Bands that many fans wish would go back to their "older" sound

[Stadler]

For me, the only band that really falls into this category is Aerosmith.  And, it's not so much that I wish they would go back to it now because, I think, they're just about done at this point.  I wish it would've happened after Get A Grip.  It had a good song or two.  But, with the release of the 3 Alicia Silverstone video tunes, they were definitely at their poppiest.  I would've loved for them to get back some of their rawness.  They became way too polished and way too formulaic.  And, it only got worse from there.  Every song required an outside co-writer and every song got more watered down than the one before.

John Kalodner was both the best thing and worst thing to happen to that band.    I'm a sort of Aerosmith die hard - the run from Get Your Wings through Pump is about as good as it gets for any band - but for me, they're the epitome of corporate rock machine at this point. They're just so GOOD (meaning, singing and playing) that they've sort of been able to transcend that; but any lesser band would have been written off a long time ago.

[jammindude]

Not everyone agrees with me, but I think Honkin’ on Bobo was an honest attempt to do exactly that, and I really wish they would have used that to springboard their writing as they moved forward. But alas, they went right back to writing “hits”.

But Honkin’ on Bobo was a really fun “getting back to basics” exercise, and I felt it was successful. YMMV

[Kotowboy]

I much prefer bands who contain Christian members like U2 to bands who are out and out Christian Rock like Stryper or Delirious.

I'd love to listen to more "Christian" rock - but most of it sounds like worship music.

[Cool Chris]

Good lord +1 to those whoever mentioned Within Temptation. Nothing really came to my mind when first considering the topic, other than Symphony X, but when I saw WT mentioned, I couldn't believe I had forgotten them.

[Snow Dog]

I'd love to listen to more "Christian" rock - but most of it sounds like worship music.

I don’t know how much you’ve checked out or how much you’ve been exposed to, but my favorites have been Skillet (probably the most popular of those I’m going to mention), Red, and Decyfer Down. Other possibilities I’m familiar with would be Fireflight, Colton Dixon’s first couple albums, and a few Casting Crowns records (their last two have definitely been more on the worshippy side of things and all but abandoned their guitar-driven sound of their earlier albums). Third Day has a good southern rock style (other than their last album which feels to me more like attending a Baptist church), but can also delve a fair bit into the worship side of things.

That should be enough to get you started.

[Sebastián Pratesi]

I much prefer bands who contain Christian members like U2 to bands who are out and out Christian Rock like Stryper or Delirious.

I'd love to listen to more "Christian" rock - but most of it sounds like worship music.

Check out El Grito ('The Scream'), by Descendencia ('Offspring'):

https://www.youtube.com/descendiente1
https://open.spotify.com/album/313tN0alqhcTD7AM4bRhaj

It's a five-piece from Argentina; El Grito (released last year) is their third album. Their songs are pretty diverse: some U2-vibes (such as "Buscarte"), but also some hard-rock ("Escombros") and even a few proggy moments ("Pan").

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I much prefer bands who contain Christian members like U2 to bands who are out and out Christian Rock like Stryper or Delirious.

I'd love to listen to more "Christian" rock - but most of it sounds like worship music.

It depends on what exactly you're looking for.  This was my sort of thing in my early teens, and some of it has stuck with me over the years, some of it hasn't.  Some I still listen to more regularly are hard rock/AOR groups like Whiteheart and Idle Cure, progressive grunge like Grammatrain (I think their more recent material isn't even Christian anymore since the vocalist/guitarist doesn't consider himself one any longer), some of Phil Keaggy's albums, Jars of Clay's first few acoustic rock albums, just to name a few. 

[JediKnight1969]

KANSAS.

[Peter Mc]

Bon Jovi.  'nuff said.

I'm amazed at how fucked his voice is now.

It was rough back in 2000 when Crush came out.

It was on the way down by that point yes but I saw them on the Lost Highway tour around 2007/8 and Jon still put on a hell of a show.  The strain was in his voice but he was still going for it.  I haven’t seen them since in the flesh as I think Richie went missing on the tour for The Circle album and then bailed altogether after the following album.  To me it’s not Bon Jovi without Sambora and I wouldn’t buy a ticket to see them.  I have seen some live footage though since (actual pro shot footage, not cellphone stuff) and Jon sounds horrible.  Just an awful nasal whine and not going for any big notes at all.  They’re a pale shadow of what used to be a killer live band.

[bosk1]

I wonder which 80s rock/metal belter's voice has aged the best.  My first thought is Michael Sweet, but there could be an even better example.  A lot of them can barely sing at all now, much less hit the notes they used to be able to or sometimes even sound at all like themselves anymore. 

Michael Sweet is a GREAT example.  Yeah, he's lost some range (who wouldn't after so much time).  But he still retains a LOT of what he had, and I think the timbre of his voice has sounded much better in the 2000s than in the '80s and '90s (he agrees and has said the same). 

[Peter Mc]

For me, the only band that really falls into this category is Aerosmith.  And, it's not so much that I wish they would go back to it now because, I think, they're just about done at this point.  I wish it would've happened after Get A Grip.  It had a good song or two.  But, with the release of the 3 Alicia Silverstone video tunes, they were definitely at their poppiest.  I would've loved for them to get back some of their rawness.  They became way too polished and way too formulaic.  And, it only got worse from there.  Every song required an outside co-writer and every song got more watered down than the one before.

John Kalodner was both the best thing and worst thing to happen to that band.    I'm a sort of Aerosmith die hard - the run from Get Your Wings through Pump is about as good as it gets for any band - but for me, they're the epitome of corporate rock machine at this point. They're just so GOOD (meaning, singing and playing) that they've sort of been able to transcend that; but any lesser band would have been written off a long time ago.

