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* The insane popularity of disco in the late 1970s resulted in many artists facing a tremendous amount of record company pressure to jump on that bandwagon. This caused dork ages for many artists of the time, including the aforementioned KISS, the RollingStones, and RodStewart. Even established jazz artists weren't immune, with Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, and Herbie Mann, only a few of the artists who produced albums that they later regretted. It came to a head at the end of the 1970s with the controversial "[[DeaderThanDisco Disco Demolition Night]]", and with disco on the way out by 1980, the American music industry was at a creative loss. It took {{MTV}} and [[BritishInvasion an army]] of NewWave groups from across ThePond to breathe new life into American music.
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* The insane popularity of disco in the late 1970s resulted in many artists facing a tremendous amount of record company pressure to jump on that bandwagon. This caused dork ages for many artists of the time, including the aforementioned KISS, the RollingStones, and RodStewart. Even established jazz artists weren't immune, with Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, and Herbie Mann, only a few of the artists who produced albums that they later regretted. It came to a head at the end of the 1970s with the controversial "[[DeaderThanDisco Disco Demolition Night]]", and with disco on the way out by 1980, the American music industry was at a creative loss. It took {{MTV}} and [[BritishInvasion an army]] of NewWave NewWaveMusic groups from across ThePond to breathe new life into American music.
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* RandyTravis had his poorly received 1993 album ''Wind in the Wire'', a Western-themed one-off for a short lived TV series of the same name. Its singles went nowhere (at least in the US — "Cowboy Boogie" went to #10 on the Canadian country charts), but he soon got back on track with the next few albums. A label exec at Creator/WarnerBrosRecords even referred to that particular album as an "angst period" for.
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* RandyTravis had his poorly received 1993 album ''Wind in the Wire'', a Western-themed one-off for a short lived TV series of the same name. Its singles went nowhere (at least in the US — "Cowboy Boogie" went to #10 on the Canadian country charts), but he soon got back on track with the next few albums. A label exec at Creator/WarnerBrosRecords even referred to that particular album as an "angst period" for.period".
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* RandyTravis had his poorly received 1993 album ''Wind in the Wire'', a Western-themed one-off for a short lived TV series of the same name. Its singles went nowhere (at least in the US — "Cowboy Boogie" went to #10 on the Canadian country charts), but he soon got back on track with the next few albums. A label exec at WarnerBrosRecords even referred to that particular album as an "angst period" for.
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* RandyTravis had his poorly received 1993 album ''Wind in the Wire'', a Western-themed one-off for a short lived TV series of the same name. Its singles went nowhere (at least in the US — "Cowboy Boogie" went to #10 on the Canadian country charts), but he soon got back on track with the next few albums. A label exec at WarnerBrosRecords Creator/WarnerBrosRecords even referred to that particular album as an "angst period" for.
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* RandyTravis had a poorly-received duets album called ''Heroes and Friends'' followed by ''Wind in the Wire'', a Western-themed one-off for a short lived TV series of the same name. The latter's singles went nowhere, but he soon got back on track with the next few albums. A label exec even referred to these two albums as an "angst period" for Warner Bros. Nashville.
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* RandyTravis had a poorly-received duets his poorly received 1993 album called ''Heroes and Friends'' followed by ''Wind in the Wire'', a Western-themed one-off for a short lived TV series of the same name. The latter's Its singles went nowhere, nowhere (at least in the US — "Cowboy Boogie" went to #10 on the Canadian country charts), but he soon got back on track with the next few albums. A label exec at WarnerBrosRecords even referred to these two albums that particular album as an "angst period" for Warner Bros. Nashville.for.
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** The era following his split from long-time record label Warner Bros. (1996-2003) definitely counts. To recap, Prince started to release his album on his own "NPG Records" imprint with various distributors, his tours mainly catered to a small but dedicated hardcore crowd, and started to experiment with different styles of music, mainly Jazz in the latter half. To top it all off, Prince converted to Jehovah's Witnesses near the end of the 90s and decided to stray away from his vulgar, sexual image he initially became known for. The age ended in 2004, first with a high profile appearance Opening the 2004 Grammys with Beyonce, and second with his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His 2004 album ''Musicology'' and it's corresponding tour marked his return to the main stream and becoming an in demand live act.
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* Most instances of TheBandMinusTheFace qualify.
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* Music/BlackSabbath went through a DorkAge in the last half of TheSeventies, with their two last albums with Ozzy being mediocre after a run of six mind-blowingly awesome albums. RonnieJamesDio saved them from that, but he left after two albums. Ian Gillan hopped onboard for a decent albu, then various more lineups got assembled, that nobody can agree which one is good and which one's a dork age.
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* Music/BlackSabbath went through a DorkAge in the last half of TheSeventies, with their two last albums with Ozzy being mediocre after a run of six mind-blowingly awesome albums. RonnieJamesDio saved them from that, but he left after two albums. Ian Gillan hopped onboard for a decent albu, album, then various more lineups got assembled, that nobody can agree which one is good and which one's a dork age.
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* To most fans of the British [[PostPunk post-punk]] outfit {{Wire}}, their early '90s output almost certainly qualifies. ''The Drill'', made up entirely of variations on the band's revolutionary 1985 track "Drill", is interesting in concept but tedious in execution; ''Manscape'', on the other hand, is a continuation of the band's explorations in MIDI technology and programmed rhythm. The latter is notable for being the album that prompted long-standing drummer Robert Gotobed to leave the group, thinking that he had been rendered obsolete, which led to the band changing their name and not releasing another album as Wire until 2000. Both LPs have their defenders, and few will say that ''Manscape'' is completely devoid of good material—"Torch It!", "Children Of Groceries" and "You Hung Your Lights In The Trees" are all fairly popular among fans of the band—but likewise even fewer will call them flawless or deny that they are extremely dated (a rare quality in Wire's output).
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* To most fans of the British [[PostPunk post-punk]] outfit {{Wire}}, their early '90s output almost certainly qualifies. ''The Drill'', made up entirely of variations on the band's revolutionary 1985 track "Drill", is interesting in concept but tedious in execution; ''Manscape'', on the other hand, is a continuation of the band's explorations in MIDI technology and programmed rhythm. The latter is notable for being the album that prompted long-standing drummer Robert Gotobed to leave the group, thinking that he had been rendered obsolete, which led to the band changing their name and not releasing another album as Wire until 2000. Both LPs [=LPs=] have their defenders, and few will say that ''Manscape'' is completely devoid of good material—"Torch It!", "Children Of Groceries" and "You Hung Your Lights In The Trees" are all fairly popular among fans of the band—but likewise even fewer will call them flawless or deny that they are extremely dated (a rare quality in Wire's output).
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* RandyTravis had a poorly-received duets album called ''Heroes and Friends'' followed by ''Wind in the Wire'', a Western-themed one-off for a short lived TV series of the same name. The latter's singles went nowhere, but he soon got back on track with the next few albums. A label exec even referred to these two albums as an "angst period" for Warner Bros. Nashville.
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* Pat Boone, icon of whitebread, mocked this trope once by appearing at an event with Music/OzzyOsbourne's family in leather and with pierced nipples.
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* Pat Boone, icon of whitebread, mocked this trope once by appearing at an event with Music/OzzyOsbourne's family in leather and with pierced nipples.nipples and temporary tattoos.
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* ToriAmos' eighth album, ''The Beekeeper'', qualifies according to some critics and even a sizable number of fans, especially since it followed the widely popular ''Scarlet's Walk''. It has gotten a bit more appreciation, if only from fans, for the complexity of its themes, including Gnostic Christianity.
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* ToriAmos' eighth album, ''The Beekeeper'', qualifies according to some critics and even a sizable number of fans, especially since it followed the widely popular ''Scarlet's Walk''. It has gotten a bit more appreciation, if only from fans, for how the complexity of its songs delve into some complex and unlikely themes, including Gnostic Christianity.
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* ToriAmos' eighth album, ''The Beekeeper'', qualifies according to some critics and even a sizable number of fans, especially since it followed the widely popular ''Scarlet's Walk''.
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* ToriAmos' eighth album, ''The Beekeeper'', qualifies according to some critics and even a sizable number of fans, especially since it followed the widely popular ''Scarlet's Walk''. It has gotten a bit more appreciation, if only from fans, for the complexity of its themes, including Gnostic Christianity.
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* Tori Amos' eighth album, ''The Beekeeper'', qualifies according to some critics and even a sizable number of fans, especially since it followed the widely popular ''Scarlet's Walk''.
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* Tori Amos' ToriAmos' eighth album, ''The Beekeeper'', qualifies according to some critics and even a sizable number of fans, especially since it followed the widely popular ''Scarlet's Walk''.
