isn't always for the best and I'll agree with you there that tons of bands whom go down that road that do not often lead to success. It's all in the way it's instilled. A change of pace can be great if utilized right. There will always be people that like it and don't. Follower fan boys of their past work and present/either-or. I'd rather take the risk than have my music career standing in the same spot, same old sound 5-15 albums in.​

 

[Khor1255]

King Crimson made one of the first progressive rock albums with In the Court of the Crimson King in 1969. It included the barnstorming 21st Century Schizoid Man. Robert Fripp formed a band in the early eighties and called them King Crimson, but they sounded like Talking Heads and wouldn't play 21st Schizoid Man live. He should have called them Crimson Heads or something, but definitely NOT King Crimson..

This bit gave me a serious chuckle. I fully concur with the sentiment but I also have to say Crimson was always a band reinventing itself. I think going techno crap may have just been another experiment. It's true that it doesn't match up to anything they did before and seemed almost a sell out with the dive towards what was the mainstream avant garde at the time but maybe because I like a few of the numbers (Indiscipline, Matte Kudesai, Frame by Frame, even Sleepless) I can stomach this era of Crimso but that is as far as I can go. After Three of a Perfect Pair they totally lose me and in fact each Belew album is worse that the one before.

John Lennon with Revolution No. 9 on The Beatles (White Album) in 1968 moved about as far as it was possible to get from greatness to manure.

Can't agree with this at all. I love the experimental Beatles stuff even more than most of the mainstream tunes which are also very good. They were perhaps the first band to offer such a wide variety of songs in a single album and that might be the thing I like about them most.

But to each his own and I definately agree that Wetton era on back is what King Crimson will be remembered for.



EDIT

Oh, also Pat Boone sings Judas Priest. If this doesn't double you over in laughter see a doctor.

 

[Slip'nn2Darkness]

First person to come to mind is Cat Stevens..

 

[Riff Raff]

It's a half and half no matter how we cut it. It seems my messages lately on here aren't getting through correctly. I tend to be upfront and sometimes one sided sounding but I was giving it a look from my perspective. As I mentioned, it isn't always for the best and I'll agree with you there that tons of bands whom go down that road that do not often lead to success. It's all in the way it's instilled. A change of pace can be great if utilized right. There will always be people that like it and don't. Follower fan boys of their past work and present/either-or. I'd rather take the risk than have my music career standing in the same spot, same old sound 5-15 albums in.​

I got what you were trying to say and I happen to agree depending on the band of course. I think bands especially in metal can expand whilst staying true to themselves. Bands should learn from Metallica on what NOT to do regarding experimenting.
I was not saying fans shouldn't be accepting of a band willing to take a risk, I think fans should appreciate a bands willingness to do such a thing even if its a shit result. It goes both ways though. The band should not be insulting fans by calling them close minded for not liking a particular album.

 

[rtbuck]

I've got to say that the first band that popped into my mind is...The Goo Goo Dolls. I know a few years ago someplace in the forum I mentioned this stuff but for those who weren't here...here goes...

In early 1986 I went to a club in Buffalo,NY called the Continental. It was to see one of my guitar heroes ex-NY Doll guitarist Johnny Thunders & it was to be my first time to a "Punk Club". Anyway, The show was great(Green Jello opened the show) & my friends & I had a riot as this atmosphere was totally different than any Rock Club I had been to. We started hanging out at the club & later that year or 1987 we used to see the Goo Goo Dolls there on a pretty regular basis & what a wild time it was with everyone moshing & Slam Dancing to the Goo Goo Dolls while they ran around barefoot on a stage of broken beer bottles. There music was a higher energy than the Ramones with screaming vocals & it was wild hearing them covering classic rock tunes such as "Born to be Wild", "Don't Fear the Reaper", & "Gimme Shelter" among others. Those shows were so wild back then & I'll always remember one show at a gym at Buff State College where my friend Maddog was trampled in this huge mosh pit that was going on. It was wild because at the time The Goo's were playing "No Way Out" (from their Jed album) & Maddog jumped in the pit (I didn't go in because I felt I was much bigger than everyone else (6'4 260lbs)). Some Kid forearmed him & put him down on the ground & everyone just kept trampling him so I had to go in. I dragged him out by his arms (his knee was messed up) Got him to a safe seat in another room & went back in to clean house. Man, there were some wild times seeing the Goo's back then. I can't believe how much they changed from their first 2 records

