| B-SIDES | t Music Left Field Trip 12 Times established artists took an awe- somely weird, Chris Gaines-like musical turn. BY DIAMOND RODRIGUE M ost of us have had a compul- sion to reinvent ourselves at one point or another, or per- haps we’ve given in to the willful whims of a mid-life crisis. We’ve likely all had moments in our lives when something could have gone won- derfully but ended in disaster, or we’ve sup- pressed some instinctual urge out of fear of criticism or failure, only to let it go and feel the warmth of compassion and acceptance. It’s part of the human condition, and music’s history is a great exploration into these ex- periences. Looking back through the changing works of artists who suddenly experi- mented with a new sound also shows us that highly respected, world-renowned musi- cians can fuck up too. And it’s OK. We’ve examined some of the best and worst musical departures from some highly revered artists over the past several decades, and if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that sometimes you have to piss off, or at least confuse, a few people to stay true to yourself. Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home It’s hard to think that Bob Dylan’s album Bringing It All Back Home was regarded as some sort of reinvention of character or bi- zarre left turn in the folk singer’s career (in retrospect, most would argue that came way later), but that’s what the audience thought at the time back in 1965 when he took the stage at the Newport Folk Festival, plugged in his Fender Stratocaster and played the al- bum’s second single, “Maggie’s Farm.” It was the widely known moment when Dylan “went electric,” and longtime fans were visi- bly disappointed that their folk hero now played rock and roll music. But this directional shift is mainly instru- 18 18 mental, although lyrically it does explore more personal narratives, like in the love songs “Love Minus Zero/No Limit” and “She Belongs to Me.” But what made Dylan the “voice of his generation” — a title he re- luctantly holds — is still evident with tracks like “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” a song heavily influenced by the emerging counter- culture of the decade, and “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” which touches on cap- Rick Diamond/Getty italism, war and the impossibility of some political solutions. Now considered one of the greatest rock albums of all time, Bringing It All Back Home held familiar lyrical themes but was cer- tainly a musical change for Dylan, and even though only a handful of tracks on the re- cord included rock hooks, it marked a new and enduring era of his music making. Ray Charles Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Ray Charles pioneered soul music in the 1950s, with influences of blues, jazz and gos- pel music. By the 1960s, he’d recorded “Georgia on My Mind,” “Hit the Road Jack” and other memorable Top 40 singles. But it was his blending of soulful pop into country music that earned him a unique place in mu- sic history. Released in 1962 as the civil rights move- ment was in full swing, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music was supposed to ruin Charles’ career, at least according to his record label at the time. But Charles wasn’t worried about the possibility of losing a few listeners, as he knew he’d gain even more. Plus, the record included covers of several already well-known pop chart standards, such as the Everly Brothers’ “Bye Bye Love.” Though commercially and critically suc- cessful at the time, the album never landed on the country charts, as the platform would remain “whites only” for a handful of years to come. But today the album is considered historically significant, and in 1999 was in- ducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Neil Young Trans Neil Young’s 1983 electronic effort Trans still baffles fans today. The singer-songwriter’s voice is unrecognizable through a synthe- sizer backed by a drum machine. And to make it weirder, three of the nine tracks on the album (which sound much more like the traditional Neil Young songs of the ’70s) were intended for a different project that never materialized, giving listeners serious auditory whiplash as they played through the album. According to Young’s biography Shakey, though, the album does hold sentimental value for the musician: He wrote it during a time when he would accompany his son in intensive therapy for cerebral palsy, a condi- tion which has made it difficult for the two to communicate and understand one an- other. It’s thought that Young took this so- bering time in his life to experiment or perhaps reinvent himself. Trans is also the soundtrack to the 1982 cult comedy Human Highway (which featured the then lesser- known Devo), also written and co-directed by Young. While Trans was a commercial flop, it fared better with critics. Today, it’s got a cult following but has mostly stayed shelved as an ’80s relic. The Byrds Sweetheart of the Rodeo Even those long-haired hippies known as The Byrds had a soft spot for country music, as is evident in their genre-departing 1968 album Sweetheart of the Rodeo. As pioneers in folk rock, The Byrds were best known for their popular rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” and the chart-topping “Turn! Turn! Turn!” before entering a new wave of rock that included a much more ka- leidoscopic aesthetic. Sweetheart of the Rodeo was an attempt at making country music cool for young audi- ences. It was recorded with country rock great Gram Parsons and didn’t go over that well with the conventional Nashville crowd. And while it pleased critics at the time and today is considered a highly influential body of work in the evolution of country rock, it was, at the time, a commercial failure. Ministry With Sympathy Ministry is now a leader in industrial and heavy metal music, but the band’s most un- Garth Brooks had a “Robin Daggers” emo phase as Chris Gaines, but we loved it. characteristic output was actually its debut album — 1983’s synth-pop darling With Sympathy. Nobody hates this album more than frontman and founder Al Jourgenson, who actually donned a fake British accent for the album because he and his record la- bel thought it gave Ministry a more genuine synth-pop sound. Jourgenson has said that his label, Arista, pressured him into record- ing the album. Jourgenson would ultimately give a big middle finger to his record label, the synths and mod hairstyle and embrace dreadlocks and a much harder form of rock music. Thing is, With Sympathy was on par with other successful synth-pop records at the time, and in a different timeline, Minis- try could have become a frontrunner in the genre, as the album was chock-full of catchy dance songs. Beck Sea Change With each new Beck album comes a new identity for the genre-bending songwriter and musician. But with 2002’s Sea Change, his eighth studio album, much more than usual was different. Citing a major breakup with his longtime girlfriend as his influence for the record, Beck embraced simpler, more introspective lyrics than his usual enigmatic and wry ramblings, a far cry from his first hit single “Loser” back in 1993. Ditching the “two turntables and a micro- phone” formula, much of Sea Change is acous- tic-based and continues to be a critical darling. Morning Phase, which came out in 2014, is said to be the spiritual follow-up to Sea Change, with the same backing band but written from a much less melancholic point of view. Beastie Boys Country Mike’s Greatest Hits One of the most elusive musical departures comes from the Beastie Boys with Country Mike’s Greatest Hits, a joke album recorded MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 SEPTEMBER 22–28, 2022 DALLAS OBSERVER DALLAS OBSERVER | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | MOVIES | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | SCHUTZE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS dallasobserver.comdallasobserver.com
