If one look or music style doesn’t hit, why not change it up? Plenty of now-famous rock stars looked widely different when they first hit the music scene, but have since refined their image and found success with it. Let’s take a look at just a few famous rock bands and rock stars who changed their image! Some of these might just surprise you.
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1. Rod Stewart
Throughout the 1960s, Rod Stewart moved through various different bands. One can’t deny that he was (and still is, honestly) a solid vocalist. However, the British Invasion period was a confusing time.
He struggled to find a niche that suited his sound but also helped him stand out in a sea of other British musicians who wanted a piece of the pie. Stewart changed his look many times through the years, but it was his disco-era glam-rock-adjacent record “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” that made him really famous.
2. U2
U2 is one of many bands from their era that changed their image, and we have to admit, it was a smart move. The band was a bit more playful and experimental in their early days. With the release of Achtung Baby, Bono decided to go through a reinvention.
The look was giving stereotypical rock and roll frontman, and he took on the macho persona of “The Fly”. There was a little bit of honesty to it, but it was more or less Bono’s attempt at parodying the negative side of being mega-famous.
3. Queensryche
This revered PNW progressive metal outfit is known for their conceptual, well-formulated works like Operation: Mindcrime. Originally, though, this band was more of a classic heavy metal band, complete with big hair and interesting leotard-based outfits. Few bands have matured as beautifully as this one.
4. Ministry
Rock bands have historically changed their image but kept their music the same. That wasn’t the case for the Al Jourgensen-led industrial rock outfit Ministry. Shockingly, these rockers started out as a synth-pop band during the new wave movement in the 1980s.
Don’t believe us? Listen to the 1983 record With Sympathy. It’s a pretty wild difference, and Jourgensen has even said that he hates the album in retrospect. We have to admit, the fake English accent was a little embarrassing.
Photo by Peter Noble/Redferns
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