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* Tori Amos' eighth album, ''The Beekeeper'', qualifies according to some critics and even a sizable number of fans, especially since it followed the widely popular ''Scarlet's Walk''.
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* Fleetwood Mac has had two. The first one was the period between Peter Green's departure and the addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The second was the period between Buckingham's departure and the reformation of the ''Rumours''-era lineup in 1997.
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* Fleetwood Mac Music/FleetwoodMac has had two. The first one was the period between Peter Green's departure and the addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The second was the period between Buckingham's departure and the reformation of the ''Rumours''-era lineup in 1997.
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* [[TheNineties The Nineties]] were a difficult time for [[MotleyCrue Mötley Crüe]]. Having to contend with the newfound popularity of Grunge, which pushed glam and hair metal off the charts, as well as internal affairs with [[FaceOfTheBand Vince Neil]] leaving the band, they signed a deal with Elektra Records and seemed to be coming out on top. Unfortunately, their first release, 1994's [[SelfTitledAlbum Motley Crue]], was underpromoted (their tour was scaled back from stadiums to smaller venues) and largely unknown due to MTV placing them on a blacklist because of interview mishaps, not to mention the loss of Vince Neil led to fans [[FanonDiscontinuity disregarding]] the album (no one even knew who [[TheOtherDarrin John Corabi]] was). Which is a damn shame, because it really [[NeedsMoreLove deserves more praise]]. After this, they were able to bring back Vince Neil, but this lead to 1997's Generation Swine, which was the result of a [[ExecutiveMeddling tumultuous struggle]] between the band and their producers, and ended up with a very different sound from their previous work, including the grunge-inspired '94 album. This album was far more experimental and spacey, which the fans couldn't really get behind, since they were expecting the original lineup to return to their sleazy, fast-paced metal roots. To make matters worse, shortly after the release of 2000's New Tattoo, their new drummer Randy Castillo [[AuthorExistenceFailure died of cancer]]. From [[http://www.allmusic.com/album/saints-of-los-angeles-mw0000789098 what's been said]] of 2008's Saints of Los Angeles, it seems they've left this period behind them.
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* [[TheNineties The Nineties]] were a difficult time for [[MotleyCrue Mötley Crüe]]. Having to contend with the newfound popularity of Grunge, which pushed glam and hair metal off the charts, as well as internal affairs with [[FaceOfTheBand Vince Neil]] leaving the band, they signed a deal with Elektra Records and seemed to be coming out on top. Unfortunately, their first release, 1994's [[SelfTitledAlbum Motley Crue]], was underpromoted (their tour was scaled back from stadiums to smaller venues) and largely unknown due to MTV placing them on a blacklist because of interview mishaps, not to mention the loss of Vince Neil which led to fans [[FanonDiscontinuity disregarding]] the album (no one even knew who [[TheOtherDarrin John Corabi]] was). Which is a damn shame, because it really [[NeedsMoreLove deserves more praise]]. After this, they were able to bring back Vince Neil, but this lead to 1997's Generation Swine, which was the result of a [[ExecutiveMeddling tumultuous struggle]] between the band and their producers, and ended up with a very different sound from their previous work, including the grunge-inspired '94 album. This album was far more experimental and spacey, which the fans couldn't really get behind, since they were expecting the original lineup to return to their sleazy, fast-paced metal roots. To make matters worse, shortly after the release of 2000's New Tattoo, their new drummer Randy Castillo [[AuthorExistenceFailure died of cancer]]. From [[http://www.allmusic.com/album/saints-of-los-angeles-mw0000789098 what's been said]] of 2008's Saints of Los Angeles, it seems they've left this period behind them.
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* [[TheNineties The Nineties]] were a difficult time for [[MotleyCrue Mötley Crüe]]. Having to contend with the newfound popularity of Grunge, which pushed glam and hair metal off the charts, as well as internal affairs with [[FaceOfTheBand Vince Neil]] leaving the band, they signed a deal with Elektra Records and seemed to be coming out on top. Unfortunately, their first release, 1994's [[SelfTitledAlbum Motley Crue]], was underpromoted (their tour was scaled back from stadiums to smaller venues) and largely unknown due MTV placing them on a blacklist because of interview mishaps, not to mention the loss of Vince Neil led to fans [[FanonDiscontinuity disregarding]] the album (no one even knew who [[TheOtherDarrin John Corabi]] was). Which is a damn shame, because it really [[NeedsMoreLove deserves more praise]]. After this, they were able to bring back Vince Neil, but this lead to 1997's Generation Swine, which was the result of a [[ExecutiveMeddling tumultuous struggle]] between the band and their producers, and ended up with a very different sound from their previous work, including the grunge-inspired '94 album. This album was far more experimental and spacey, which the fans couldn't really get behind, since they were expecting the original lineup to return to their sleazy, fast-paced metal roots. To make matters worse, shortly after the release of 2000's New Tattoo, their new drummer Randy Castillo [[AuthorExistenceFailure died of cancer]]. From [[http://www.allmusic.com/album/saints-of-los-angeles-mw0000789098 what's been said]] of 2008's Saints of Los Angeles, it seems they've left this period behind them.
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* [[TheNineties The Nineties]] were a difficult time for [[MotleyCrue Mötley Crüe]]. Having to contend with the newfound popularity of Grunge, which pushed glam and hair metal off the charts, as well as internal affairs with [[FaceOfTheBand Vince Neil]] leaving the band, they signed a deal with Elektra Records and seemed to be coming out on top. Unfortunately, their first release, 1994's [[SelfTitledAlbum Motley Crue]], was underpromoted (their tour was scaled back from stadiums to smaller venues) and largely unknown due to MTV placing them on a blacklist because of interview mishaps, not to mention the loss of Vince Neil led to fans [[FanonDiscontinuity disregarding]] the album (no one even knew who [[TheOtherDarrin John Corabi]] was). Which is a damn shame, because it really [[NeedsMoreLove deserves more praise]]. After this, they were able to bring back Vince Neil, but this lead to 1997's Generation Swine, which was the result of a [[ExecutiveMeddling tumultuous struggle]] between the band and their producers, and ended up with a very different sound from their previous work, including the grunge-inspired '94 album. This album was far more experimental and spacey, which the fans couldn't really get behind, since they were expecting the original lineup to return to their sleazy, fast-paced metal roots. To make matters worse, shortly after the release of 2000's New Tattoo, their new drummer Randy Castillo [[AuthorExistenceFailure died of cancer]]. From [[http://www.allmusic.com/album/saints-of-los-angeles-mw0000789098 what's been said]] of 2008's Saints of Los Angeles, it seems they've left this period behind them.
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** ScottWalker entered into such a phase in the early 70s. After the entirely self-penned ''Scott 4'' failed to chart, his following five albums consisted almost entirely of covers and outside compositions. These days, most fans just pretend that Walker's solo career [[FanonDiscontinuity stopped entirely]] until ''Climate of Hunter'' in 1984.
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** ScottWalker entered into such a phase in the early 70s. After the entirely self-penned ''Scott 4'' failed to chart, his following five albums consisted almost entirely of covers and outside compositions. These days, most fans just pretend that Walker's solo career [[FanonDiscontinuity stopped entirely]] until ''Climate of Hunter'' in 1984.
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* To most fans of the British [[PostPunk post-punk]] outfit {{Wire}}, their early '90s output almost certainly qualifies. ''The Drill'', made up entirely of variations on the band's revolutionary 1985 track "Drill", is interesting in concept but tedious in execution; ''Manscape'', on the other hand, is a continuation of the band's explorations in MIDI technology and programmed rhythm. The latter is notable for being the album that prompted long-standing drummer Robert Gotobed to leave the group, thinking that he had been rendered obsolete, which led to the band changing their name and not releasing another album as Wire until 2000. Both LPs have their defenders, and few will say that ''Manscape'' is completely devoid of good material—"Torch It!", "Children Of Groceries" and "You Hung Your Lights In The Trees" are all fairly popular among fans of the band—but likewise even fewer will call them flawless or deny that they are extremely dated (a rare quality in Wire's output).
** Depending upon who you ask, Wire's post-Gotobed tenure as Wir (roughly 1991-1996) may qualify, although most agree that ''The First Letter'' was a massive step up from ''Manscape''. (It even got them a minor hit with "So and Slow It Grows".) More controversially, some fans of the band's earlier and later work will dismiss their entire '80s/'90s output as this, citing the excess of digital synths and slicker production.
