Do you have examples of where this has worked, and where it has been less successful?
2007-08-22 04:34:15 · 8 answers · asked by Sookie 6 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Music ➔ Rock and Pop
RJR - agreed. And I don't view the purpose of "Pop" as reinvention, it just seemed like an experimental piece to me. I saw it like Neil Young's "Trans", which was much different than what was in his catalog, and was received with mixed reviews here. The style wasn't meant to be forever.
2007-08-22 05:17:12 · update #1
Deke - she really did show a different side doing those covers, and some of the artists that were chosen (like Joni Mitchell, for example) really do give her some cred. I hope that she can keep it going when she goes back to originals.
2007-08-22 05:19:17 · update #2
lovnrckets - Ministry...good call.
2007-08-22 10:22:05 · update #3
MachPen - Radiohead is another good one.
2007-08-22 10:22:59 · update #4
Thanks so much for your answers!
2007-08-23 01:40:00 · update #5
Of course they can - look at Madonna!
Whether or not you like her music is NOT the issue here - think about how many times she's reinvented herself.
ETA: Fonzie, you rock!
Less successful - U2 - "Pop." Enough said.
2007-08-22 04:41:13 · answer #1 · answered by sylvia 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Here's the story of how Radiohead reinvented themselves.
When they released "Kid A" everyone was thrown for a loop. Not a bad one; just one that would determine just what true geniuses in music they really were. Not only did they trade their alternative rock, pop sound for one of jazz fusion or electronic ambient..synthesizer...but they completely tore it down, and deconstructed it to rebuild something that would surpass the familiarity of "The Bends", "OK Computer" ...and even albums such as "Pablo Honey", which by this point were obsolete. They began on a clean slate. And it was the most impressive, brilliant, tear-jerking work that music fans, and fans of Radiohead had ever heard. It probably received more critical acclaim than "OK Computer" in some circles for making the giant leap into uncharted territory. But that's what makes Radiohead so beloved by their fans...
Like someone once brilliantly put it:
"It's the sound of a band, and its leader, losing faith in themselves, destroying themselves, and subsequently rebuilding themselves to become the perfect entity."
I think that describes Radiohead after "Kid A" perfectly.
2007-08-22 14:50:33 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
The best example of a band that I can think of where that was successful - Modest Mouse with their release "Good News for People who Love Bad News".
I wouldn't say they completely strayed from their original sound but some things were definitely altered (less guitar distortion, more upbeat melodies). They may have lost some of their die hard fans with that reinvention but they appealed to a much larger audience.
An example of when it was less successful: Face to Face album "Ignorance is Bliss". Another mild change but it had a HUGE impact on their fan base. So much that I don't think they even played one song from it at the last show I attended.
Great question!
2007-08-22 14:32:53 · answer #3 · answered by Buzzkill 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Mandy Moore made her mark on the pop music industry by releasing cookie cutter songs that sounded like everything else on the radio. A few years ago, she released a CD called 'Coverage', that was an all-covers effort. It exhibited a much more mature sound and direction than that of the Mandy Moore offerings from before, and certainly more so than her pop princess counterparts.
Her new album is cut from the same cloth, and shows that she's ready to move into a new realm. Rachel Yamagata contributed to the new CD, and that will help give Mandy a little street cred.
2007-08-22 12:08:57 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Not often, but it can happen successfully. Do you remember Ministry when they first started out? Their first CD from 1983, With Sympathy, was pure synth-pop. Still, it had something of an edge to it that I always liked. Al however hated it. So when Twitch came out in 1986 things got a little harder, a little darker. Then he took it to the next level with The Land of Rape and Honey. The first time I heard it, I was totally unprepared for it. He had completely reinvented himself. And the rest is history.
2007-08-22 13:28:21 · answer #5 · answered by Rckets 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
It happens all the time in Rock. Off the top of my head, I can think of The Beatles, Radiohead and The Beastie Boys.
2007-08-22 11:42:59 · answer #6 · answered by Stephen L 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
David Bowie.
From the late 60s to the 80s, the man was *constantly* reinventing his image.
Madonna was highly influenced by him.
2007-08-22 11:41:21 · answer #7 · answered by Fonzie T 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
U2 has done it more than once. Compare Joshua Tree and Rattle & Hum to Achtung Baby.
2007-08-22 11:49:31 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