10 Bands Who Were Justified In Changing Sounds
9. Journey
For better or worse, Journey became one of the world's most listened to bands when their hit single Don't Stop Believin' broke the world in 2009. Becoming the most listened to tune in iTunes history, the sound of Journey in the early to mid 1980s was the absolute epitome of big, radio-friendly rock tunes that were everywhere across the decade.
However, this settled sound was very different to the types of tunes Journey were pumping out when they first started out. Formed in 1973 initially as a backup group for more established artists in the San Francisco Bay Area, Journey's initial sound had a far more blues/jazz vibe to it than the all-out rock sounds they would adopt later on.
The band released two albums in this style, Journey in 1975 and Look Into The Future in 1976, but sales and overall reception were somewhat on the flat side. Their record company, Columbia, requested that the group change their style and band members Neal Schon, Ross Valory and Aynsley Dunbar all began taking singing lessons in order to help harmonise their vocals and lay the foundations for their more commercial works.