** Depending upon who you ask, Wire's post-Gotobed tenure as Wir (roughly 1991-1996) may qualify, although most agree that ''The First Letter'' was a massive step up from ''Manscape''. (It even got them a minor hit with "So and Slow It Grows".) More controversially, some fans of the band's earlier and later work will dismiss their entire '80s/'90s output as this, citing the excess of digital synths and slicker production.
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* TheNineties were this for Music/HeavyMetal in general. Pick any metal band which was reasonably succesful and well-known at some point between 1976 and 1990. Now read their article on TheOtherWiki. Odds are good that there will be a paragraph or two about their "decline" in the Nineties due to line-up changes, a GenreShift GoneHorriblyWrong, etcetera. A large number of them "came back" in the early [[TheNoughties Noughties]], though. Some specific examples:
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* TheNineties were this for Music/HeavyMetal in general. Pick any metal band which was reasonably succesful and well-known at some point between 1976 and 1990. Now read their article on TheOtherWiki. Odds are good that there will be a paragraph or two about their "decline" in the Nineties due to [[TheBandMinusTheFace line-up changes, changes]], a GenreShift GoneHorriblyWrong, etcetera. A large number of them "came back" in the early [[TheNoughties Noughties]], though. Some specific examples:
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* [[TheNineties The Nineties]] were a difficult time for [[MotleyCrue Mötley Crüe]]. Having to contend with the newfound popularity of Grunge, which pushed glam and hair metal off the charts, as well as internal affairs with [[FaceOfTheBand Vince Neil]] leaving the band, they signed a deal with Elektra Records and seemed to be coming out on top. Unfortunately, their first release, 1994's [[SelfTitledAlbum Motley Crue]], was underpromoted (their tour was scaled back from stadiums to smaller venues) and largely unknown due MTV placing them on a blacklist because of interview mishaps, not to mention the loss of Vince Neil led to fans [[FanonDiscontinuity disregarding]] the album (no one even knew who [[TheOtherDarrin John Corabi]] was). Which is a damn shame, because it really [[NeedsMoreLove deserves more praise]]. After this, they were able to [[AndTheFandomRejoiced bring back]] Vince Neil, but this lead to 1997's Generation Swine, which was the result of a [[ExecutiveMeddling tumultuous struggle]] between the band and their producers, and ended up with a very different sound from their previous work, including the grunge-inspired '94 album. This album was far more experimental and spacey, which the fans couldn't really get behind, since they were expecting the original lineup to return to their sleazy, fast-paced metal roots. To make matters worse, shortly after the release of 2000's New Tattoo, their new drummer Randy Castillo [[AuthorExistenceFailure died of cancer]]. From [[http://www.allmusic.com/album/saints-of-los-angeles-mw0000789098 what's been said]] of 2008's Saints of Los Angeles, it seems they've left this period behind them.
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* [[TheNineties The Nineties]] were a difficult time for [[MotleyCrue Mötley Crüe]]. Having to contend with the newfound popularity of Grunge, which pushed glam and hair metal off the charts, as well as internal affairs with [[FaceOfTheBand Vince Neil]] leaving the band, they signed a deal with Elektra Records and seemed to be coming out on top. Unfortunately, their first release, 1994's [[SelfTitledAlbum Motley Crue]], was underpromoted (their tour was scaled back from stadiums to smaller venues) and largely unknown due MTV placing them on a blacklist because of interview mishaps, not to mention the loss of Vince Neil led to fans [[FanonDiscontinuity disregarding]] the album (no one even knew who [[TheOtherDarrin John Corabi]] was). Which is a damn shame, because it really [[NeedsMoreLove deserves more praise]]. After this, they were able to [[AndTheFandomRejoiced bring back]] back Vince Neil, but this lead to 1997's Generation Swine, which was the result of a [[ExecutiveMeddling tumultuous struggle]] between the band and their producers, and ended up with a very different sound from their previous work, including the grunge-inspired '94 album. This album was far more experimental and spacey, which the fans couldn't really get behind, since they were expecting the original lineup to return to their sleazy, fast-paced metal roots. To make matters worse, shortly after the release of 2000's New Tattoo, their new drummer Randy Castillo [[AuthorExistenceFailure died of cancer]]. From [[http://www.allmusic.com/album/saints-of-los-angeles-mw0000789098 what's been said]] of 2008's Saints of Los Angeles, it seems they've left this period behind them.
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* The output of Music/RascalFlatts after switching producers from Mark Bright to Dann Huff. While the PowerBallad "What Hurts the Most" was a critical darling and one of the few #1 country hits also to hit #1 on AC, the majority of their output for the next few years was very poorly received almost across the board. Pretty much all of their singls were bombastic, overproduced, over-sung power ballads with whiny, over-the-top vocals and lightweight lyrics. Anything that was outside that mold ("Me and My Gang", "Bob That Head", "Why") inexplicably flopped. Even when they did score another chart-topper, it was quickly forgotten and never heard again — even "Take Me There", which spent 4 weeks atop the country charts in an era where spending more than two weeks at #1 is a rarity on that chart. They didn't break out of their doldrums until their label (Lyric Street Records) closed in 2010 and they moved to Big Machine. Though they've kept Huff as a producer, and though they still do a lot of power ballads, the bombast and oversinging have been dialed down, and they've begun cutting more substantial and varied material.
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* [[TheNineties The Nineties]] were a difficult time for [[MotleyCrue Mötley Crüe]]. Having to contend with the newfound popularity of Grunge, which pushed glam and hair metal off the charts, as well as internal affairs with [[FaceOfTheBand Vince Neil]] leaving the band, they signed a deal with Elektra Records and seemed to be coming out on top. Unfortunately, their first release, 1994's [[SelfTitledAlbum Motley Crue]], was underpromoted (their tour was scaled back from stadiums to smaller venues) and largely unknown due MTV placing them on a blacklist because of interview mishaps, not to mention the loss of Vince Neil led to fans [[FanonDiscontinuity disregarding]] the album (no one even knew who [[TheOtherDarrin John Corabi]] was). Which is a damn shame, because it really [[NeedsMoreLove deserves more praise]]. After this, they were able to [[AndTheFandomRejoiced bring back]] Vince Neil, but this lead to 1997's Generation Swine, which was the result of a [[ExecutiveMeddling tumultuous struggle]] between the band and their producers, and ended up with a very different sound from their previous work, including the grunge-inspired '94 album. This album was far more experimental and spacey, which the fans couldn't really get behind, since they were expecting the original lineup to return to their sleazy, fast-paced metal roots. To make matters worse, shortly after the release of 2000's New Tattoo, their new drummer Randy Castillo [[AuthorExistenceFailure died of cancer]]. From [[http://www.allmusic.com/album/saints-of-los-angeles-mw0000789098 what's been said]] of 2008's Saints of Los Angeles, it seems they've left this period behind them.
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Actually, Repair Dont Respond exists.
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** Actually, '''EVERYONE''' hated ''Dylan''. Few records have been so universally attacked or attracted furiously scathing reviews all round. This, though, was a result of ExecutiveMeddling as they were outtakes released by his old record label as [[TakeThat revenge]].
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*** Actually, Billy, as stated doesn't like the current state of the Record Industry. Until a new standard appears, he's going this route. In actuality, ''Teargarden by Kaleidyscope'' is supposed to be listen to as one piece of music when it's all released. The dork age in question is actually EP I. Fans who have heard the songs from the upcoming EP's actually like the stuff.
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** Well, no, that's also just indicative of having a shitty label. There's nothing wrong with being "not commercial" or doing something new.
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* In a rare case of by the band's own admission, {{Oasis}} had at least one of these. Noel Gallagher writes off much of the late 1990s output, and also chunks of the mid-2000s. He even went as far on a Greatest Hits DVD as to ask why somebody didn't just to tell them to "stop", also making much of it an {{OldShame}}.
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* In a rare case of by the band's own admission, {{Oasis}} had at least one of these. Noel Gallagher writes off much of the late 1990s output, and also chunks of the mid-2000s. He even went as far on a Greatest Hits DVD as to ask why somebody didn't just to tell them to "stop", also making much of it an {{OldShame}}.OldShame.
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* Similarly, {{GarthBrooks}}' experimental pop album and pre-release soundtrack for a movie that never was, ''The Life of Chris Gaines'', did not go over well with his fandom. Not only was the OutOfGenreExperience unwelcome to his country fans, but taking on a new look, and the identity of the title character just made it worse. Even still, while the album bombed, failure is relative. The album itself peaked at #2 on the U.S. charts, went double platinum, and had a top 5 single.
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* Similarly, {{GarthBrooks}}' GarthBrooks' experimental pop album and pre-release soundtrack for a movie that never was, ''The Life of Chris Gaines'', did not go over well with his fandom. Not only was the OutOfGenreExperience unwelcome to his country fans, but taking on a new look, and the identity of the title character just made it worse. Even still, while the album bombed, failure is relative. The album itself peaked at #2 on the U.S. charts, went double platinum, and had a top 5 single.
