41144
Friend of Leo's
Steve Winwood leaving Spencer Davies to form Traffic.
But, come on guys, let's not forget Ginger when she left... The Spice Girls
But, come on guys, let's not forget Ginger when she left... The Spice Girls
Examples of Unexpected Pivots in a Musicians/Bands Career that Result in Greatness
- Thread starter redhouse_ca
- Start date
4pickupguy
Doctor of Teleocity
80’s King Crimson accomplished this feat IMO.
brrobert
TDPRI Member
Paul Weller from the Jam to the Style Council
Joe Jackson from new wave to jazz cat
Damon Albarn from Blur to Gorillaz
With all of them, prefered their older stuff-- but the creative pivots are pretty remarkable
Joe Jackson from new wave to jazz cat
Damon Albarn from Blur to Gorillaz
With all of them, prefered their older stuff-- but the creative pivots are pretty remarkable
Mark617
Tele-Holic
And from the Jonathan Richman tree, David Robison going on to the Cars
ahiddentableau
Tele-Afflicted
I was going to start a new thread about which bands went the other way, from great to horrid, but I didn't want to start yet another internet pile-on. I'm sure there are just about as many examples the run in the other direction.
Mark617
Tele-Holic
I saw that tour as well. Bowie never used opening acts. It was always white screen and music pumped through the PA.
Give Bowie his due. Besides being a terrific guitarist on his own, he found such incredible guys to play.
Lennon
Ronson
Alomar
Slick
Sexton
SRV
Not sure if this counts but towards the end of Hunky Dory you can here the makings of Ziggy Stardust. That was a pretty big album. Not sure you call it a pivot but then again…when didn’t he pivot?
darkwaters
Friend of Leo's
Miles Davis and Tom Waits epitomize this for me and I take great inspiration from them. In my own small, non famous way I try to emulate them. To me, there’s no greater musical sin than treading water.
buster poser
Poster Extraordinaire
I wouldn't say it was unanticipated if you've heard the instrumental numbers going back to Broken, but I sure wouldn't have guessed Trent Reznor (and Atticus Ross) would be this era's perennial award winner for best score.
I never heard that, but I’m not sure. I do know for many years he renounced his western, folk/pop performances and stayed away from the limelight; to spend more time with his children and wife, I heard him say, but probably also for spiritual reasons. But he has definitely come back and I know he’s worked to clarify misconceptions about Islam. As I said, many changes and evolutions. He’s an interesting cat, that guy…
Let's check: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Stevens_discography
As Cat Stevens:
11 studio albums
4 live albums
As Yusuf Islam:
11 studio albums (not counting singles)
As Yusuf:
3 studio albums
2 live albums
As Yusuf/Cat Stevens:
2 studio albums
I'm calling that a tie!
El Tele Lobo
Poster Extraordinaire
Bauhaus and Joy Division were great bands in their own right, but their demises resulted in Love and Rockets and New Order, respectively...two bands that, arguably, went on to greater fame and creativity.
Miles Davis has already been mentioned, so I'll simply agree there.
Pat Martino was already a notable jazz guitarist when a health crisis lead to amnesia and completely forgetting how to play. At his (then) peak, he had to relearn the instrument from scratch. This would have ended most people's careers and possibly caused them to give up playing in frustration, but Pat not only regained, but surpassed his previous ability and went on to enjoy a storied jazz career in the ensuing decades, as a band leader, a sideman and a teacher.
In 1959, Sonny Rollins, by then a jazz saxophonist of some considerable reputation, took a sabbatical from public performance due to frustrations with his musical growth and progress. He took a self-imposed sabbatical and spent 2 years practicing up to 16 hours a day on the Williamsburg Bridge, year round, regardless of the season. He eventually returned to playing and recording, starting with the album "The Bridge", one of his best-selling records. He enjoyed a long and vibrant career, though he did take another sabbatical in the late 60s.
Miles Davis has already been mentioned, so I'll simply agree there.
Pat Martino was already a notable jazz guitarist when a health crisis lead to amnesia and completely forgetting how to play. At his (then) peak, he had to relearn the instrument from scratch. This would have ended most people's careers and possibly caused them to give up playing in frustration, but Pat not only regained, but surpassed his previous ability and went on to enjoy a storied jazz career in the ensuing decades, as a band leader, a sideman and a teacher.
In 1959, Sonny Rollins, by then a jazz saxophonist of some considerable reputation, took a sabbatical from public performance due to frustrations with his musical growth and progress. He took a self-imposed sabbatical and spent 2 years practicing up to 16 hours a day on the Williamsburg Bridge, year round, regardless of the season. He eventually returned to playing and recording, starting with the album "The Bridge", one of his best-selling records. He enjoyed a long and vibrant career, though he did take another sabbatical in the late 60s.
