Success *usually* smooths off a band’s edges.
Once the stadiums fill and the money rolls in, the pressure is to repeat – to give audiences more of what already worked. But some artists react to success not with comfort, but rebellion. They get restless. They take the goodwill they’ve earned and burn it on experimentation, provocation, or pure bloody-mindedness.
Think of Neil Young, who followed the warmly beloved Harvest not with more pastoral country rock, but with the stark grief and ragged despair of Tonight’s the Night. Or Radiohead, who reached the peak of modern rock with OK Computer and then detonated it, turning instead toward abstract electronics and fractured ambience on Kid A.
These are the bands who reached the mountaintop… and instead of planting their flag, leaped into the unknown. Some baffled critics, some lost fans, some reinvented themselves entirely – and a few changed rock history in the process.
Here are 11 musical left turns made at the peak of success.
1. Lou Reed
Breakthrough: Transformer (1972)
Swerve: Berlin (1973)
After the glam swagger and hit-making confidence of Transformer – with its 'Walk on the Wild Side' and its 'Satellite of Love' – Lou Reed could have easily spent the ’70s as an arch, decadent pop poet. Instead, he delivered Berlin: a bleak, claustrophobic song cycle about addiction, emotional violence, and psychological collapse. Critics at the time were horrified; some called it career suicide. The lush arrangements only made the despair sharper.
This wasn’t simply a comedown from Transformer – it was a deliberate, wilful descent into darkness and despair. Years later, Berlin is recognized as one of Reed’s boldest statements: an album that refuses comfort, catharsis, or disguise.
2. The Beach Boys
Breakthrough: Endless hits, 1962-65
Swerve: Pet Sounds (1966)
Brian Wilson stepped away from the band’s touring schedule to pursue something more emotionally and harmonically sophisticated than 'California Girls'. The result was Pet Sounds: reflective, orchestrated pop poetry with complex chords, adult melancholy, and one of the most vulnerable vocal arrangements ever recorded. The label expected surf anthems; Wilson delivered pastoral heartbreak. Sales disappointed. History reveres it.
3. The Clash
Breakthrough: London Calling (1979)
Swerve: Sandinista! (1980)
London Calling cemented The Clash as global punk heroes, blending rock, reggae, and socially conscious lyrics into a taut, anthemic statement. Rather than consolidate this success, however, the band unleashed Sandinista! ), a sprawling triple album covering funk, dub, gospel, hip-hop, and avant-garde experimentation. Its length and eclecticism baffled critics and fans, and its commercial reception was mixed.
Yet the risk they took with Sandinista! exemplifies The Clash’s fearless musical curiosity and ideological ambition. They weren’t content to be a punk band delivering hits; they wanted to explore rhythm, studio manipulation, and political storytelling on an epic scale. Sandinista! remains a testament to a band willing to challenge themselves, their audience, and the boundaries of rock music at the height of fame.
4. The Byrds
Breakthrough: 'Mr. Tambourine Man' (1965)
Swerve: Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968)
After pioneering folk-rock with hits like 'Mr. Tambourine Man' and 'Turn! Turn! Turn!', The Byrds surprised everyone by diving headlong into country with 1968'S Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Lead guitarist Roger McGuinn and Gram Parsons embraced pedal steel guitars, traditional country forms, and heartfelt storytelling.
Fans expecting jangly psychedelia were thrown off, but the album planted the seeds of country rock, influencing the Eagles, Wilco, and alt-country for decades. It’s a record of risk and curiosity, showing a band willing to abandon commercial momentum for artistic exploration. Sometimes, the left turn isn’t just creative – it defines a genre.
5. The Rolling Stones
Breakthrough: Between the Buttons (1967)
Swerve: Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967)
By 1967, the Stones had mastered witty British pop on Between the Buttons, but they immediately detoured into psychedelia with Their Satanic Majesties Request. Swirling sound effects, sitars, and kaleidoscopic production marked a dramatic shift, partly inspired by the success of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper. Fans and critics were perplexed; it sounded indulgent and chaotic, a band stretching into unfamiliar territory.