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* Similarly, {{GarthBrooks}}' experimental pop album and pre-release soundtrack for a movie that never was, ''The Life of Chris Gaines'', did not go over well with his fandom. Not only was the OutOfGenreExperience unwelcome to his country fans, but taking on a new look, and the identity of the title character just made it worse. Even still, while the album bombed, failure is relative. The album itself peaked at #2 on the U.S. charts, went double platinum, and had a top 5 single.
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* Similarly, {{GarthBrooks}}' experimental pop album and pre-release soundtrack for a movie that never was, ''The Life of Chris Gaines'', did not go over well with his fandom. Not only was the OutOfGenreExperience unwelcome to his country fans, but taking on a new look, and the identity of the title character just made it worse. Even still, while the album bombed, failure is relative. The album itself peaked at #2 on the U.S. charts, went double platinum, and had a top 5 single.
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** Actually, '''EVERYONE''' hated ''Dylan''. Few records have been so universally attacked or attracted furiously scathing reviews all round. This, though, was a result of ExecutiveMeddling as they were outtakes released by his old record label as [[TakeThat revenge]].
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** Actually, '''EVERYONE''' hated ''Dylan''. Few records have been so universally attacked or attracted furiously scathing reviews all round. This, though, was a result of ExecutiveMeddling as they were outtakes released by his old record label as [[TakeThat revenge]].
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* There's also {{MC Hammer}}'s gangsta rap album -- with the possible exception of the single "Pumps and A Bump" (as long as you [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZqG3f-jhqg ignore the video]]).
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* On a lighter note, some fans feel that WeirdAlYankovic entered an aesthetic Dork Age after he got LASIK surgery, got rid of his glasses, grew out his hair, and ''shaved his mustache''. *GASP!*
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* On a lighter note, some fans feel that WeirdAlYankovic Music/WeirdAlYankovic entered an aesthetic Dork Age after he got LASIK surgery, got rid of his glasses, grew out his hair, and ''shaved his mustache''. *GASP!*
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* Music/{{KMFDM}} tried to break away from its long history by switching record labels and changing their name to MDFMK. While the "new" band's album was well received, fans were incensed that they refused to play any of their old songs in concert. The band relented, going back to their old name and playing selections from their entire catalog.
* Two come to mind with EltonJohn: 1977-1982, when his lyricist Bernie Taupin had little or no influence on the albums of that period, his sales slowed, he dabbled in [[DeaderThanDisco disco]] for an album just as the style grew out of fashion, and his albums in general were of an inconsistent quality, and 1985-1990, where Taupin was more involved, but Elton's music became overly produced and synth-heavy, much of the classic 1970's Elton John Band who backed him in his 1983-84 period were fired and replaced by session musicians, and Elton's [[SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll drug and alcohol habits]], bulimia and [[AnythingThatMoves reckless love life]] were taking a toll on him.
* Two come to mind with EltonJohn: 1977-1982, when his lyricist Bernie Taupin had little or no influence on the albums of that period, his sales slowed, he dabbled in [[DeaderThanDisco disco]] for an album just as the style grew out of fashion, and his albums in general were of an inconsistent quality, and 1985-1990, where Taupin was more involved, but Elton's music became overly produced and synth-heavy, much of the classic 1970's Elton John Band who backed him in his 1983-84 period were fired and replaced by session musicians, and Elton's [[SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll drug and alcohol habits]], bulimia and [[AnythingThatMoves reckless love life]] were taking a toll on him.
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* Music/{{KMFDM}} tried to break away from its long history by switching record labels and changing their name to MDFMK. While the "new" band's album was well received, fans were incensed that they refused to play any of their old songs in concert. The band relented, going back to their old name and playing selections from their entire catalog.
catalog.
* Two come to mind with EltonJohn: 1977-1982, when his lyricist Bernie Taupin had little or no influence on the albums of that period, his sales slowed, he dabbled in [[DeaderThanDisco disco]] for an album just as the style grew out of fashion, and his albums in general were of an inconsistent quality, and 1985-1990, where Taupin was more involved, but Elton's music became overly produced and synth-heavy, much of the classic 1970's Elton John Band who backed him in his 1983-84 period were fired and replaced by session musicians, and Elton's [[SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll drug and alcohol habits]], bulimia and [[AnythingThatMoves reckless love life]] were taking a toll on him.
* Two come to mind with EltonJohn: 1977-1982, when his lyricist Bernie Taupin had little or no influence on the albums of that period, his sales slowed, he dabbled in [[DeaderThanDisco disco]] for an album just as the style grew out of fashion, and his albums in general were of an inconsistent quality, and 1985-1990, where Taupin was more involved, but Elton's music became overly produced and synth-heavy, much of the classic 1970's Elton John Band who backed him in his 1983-84 period were fired and replaced by session musicians, and Elton's [[SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll drug and alcohol habits]], bulimia and [[AnythingThatMoves reckless love life]] were taking a toll on him.
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*** The Napster suit in 2000 perpetuated this for many, as even the people Metallica was (supposedly) pandering to were disgusted with the band afterwards.
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* One example of a band that tried for a new, DarkerAndEdgier image and just... shouldn't have is demonstrated in the video and song, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJLsNYDZVXY&fmt=18 "Dirty Dawg"]]. Let's just say, it '''really''' didn't go over well with NewKidsOnTheBlock's established fandom.
* Similarly, {{GarthBrooks}}' experimental pop album and pre-release soundtrack for a movie that never was, ''The Life of Chris Gaines'', did not go over well with his fandom. Not only was the OutOfGenreExperience unwelcome to his country fans, but taking on a new look, and the identity of the title character just made it worse. Even still, while the album bombed, failure is relative. The album itself peaked at #2 on the U.S. charts, went double platinum, and had a top 5 single.
* And then there's Jewel, who, for a thankfully brief period, abandoned her trademark sensitive folkie singer Lilith Fair poet persona in order to become... a clone of every crappy pop singer of the noughties. She ''claimed'' that her [[LoveItOrHateIt violently-impossible-to-like]] song, "Intuition", was meant as a ''satire'' of interchangeable pretty blond pop singers. Sadly for her, that's a little hard to believe, considering she made a bunch of money off said song being used to launch a [[ProductPlacement women's razor line called "Intuition"]].
* In a rare case of by the band's own admission, {{Oasis}} had at least one of these. Noel Gallagher writes off much of the late 1990s output, and also chunks of the mid-2000s. He even went as far on a Greatest Hits DVD as to ask why somebody didn't just to tell them to "stop", also making much of it an {{OldShame}}.
* Does it count as a DorkAge if it only alienates established fans? BobDylan grew tired of being viewed as "the spokesman of a generation", and decided to record the country music album ''Nashville Skyline'' specifically to alienate people who viewed him as such. This continued with ''Self Portrait'' and ''Dylan'', which were popular with critics but sold very poorly. Then Dylan recorded some albums that his original audience liked (including ''Blood on the Tracks''), and then he converted to Christianity and changed his style ''again'', losing most of his original fans over a quarter of a century (and gaining a few back after 1997's ''Time Out of Mind''.)
** Actually, '''EVERYONE''' hated ''Dylan''. Few records have been so universally attacked or attracted furiously scathing reviews all round. This, though, was a result of ExecutiveMeddling as they were outtakes released by his old record label as [[TakeThat revenge]].
* Many fans consider that everything TheWho did after Keith Moon's death as an extended Dork Age. Even more will agree that it started with John Entwistle's death in 2002.
* The Dave Matthews Band came off of a creative peak with ''Before These Crowded Streets'', only to shelve the promising work of ''The Lillywhite Sessions'' for the mainstream-pandering ''Everyday''. This album was made solely by Dave and pop songwriter Glen Ballard, to the dismay of the bandmates. Don't even discuss ''Stand Up'' amongst the fan-base unless you're willing to withstand high amounts of flames. Thankfully, ''Big Whiskey and the Groo-Grux King'' has improved things.
* Music/BlackSabbath went through a DorkAge in the last half of TheSeventies, with their two last albums with Ozzy being mediocre after a run of six mind-blowingly awesome albums. RonnieJamesDio saved them from that, but he left after two albums. Ian Gillan hopped onboard for a decent albu, then various more lineups got assembled, that nobody can agree which one is good and which one's a dork age.
** Again, all phases of the band's career have their fans; including the late-'70s period, "Blackmore Sabbath", and the Black Sabbath InNameOnly late '80s Tony Iommi solo albums.
