[videoheadcleaner]

This category of album I heard in passing after I bought The Cure's The Top. The salesperson mentioned that it was not like other Cure albums and served as a transition between gothic rock and sickly sweet pop. Even though I really don't like the album and skip many of the tracks, I still see its purpose. Without it, The Cure may not have delved into pop like they did.

So, this topic is to discuss and debate the idea of transition albums.

Another example is The Colour Of Spring by Talk Talk. It is a blend of their early synthpop and the pioneering post-rock sound of Laughing Stock and Spirit Of Eden. If you look at my chart, this transition album is much more appealing.

[Applerill]

The first album like that which jumps into my head is Pink Floyd's Meddle. It combined their early psychedelia with the ingenious songwriting of albums like DSOTM and Wish You Were Here.

[Wombi]

Rubber Soul?

[Juan Schwartz]

XTC - English Settlement. transition from glossy pop to more a complex, folky sound.

The Replacements - Hootenanny! transition from break neck punk to heart-on-sleave alternative rock.

The Beatles - Help! transition from pop stars to folk influenced pop stars.

David Bowie - Station to Station - transition from plastic soul to his krautrock/proto new wave era.

Sonic Youth - Evol. transition from noisy no wave to slightly popier noise rock.

Bob Dylan - Bringing it all back home. Transition from folk star to hipster surrealist rocker.

[CellarDoor]

The Velvet Underground - White Light / White Heat : transition from psychedelic rock to noise rock.

The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground (3rd) : transition from noise rock to folk rock.

The Velvet Underground - Loaded : transition from folk rock to pop/rock.
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I'll be your plastic toy.

[19loveless91]

Kid A?

[CellarDoor]

[Chemical Smile]

This might be a weird one, but The Foo Fighters - There Is Nothing Left To Lose : transition from garage/grunge rock of first 2 albums + first 2 songs on TINLTL to AOR-type rock of Learnin' To Fly/Next Year and subsequent albums.....

How about Howl by BRMC? From the psychedelic-rock sound of the first 2 albums, Howl was the introduction of a more bluesy/rootsy sound that would pop up in lesser form on the Baby 81 & Beat the Devils Tattoo albums...

..and of course OK Computer is an obvious choice..
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"Bunch of opinionated, hipster twats!"

[purple]

how 'bout the Strokes' Room on Fire: transition from awesomeness to mediocrity (I bet cartoken retorts within 24 hours)

[cartoken]

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ( )

really ? Room fire is at least brilliant, with nothing new comparing to Is This It?, but nearly as good. so calling Room in Fire mediocre is bullshit, not as good as Is this it, certainly. and first impressions of earth and Angles are both excellent too.