Bands that go off-piste with genre

[Mr.Nic]

I'm looking for examples of bands that produce one off odd tracks that you wouldn't expect.

You can discount any dodgy cover versions or bands that change their entire musical direction (I'm looking at you Primal Scream). I'm just interested in tracks that seem to come from nowhere and sound nothing like you'd expect that group to produce.

For example, here are two of the most Goth like records from very much non-Goth bands:

I'm aware this may be a very short thread...

 

[Caliente]

Perhaps not one-off, as they often went curve-ball, but still not quite what you would necessarily expect:

 

[guey]

For my money, Blur's finest hour; and curveball:

 

[cj66]

Two pop up in my mind instantly...

 

[Seeker_UK]

For example, here are two of the most Goth like records from very much non-Goth bands:

AIUI, that was David Byrne trying to make a record that sounded like Joy Division even though he'd never heard them so based it on a description.

 

[Seeker_UK]

Not their usual sound:

 

[foxwelljsly]

I was going to link 'Blue Turk' by Alice Cooper, but they were so stylistically fecund, I'm not sure it's out of character.

 

[foxwelljsly]

There's a whole album of this. It's terrible.

 

[foxwelljsly]

Perhaps not one-off, as they often went curve-ball, but still not quite what you would necessarily expect:

Nah, their most uncharacteristic deviation, has to be this Elton John ripoff. Of course, it's the one where the drummer sings.

 

[Marchbanks]

There's a whole album of this. It's terrible.

Another singing pianist.

 

[foxwelljsly]

On reflection, I think Van Halen going full Dixieland might win this thread.

 

[2ManyBoxes]

Got to be The Cranberries - Zombie.

From "la-de-dah what a bastard you are, you liar, but I still want to shag you" to "In your head it's still 1916, in your head, in your head, they're still dying"

Pretty powerful song about Northern Ireland as was. Lots of heavy riffing.

 

[Mr.Nic]

AIUI, that was David Byrne trying to make a record that sounded like Joy Division even though he'd never heard them so based it on a description.

If that's the case then he did a pretty decent job!

 

[Ruairi]

I always thought Miss You by the Stones was way off anything else from their catalogue that I am familiar with. It seems like a tip of the hat to the disco sound from the time. First time I heard NIN play Hurt I thought it was slightly off piste.

What springs to mind is the Christmas album Dylan released a few years back. Holy moly.

 

[paulfromcamden]

Musique Concrète composer Pierre Henry got his groove on in 1973 with Machine Danse.

 

[Woodface]

David Bowie - ‘Low’. Flips from side one to two is incredibly stark. My favourite album of his.