Entertainment For Lively Minds
Popular Bands Who Take Left Turns
I was lucky enough, at the weekend, to hear a pre-release copy of the New Flaming Lips album, "Embryonic." I'm a huge fan of the Lips and absolutely love the last three albums. I am also very pleased that they now seem to be achieving the level of success they deserve. However, the new album is a real left turn for them. It's terrific, but seems to have virtually no commercial potential. Over 70 minutes long, it sounds like a cross between Can, Beefheart and "Bitches Brew" era Miles Davis, with bizarre instrumentals, heavy percussive drums way up in the mix, atonal guitar solos, vocals so low in the mix that they are barely audible and a general aura of weirdness.
Of course, I know the band, in their early years made some very odd sounding music, but from "The Soft Bulletin" onwards, they seemed to be getting more commercial and more tuneful. It makes Radiohead's so called left turn after "OK Computer" seem rather pedestrian by comparison. "Embryonic" is a great record, but you're going to have to work hard at it.
It's got me thinking. How many other bands took a real left turn at the height of their success? The aforementioned Radiohead is one. Talk Talk are the other obvious contenders, David Sylvian is possibly another. But there must be more, yes?
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HJH
Revolution number 9 anyone ?
gets coat
the classic left turn
got to be Lou Reed putting out "metal machine music" to fulfill his contract and to spite the record company at the same time... it got into the charts for about one week!
Prince
Around The World In A Day was decidedly left-field after Purple Rain, and bemused many of the newly-acquired fanbase; an early indication of his artistic integrity/career-threatening wilfulness (take your pick).
not commercial?
so just like 70% of their output then?
Cart before the horse
I posted Talk Talk.From Synth Pop to 'Laughing Stock', then I finished reading your post.Doh!
David Sylvian?
There is no 'possibly' about it.
Radiohead. Ok Computer was the first left turn.
As for The Flaming Lips, I thought I was a fan. Had you asked me last week, I would have said I love them.
And then I was listening to a new track , possibly the 'single' and I got to thinking about them. And i realised that I don't really know them that well at all. I find their albums are a mystery to me. And yet I have three of them. What this all means I have not the inclination to figure. But i wanted to share.
It's an absolute left turn
Which baffles me at the moment. It might be the best thing I've heard this year, in a month. But for now ,at least, I can't figure it out.
Most of my favourite albums took at least ten plays for me to 'get'. It should always be thus.
Isn't That One Of The
fundamental differences between those that like music and those that love it? Whenever I have replied to the question 'What's the new '(insert difficult band name here) ' album like', with 'I'm not sure yet, I need more time to decide' I am told that music shouldn't be hard! Which is a fair point in many ways, but sometimes music is hard and it's the willingness, nay, the desire to push on and keep going back to an album which separates the casual from the hardcore. No?
I've taken more left turns
with Elvis Costello than I care to remember, some more sucessfully than others.
Flamimg Lips and Mercury Rev both turned away from out there psychedelia towards the road marked 'melodies'. I am a fan of both but have no interest in the majority of their early stuff.
So if they turned back you wouldn't follow?
Always worth a listen in these mp3tastic days...
If a band
started playing music I didn't like of course I'd stop being interested.
I've had a go with early Lips\Rev but it just doesn't float me yacht
I'm looking forward to hearing this
I've got all the albums except "Zaireeka", which I fancy but requires more effort than usual to play! There some great stuff pre-The Soft Bulletin, the best way is probably to gradually work backwards through them. Clouds Taste Metalic is a bit whacky but I wouldn't say it was a difficult listen.
Spinal Tap
I loved their 'new direction' on Jazz Odyssey
Tom Waits
...as no doubt remarked upon elsewhere in this blogosphere, took very much a left turn with Swordfishtrombones and has pretty much pursued it ever since. I love both early and current incarnations but don't see how he could have sustained the early jazz barfly style throughout.
R.E.M.
I'd say R.E.M. have taken an interesting path. There are stylistic similarites through their 80s albums, but from Green onwards there were a number of wide turns, to a folky acoustic/mandolin-based album, via a "big rock album" and eventually to Up.
Left turns?
King Crimson have taken so many that they have a career path like a square MC Escher staircase.
Mellotron Crimson
Blues-based jamming Crimson
Improv Crimson
Gamelan Crimson
Double-Trio Crimson
etc etc
If you don't like the current Crimson, wait 5 years and there'll be a new one along.
He's not a band
but I can't think of any act that's taken more left turns than this month's cover star, David Bowie.
But if it's bands we're talking about, how about Status Quo? (Only joking...)