* Fans of Music/TheSmashingPumpkins, despite differences in opinion on the recent material, universally would like to pretend that ''Zeitgeist'' [[FanonDiscontinuity never happened]].
** Except "Tarantula".
** Billy Corgan's assertion that the existing concept of a band releasing an album is a dead one leading to his current ''Teargarden by Kaleidyscope'' releases may well prove to be a Dork Age in progress. Time will tell.
*** Actually, Billy, as stated doesn't like the current state of the Record Industry. Until a new standard appears, he's going this route. In actuality, ''Teargarden by Kaleidyscope'' is supposed to be listen to as one piece of music when it's all released. The dork age in question is actually EP I. Fans who have heard the songs from the upcoming EP's actually like the stuff.
* The whole of DavidBowie fandom seems to consist of various factions who love and hate different phases of his decades-long career, due to his frequent sound/image makeovers. Still, there are three periods usually brought up as dorky:
** His 1967 self-titled debut, which he has since disowned as OldShame. His second album, now known as ''Space Oddity'', was originally a self-titled reboot.
** In his "canon" career, even he admits that he's ashamed of 1987's ''Never Let Me Down'' and just must not have cared, though "Time Will Crawl" is a great song (and actually all the singles rode high on the charts -- they were just quickly forgotten, unlike his other '80s hits). His previous album ''Tonight'' (1984) is often counted in this age as well, save for ''its'' two hits ("Loving the Alien" and "Blue Jean"). Getting out of ''this'' dork age led him into...
** The Tin Machine years of 1989-1992. (However, his solo Sound+Vision tour during this period went over well.)
*** ''Never Let Me Down'' has gotten some attention and even some good reviews lately thanks to the [=DVD=] release of the accompanying concert tour [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome ''Glass Spider'']]. ''Tonight'' has enjoyed no such upturn as yet.
** It can be argued that the post-Tin Machine dork ages of the 90s could be found during his ''Black Tie White Noise'' and ''hours...'' phases. The former was a flirtation with electronic lounge pop that also doubled as a [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming dedication]] to his then-new wife Iman. The latter occurred towards the end of the 90s, which showed a softer, more introspective side of Bowie. This prompted Reeves Gabrels, a guitarist who collaborated with Bowie in Tin Machine and his 90s works, to leave due to the fact that it was not as edgy as anything they had done prior to that. Luckily, Bowie managed to escape both dork ages and produce ''Heathen'', which was seen as a comeback album by both critics and fans alike.
* VanHalen's recruitment of Gary Cherone (formerly of Extreme) after Sammy Hagar's departure is currently regarded as [[CanonDiscontinuity "never happened"]] by the band, having been excluded completely from a two-disc greatest hits collection put out years after the release of Van Halen III, the only album featuring that singer. The second album they had planned to release with him was scrapped after they realized how unpopular he was. Ironically, he's also the only singer of the band that doesn't hate Eddie Van Halen.
* Hey, remember {{KISS}}? When they first started they were regarded on the same level as the other two pioneering metal groups, Music/BlackSabbath and Music/LedZeppelin. They realized the potential for [[CashCowFranchise making a profit]], but overplayed their hand with a video game, a comic book series, and a universally-panned film. The whole thing culminated in the group attempting to cash in on the disco craze of the late 1970s, and they are today blamed for the downfall of the first generation of metal, leading to the rise of punk, hip-hop, and disco.
** People often forget that KISS was a fairly obscure group for their first year or so of existence. Fans were already getting tired of glam rock by 1974 (Alice Cooper was starting to move away from it), and KISS's debut album was [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff notably more popular in Japan than in the United States]]. ''Dressed to Kill'' was their true breakout album, as it coincided with the beginning of the "showman" period in which (with a few exceptions) they have since spent their entire career.
** Likewise, their attempt at a ConceptAlbum / RockOpera.
** And there was their attempt in the '80s to drop the facepaint and sci-fi costumes and reinvent themselves as a "hair" band in the Music/TwistedSister mold.
*** Nevertheless...it worked. The "Unmasked" period coincided with the revival of metal: KISS took an honored spot as patriarchs among the newer bands, and their career was revived. Notably, KISS' great achievement is considered to be combining rock with theater, and it should be considered suspicious that they're appreciated for something that actually has nothing to do with music.
**** The Elder, the hair metal period, Psycho Circus not actually being an original KISS album, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer performing as psuedo-originals.. Now that I think of it, everything is a dork age except for the original lineup albums, Creatures of the Night and Revenge.
* Pat Boone, icon of whitebread, mocked this trope once by appearing at an event with Music/OzzyOsbourne's family in leather and with pierced nipples.
** He even released an album of metal covers, called ''In a Metal Mood: No More Mister Nice Guy'', performed in his signature whitebread style. His take of "Crazy Train" was used as the theme for ''Series/TheOsbournes'' (He and Ozzy were next door neighbors for many years until Ozzy and company moved shortly before the series' run). He's since claimed that his fanbase views that album as not just a DorkAge, but a Devil Age, and it actually resulted in him getting kicked out of his church for a while.
* There's argument over whether AFI entered this or left it by switching its sound from hardcore punk to new wave glam rock.
* There's also {{MC Hammer}}'s gangsta rap album -- with the possible exception of the single "Pumps and A Bump" (as long as you [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZqG3f-jhqg ignore the video]]).
* And [[{{Ramones}} Dee Dee Ramone]]'s rap album.
* Many {{Queen}} fans hate the disco album ''Hot Space'' with a passion. Ironically, it contains "Under Pressure", the famous duet with DavidBowie.
** Not only Queen fans hate it: both John Deacon and Roger Taylor expressed their dislike for it several times. On the other hand, Freddie virtually wrote its sequel for his debut solo project, and Brian still claims that without it, there'd have been no 'Thriller' (ridiculous as it sounds).
*** MichaelJackson himself said that ''Hot Space'' was a huge influence on ''Thriller'', though.
** Moreover, while most people tend to acknowledge 'The Cosmos Rocks', some of the other activities Taylor have been involved with (e.g. recording with Britney Spears and 5ive) are treated as if they'd never happened. If only...
* TheNineties were this for Music/HeavyMetal in general. Pick any metal band which was reasonably succesful and well-known at some point between 1976 and 1990. Now read their article on TheOtherWiki. Odds are good that there will be a paragraph or two about their "decline" in the Nineties due to line-up changes, a GenreShift GoneHorriblyWrong, etcetera. A large number of them "came back" in the early [[TheNoughties Noughties]], though. Some specific examples:
** Music/IronMaiden helmed by Blaze Bayley. Even though some songs of those albums remained in the setlist after he left.
*** The band continued to write good material during this time, though Blaze's singing is strictly from hunger.
** Let's put this simple: the post-''Black Album'' period of Music/{{Metallica}} (''Load'', ''Reload'', ''St. Anger'') doesn't exist for [[BrokenBase many fans]]. Well, maybe ''Death Magnetic'' can be RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap, but anyways...
*** The death of Cliff Burton/introduction of Jason Newsted is often cited as the cause of these problems. Whilst unfair on Newsted, since replacing him with Rob Trujillo, they have improved, though that may simply be coincidence.
*** Many fans include the "Black Album" as well, particularly for ItsPopularNowItSucks.
*** There's often a tendency among fans to want ''every album'' by that band to sound the same, and when somebody like Kirk Hammett has an adventurous streak and wants to experiment with sound, it alienates part of the fan base. This also happened to Music/{{Motorhead}} when Brian Robertson of ThinLizzy joined them for ''Another Perfect Day''. Robertson's insistence on wearing disco shorts and refusal to play older Motorhead songs didn't help his case any, but the songwriting on that album pretty much defines well-written metal of the early 1980s.
** For Music/{{Helloween}}, it was the period between Kai Hansen's departure (after ''Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. 2'') and Andi Deris's arrival (before ''Master of the Rings''). This period comprises the Michael Kiske-fronted albums ''Pink Bubbles Go Ape'' and ''Chameleon'', which left the band near dissolution.
** Music/{{Megadeth}} has a brief decline with ''Risk'', and sometimes ''Cryptic Writings'' and/or ''The World Needs A Hero'' as well.
** Hell, even ''{{Slayer}}'' wasn't immune to the crippling power of TheNineties. They lost [[TheAce their drummer Dave Lombardo]], and experimented with NuMetal for a while. The horror! However, since the mid-[[TheNoughties Noughties]], Lombardo is back, and Slayer is making straight ThrashMetal again.
* Some fans of {{Rush}} look at their mid-80s output as this, due to heavy reliance on sythesizers. Although there are still some songs from this period that are considered classics.