What was John Kalodner’s role in bands?  Unless I’m misremembering, I seem to recollect seeing his name on a bunch of albums and he appeared on the credits as John Kalodner : John Kalodner.  I kind of took that to mean he did something so unique that there was no name for it, he John Kalodner’d the album!  Then I thought I heard him referred to as an A&R guy but I never knew exactly what that was, I just thought it was some go between for the artist and label execs.

[SoundscapeMN]

not necessarily "many fans," but myself:

Tangled Thoughts of Leaving
Klimt 1918
St. Vincent
Margot & the Nuclear So & So's
Murder By Death

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I wonder which 80s rock/metal belter's voice has aged the best.  My first thought is Michael Sweet, but there could be an even better example.  A lot of them can barely sing at all now, much less hit the notes they used to be able to or sometimes even sound at all like themselves anymore. 

Michael Sweet is a GREAT example.  Yeah, he's lost some range (who wouldn't after so much time).  But he still retains a LOT of what he had, and I think the timbre of his voice has sounded much better in the 2000s than in the '80s and '90s (he agrees and has said the same). 

I haven't listened to their recent albums in enough depth to recall what the highest note he can still hit is, but for sure there was at least one Ab5 at the end of "Do Unto Others", which is in a range even most guys in their 20s can't touch.  I know there was at least one C6 at the end of "In God We Trust" in the 80s, I can't remember if that was the top of his range then.

[HOF]

What was John Kalodner’s role in bands?  Unless I’m misremembering, I seem to recollect seeing his name on a bunch of albums and he appeared on the credits as John Kalodner : John Kalodner.  I kind of took that to mean he did something so unique that there was no name for it, he John Kalodner’d the album!  Then I thought I heard him referred to as an A&R guy but I never knew exactly what that was, I just thought it was some go between for the artist and studio execs.

Seeing that on albums always cracked me up. I used to know what it was he did, but it’s been so long since I’ve thought about it that I’d have to look it up again.

Ah yeah, so he was an A&R guy, but it looks like he was also involved in the creation of some albums, at least in the case of Aerosmith’s Get a Grip. Probably more that he was the kind of guy who could make your songs a hit so to speak.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kalodner

[TAC]

I wonder which 80s rock/metal belter's voice has aged the best.  My first thought is Michael Sweet, but there could be an even better example.  A lot of them can barely sing at all now, much less hit the notes they used to be able to or sometimes even sound at all like themselves anymore. 

Michael Sweet is a GREAT example.  Yeah, he's lost some range (who wouldn't after so much time).  But he still retains a LOT of what he had, and I think the timbre of his voice has sounded much better in the 2000s than in the '80s and '90s (he agrees and has said the same).

Michael Kiske is another GREAT example.

[Stadler]

What was John Kalodner’s role in bands?  Unless I’m misremembering, I seem to recollect seeing his name on a bunch of albums and he appeared on the credits as John Kalodner : John Kalodner.  I kind of took that to mean he did something so unique that there was no name for it, he John Kalodner’d the album!  Then I thought I heard him referred to as an A&R guy but I never knew exactly what that was, I just thought it was some go between for the artist and studio execs.

Seeing that on albums always cracked me up. I used to know what it was he did, but it’s been so long since I’ve thought about it that I’d have to look it up again.

Ah yeah, so he was an A&R guy, but it looks like he was also involved in the creation of some albums, at least in the case of Aerosmith’s Get a Grip. Probably more that he was the kind of guy who could make your songs a hit so to speak.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kalodner

From what I can reckon, he was somewhere in between "A&R guy", "Producer" and "Advisor".  Cut that part out, make those lyrics better, etc.   I mean, it's hard to argue with success, and he HAS been successful, but it's almost like Mutt Lange; when your voice is all over these disparate artists' records, the artists themselves lose a bit of their identity.  I like the Aerosmith that sounds like the wheels are about to fall off, not the "lighter in the air, oh this is the one song my girlfriend likes" Aerosmith. 

[cfmoran13]

What was John Kalodner’s role in bands?  Unless I’m misremembering, I seem to recollect seeing his name on a bunch of albums and he appeared on the credits as John Kalodner : John Kalodner.  I kind of took that to mean he did something so unique that there was no name for it, he John Kalodner’d the album!  Then I thought I heard him referred to as an A&R guy but I never knew exactly what that was, I just thought it was some go between for the artist and studio execs.

Seeing that on albums always cracked me up. I used to know what it was he did, but it’s been so long since I’ve thought about it that I’d have to look it up again.

Ah yeah, so he was an A&R guy, but it looks like he was also involved in the creation of some albums, at least in the case of Aerosmith’s Get a Grip. Probably more that he was the kind of guy who could make your songs a hit so to speak.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kalodner

From what I can reckon, he was somewhere in between "A&R guy", "Producer" and "Advisor".  Cut that part out, make those lyrics better, etc.   I mean, it's hard to argue with success, and he HAS been successful, but it's almost like Mutt Lange; when your voice is all over these disparate artists' records, the artists themselves lose a bit of their identity.  I like the Aerosmith that sounds like the wheels are about to fall off, not the "lighter in the air, oh this is the one song my girlfriend likes" Aerosmith.

I'm currently rereading Steve Gorman's book on his time with The Black Crowes.  He dedicates a few pages to when they met and worked with Kalodner while making 'By Your Side'.  His description of him is pretty amusing.