...and Jerry Harrison going to Talking Heads.
NeverTooLate
Tele-Meister
I don't know how we go 6 pages without mentioning Deep Purple.
Mk. I was just another 1960s band.
Mk. II became a foundational hard rock phenomenon and the biggest band on Earth in 1972-3 carrying over into Mk III for another year of worldwide Purple frenzy.
Staying with the Deep Purple tree, my favorite band, Whitesnake, was a Bristih/Euro thing in 1979-84 before Coverdale fired everybody and redefined the sound completely, going on to produce three consecutive very successful albums in the US, one of which was a megahit.
While in 35 years of being a Purple fan I have never met anybody who would praise Mk I over MK II or III, hardcore fan reception to the Whitesnake pivot was mixed. For me personally, everything started with the 1987 album when I was 12 years old and that remains and will likely always remain my most favorite album of them all. However, there are many people in Europe for whom the "real" Whitesnake was the early band.
A variation of the theme would be to look at BUSINESS PIVOTS and PERSONNEL DECISION pivots.
Like, Steve Lukather says he makes as much now as he did in Toto: far less income, but also far less expense.
Coverdale again, after big errors in business and personnel management in the early to mid 1980s became quite astute at both while Ronnie James Dio, my other most favorite vocalist, arguably never learned to manage himself.
Mk. I was just another 1960s band.
Mk. II became a foundational hard rock phenomenon and the biggest band on Earth in 1972-3 carrying over into Mk III for another year of worldwide Purple frenzy.
Staying with the Deep Purple tree, my favorite band, Whitesnake, was a Bristih/Euro thing in 1979-84 before Coverdale fired everybody and redefined the sound completely, going on to produce three consecutive very successful albums in the US, one of which was a megahit.
While in 35 years of being a Purple fan I have never met anybody who would praise Mk I over MK II or III, hardcore fan reception to the Whitesnake pivot was mixed. For me personally, everything started with the 1987 album when I was 12 years old and that remains and will likely always remain my most favorite album of them all. However, there are many people in Europe for whom the "real" Whitesnake was the early band.
A variation of the theme would be to look at BUSINESS PIVOTS and PERSONNEL DECISION pivots.
Like, Steve Lukather says he makes as much now as he did in Toto: far less income, but also far less expense.
Coverdale again, after big errors in business and personnel management in the early to mid 1980s became quite astute at both while Ronnie James Dio, my other most favorite vocalist, arguably never learned to manage himself.
Boom, double boom....Have had the luxury of seeing Peter and his band about 25 times...some nights you just close your eyes and wonder in the magic. Incredible songs with incredible production....and Duke yeah I agree. If our posts encourage one listener to cue it up......you won't be disappointed.
SlideGuy123
Tele-Meister
The way Emmylou Harris has reimagined her musical direction over the years has been remarkable: the Hot Band (which kept evolving), Nash Ramblers, Spyboy, all had distinct points of view, the Wrecking Ball album came out of left field, Roses in the Snow/Blue Kentucky Girl, her collabs with Dolly & Linda, Knopfler and Crowell --- I can't even start to list all of the ways she kept growing, changing and doing really interesting, expressive music.
Shaolin Wolf
TDPRI Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2006
- Posts
- 21
Couple more:
Adrian Belew
Gerry Leonard (under the radar, super creative ambient - textural - effects player, worth the research)
Ben Monder
Thorne
TDPRI Member
You beat me to it. I was just about to mention Deep Purple and Whitesnake. You summed them up perfectl.
In a completely different vein, Norman Cook - from Housemartins to FatBoy Slim
aging_rocker
Poster Extraordinaire
100% agree!
Someone did a re-mix of 'Hazey Jane 1' and just left Nick and his guitar - much, much better, IMHO.
Personally, I wish the whole of those two albums would get this treatment. Nick's playing was superb, but he's often drowned out by those strings.
ahiddentableau
Tele-Afflicted
Absolutely! It's a lovely song. There are some demos on youtube of those early songs played with voice and guitar only that are great to listen to as well.
There's something about his music that doesn't take to orchestration. The delicate nature of his voice and the subtleties and rhythm of his guitar work so much better when they are the only components in the mix. They need space in order to breathe. Without it the beauty and impact is lost. His first two albums are like trying to look at a Rembrandt if somebody placed it in a dayglo frame a foot wide, in room filled with flashing neon and strobes, with intense spotlights and disco balls shining harsh light all over it.
jdgladw
Tele-Meister
I don't know about unexpected pivots, but Ronnie James Dio had quite the scenic drive through popular music styles before landing on Dio.
