Bands are a strange beast - a composite of several people growing up seperately and learning their craft in various ways that come together to create something unique. Well, sometimes it`s unqiue. But what happens when a member leaves, and another joins? Here are 4 bands whose sound changed drasticly when one (or more) flies the cuckoos nest.
Massive Attack - Band member out - mushroom.
Always in the background in terms of promotion and videos, mushroom was the quieter one and until his departure, the massive attack sound that the trio had been nuturing was dark, but very mellow. When mushroom decided to leave, the role he played within the group was became very apparent. The darkness was still there, but the melowness, the warm melodies that was a great counterpoint to the lyrical content had gone.
MASSIVE ATTACK AND THE COLOUR VOMIT. NOT A MUSICAL COLLABORATION.
"100th window" the album that followed after mushroom left was very cold, darker affair than mezzanine - which is quite a feat. Mushroom unwillingly left under a dark cloud, basicly forced into leaving by the other two. Although massive attack still record, their profile dipped after mushroom was kicked out. Not that they are that bothered about such things, but the musical depth of the first three albums combined is no longer there.
BEFORE & AFTER
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Dexy Midnight Runners - key band members out: Kevin Archer, Andy Leek. band members in: Helen O` Hara.
The close knit band hit the big time in 1980 with their heavy brass sound of Northern soul and R&B. However, the success of `Geno` wasn`t to the taste of Kevin and Andy, plus the way that Kevin Rowland ( lead vocals) ran the collective began to grate these particular two. Off they went, formed a new band, and tried their damnest to come up with a new style ... celtic soul .. and a new band `Blue Ox Babes`. Rather happy with a demo that they`d come up with, both Kevins got together and in 1981 they sat listening to the cassette of the new songs. Rowland took the demo with him, and Archer felt happy as Rowland really liked the demo - and he rated his opinion highly......
DEXY`S CIRCA 1980 / KEVIN ARCHER 5TH GEEZER FROM THE LEFT JUST NOTICING HIS WALLET WHILE DEXY DOES A RUNNER.
This friendship was soon to be tested. In one of pop music`s naughtiest moments, Kevin from dexys, contacted one band member from the blue ox babes who was cruicial to giving the band the celtic feel - the fiddle player. Behind his mates back, he recuited her - and then took the Blue Ox signature sound - the idea of celtic soul..... hence 1982`s `Come on Eileen` ... basicly robbing his mates sound lock stock and barrel. The poor bastards only found this out via the radio. He`d even stolen their gyspy look too! This new sound unsettled the brass section within Dexys as the collective suddenly turned into a band with an inner circle. When Dexys became effing huge with that sound, record companies turned down Blue Ox babes citing `You sound too much like Dexys`... Archer gradually fell into severe bouts of depression and was on medication for awhile, it wasn`t until 1988 that he was in a good place to restart the band again. .... Rowland and Archer have patched things up, and Rowland went public about what he`d done in the 90`s. but there are still tensions felt to some degree from members of both bands about this `friendly fire`.
BEFORE & AFTER
Dexys Midnight Runners - This Is What She's Like by Dexys-Midnight-Runners
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Split Enz - band member out: Paul Rudd band member in: Neil Finn
When the band started out, they were very much an art rock outfit. Even though a lot of the songs had a jaunty feel and the band members wore make up and sported crazy haircuts - the musicianship within the group was very high. Very complex arrangements, hidden amongst great pop songs. However, Paul who had founded the group with Tim Finn in the early 70s had had enough for various reasons. Tim decided to bring in his younger bruv, Neil. We all know what a genius Neil Finn is now, but then he was an unknown quantity to the public at large.
SPLIT ENZ, FEELING SHEEPISH ABOUT RAMMING A LAMB.
He`d grown up with his older brother in a successful band, never thinking he`d eventually end up fronting the band alone at the end. But with Neil being a young lad, he was not technically able at the time to play the complex styles and rhythms that had made Split Enz their name ... so they ditched them. They were reborn as a new wave band, with catchy short singles - although the complexity was still there. Neil would soon make more than a name for himself when he formed his band `Crowded House` later repaying the favour to his older brother by letting him join HIS band for what turned out to be ther biggest selling album `Woodface`. Split Enz fans - excuse the pun - are split into various camps. Some hate the New wave period from 1979 onwards, whilst others can`t stomach the art rock period. There is a huge jump stylisticly between the two periods and anyone wanting to dive into their back catalogue ought to be aware of it before judging whether you like their music or not.
BEFORE & AFTER
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Jamiroqaui - Band member out: Stuart Zender
Even though like simply red and level 42 only the lead singer had a record contract - the rest were on a wage - the public saw an acid jazz band. Arguably the most successfull of the those bands from the early 90s, they put funk back on the dancefloor and back in the charts. Each member was shit hot at their instrument, they got a nice organic sound, which was very much like stevie wonders 70s `trilogy` ... well, very, very much like. The change came from the album `Syncronised` from now on, technology would play a greater role in their sound. The live bass that Stuart brought to the table, and really MADE the sound of the band groove - had gone, in fact the band gradually became obsolete.
JAY KAY`S SATURDAY JOB: TOILET ATTENDANT AT THE ELBOW ROOMS - DONT FORGET TO GET INTO THE GROOVE, MATE.
Jay kay,in a interview in mixmag in 1997 stated that he wasn`t that big a fan of dance music, and the Frankie Knuckles remix of `Space Cowboy` which was a dancefloor smash, was not his cup of tea really. He also said that the moment that he starts appearing on the front of album covers - which had been a logo in various designs at that point - then it would be game over ..... now, 10+ years on from that article he solely makes dance music AND appears on the front covers of his releases. He appeal he had to musicians and funk enthusiasts has gone, and his disco dance singles, whilst good, sound the same as every other disco influenced dance single in the charts.
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