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    Image changes in popular music

    Al Green needed that sartorial makeover that had him wear those white suits with white shoes (and, somehow, black socks). Here he is in 1971 on his first Soul Train appearance, with glam boxing boots, vinyl hot pants, a mauve vinyl top that makes you glad he sported no chest hair, a matching pimp hat at a jaunty angle, gold chain and a handbag.

    Last edited by G-Man; 13-11-2017, 06:01.

    #2
    Strewth. Lucky the music's so good.

    How about Midge Ure? From Slik, through the Rich Kids to Ultravox.

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      #3
      Slade's ill-judged skinhead period

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        #4
        Dexys, innit.

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          #5
          The Village People go New Romantic



          The Supremes go ghetto

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            #6
            The Bee Gees - wholesome harmony juniors to disco titans in white flares

            Belinda Carlisle - LA punk rebel to poster-friendly chart queen

            The Byrds - psychedelic janglers to countrified geetar pluckers

            Fleetwood Mac - muso-friendly UK blues merchants to multi-platinum US stadium-fillers

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              #7
              The Beatles went through at least two - black leather jackets to suits; mop tops to long hair and beards. Then to househusband, farm owner, religious chanter and actor respectively in the 70s.

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                #8
                Tori Amos - hair rock to sensitive singer-pianist

                Jefferson Airplane / Starship - hippie pioneers to hair rock

                Peter Gabriel - prog rock to sharp suited yuppie pop

                Primal Scream - skinny trousered C86 types to ravers (see also Soup Dragons and others) to skinny trousered / not C86 types.

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                  #9
                  Paul Weller - although they all involved some 60s image raiding

                  Elvis Costello - angry young misogynist to somewhat pointless eclecticism.

                  New Order - from doomy guitar band to a sound moulded around US black urban rhythms.

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                    #10
                    Chicago - jazz funky hippy blend to stadium ballads.

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                      #11
                      There's already a thread divergence here – wasn't G-Man talking specifically about artists' appearance, which was my initial assumption? With the greatest of respect to Satchmo's eloquent descriptions immediately above, for example, I don't think there's an 'angry young misogynist' look per se.

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                        #12
                        The young Depeche Mode took a little while to, er, refine their look during their early 'tinkly-bonk' Vince Clarke era, and immediately afterward:



                        The black leather etc. style that emerged within the next couple of years probably suited them better.

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by Various Artist View Post
                          I don't think there's an 'angry young misogynist' look per se.
                          Well …

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                            #14
                            Feargal Sharkey - good music in bad jumpers to bad music in good jumpers.

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                              #15
                              Bernard Jewry - your dad's going-out shirt to your big brother's leather jacket and then back to your dad's shirt.

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                                #16
                                (I don't think Mark E Smith has ever been 'young'.)

                                Perhaps the most obvious one of all:

                                David Bowie -

                                Pudding-bowl-haired Anthony Newley-admirer
                                Astronaut
                                Androgynous glam star
                                Thin White Duke-era soul man
                                Urban alien
                                Sharp-suited eighties artisan
                                Avuncular English gent

                                ...and no doubt others.

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                                  #17
                                  MC Hammer tried to go Gangsta for while.

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                                    #18
                                    The Cult's metamorphosis in to an ersatz greasy rock band with 'Love Removal Machine' and 'Electric' seemed pretty seismic at the time but hardly that radical a switch now.

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                                      #19
                                      Originally posted by Various Artist View Post
                                      The young Depeche Mode took a little while to, er, refine their look during their early 'tinkly-bonk' Vince Clarke era, and immediately afterward:



                                      The black leather etc. style that emerged within the next couple of years probably suited them better.
                                      Fletch looks like he's about to throw up into Dave Gahan's ear.

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                                        #20
                                        OK, just on the visuals:

                                        Elvis Costello - geeky to beardy
                                        Beatles - as above: leather to suits to hippy garb
                                        Take That - immature to mature, so to speak
                                        Boyzone - gay to straight (by implication)
                                        Bananarama - Tomboyish to more conventional girl group
                                        Last edited by Satchmo Distel; 13-11-2017, 17:03.

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                                          #21
                                          Marc Bolan - flowered-up acoustic hippie poet to electrified glam heart-throb (with requisite garb)

                                          The Beloved - serious, C-86 bedsit indie boys to blissed-out rave-lite dance disciples (with requisite garb)

                                          The Shamen - druggy, psych-rock also-rans to druggy, techno-dance chart regulars (with requisite garb)

                                          Miley Cyrus - innocuous kiddie pop/TV favourite to low-rent, arse-gyrating tabloid-fodder (without requisite garb)

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                                            #22
                                            Originally posted by Hot Pepsi View Post
                                            MC Hammer tried to go Gangsta for while.
                                            Or more infamously, Dre and Yella's "lipstick and lace" look while in the World Class Wrecking Cru before becoming part of NWA. I believe there's some fairly dodgy pictures of the RZA as a solo artist before the start of Wu Tang too...

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                                              #23
                                              George Clinton in The Parliaments, 1960 (that's him on the far right).



                                              George Clinton more recently.

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                                                #24
                                                Lots of edgy 70s black performers started out in pop soul territory: Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, The Wailers

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                                                  #25
                                                  Originally posted by Satchmo Distel View Post

                                                  Beatles - as above: leather to suits to hippy garb
                                                  Insert Swinging London dandies between suits and hippy garb.

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