Selling Out - Evolution

I still don't know what I was waiting for
And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets
Every time I thought I'd got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet
So I turned myself to face me
But I've never caught a glimpse
Of how the others must see the faker
I'm much too fast to take that test

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Don't want to be a richer man
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time
David Bowie - Changes

Change is constant. If there is one basic tenet that I always stand by, it is that. Change happens in nature and in our constant day-to-day lives. Change also occurs within music. More specifically, band will change, or evolve, over thelife of that band. It is inevitable. Music is ultimately a by-product of the conditions that surrounded its creation. The weather, politics, health, how the artist is feeling - all of this goes into every piece of music that you hear (well, every true piece of music that is actually made with heart and emotion, as opposed to the unoriginal, factory spewed music that is commonplace on today's airwaves, but I digress). Secondly, no artist wants to be seen as a one trick pony, and thus musicians will deliberately attempt to change their musical leanings so as not to be making the same album over again. Hence, as bands age and evolve, so does their music.
There is a distinct difference between a band selling-out and a and simply evolving. Musical evolution is natural, not done for money, and goes with the flow of the band. That is to say, the music does not seem forced or unnatural. My favorite example of a band evolving, so to speak, ould have to be the Chili Peppers. A listen to their early records provides one with a funky, juvenile sound. Their newer albums are full of softer, melodic songs with thoughtful, well-written lyrics. A listen to their self-titled 1984 album, versus 2006's Stadium Arcadium, leads one to think that there is no way that one band could have made both of these albums. But certain aspects of the Peppers are ever-present in all their albums. Flea's bass ensures the presence of a funky undertone no matter the song. And there is always the few new songs that find the Peppers in all-out thrash mode, reverting to their earlier days, albeit in a less chaotic fashion.
The point is, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, like Metallica and Aerosmith, have changed from what they were. But the Pepers change has been a genuine one that has endeared original fans while making new ones. Though their music has changed, the Peppers have never lost that kick-your-ass attitude that made them who they were. Sure, they may not be drug using party animals anymore, but family life and kids have a way of stopping that. I have a hard time determining whether I prefer old Peppers or their newer stuff. Though I love the utter funkiness and fun atmosphere of their old songs, the musicianship and emotional appeal of their newer songs has an appeal all its own. And therein lies the beauty of musical evolution, a band can completely change their music without changing who they are. And for the fan, that is often as, if not more, important than the music itself. The Chili Peppers were able to radically transform their music, but they still kept their integrity and managed not to slap their fans in the face. That is something that bands such as Metallica and Aerosmith may never understand.