* Ween's ''12 Golden Country Greats'' was probably a deliberate attempt to create one.
* NeilYoung's early to mid-'80s output. (You know you're in a Dork Age when your label gets fed up and sues you for your albums being "not commercial" and "musically uncharacteristic of previous recordings.")
** Well, no, that's also just indicative of having a shitty label. There's nothing wrong with being "not commercial" or doing something new.
** Neil made those albums that way on purpose because he was fed up with David Geffen and wanted out of his contract.
* The metal community has come to regard ''Cold Lake'', Celtic Frost's one-off shot at glam rock, to be synonymous with "total fucking disaster".
* Fleetwood Mac has had two. The first one was the period between Peter Green's departure and the addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The second was the period between Buckingham's departure and the reformation of the ''Rumours''-era lineup in 1997.
* Techno/rave music went through a bit of a dork age between its initial surge of popularity in the early 90's and the 'electronica' explosion of the late 90's. At least in North America, Eurodance, Garage House and the Handbag genres were largely forgotten once Music/DaftPunk, Music/TheProdigy and Underworld became popular.
* The period between original frontman Syd Barrett's leaving PinkFloyd in 1968 and the band releasing either 1971's ''Meddle'' or 1973's ''TheDarkSideOfTheMoon'' is sometimes considered one of these. Understandable, since Barrett was responsible for virtually all of the band's material before he left. There is also a vocal part of the fanbase that considers the two albums from after Roger Waters left to be a Dork Age, though again, opinions differ considerably (generally, somewhat more bile is spewed at ''A Momentary Lapse of Reason'' than at ''The Division Bell'').
* BillyIdol went through one of these in the early '90s, when, faced with waning popularity and flagging album sales, he attempted to reinvent his image (and cash in on the emergent hacker subculture) in 1993 by replacing his [[EightiesHair bleached-blonde spiky haircut]] with bleached-blonde dreadlocks and releasing the album ''Cyberpunk'', a fusion of glam rock and electronic dance music. With the exception of the single, "Shock to the System" (which was closer in style to his earlier work), the album's songs consisted of overwrought synthesizer riffs, pretentious monologues, and lines lifted directly from WilliamGibson novels. The album flopped, hard: critics universally panned it, Billy's old fans were left feeling betrayed, and real cyberpunks saw him as nothing but a hopeless poser. It's pretty much universally agreed that the cover of TheVelvetUnderground's "Heroin" that appeared on this album is the absolute ''worst'' version of the song ever recorded.
* When irreplaceable guitarist Michael Schenker left UFO in the 1970s, a sizable portion of the fan base considered them to have ceased existing, despite a resultant run of albums that were more consistent than the ones during Schenker's difficult tenure.
* {{Prince}}'s phase of replacing his name with a symbol and insistence on being called "[[TheTropeFormerlyKnownAsX the artist previously known as Prince]]" resulted in his being labeled as a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}.
* The insane popularity of disco in the late 1970s resulted in many artists facing a tremendous amount of record company pressure to jump on that bandwagon. This caused dork ages for many artists of the time, including the aforementioned KISS, the RollingStones, and RodStewart. Even established jazz artists weren't immune, with Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, and Herbie Mann, only a few of the artists who produced albums that they later regretted. It came to a head at the end of the 1970s with the controversial "[[DeaderThanDisco Disco Demolition Night]]", and with disco on the way out by 1980, the American music industry was at a creative loss. It took {{MTV}} and [[BritishInvasion an army]] of NewWave groups from across ThePond to breathe new life into American music.
* DuranDuran, contrary to myth, did continue its popularity in the wake of its "Fab Five" lineup being whittled down to Simon, Nick, and John, but the one album where their future was in serious jeopardy was with 1990's ''Liberty'', which while containing such fan-beloved songs as "Serious" and "My Antarctica", was the one moment when the band were at the brink of falling apart. Then they came back with 1993's ''The Wedding Album''. More recently, their post-"Fab Five" reunion (which was short-lived) period brought forth a ''loathed'' element of Dork Age with ''Red Carpet Massacre'', which not only contained no songs of any musical merit but had Justin Timberlake getting involved with the production of the album, which many die-hard fans simply could not stomach. Thankfully, they've gotten back their mojo with 2010's ''All You Need is Now'', produced by the much more appropriate Mark Ronson.
* {{Tears for Fears}} lived its Dork Age with one album -- 1995's ''Raoul and the Kings of Spain''. While Roland Orzabal managed to score a hit album minus Curt Smith with the preceding release, 1993's ''Elemental'', and the 1995 album contained solidly good music, ''Raoul'' was a little bit too conceptual for some people and it basically flew under the radar.
* Some fans argue this trope is what best describes legendary post-punk band Wire's late 1980s descent into more traditional song structures, after making a name for themselves for performing avant garde music with somewhat atonal elements.
* Those Gang of Four fans who preferred their rougher, harsher, punkier edge in albums such as ''Entertainment'' feel this way about their 1984 album ''Hard'', which was funkier and poppier than anything they'd released before. Others see ''Hard'' as a catchy, logical extension of the musical themes explored in their previous album, ''Songs of the Free'' (which included their most famous song, "I Love a Man in a Uniform").
* Much of the Japan fan base is divided between those who preferred their glam rock era (''Adolescent Sex'', ''Obscure Alternatives'', et. al.) and those who preferred their New Wave/New Romantic era (e.g. ''Gentlemen Take Polaroids'' and ''Tin Drum''). David Sylvian himself considers the debut album (1977's ''Adolescent Sex'') "{{old shame}}" and his whole solo career has been an extension of the musical themes first explored with ''Tin Drum'', from the Eastern musical elements to the esoteric lyrics about such things as inner pain and loneliness.
* On a lighter note, some fans feel that WeirdAlYankovic entered an aesthetic Dork Age after he got LASIK surgery, got rid of his glasses, grew out his hair, and ''shaved his mustache''. *GASP!*
* John Cale was a drug-addled, overweight, mentally-unwell shell of his former self for a period in the early to mid-eighties. Fortunately, he cleaned himself up, but not before filming some very embarrassing live performances.
* Music/TokioHotel with the Humanoid Album. Arguably, that is. The band both lost and gained fans with this album, though it seems to be more on the lost side.
* Music/{{KMFDM}} tried to break away from its long history by switching record labels and changing their name to MDFMK. While the "new" band's album was well received, fans were incensed that they refused to play any of their old songs in concert. The band relented, going back to their old name and playing selections from their entire catalog.
* Two come to mind with EltonJohn: 1977-1982, when his lyricist Bernie Taupin had little or no influence on the albums of that period, his sales slowed, he dabbled in [[DeaderThanDisco disco]] for an album just as the style grew out of fashion, and his albums in general were of an inconsistent quality, and 1985-1990, where Taupin was more involved, but Elton's music became overly produced and synth-heavy, much of the classic 1970's Elton John Band who backed him in his 1983-84 period were fired and replaced by session musicians, and Elton's [[SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll drug and alcohol habits]], bulimia and [[AnythingThatMoves reckless love life]] were taking a toll on him.
----
* Similarly, {{GarthBrooks}}' experimental pop album and pre-release soundtrack for a movie that never was, ''The Life of Chris Gaines'', did not go over well with his fandom. Not only was the OutOfGenreExperience unwelcome to his country fans, but taking on a new look, and the identity of the title character just made it worse. Even still, while the album bombed, failure is relative. The album itself peaked at #2 on the U.S. charts, went double platinum, and had a top 5 single.
* And then there's Jewel, who, for a thankfully brief period, abandoned her trademark sensitive folkie singer Lilith Fair poet persona in order to become... a clone of every crappy pop singer of the noughties. She ''claimed'' that her [[LoveItOrHateIt violently-impossible-to-like]] song, "Intuition", was meant as a ''satire'' of interchangeable pretty blond pop singers. Sadly for her, that's a little hard to believe, considering she made a bunch of money off said song being used to launch a [[ProductPlacement women's razor line called "Intuition"]].
* In a rare case of by the band's own admission, {{Oasis}} had at least one of these. Noel Gallagher writes off much of the late 1990s output, and also chunks of the mid-2000s. He even went as far on a Greatest Hits DVD as to ask why somebody didn't just to tell them to "stop", also making much of it an {{OldShame}}.
* Does it count as a DorkAge if it only alienates established fans? BobDylan grew tired of being viewed as "the spokesman of a generation", and decided to record the country music album ''Nashville Skyline'' specifically to alienate people who viewed him as such. This continued with ''Self Portrait'' and ''Dylan'', which were popular with critics but sold very poorly. Then Dylan recorded some albums that his original audience liked (including ''Blood on the Tracks''), and then he converted to Christianity and changed his style ''again'', losing most of his original fans over a quarter of a century (and gaining a few back after 1997's ''Time Out of Mind''.)
