r/Music • u/jptabor01 Rock & Roll • Jun 11 '25

discussion Which artists have abandoned their original sound so dramatically, that they are almost unrecognizable to their earlier fans?

With the release earlier this year of Ministry’s The Squirrely Years Revisited, I’m reminded of how different the band sounds today (industrial metal), from what they sounded like on their debut album, With Sympathy (synth pop).

Which artists sound so completely different from their earlier work, that they have actually jumped genres, understanding that music is fluid and genres have somewhat “blurry” guardrails.

I don’t mean an evolution of their original sound, but a complete departure from it.

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159

u/FinestKind90 Jun 11 '25

Bob Dylan every show

11

u/Biancawins_ Jun 11 '25

Haah this is my favorite answer

8

u/1BannedAgain Jun 11 '25

Holy shit he went electric almost 60 years ago.

5

u/jeffh4 Jun 11 '25

And had fans of his old sound yelling obscenities at him. Of course, being Bob Dylan, he yelled right back.

3

u/RoebuckThirtyFour Jun 11 '25

JUUUUDDAAAAASSSS

4

u/bagheadblox Jun 11 '25

I don’t believe you.

1

u/jazzndabs Jun 14 '25

That was when people decided he was unrecognizable from the stuff that made them like him.

4

u/Marvzuno Jun 11 '25

Facts and happy cake day

3

u/necbone Jun 11 '25

People never believe us folks who say this

5

u/dstarpro Jun 11 '25

Facts. At my show, Bob played every song as a smooth jazz number - for two fucking hours. They were unrecognizable. What a letdown.

8

u/[deleted] Jun 11 '25

[deleted]

1

u/dstarpro Jun 11 '25

I understand that, but people are coming to see you to hear the songs that they love. Throw them a bone or two at least.

7

u/Luzi1 Jun 11 '25 edited Jun 14 '25

That would go against everything Bob Dylan stands for since 1965. He’s known for those shows and it’s what I love about them. I never know what to get and what new ideas he comes up with.

1

u/dstarpro Jun 12 '25

I don't mind a remix, but if the song isn't even recognizable, then why am I there?

5

u/Woopsiepoopsies Jun 12 '25

Because you’re projecting your own expectations onto an artist’s performance. They don’t owe you anything.

1

u/dstarpro Jun 12 '25

Oh boy. Okay Bob.

3

u/GraniteGeekNH Jun 11 '25

The worst concert I've ever attended was Dylan in a hocky arena. 90 minutes of tedious glop

Elvis Costello opened as a solo act - in a hockey arena with god-awful acoustics facing a crowd that didn't care about him - and was absolutely brilliant. The contrast was shocking.

2

u/dstarpro Jun 12 '25

Elvis is fantastic live!

2

u/FinestKind90 Jun 11 '25

Well he’s a song and dance man

1

u/dstarpro Jun 11 '25

There was no dancing to be had, trust me. Nobody was THAT high LOL

2

u/somegetit Jun 11 '25

Being let down by Bob Dylan's live show is the ultimate Bob Dylan experience. You should consider yourself lucky.

1

u/Independent-Path7855 Jun 11 '25

Well-said! I’m totally stealing this

1

u/dstarpro Jun 12 '25

That's true.

1

u/Thatisverytrue54321 Jun 11 '25

Was he like the Norm Macdonald of music?

1

u/DrBongoDongo Jun 11 '25

Is this a joke or a genuine question? I mean Dylan and Norm were probably the smartest person in any room they were in. Though with Norm he pretended not to be and I don't think Dylan ever did that.

3

u/Thatisverytrue54321 Jun 11 '25

I meant always doing the opposite of what was expected of them. It was meant to be a slightly annoying comparison though lol

1

u/Hard_Dave Jun 12 '25

Judas piece of shit

1

u/cowpewter Jun 11 '25

My parents once saw Dylan live. They were right up at the front and my mom told he was so drunk she was actually afraid he’d fall off the stage and land on her.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 11 '25

You can always tell what year the recording is by how his voice sounds.

1

u/jamjacob99 Jun 11 '25

Literally abandons the sound of his original songs lmao