Looking back over popular music's recent history (by recent I mean the last 50 years or so!), there seems to be many occasions where a musician/band has come to the public's attention peddling a certain musical genre; whether it be rock, punk, rap, indie, singer/songwriter etc. only for the style that first brought them into our homes to fall by the wayside and be replaced by homogenous, bland, cash-grabbing nonsense. (Phew, that was a big first sentence...)
Be aware that I'm not in any way having a go at bands/performers who alter their style as part of a musical progression, I believe that's what they should ALL be doing, I mean, who wants to be doing the same thing album after album after album? DISCLAIMER: There are a very small minority who get away with it, an obvious example being AC/DC, but they are very few and far between and it's only because they do what they do better than anyone else on the planet!
There can be no denying the fact that the majority of 'big' acts over the years have changed their sound (and often image) as they've progressed, often losing support in one area but gaining in another whilst the 'hardcore' fans will accept pretty much anything that's thrown at them.
So changing with the times and doing their own thing may make a band more interesting, but does it make sound business sense?
Never having been at the coal-face of making music for a living, it's difficult to know the kind of pressure acts may be under from various sources to 'write a hit' or 'change their look' or whatever to suit the clamouring public who buy their music. I have the utmost respect for acts who decide to go their own way regardless of these pressures, whether they've failed or not. It shows one major trait: musical integrity. It must be a difficult choice nonetheless; do we/I carry on making the music we/I want to and hope someone buys it? Or do we/I do what we're/I'm told and produce music that sells big and makes money? Again, it's down to artist integrity.
UB40 in an interview admitted they had 'sold out' to make money, and were quite happy to leave their integrity at the door to make some cash. Who can blame them? They sold millions and no doubt made pots of cash. Madness? (The band I mean). To me they sold out too, going from their ska/rude boy roots in 'The Prince' to 'Our House' in the skip of a Rude Boy's polished loafer.
As I mentioned previously, it's difficult to understand the pressure that some acts may be put under in order to shift units. Of course, some acts will choose a certain record label; assuming they have a choice in the first place - which will provide them with the time and money to progress at their own pace - Creation possibly being a case in point.
Again this comes down to the integrity of the parties involved. Some artists/ producers get involved with music as a cash-cow (can we even call them artists?), but often this doesn't lead to anything interesting from a musical point of view.
I've certainly always enjoyed listening to musicians who not only plough their own furrow but also sound and look like they're enjoying themselves doing so.
I believe there will always be artists who continue to push boundaries and explore new sounds, and are not afraid to go their own way, regardless of the possible pots of cash awaiting them at the end of the musical rainbow.
Be aware that I'm not in any way having a go at bands/performers who alter their style as part of a musical progression, I believe that's what they should ALL be doing, I mean, who wants to be doing the same thing album after album after album? DISCLAIMER: There are a very small minority who get away with it, an obvious example being AC/DC, but they are very few and far between and it's only because they do what they do better than anyone else on the planet!
There can be no denying the fact that the majority of 'big' acts over the years have changed their sound (and often image) as they've progressed, often losing support in one area but gaining in another whilst the 'hardcore' fans will accept pretty much anything that's thrown at them.
So changing with the times and doing their own thing may make a band more interesting, but does it make sound business sense?
Never having been at the coal-face of making music for a living, it's difficult to know the kind of pressure acts may be under from various sources to 'write a hit' or 'change their look' or whatever to suit the clamouring public who buy their music. I have the utmost respect for acts who decide to go their own way regardless of these pressures, whether they've failed or not. It shows one major trait: musical integrity. It must be a difficult choice nonetheless; do we/I carry on making the music we/I want to and hope someone buys it? Or do we/I do what we're/I'm told and produce music that sells big and makes money? Again, it's down to artist integrity.
UB40 in an interview admitted they had 'sold out' to make money, and were quite happy to leave their integrity at the door to make some cash. Who can blame them? They sold millions and no doubt made pots of cash. Madness? (The band I mean). To me they sold out too, going from their ska/rude boy roots in 'The Prince' to 'Our House' in the skip of a Rude Boy's polished loafer.
As I mentioned previously, it's difficult to understand the pressure that some acts may be put under in order to shift units. Of course, some acts will choose a certain record label; assuming they have a choice in the first place - which will provide them with the time and money to progress at their own pace - Creation possibly being a case in point.
Again this comes down to the integrity of the parties involved. Some artists/ producers get involved with music as a cash-cow (can we even call them artists?), but often this doesn't lead to anything interesting from a musical point of view.
I've certainly always enjoyed listening to musicians who not only plough their own furrow but also sound and look like they're enjoying themselves doing so.
I believe there will always be artists who continue to push boundaries and explore new sounds, and are not afraid to go their own way, regardless of the possible pots of cash awaiting them at the end of the musical rainbow.