Yet this experimentation demonstrated the Stones' fearlessness and refusal to repeat themselves, even if it momentarily obscured the rough-edged blues identity that made them iconic. The misstep ultimately redirected the Stones toward Beggar’s Banquet and their classic late ’60s revival, showing that risk, even when messy, can shape a band’s long-term artistic trajectory.
6. Neil Young
Breakthrough: Harvest (1972)
Swerve: Time Fades Away / Tonight’s the Night / On the Beach (1973-74)
Harvest (1972) made Neil Young a household name with its lush, melodic songwriting and commercially appealing arrangements. But Young immediately rejected the easy path, releasing three consecutive albums of raw, emotionally unfiltered music: Time Fades Away, Tonight’s the Night, and On the Beach.
Collectively known as the 'Ditch Trilogy', these records are stark, ragged, and deeply personal – capturing grief, addiction, and disillusionment with unflinching honesty. Live recordings, unstable performances, and lo-fi production contrast sharply with the polished warmth of Harvest, signalling Young’s refusal to repeat commercial success for its own sake.
Critics initially struggled; fans were divided. But these albums have since been recognized as some of his most courageous and artistically vital work, influencing generations of singer-songwriters and alternative rock musicians. Young’s left turn demonstrates that true artistry sometimes demands self-imposed discomfort, emotional honesty over accessibility, and a willingness to alienate in the service of authenticity.
7. Yes
Breakthrough: Close to the Edge (1972)
Swerve: Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973)
The years 1971 to 1973 were ones of steadily broadening horizons for Yes. Moving from 1971's hugely successful Fragile to Close to the Edge was perhaps more a refinement than a revolution, in that Yes took the elements they’d already established — extended compositions, virtuosic instrumental interplay, spiritual leanings, high-gloss production — and made them tighter, more cohesive, more symphonic.
It was for the next album, in fact, that Yes took a leap into complete conceptual immersion and structural extremity. Four side-long tracks, no singles, no concessions to pacing or accessibility: Tales from Topographic Oceans was truly a leap into the unknown. Instead of balancing complexity with groove (like Fragile's 'Roundabout” or CTTE's 'Siberian Khatru'), the music becomes more meditative, abstract, and sprawling. The arrangements stretch further, themes repeat and bloom slowly, and the philosophical/spiritual ambitions become the point rather than a layer.
8. Pink Floyd
Breakthrough: The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
Swerve: Wish You Were Here (1975) / Animals (1977)
After The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) achieved monumental success, Pink Floyd could have safely repeated the formula. Instead, Wish You Were Here and Animals pushed into darker emotional and conceptual terrain. Wish You Were Here mourned absence and alienation with minimalist elegance, while Animals critiqued capitalism and social hierarchy through extended metaphor and biting riffs.
Guitarist David Gilmour’s virtuosity, Roger Waters’ incisive lyrics, and the band’s studio innovation combined to make music that was riskier, more emotionally weighty, and less radio-friendly. Fans expecting another 'Money' or 'Time' were challenged. These albums proved that commercial triumph could coexist with fearless experimentation and pointed social commentary, cementing Pink Floyd’s reputation as visionary musical architects willing to challenge audience expectations at the height of fame.
9. Radiohead
Breakthrough: OK Computer (1997)
Swerve: Kid A (2000) / Amnesiac (2001)
After the global acclaim of OK Computer, Radiohead faced enormous pressure to replicate its guitar-driven rock brilliance. They chose a completely different path: Kid A abandoned traditional song structures for electronic textures, glitch, and ambient experimentation. Guitars were muted, vocals fragmented, rhythms abstracted.
Fans were bewildered; critics struggled to categorize it. The album sounded like nothing else on the planet and set a new standard for how a rock band could reinvent itself at the peak of popularity. While divisive at first, Kid A has since become a touchstone of innovative 21st-century music, demonstrating the rewards – and audacity – of a deliberate left turn.