** Actually, '''EVERYONE''' hated ''Dylan''. Few records have been so universally attacked or attracted furiously scathing reviews all round. This, though, was a result of ExecutiveMeddling as they were outtakes released by his old record label as [[TakeThat revenge]].
* Many fans consider that everything TheWho did after Keith Moon's death as an extended Dork Age. Even more will agree that it started with John Entwistle's death in 2002.
* The Dave Matthews Band came off of a creative peak with ''Before These Crowded Streets'', only to shelve the promising work of ''The Lillywhite Sessions'' for the mainstream-pandering ''Everyday''. This album was made solely by Dave and pop songwriter Glen Ballard, to the dismay of the bandmates. Don't even discuss ''Stand Up'' amongst the fan-base unless you're willing to withstand high amounts of flames. Thankfully, ''Big Whiskey and the Groo-Grux King'' has improved things.
* Music/BlackSabbath went through a DorkAge in the last half of TheSeventies, with their two last albums with Ozzy being mediocre after a run of six mind-blowingly awesome albums. RonnieJamesDio saved them from that, but he left after two albums. Ian Gillan hopped onboard for a decent albu, then various more lineups got assembled, that nobody can agree which one is good and which one's a dork age.
** Again, all phases of the band's career have their fans; including the late-'70s period, "Blackmore Sabbath", and the Black Sabbath InNameOnly late '80s Tony Iommi solo albums.
* Fans of Music/TheSmashingPumpkins, despite differences in opinion on the recent material, universally would like to pretend that ''Zeitgeist'' [[FanonDiscontinuity never happened]].
** Except "Tarantula".
** Billy Corgan's assertion that the existing concept of a band releasing an album is a dead one leading to his current ''Teargarden by Kaleidyscope'' releases may well prove to be a Dork Age in progress. Time will tell.
*** Actually, Billy, as stated doesn't like the current state of the Record Industry. Until a new standard appears, he's going this route. In actuality, ''Teargarden by Kaleidyscope'' is supposed to be listen to as one piece of music when it's all released. The dork age in question is actually EP I. Fans who have heard the songs from the upcoming EP's actually like the stuff.
* The whole of DavidBowie fandom seems to consist of various factions who love and hate different phases of his decades-long career, due to his frequent sound/image makeovers. Still, there are three periods usually brought up as dorky:
** His 1967 self-titled debut, which he has since disowned as OldShame. His second album, now known as ''Space Oddity'', was originally a self-titled reboot.
** In his "canon" career, even he admits that he's ashamed of 1987's ''Never Let Me Down'' and just must not have cared, though "Time Will Crawl" is a great song (and actually all the singles rode high on the charts -- they were just quickly forgotten, unlike his other '80s hits). His previous album ''Tonight'' (1984) is often counted in this age as well, save for ''its'' two hits ("Loving the Alien" and "Blue Jean"). Getting out of ''this'' dork age led him into...
** The Tin Machine years of 1989-1992. (However, his solo Sound+Vision tour during this period went over well.)
*** ''Never Let Me Down'' has gotten some attention and even some good reviews lately thanks to the [=DVD=] release of the accompanying concert tour [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome ''Glass Spider'']]. ''Tonight'' has enjoyed no such upturn as yet.
** It can be argued that the post-Tin Machine dork ages of the 90s could be found during his ''Black Tie White Noise'' and ''hours...'' phases. The former was a flirtation with electronic lounge pop that also doubled as a [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming dedication]] to his then-new wife Iman. The latter occurred towards the end of the 90s, which showed a softer, more introspective side of Bowie. This prompted Reeves Gabrels, a guitarist who collaborated with Bowie in Tin Machine and his 90s works, to leave due to the fact that it was not as edgy as anything they had done prior to that. Luckily, Bowie managed to escape both dork ages and produce ''Heathen'', which was seen as a comeback album by both critics and fans alike.
* VanHalen's recruitment of Gary Cherone (formerly of Extreme) after Sammy Hagar's departure is currently regarded as [[CanonDiscontinuity "never happened"]] by the band, having been excluded completely from a two-disc greatest hits collection put out years after the release of Van Halen III, the only album featuring that singer. The second album they had planned to release with him was scrapped after they realized how unpopular he was. Ironically, he's also the only singer of the band that doesn't hate Eddie Van Halen.
* Hey, remember {{KISS}}? When they first started they were regarded on the same level as the other two pioneering metal groups, Music/BlackSabbath and Music/LedZeppelin. They realized the potential for [[CashCowFranchise making a profit]], but overplayed their hand with a video game, a comic book series, and a universally-panned film. The whole thing culminated in the group attempting to cash in on the disco craze of the late 1970s, and they are today blamed for the downfall of the first generation of metal, leading to the rise of punk, hip-hop, and disco.
** People often forget that KISS was a fairly obscure group for their first year or so of existence. Fans were already getting tired of glam rock by 1974 (Alice Cooper was starting to move away from it), and KISS's debut album was [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff notably more popular in Japan than in the United States]]. ''Dressed to Kill'' was their true breakout album, as it coincided with the beginning of the "showman" period in which (with a few exceptions) they have since spent their entire career.
** Likewise, their attempt at a ConceptAlbum / RockOpera.
** And there was their attempt in the '80s to drop the facepaint and sci-fi costumes and reinvent themselves as a "hair" band in the Music/TwistedSister mold.
*** Nevertheless...it worked. The "Unmasked" period coincided with the revival of metal: KISS took an honored spot as patriarchs among the newer bands, and their career was revived. Notably, KISS' great achievement is considered to be combining rock with theater, and it should be considered suspicious that they're appreciated for something that actually has nothing to do with music.
**** The Elder, the hair metal period, Psycho Circus not actually being an original KISS album, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer performing as psuedo-originals.. Now that I think of it, everything is a dork age except for the original lineup albums, Creatures of the Night and Revenge.
* Pat Boone, icon of whitebread, mocked this trope once by appearing at an event with Music/OzzyOsbourne's family in leather and with pierced nipples.
** He even released an album of metal covers, called ''In a Metal Mood: No More Mister Nice Guy'', performed in his signature whitebread style. His take of "Crazy Train" was used as the theme for ''Series/TheOsbournes'' (He and Ozzy were next door neighbors for many years until Ozzy and company moved shortly before the series' run). He's since claimed that his fanbase views that album as not just a DorkAge, but a Devil Age, and it actually resulted in him getting kicked out of his church for a while.
* There's argument over whether AFI entered this or left it by switching its sound from hardcore punk to new wave glam rock.
* There's also {{MC Hammer}}'s gangsta rap album -- with the possible exception of the single "Pumps and A Bump" (as long as you [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZqG3f-jhqg ignore the video]]).
* And [[{{Ramones}} Dee Dee Ramone]]'s rap album.
* Many {{Queen}} fans hate the disco album ''Hot Space'' with a passion. Ironically, it contains "Under Pressure", the famous duet with DavidBowie.
** Not only Queen fans hate it: both John Deacon and Roger Taylor expressed their dislike for it several times. On the other hand, Freddie virtually wrote its sequel for his debut solo project, and Brian still claims that without it, there'd have been no 'Thriller' (ridiculous as it sounds).
*** MichaelJackson himself said that ''Hot Space'' was a huge influence on ''Thriller'', though.
** Moreover, while most people tend to acknowledge 'The Cosmos Rocks', some of the other activities Taylor have been involved with (e.g. recording with Britney Spears and 5ive) are treated as if they'd never happened. If only...
* TheNineties were this for Music/HeavyMetal in general. Pick any metal band which was reasonably succesful and well-known at some point between 1976 and 1990. Now read their article on TheOtherWiki. Odds are good that there will be a paragraph or two about their "decline" in the Nineties due to line-up changes, a GenreShift GoneHorriblyWrong, etcetera. A large number of them "came back" in the early [[TheNoughties Noughties]], though. Some specific examples:
** Music/IronMaiden helmed by Blaze Bayley. Even though some songs of those albums remained in the setlist after he left.
*** The band continued to write good material during this time, though Blaze's singing is strictly from hunger.
** Let's put this simple: the post-''Black Album'' period of Music/{{Metallica}} (''Load'', ''Reload'', ''St. Anger'') doesn't exist for [[BrokenBase many fans]]. Well, maybe ''Death Magnetic'' can be RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap, but anyways...
