Musicians are just like the rest of us; it can take some growing pains for them to figure out what works, and what doesn’t as they forge an identity that is uniquely their own. Here are three bands that underwent major stylistic shifts somewhere along the way. These groups differ by what point in their career they changed things up, why the change happened, and the success that they achieved in their different iterations.

Eagles

In talking about the Eagles, it really is a tale of two bands. The Eagles are far from the only band to have a prominent stylistic shift, however, they are one of the few where the first iteration was as successful as the second. There is no argument that Hotel California (1976) is the groups defining effort, but the Eagles would be in the rock n roll hall of fame even without the album. Between 1971 and 1975, the Eagles were massively successful as they transitioned from country to a harder rock sound. Their debut album “Eagles”, spawned three hits on the top-40. “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, “Take It Easy”, and “Witchy Woman”. Each song had the sort of laid-back, loose, folk and country-like blend that defined the California sound of the late 60s and early 70s. The next album “Desperado” wasn’t just a country album: it was an all- in concept album about cowboys and the wild-west. It wasn’t until 1974, with the album “On The Border”, that the Eagles sound began to change, ushered in with the arrival of guitarist Don Felder. The album had the band’s first #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Best of My Love” and a lesser  hit with “Already Gone”: a song that was indicative of things to come.  The hits kept coming with the 1975 album “One Of These Nights” with songs like “Lying eyes”, “ Take It To The Limit”, and the titular track which also went #1 on the billboard hot 100. Then 1976, The Eagles go from superstars to mega-stars with “Hotel California”. The album was the first to feature Joe Walsh, which coincided with the departure of original guitarist Bernie Leadon and the end of the first phase of the Eagles Career and their country-dominant sound. But there you go, an entire hall of fame career before their most successful album. That is pretty crazy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5zB4ARUBtg

Tame Impala

The pieces were always there but Kevin Parker’s debut album as Tame Imapala “Innerspeaker” is a far cry from the indulgent space-like, synthesizer laden escapes that define his music today. Innerspeaker is still a psychedelic album, but it’s a largely  guitar-driven effort with its basis still firmly in the blues. This sounds crazy but if I had to describe those early songs through analog I would say that Innerspeaker sounds like a mix between Sgt Peppers era Beatles, The Black Keys, and Cream. Yeah I know, what the heck, but listen to “Lucidity”,  or “It Is Not Meant To Be” and tell me that I am wrong. Then compare them to anything off of “Currents” sit back in awe of just how far Kevin Parker has shifted stylistically.

Genesis

Before Genesis became part of the 80s pop machine that is Phil Collins, they specialized in the type of music that is hard to get on the radio. Not because it isn’t good, far from it but rather it is too complicated and the musicians behind it arew  too good and have no interest in toning down their efforts. Guitar solos, drum solos, flute solos, keyboard solos, fantasy lyrics, 10-minute songs, and drawn out instrumental sections were the name of the game. Albums like “Selling England By The Pound” (1973) and “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” (1974) are why early-Genesis are progressive rock greats alongside the likes of Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and Uriah Heep.