[alestar]

OK...any music lover can relate: this band you love...you have all thier CD's, couple of tour shirts, etc., suddenly changes musical direction or lays a steaming pile of shit of an album.

You can't believe that these guys (gals) could do this to you. Now you have a hard time even listening to thier good albums, let alone the crap they putting out now. Its embarrassing to even admit you ever liked them...

Some of these bands come back, realizing that they messed with a good thing. Sometimes this works, other times its just too late, damage is done.

Lets here some of your examples.

I'll start with 2 examples from my pespective:

Metallica - I first heard Metallica on "Metal Massacre 1" (yeah, I am an old man!), doing "Hit the Lights" with Dave Mustaine on guitar. Blew me away. I bought "Kill'em All" and played it pretty much non-stop, telling everyone who would listen that these guys were the most amazing band EVER! "Ride the Lightning" was even heavier and cleaner, Metallica was the shit! "Master of Puppets" and "And Justice for All" were both solid, kick-ass albums. I also liked the "Garage Days Re-visted", raw and rocking.

The "Black album" (or self-titled)...kind of like a wet fart: somewhat satisfying, but not without some inherent problems. I bought it, listened to it, liked a few songs, but it was not at the same level as the previous 4 albums, heading into that "its-getting-too-commercial" zone.

Then comes "Load"...what the fuck?!?! Terrible doesn't even begin to describe this steaming pile of excrement. And, because it wasn't bad enough, they followed it up with "Re-Load"!

At this point, the only way Metallica made any headlines was that ridiculous Napster fiasco (cementing my utter hatred for all things associated with Lars Ulric).

"Garage Days Re-re-visited"...real original guys did you come up with this on your own?

"St-Anger" sounded like it was mixed by a 4 year old (which is sad, because the musical style wasn't half bad, just not really Metallica).

"Death Magnetic" is not half bad, all things considered (although I get the feeling that they are just trying not to suck...), but I still wouldn't walk around wearing a Metallica shirt.

Stabbing Westward: A heavy industrial band based out of Chicago, I picked up "Ungod"...killer CD...heavy industrial sound, plenty of angst. Loved it. Followed up with "Wither, Blister, Burn and Peel" and "Darkest Days", both excellent. Saw them live, great show, good energy.

One day I'm in HMV and I see a new Stabbing Westward CD (self titled)...I'm happy with my discovery and immediately purchase it, excited to hear the latest effort. This excitement immediately disappeared when I hit "play" on the CD player. 10 tracks of shit. (In retrospect, the CD cover should have tipped me off...)

I go on thier web-site amd find out that they decided to change musical direction! They wrote something like "we don"t want to be pigeonholed as some generic industrial rock band" (apparently they thought sounding like a shitty Cure cover-band was a much better alternative).

They broke up less than a year later, but I still have a hard time listening to those earlier albums, my mind keeps dragging me back to that self-titled train-wreck as soon as I hear Chris Hall's voice. Too bad, really.

[Mezla PigDog]

I don't really invest enough emotion into bands to feel the disappointment very keenly. I just wanted to post because I am going to see Metallica on Thursday! Wooooo. It will be the first time I have seen them, so I kind of missed the boat on the glory days.

[Morgoth]

well, S&M was pretty brilliant, but yeah, pretty much everything after black album was bad.

Another band that has turned towards the dark side is Oasis. A brillinat band that now spews forth fountains of shit on a yearly basis.

[alt146]

Deftones is another band that was awesome a couple of years ago but are now kinda meh. Chilli Peppers and Korn too.

[Aptorian]

Slipknots new single suggests the band had turned to poo. Too much stonesour, not enough rage.

[The Drum]

This happens all the time, you find a new band and they get too commercialised, too main stream and loose the edge they had that hooked you in the first place.

Sterophonics for example, first album was great then they got popular and went to shit after that.
A really good example of a band trying new stuff is The Killers, first album Hot Fuss is brilliant, Sam's Town was also a good album, the new one (i forget it's name) is some wierd shit and will put a lot of fans out of sorts, why, cos it's too pop like IMO

This post has been edited by The Drum: 22 February 2009 - 07:11 PM

[alestar]

Aptorian, on Feb 22 2009, 06:42 PM, said:

Slipknots new single suggests the band had turned to poo. Too much stonesour, not enough rage.

I heard it on our local alt-rock station and was sure it was Stonesour...and this is kinda my point: Slipknot decides "hey, lets do some mellower stuff under a different name", which is the way it should be. If you're into the rage of Slipknot, you just basically ignore Stonesour and all is good.

If Slipknot's new album that sounds like Stonesour they will just piss off the die-hard Slipknot fans. If they don't want to do super-heavy and angry music anymore, just release the new album under the Stonesour name.