*** The death of Cliff Burton/introduction of Jason Newsted is often cited as the cause of these problems. Whilst unfair on Newsted, since replacing him with Rob Trujillo, they have improved, though that may simply be coincidence.
*** Many fans include the "Black Album" as well, particularly for ItsPopularNowItSucks.
*** There's often a tendency among fans to want ''every album'' by that band to sound the same, and when somebody like Kirk Hammett has an adventurous streak and wants to experiment with sound, it alienates part of the fan base. This also happened to Music/{{Motorhead}} when Brian Robertson of ThinLizzy joined them for ''Another Perfect Day''. Robertson's insistence on wearing disco shorts and refusal to play older Motorhead songs didn't help his case any, but the songwriting on that album pretty much defines well-written metal of the early 1980s.
** For Music/{{Helloween}}, it was the period between Kai Hansen's departure (after ''Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. 2'') and Andi Deris's arrival (before ''Master of the Rings''). This period comprises the Michael Kiske-fronted albums ''Pink Bubbles Go Ape'' and ''Chameleon'', which left the band near dissolution.
** Music/{{Megadeth}} has a brief decline with ''Risk'', and sometimes ''Cryptic Writings'' and/or ''The World Needs A Hero'' as well.
** Hell, even ''{{Slayer}}'' wasn't immune to the crippling power of TheNineties. They lost [[TheAce their drummer Dave Lombardo]], and experimented with NuMetal for a while. The horror! However, since the mid-[[TheNoughties Noughties]], Lombardo is back, and Slayer is making straight ThrashMetal again.
* Some fans of {{Rush}} look at their mid-80s output as this, due to heavy reliance on sythesizers. Although there are still some songs from this period that are considered classics.
* Ween's ''12 Golden Country Greats'' was probably a deliberate attempt to create one.
* NeilYoung's early to mid-'80s output. (You know you're in a Dork Age when your label gets fed up and sues you for your albums being "not commercial" and "musically uncharacteristic of previous recordings.")
** Well, no, that's also just indicative of having a shitty label. There's nothing wrong with being "not commercial" or doing something new.
** Neil made those albums that way on purpose because he was fed up with David Geffen and wanted out of his contract.
* The metal community has come to regard ''Cold Lake'', Celtic Frost's one-off shot at glam rock, to be synonymous with "total fucking disaster".
* Fleetwood Mac has had two. The first one was the period between Peter Green's departure and the addition of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The second was the period between Buckingham's departure and the reformation of the ''Rumours''-era lineup in 1997.
* Techno/rave music went through a bit of a dork age between its initial surge of popularity in the early 90's and the 'electronica' explosion of the late 90's. At least in North America, Eurodance, Garage House and the Handbag genres were largely forgotten once Music/DaftPunk, Music/TheProdigy and Underworld became popular.
* The period between original frontman Syd Barrett's leaving PinkFloyd in 1968 and the band releasing either 1971's ''Meddle'' or 1973's ''TheDarkSideOfTheMoon'' is sometimes considered one of these. Understandable, since Barrett was responsible for virtually all of the band's material before he left. There is also a vocal part of the fanbase that considers the two albums from after Roger Waters left to be a Dork Age, though again, opinions differ considerably (generally, somewhat more bile is spewed at ''A Momentary Lapse of Reason'' than at ''The Division Bell'').
* BillyIdol went through one of these in the early '90s, when, faced with waning popularity and flagging album sales, he attempted to reinvent his image (and cash in on the emergent hacker subculture) in 1993 by replacing his [[EightiesHair bleached-blonde spiky haircut]] with bleached-blonde dreadlocks and releasing the album ''Cyberpunk'', a fusion of glam rock and electronic dance music. With the exception of the single, "Shock to the System" (which was closer in style to his earlier work), the album's songs consisted of overwrought synthesizer riffs, pretentious monologues, and lines lifted directly from WilliamGibson novels. The album flopped, hard: critics universally panned it, Billy's old fans were left feeling betrayed, and real cyberpunks saw him as nothing but a hopeless poser. It's pretty much universally agreed that the cover of TheVelvetUnderground's "Heroin" that appeared on this album is the absolute ''worst'' version of the song ever recorded.
* When irreplaceable guitarist Michael Schenker left UFO in the 1970s, a sizable portion of the fan base considered them to have ceased existing, despite a resultant run of albums that were more consistent than the ones during Schenker's difficult tenure.
* {{Prince}}'s phase of replacing his name with a symbol and insistence on being called "[[TheTropeFormerlyKnownAsX the artist previously known as Prince]]" resulted in his being labeled as a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}.
* The insane popularity of disco in the late 1970s resulted in many artists facing a tremendous amount of record company pressure to jump on that bandwagon. This caused dork ages for many artists of the time, including the aforementioned KISS, the RollingStones, and RodStewart. Even established jazz artists weren't immune, with Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, and Herbie Mann, only a few of the artists who produced albums that they later regretted. It came to a head at the end of the 1970s with the controversial "[[DeaderThanDisco Disco Demolition Night]]", and with disco on the way out by 1980, the American music industry was at a creative loss. It took {{MTV}} and [[BritishInvasion an army]] of NewWave groups from across ThePond to breathe new life into American music.
* DuranDuran, contrary to myth, did continue its popularity in the wake of its "Fab Five" lineup being whittled down to Simon, Nick, and John, but the one album where their future was in serious jeopardy was with 1990's ''Liberty'', which while containing such fan-beloved songs as "Serious" and "My Antarctica", was the one moment when the band were at the brink of falling apart. Then they came back with 1993's ''The Wedding Album''. More recently, their post-"Fab Five" reunion (which was short-lived) period brought forth a ''loathed'' element of Dork Age with ''Red Carpet Massacre'', which not only contained no songs of any musical merit but had Justin Timberlake getting involved with the production of the album, which many die-hard fans simply could not stomach. Thankfully, they've gotten back their mojo with 2010's ''All You Need is Now'', produced by the much more appropriate Mark Ronson.
* {{Tears for Fears}} lived its Dork Age with one album -- 1995's ''Raoul and the Kings of Spain''. While Roland Orzabal managed to score a hit album minus Curt Smith with the preceding release, 1993's ''Elemental'', and the 1995 album contained solidly good music, ''Raoul'' was a little bit too conceptual for some people and it basically flew under the radar.
* Some fans argue this trope is what best describes legendary post-punk band Wire's late 1980s descent into more traditional song structures, after making a name for themselves for performing avant garde music with somewhat atonal elements.
* Those Gang of Four fans who preferred their rougher, harsher, punkier edge in albums such as ''Entertainment'' feel this way about their 1984 album ''Hard'', which was funkier and poppier than anything they'd released before. Others see ''Hard'' as a catchy, logical extension of the musical themes explored in their previous album, ''Songs of the Free'' (which included their most famous song, "I Love a Man in a Uniform").
* Much of the Japan fan base is divided between those who preferred their glam rock era (''Adolescent Sex'', ''Obscure Alternatives'', et. al.) and those who preferred their New Wave/New Romantic era (e.g. ''Gentlemen Take Polaroids'' and ''Tin Drum''). David Sylvian himself considers the debut album (1977's ''Adolescent Sex'') "{{old shame}}" and his whole solo career has been an extension of the musical themes first explored with ''Tin Drum'', from the Eastern musical elements to the esoteric lyrics about such things as inner pain and loneliness.
* On a lighter note, some fans feel that WeirdAlYankovic entered an aesthetic Dork Age after he got LASIK surgery, got rid of his glasses, grew out his hair, and ''shaved his mustache''. *GASP!*
* John Cale was a drug-addled, overweight, mentally-unwell shell of his former self for a period in the early to mid-eighties. Fortunately, he cleaned himself up, but not before filming some very embarrassing live performances.
* Music/TokioHotel with the Humanoid Album. Arguably, that is. The band both lost and gained fans with this album, though it seems to be more on the lost side.
* Music/{{KMFDM}} tried to break away from its long history by switching record labels and changing their name to MDFMK. While the "new" band's album was well received, fans were incensed that they refused to play any of their old songs in concert. The band relented, going back to their old name and playing selections from their entire catalog.
* Two come to mind with EltonJohn: 1977-1982, when his lyricist Bernie Taupin had little or no influence on the albums of that period, his sales slowed, he dabbled in [[DeaderThanDisco disco]] for an album just as the style grew out of fashion, and his albums in general were of an inconsistent quality, and 1985-1990, where Taupin was more involved, but Elton's music became overly produced and synth-heavy, much of the classic 1970's Elton John Band who backed him in his 1983-84 period were fired and replaced by session musicians, and Elton's [[SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll drug and alcohol habits]], bulimia and [[AnythingThatMoves reckless love life]] were taking a toll on him.
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