10 Bands Who Weren’t Afraid To Change Their Sound

As the hard rock kings of the sleazy 1980s LA Sunset Strip scene, Motley Crue released a succession of hit albums with singer Vince Neil, starting with Too Fast For Love (1981) through to Dr. Feelgood (1989). The band rose to the top in their decade of decadence, infamously optimising the sex, drugs and rock & roll lifestyle, but by 1989 they had all but burned out. Following stints in rehab, Crue had recorded Dr Feelgood sober, before heading out on a tour with clear friction between the singer and the rest of the band.

Vince Neil left, and Motley Crue hired the talented John Corabi to sing on their self-titled album in 1994, which was heavily influenced by the alternative sound of the '90s, with the band also changing their image to try and move away from the now unfashionable '80s glam style. But the album was not what many of their fans were expecting or wanted, and it sold poorly - as did the subsequent tour, putting a swift end to the collaboration.

Neil returned to Motley Crue for their next album, Generation Swine (1997), and those that thought it may return to the sound of their roots were sorely mistaken. It turned out to be an experimental fusion of different styles and electronic influences, that ended up sounding somewhat of an incoherent mess. Vince Neil has since largely distanced himself from the record, claiming that all of the music was written long before his return.