 

[Bocephus]

 

[Aktivator]

Originally Posted by Big Ears View Post
King Crimson made one of the first progressive rock albums with In the Court of the Crimson King in 1969. It included the barnstorming 21st Century Schizoid Man. Robert Fripp formed a band in the early eighties and called them King Crimson, but they sounded like Talking Heads and wouldn't play 21st Schizoid Man live. He should have called them Crimson Heads or something, but definitely NOT King Crimson..

This bit gave me a serious chuckle. I fully concur with the sentiment but I also have to say Crimson was always a band reinventing itself. I think going techno crap may have just been another experiment. It's true that it doesn't match up to anything they did before and seemed almost a sell out with the dive towards what was the mainstream avant garde at the time but maybe because I like a few of the numbers (Indiscipline, Matte Kudesai, Frame by Frame, even Sleepless) I can stomach this era of Crimso but that is as far as I can go. After Three of a Perfect Pair they totally lose me and in fact each Belew album is worse that the one before.

But to each his own and I definately agree that Wetton era on back is what King Crimson will be remembered for.

I'll chuckle at both of you. First off Big Ears KC changed styles so many times between Court and 81's Discipline album that you could have ended the discussion several times. Secondly, the 81 did play two old KC songs on tour Red and Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part 2. They didn't cover old songs with lyrics because they had a different singer and were looking ahead and not back. I also disagree with the talking heads sound it was an Adrian Belew sound who did tour with the talking heads but also Bowie, Zappa and solo. I saw Belew in all those tours so I never heard TH I heard Belew and actually Levin was Peter Gabriel sound along with Bruford and Fripp of KC.
Let alone considering most prog bands went into hidding or went pop (genesis and Yes) or switched to metal and hard rock I'm glad that KC kept to its roots.

Khor1255-when did KC ever go techno? Nor did they get worse with Belew. I get it you didn't like the new direction but they were far from a new wave band or simplistic band. Heck in a few years after Discipline they had two drummers, two bass players and two guitarists. In my eyes while the lyrics had taken a hit compared to the 70's KC the music was just as intense and at times more interesting than the 70's band especially the beloved Court.

Yeah IMHO but couldn't let those comments go.

 

[Khor1255]

I didn't mean techno in the sense of the music genre but rather the inorganic and purposefully technology driven approach in a lot of the Belew era songs. Hell, they even did nuage music and dabbled in ambience.

Interesting? Maybe, but a far cry from the really great albums they did prior to Belew's arrival and this is comming from someone who likes those first three Belew albums quite a bit.

And are you seriously saying that having two bass players is a good thing? I've never heard a two bass player or even two drummer combo that really did anything for the overall construction of a rythm section. It's more complex maybe but not at all better and can actually have a cluttering effect to the overall sound.

 

[Big Ears]

Well, they say laughter is the best medicine. I agree that the Beatles were very experimental to the end, as on Abbey Road. But, Revolution No. 9 sounds like a number of tapes put together without any planning or thought (by Yoko Ono?). To me, it is the only bad track with The Beatles name attached.

I remember King Crimson playing Red and/or Larks Tongues live, but it was to no avail as the crowd spent the whole evening fruitlessly calling for 21st Century Schizoid Man. Robert Fripp sat on a bar stool throughout, although he nearly fell off at one point, and made funny saluting gestures to the crowd. This was just showing contempt for the fans, otherwise why not play under the name Fripp and Friends?

 

[Khor1255]

Yeah Revolution No.9 is definately a fluff piece and studio masturbation. A low point for them but maybe acceptable on a double album.