Band/Artist Evolution
 

what are some bands who's evolution you admire throughout their career, and likewise some bands who you think got really lame throughout their career? (not bands who you like the catalog of, bands who changed their sound and did it right)

for me, some off the top of my head:

Sonic Youth-obviously, all though i like all their different period of sound, i just think its amazing how theyve survived and remained relevant all these years.

Black Dice-I like their early years as a thrashy noisecore band, but I like them a lot better as an experimental meets post punk meets hip hop meets idm meets whatever weirdo band more. Creature Comforts could have been a disaster, but they proved they had the talent to completley change their sound and pull it off, and theyve continued to grow and evolve since then.

Flaming Lips-I dont think anyone ever could have imagined this band of acid fried hippie punks who could barely play and just played real loud would ever make a record as angelic sounding as the soft bulletin.

Boredoms-I love pretty much everything theyve ever done (except that record they put out on lame ass Vice) and think its awesome how they started out as spazzy noise punkers and then slowly evolved into the band they are on Super AE and Vision Creation Newsun, sort of psychedelic tribal i dunno, awesomenes.

Radiohead-They took kind of a backstep with In Rainbows, but prior to that every record sounded different than the one before it. I mean, within three years they released one of the best guitar records of the 90s and then did a complete 180 and made a record influenced by idm, free jazz, and even fucking ambient drone, ill while still sounding like the same band. Insane.

Neurosis-not many people know that they started off as a crust hardcore band. can you imagine if they stayed like that? wed have like 9 less of the best doom records ever.

Miles Davis-again, an obvious one. the guy made records in almost every style of jazz ever, and made classics in every single one as well.

justin k broadrick-i know he doesnt really count, but the man is a genius. creates napalm death just while playing fast crust punk with his buddies in birmingham, but plays it realllllly fucking fast and brutal, ends up being a part of the band that created grindcore. start head of david to explore his more expeirmental influences, and this carries over to godflesh, whom he arguably creates industrial metal with and made 4 or so classic records. now hes in jesu, making mbv beautiful and isis brutal shoegaze metal.

and, bands that straight blew it:

dillinger escape plan-one amazing genre defining ablum, lose thier singer, make a cool collab with patton, hire a lame steriod using singer, and lose half their band, hire some new guys, make some lame records.

mr bungle-these guys coulda gone down as one of the best ever after disco volante, but then they went and dumbed down and made california.

napalm death-some people like their stuff after scum, i dont.

modest mouse-im sorry if people disagree with me, but the lonesome crowded west and the moon and antartica were amazing records with great songwriting and great production, then they made "float on", jesus.

metalica-we all know the story there.

mogwai-i fucking love young team, and yeah theyve made decent records since then, but nothing compares to that first record for me.

nas-see above

Yo La Tengo

I'm with you all the way on Black Dice and Boredoms, two groups who have really evolved into something more than they began as in a good way.

Yo La Tengo for me, though I know some people wish they would go back to rocking out more. I really think their quiet direction has been a really powerful musical statement.

Sun City Girls went from being post-hardcore to being a complete unique musical experience.

Jandek has gone through many different styles and I really like the way he did those completely primitive spoken word albums before coming out of the closet after decades and playing live at last (and also proving he could stand as a live artist likely all along.)

Autechre continue to fuck with our minds in new ways each record and it hasn't gotten the slightest bit dull.

As for the straight blew it:

Unless they can somehow come back from the depths of that bullshit album, the Stooges will be remembered much worse for having reunited.

I like both their quieter stuff and rockish.

So do I, but the evolution has definitely been towards the softer sound.

no way man, theyre the stooges, theyve already been forgiven. they made funhouse for christ's sake!

good call with all the others though, especiialy the SCG

Radiohead (hearing Kid A makes it hard to believe that the same band did Pablo Honey)
Meat Puppets-super feral bluegrass thrash at first, then turn into a new ZZ Top
Butthole Surfers- from psychedelic punk to rather bland mainstream rock
Napalm Death
Sonic Youth
Swans-super noisy stomp to mellow (yet still epic) classically inspired stuff

it kinda pisses me off how the swans stopped being so noisy and brutal. i mean, when they got labeled as "the loudest band in the world" gira thought it was an insult or something, which it totally wasnt. and plus since he played with branca and was inspired by no wave and sun ra and howlin wolf, you think hed take it as a compliment. theyve made excellent records that were on the quieter side, but nothing will ever compare to filth in my eyes.

You know man, I love Godflesh, but I wish industrial metal had died with them.

On topic-Nick Cave (if Justin counts, he does) from sicko no-wave deathrock to ballads to garage rock...

Bowie-I mean, christ, obviously.

Eno-from glam-pop to pretty much inventing ambient

Blonde Redhead-no-wave to chamber pop (yeah, the last one's production sucked, oh well)

yeah, cave is my hero, as suggested by my boardname

black flag- made faster ramomes style punk to even faster (and more noisey) punk rock (damaged) to sabbath like punk (my war, slip it in and to a lesser extent loose nut) to amazing experimental jazz rock instrumental records (the process of weeding out and the second side of family man) to a crappy last record (in my head).

Good evolutions:
Ed Kuepper - 3 chord punk with The Saints, horn-based rock with The Saints, jazz-punk with the Laughing Clowns, to lots of different stuff as a solo artist.
Sonic Youth - obvious
Einstuerzende Neubauten - Industrial noise to ambient industrial.

as long as yo la can still bring the rock live, i'm cool.

and nick cave, sorry but he went to shit the minute rowland left the birthday party. i know i'm like the only person who thinks like that but that's what i think.

Tim Buckley (from folk to jazz to avantgarde free-jazz and contemporary music - the following decline of the funk period must be forgiven as it was pressured on him by record companies because of the poor sales of the too demanding Lorca and Starsailor).

Scott Walker

The Notwist

California rules.

true

it aint bad, but it sure as fuck aint disco volante. i like all their ablums to an extent, even s/t, but disco volante is a total mindblow classic. but yeah, i guess they dont count as a band that "blew it".

ian mackaye counts, from barely barely could play their instruement teenidles, to the one of the most genre defining of all the hardcore band in minor threat, the shorlived but still excellent post punk bands embrace and egg hunt, the amazing collab with al jourensen piebald who made a fucking loud as hell industrial hardcore record, and of course, fugazi, a band who were able to maintain hardcore extremity while using dub rhythms, funk beats, irregular stop start structures, one of the most amazing rhthym sections ever, and big, sometimes zeppelin-like riffs. he really became an incredible musician over time. great songwriter too.

As boring as it is to mention them, the musical progression charted by The Beatles is incredible. From covers of Twist and Shout to Let it Be, with the likes of A Day in the Life half-way through. An astonishing achievement at a time when musical progression was relatively unheard of within the popular music industry.

Could you name some Jandek spoken word albums? I'd be interested in hearing them.

I'm surprised anyone would mention Jandek in a thread like this. To me, Jandek's albums are love-or-hate affairs across the board precisely because there's roughly zero progression on them. The ever-so-slight changes in style (spoken word things, 'Nancy sings' and the live shows) are only really radical departures precisely because Jandek records all sound almost identical.

Incidentally, as a Jandek fan, I've seen two live shows of his and they were both guff.