[Aptorian]

That wouldn't work.

As far as I know only Corey Talor works on the Stonesour project. The rest of them are still into the more heavy projects, like murderdolls and mudvayne.

[alestar]

Guess it shows I'm not a Slipknot/Stonesour fan...

[HoosierDaddy]

I would think that seeing the denigration take place would only enhance your enjoyment of earlier albums. I don't get why they would be ruined for you.

[stone monkey]

I'd argue that fans of the "they've changed now they're shit" opinion would only be relevant to a band if that band's sole reason for was making cash. Bands also, generally, want to make music that they find interesting and rewarding; and I can't imagine spending 20 years of your life making the mostly same noises on the say so and for the benefit of other people to be either of those.

[Satan]

stone monkey, on Feb 22 2009, 10:03 PM, said:

I'd argue that fans of the "they've changed now they're shit" opinion would only be relevant to a band if that band's sole reason for was making cash. Bands also, generally, want to make music that they find interesting and rewarding; and I can't imagine spending 20 years of your life making the mostly same noises on the say so and for the benefit of other people to be either of those.

I usually have it the other way around - if bands don't change up after a while it grows stale and repetitive. Take Finntroll and Entombed as an example of bands that's tired and old and need to change up a bit. And Ulver as their ideal.

[alestar]

HoosierDaddy, on Feb 22 2009, 08:56 PM, said:

I would think that seeing the denigration take place would only enhance your enjoyment of earlier albums. I don't get why they would be ruined for you.

Yeah, eventually the memory of the crappy CD's fades (I am listening to Srabbing Westward's "Ungod" right now...sounds good) and the old albums go back into rotation.

My original post was more geared toward that first reaction to hearing one of your favorite bands turn to shit, that exact moment you realize that you just flushed $20 down the toilet or that when they come to town next you'll have to listen to whole shitty album live if you go see them.

[Darkwatch]

Aptorian, on Feb 22 2009, 01:42 PM, said:

Slipknots new single suggests the band had turned to poo. Too much stonesour, not enough rage.

Your argument would be valid if Slipknot had been any good to begin with.
Too bad they've always sucked. Sound like a bunch of 13 year old emo boys throwing themselves around a garrage because the axel girl of the circle jerk just moved away.

This post has been edited by Darkwatch: 23 February 2009 - 01:23 AM

[Slum]

I'm really tempted to add KINGS OF LEON to this list.

Meh, added.

[Slow Ben]

I'd love to add some too this list, but their country and i doubt anyone cares. Screw it.

I loved Pat Green's first5-6 albums, then he decided he wanted to sound like all the other crap they play on the radio nowadays, and now he does, and now he sucks.

and the only other one off the top of my head was Static X. Loved Wisconsin Death Trip, but after that...bah!

[Hinter]

Radiohead.

First album (Pablo Honey) was average, The Bends and Paranoid Android were outstanding, and then they disappeared up their own arses and started producing unlistenable tosh. Imho, of course.

[alt146]

Brynjar, on Feb 22 2009, 11:33 PM, said:

stone monkey, on Feb 22 2009, 10:03 PM, said:

I'd argue that fans of the "they've changed now they're shit" opinion would only be relevant to a band if that band's sole reason for was making cash. Bands also, generally, want to make music that they find interesting and rewarding; and I can't imagine spending 20 years of your life making the mostly same noises on the say so and for the benefit of other people to be either of those.

I usually have it the other way around - if bands don't change up after a while it grows stale and repetitive. Take Finntroll and Entombed as an example of bands that's tired and old and need to change up a bit. And Ulver as their ideal.

Bands can change and still remain really good. Tool, Incubus and Muse are good examples of exactly this. The new stuff is pretty different from the stuff but it's still enjoyable and has the band's 'flavour'.

Another band to add to that list would be Seether. I dunno how many people will agree, since not many people outside South Africa have heard much of the stuff they released as Saron Gas. Which is definitely a lot better than the stuff they are making now. I blame Amy Lee.

[masan's saddle]

Chili Peppers, I know it's a while ago but it stil upsets me. First 4 albums were drug amped psychedelic mayhem and stoner funk, live they were GRRRRRR!! thrashy P-funk, compelling the audience to Get up and jump, Fight like braves and kick holes in the sky.
Then....., they got "chic" ( my older sister started to listen to them and she likes Crowded House FFS !), barring the odd stand alone decent song, everything started to sound the same.Then came the Arena tours.

I went to see them a few years back at the Millenium Stadium, supported by James Brown who could still tickle the pickle even though he was in his 70's.

The Chili Peppers, unfortunatley, was like watching old people fuck.

[Slow Ben]

Suck my kiss!!