Amnesiac, recorded in the same sessions, pushed further still: colder, stranger, ghostlier. Where Kid A reimagines the band, Amnesiac disassembles them, layering jazz voicings, haunted cabaret, and submerged memories. For some listeners, its fractured beauty makes it the richer, deeper album.
10. David Bowie
Breakthrough: Station to Station (1976)
Swerve: Low (1977)
Blending funk, soul, and European art-rock, Bowie’s Station to Station (1976) crystallised his suave, louche Thin White Duke persona – and sold– in the millions. Yet, in the aftermath of addiction and burnout, he retreated to Berlin to create Low. Stark, fragmented, and minimalist, the album is partially instrumental, with spacious electronic textures and experimental production by Brian Eno.
Commercially, it was puzzling; emotionally, it was intimate and haunting. Bowie risked alienating fans expecting glamorous, charismatic pop. Today, Low is celebrated as a landmark of avant-garde rock, showcasing the power of reinvention and the courage to embrace uncertainty even at career peaks.
11. Fleetwood Mac
Breakthrough: Rumours (1977)
Swerve: Tusk (1979)
After the mammoth success of Rumours, Fleetwood Mac could have repeated the formula of pristine, radio-friendly pop. Instead, Lindsey Buckingham pushed the band into experimental territory with Tusk (1979). The double album combines off-kilter rhythms, sparse production, and unconventional song structures that challenged fans and critics alike.
While sales dipped compared to Rumours, the record demonstrates the band’s artistic ambition and refusal to rest on laurels. Buckingham’s restless creativity and willingness to challenge his bandmates’ expectations resulted in an album that, decades later, is celebrated for its originality and fearless experimentation.
12. Led Zeppelin
Breakthrough: Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
Swerve: Houses of the Holy (1973)
Following the monumental success of Led Zeppelin IV, a perfect storm of hard rock, folk, and mythic songwriting, the band took a more adventurous and eclectic approach on Houses of the Holy. They explored funk-infused grooves on 'The Crunge', reggae textures on 'D’yer Mak’er', and pastoral acoustic folk on 'Over the Hills and Far Away'. Fans expecting another 'Stairway' were challenged. Yet this left turn demonstrates Zeppelin’s refusal to repeat themselves and their ability to expand the possibilities of hard rock, blending genres and moods without losing the core intensity that defined their sound.
13. The Who
Breakthrough: Tommy (1969)
Swerve: Lifehouse
After Tommy’s rock opera success, Pete Townshend embarked on Lifehouse, an ambitious multimedia project exploring dystopia, technology, and identity. The resulting music is fragmented, sometimes sprawling, and deliberately challenging. Unlike the accessible narrative of Tommy, Lifehouse was incomplete and confusing to audiences, leading to a partially salvaged double album, Who’s Next.
Yet these sessions produced some of The Who’s most innovative and forward-thinking music, blending synthesizers with rock dynamics, and cementing Townshend’s reputation as a conceptual visionary willing to risk commercial comfort for artistic exploration.
14. Talk Talk
Breakthrough: It's My Life (1984)
Swerve: The Colour of Spring (1986) / Spirit of Eden (1988)
After It’s My Life gave Talk Talk international hits and major MTV visibility, they might easily have settled into synth-pop prestige. Instead, Mark Hollis and producer Tim Friese-Greene burned the commercial blueprint. On 1986's transitional The Colour of Spring, Talk Talk dialled back glossy electronics in favour of organic textures, jazz harmonies, and open-ended song structures.
Then came the real leap: Spirit of Eden (1988) and Laughing Stock (1991), where Talk Talk abandoned pop convention almost entirely. Songs became sound environments – long, patient, quiet, alive with breath and space. They recorded with the lights off, improvising for hours, then sculpting moments of emotional revelation from the tapes. Sales collapsed; the label was horrified. But those late albums redefined what 'rock' could sound like, becoming touchstones for post-rock, ambient, and experimental music.
Pictured top: Neil Young performs with the Santa Monica Flyers on the Tonight's the Night tour, 5 November 1973.
All pics: Getty Images
