Bands that changed for the worst to be succesful

[BetCheckBet]

A few bands particularly stand out of being great before they made it big at which point they totally changed their direction to cater to a new group of fans (FOR THE WORST). I'm not talking about small changes, I mean like totally changed their image.

I started listening to Sugar Ray around 95/96. Their debut album was hit an dmiss but hada few really good songs. Much music loves to play them because they pretty much looked like a canadian band. After a year or two I figured they were gone for good until they resurfaced and blew up with... well you all know....

ORIGINAL


NEW



Another classic is AFI. Answer that and stay fashionable was an amazing record but had so much competition at the time in the genre. When AFI changed their image they lost a lot of fans for refusing to acknowledged their old music.

ORIGINAL


NEW



Most people won;t knwo LEN that well. But it was pretty painful to see them go from being a legitimate canadian indy band to a summer one hit wonder. The worst was the attempt to sexualize the female singer (especially since she is always with her brother). While the band probably didn't really change that much I just couldn;t get into their new stuff.

ORIGINAL


NEW



Any other bands you really liked who turned you off of their music to go mainstream?

[DJ_Chaps]

BEP

[4Dragons]

Metallica and MC Hammer.

[DRK Star]

BEP

this is the first thing that came to mind



They decided to add a female singer to the group, then change their song from "Lets Get RETARDED" to "Lets Get IT STARTED".

[4Dragons]

BEP

this is the first thing that came to mind



They decided to add a female singer to the group, then change their song from "Lets Get RETARDED" to "Lets Get IT STARTED".

Will Smith/ Fresh Prince did a similar back-peddle with 'girls of the world' when he changed the lyrics to something less than violence against women.

[BetCheckBet]

BEP

this is the first thing that came to mind



They decided to add a female singer to the group, then change their song from "Lets Get RETARDED" to "Lets Get IT STARTED".

Ya BEP very good example.

[nunbeater]

Metallica and MC Hammer.

Metallica is pretty much the case study for this shit.

[Crowe Diddly]

Metallica and MC Hammer.

Metallica is pretty much the case study for this shit.

BEP all day. I don't believe that Metallica changed in order to become more successful, I think they changed because people change as they grow up, and a bunch of 40+ year olds ain't gonna be putting out Hit The Lights or Breadfan.

[4Dragons]

Metallica is pretty much the case study for this shit.

BEP all day. I don't believe that Metallica changed in order to become more successful, I think they changed because people change as they grow up, and a bunch of 40+ year olds ain't gonna be putting out Hit The Lights or Breadfan.

Black album was the template on how to take a surging popularity and monetize it. Metallica had a bunch of songs that were 7 minutes long and swore in every lyric making them radio poison. Black album they cut all the songs to under 5 min, stopped the excessive language and all of it was completely a marketing gambit. This was because of a new production team, not the actual guys saying 'hey we're getting older lets settle down'.

[needless2say]

Great thread BCB. Being in SoCal and following the SRH shows/scene in the 90's was culture. SR was a party band with wit/throw and pop. It always cracks me up when I se McGrath on Access Hollywood or red carpet shit. Gotta give the dude his props...he raged and ran through perfect 10 OC beach nuggets like a boss and parlayed it into a TV gig. The flip was when the industry started pushing them the LA beach thing with No Doubt/Sublime in 96. We used to rage 7night a week at my buddies house who had an insane speaker system...basically a club PA. We would drain kegs shoot dice and break game to freak hoes to this:

[unchainedghost]

Without exception, every band mentioned in this thread so far fucking sucks. Green day should have hung It up after dookie, their only good album.
Len, sugar ray, afi? What do u guys listen to when your pretending to be straight?

[Dan Druff]

I have never seen a band so commercial as Black Eyed Peas.

They will literally appear in anything that pays them, no matter how ridiculous.

License "Let's Get It Started" to the NBA Playoffs and make custom commercial bumpers for them? Check.

Make a custom version of the "Meet Me Halfway" video for a DIRECTV ad? Check.

Appear on Dodgers billboards during the 2009 playoffs, and license "I've Got a Feeling" to promote them? Check.

And the list goes on and on and on...

I would understand this from a has-been band that needs to continue earning a paycheck, but the BEP have been wildly successful during all of these years, so why whore themselves out for anyone and anything that pays them?

[michael]

Without exception, every band mentioned in this thread so far fucking sucks. Green day should have hung It up after dookie, their only good album.
Len, sugar ray, afi? What do u guys listen to when your pretending to be straight?

AFI ruled.

[tony bagadonuts]

Green day should have hung It up after dookie, their only good album.

Are you fucking kidding me? Is this a level??

[SrslySirius]

Green day should have hung It up after dookie, their only good album.

Are you fucking kidding me? Is this a level??

I tend to agree. Dookie is the only Green Day album I really like.

I submit The Offspring. Smash was a great album, one of my favorites growing up. It doesn't exactly fit the theme of this thread, as that turned out to be their most successful release. But they followed this up with weird crap like Pretty Fly For a White Guy and Original Pranksta.

BEFORE:





AFTER:

[4Dragons]

I have never seen a band so commercial as Black Eyed Peas.

They will literally appear in anything that pays them, no matter how ridiculous.

License "Let's Get It Started" to the NBA Playoffs and make custom commercial bumpers for them? Check.

Make a custom version of the "Meet Me Halfway" video for a DIRECTV ad? Check.

Appear on Dodgers billboards during the 2009 playoffs, and license "I've Got a Feeling" to promote them? Check.

And the list goes on and on and on...

I would understand this from a has-been band that needs to continue earning a paycheck, but the BEP have been wildly successful during all of these years, so why whore themselves out for anyone and anything that pays them?

Artists care about their art and they know that they are not that.

[SrslySirius]

Metallica is all about the art.

[4Dragons]

Metallica is all about the art.

Somewhat ironic to have Metal-ica on a wood table.

[Menks]

Jackel!!!!

[offthetop]

PSY did nothing for 5 albums and then decided to dance like he was riding a horse....blew him up just a little bit