10 Times Rock Bands Drastically Changed Their Sound

Amid the British blues boom, Fleetwood Mac held the mantle as one of the more respected bands in the scene. Though they never saw as many hits come their way like Cream or even Led Zeppelin, the guitar skills of Peter Green alongside the rhythm section of John McVie and Mick Fleetwood made for some amazing material like Black Magic Woman and Oh Well. Once Green left to find his own muse though, the self-titled record announced a whole new side of the group.

Going through guitarists like Bob Welch, the eventual adoption of both Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham yielded something completely different from the bluesy structures that the band were used to. In its place was some of the most earnest folk rock ever made, which made for one hell of a tonal shift going from Stop Messin Around to Say You Love Me. Then again, not many other bands had songs this good.

Off the strength of three bulletproof singles, Fleetwood Mac's self-titled gave them their first huge success, with songs like Rhiannon being carried by Nicks' booming alto voice. This just proved to be the tip of the iceberg, with Rumors arriving just a few years later as one of the best selling albums of all time. For as much melodrama that was about to unfold, you couldn't have asked for a better payoff.