Rock bands/artists who went pop

I think most rock bands or even heavy metal or hard rock bands have had forays into pop music with certain songs, but a radio hit or two or a ballad doesn’t mean they’ve changed their overall philosophy. I think the distinction is: did their sound change altogether and, with that, their image? Certainly bands like Foreigner or REO Speedwagon always could go one way or the other. Blue Öyster Cult had some weird albums in the 80’s but still retained their image and maintained their sound to a certain degree.

 

Then Back to Rock and Prog with their last album "Road Island"

 

Foghat.

 

VH leaned "pop" from the very start. Can anyone claim "Jamie's Cryin'" isn't a total pop song? Or "Dance the Night Away"?

 

Even if one wanted to view Bowie as a pure "rock artist" in his early days - which I think would be tough to do given the nature of the 1967 debut, and the "Space Oddity" and "Hunky Dory" album - Bowie would've made his first transition to "pop artist" in 1975.

"Young Americans" is clearly not a "rock album"...

 

1) I think the thread wants to look at established recording artists who switched genres after they'd gained success.

2) Even if we accept Gaga's pre-recording period, the thread wants "rock artists", which doesn't count anyone who played jazz standards on piano!

 

Springsteen.

 

How does Bryan Adams count? He started off pop-rock (well, pop-disco, but we can forget about that one-off) and never really changed his approach.

 

Echo & the Bunnymen

 

No one outside of Canada knows about that single. But yeah, he always had one foot in pop. It just seems that rock stations never touched anything he released after 1989, whereas Summer of '69, Cuts Like a Knife and Run To You are stalwarts.

 

R.E.O. Speedwagon certainly comes to mind. It's hard at times to think that the same band who recorded "Golden Country" and "Ridin' The Storm Out" would later give us songs like "Keep On Lovin' You" and "I Do' Wanna Know".

 

No, but it's closer to soul/r&b than pop. Although nowadays pop and r&b fall under the banner of pop music, back in the 70's there was more of a line of demarcation.

 

Eh, that Everything I Do single may qualify as something more poppier than his earlier stuff.

 

The Doobie Brothers went from rock ("China Grove") to pop ("Real Love") back to rock ("The Doctor").

 

Gentle Giant
Roxy Music

 

I have a 'calling all girls' wlp stereo/mono 45, so it must of got played in America at least once..........I've never heard it on radio however.

 

Yeah, but it was "plastic soul", so I think it was still pretty close to "standard pop", even in that era.

Anyway you look at it, it wasn't rock!

 

They peaked when they shilled for Carpets Galore:

(5:55 in this clip)

 

Everybody from the 70’s that lasted into the 80’s.

 

Ha, beat me too it. I want to forget 80's rock/pop.

 

Marmalade
New Colony Six

 

Catchy melodies and vocal harmonies were always a staple of the VH sound. Sure, EVH's guitar is the first easy thing to look at, but catchy pop melodies are pretty much all over every VH album.

 

I'll go with DiVinyls.

Saw them live on the Desperate tour and they were one of the most exhilarating (and horrifying --> Chrissie's performance / persona during the song "Elsie") rock bands I've ever seen.

A couple of years later they reduced themselves to the pap of "I Touch Myself".

.

 

My mind went straight to REO Speedwagon. REO TWO is a real rockin' album, kick-starting with Let Me Ride. Let's not forget their version of Chuck Berry's Little Queenie. That sax performance might be the best in recorded rock history (apologies to Mr. Clemons.)

 

U2