The Art Of Reinventing A Rock Band

Gibson.com had a great article on bands that have reinvented themselves in an attempt to bring them up to date and become a hit again. Some have been successful in the past and some….well, not so good. Then there are some such as Pink Floyd, who had no choice but to reinvent themselves and carry on when Syd Barrett departed because of mental illness. I’m going to mention two that reinvented themselves.

Kiss reinvented themselves when they shed the make up with two new members of the band. This didn’t work out so well for the band gaining new members and to be totally honest, everything before the ‘unmasking’ was the music that put them where they are. They even tried Disco. If that doesn’t cry “Sell-Out” I don’t know what does. Even today they are attempting to reinvent themselves one more time by re-recording classic kiss songs and it may even be possible that they replace every member of KISS. These days the new acronym for K.I.S.S. is Keep Improving Sales Strategy.

Metallica reinvented themselves with a slightly new sound when they released The Black Album. While it gained some new fans a lot of old fans were not impressed with the more mainstream sound. While not losing old fans was the case, because the fans still stuck with Metallica, they just didn’t approve. The new fans loved it and ALL the fans highly anticipated the next coming albums. This is where Metallica went from METAL-lica to more of a ROCK-tallica. With the release of Load and Reload, Metallica members cut their hair and started to look more trendy. Something that they set out to break when they busted on to the metal scene with Kill ‘Em All. Perhaps it was them growing up, becoming more business savvy or just an asinine producer influencing them. We all want to make more money, but when you start breaking your own personal promises then you become what a lot of people now label Metallica…sell-outs. While still an amazing live act, fans are tired of being let down by albums like St. Anger, that are hyped up and then are just a slap in the face. Redemption time may be nearing with the upcoming release, Death Magnetic produced by one of the greats, Rick Ruben. Does Metallica still have a sliver of Metal left in their songwriting? Maybe, but at least they didn’t have someone else write all the songs for them like Motley Crue’s Saints Of Los Angeles…but that’s a whole other can of rotten worms.

Moving on to Gibson’s article. Below is just an excerpt of of it, but I think you will find the other bands they mention of interest. Bans like Yes, Genesis, Doobie Brothers and T. Rex.

To lose your lead singer is one thing. To lose your lead singer, your guiding spirit, and your main songwriter―all in one charismatic package―is something else. But that’s exactly what Pink Floyd was confronted with in 1968, when the profoundly gifted Syd Barrett became unhinged to the point that he was asked to leave the band. Barrett’s songs, as dazzling and imaginative as they were, were at heart pop songs filled with child-like whimsy. His departure left a gaping hole that replacement guitarist David Gilmour could occupy, but couldn’t hope to fill. Nonetheless, Pink Floyd forged on gamely, recording a series of albums that were free-form, experimental, and avant-garde―but also wildly uneven. At last, with Dark Side of the Moon, the band crafted a work that boasted mainstream accessibility while retaining the essence of Barrett’s fractured sensibilities. Pink Floyd went on to reinvent themselves yet again―in the wake of Roger Waters’ departure―but in that instance the change in direction wasn’t nearly so striking.

Honestly, I’m one of the people that really like post Syd Barrett Pink Floyd(Yeah, I know…BLASPHEMY!!). To me it’s when Pink Floyd went on to a more experimental sound that was much more soothing to the ears and soul. David Gilmour, as has been said by countless people, is one of those guitarists that can play a solo with three notes and make it say much more and have more of an impact to the listener than most guitar players that do a hundred pull offs and hammer on’s in 10 seconds. The way the note is struck, bent and sustained through out is an amazing thing that Gilmour does.

5 Classic Bands Who Reinvented Themselves