There’s nothing unusual when artists shift their musical direction. Not is it unusual that, whatever the results, such results are greeted with very different reactions? Of course, indifference is the worst among them.
Now, it is said that whenever those shifts don’t get the reaction they should, artists that have made it with something else aren’t or shouldn’t be bothered. Remember the case of The Rolling Stones going full-out psychedelic on ‘Their Satanic Majesties Request?’
Seemingly, the indifference of the audience and sharp knives of the critics didn’t bother the band that was at its top at the time, but it certainly did. It turns out that the majority of the band hated the album, and Brian Jones who was the main propagator of the project was soon gone. literally. So, it obviously hurt The Stones, in many ways than one. Today, whether Jagger, Richards, and co. like that album or not, it turns out to be a classic in its own right.
Now, there’s the case of Bergen White and his one-off project ‘For Women Only.’ White up to this day ranks as one of the most renowned country music arrangers, a Nashville legend. After all, as various sources note, “his work on Tony Joe White's 1969 Top Ten hit "Polk Salad Annie" brought him to the attention of no less than Elvis Presley, who wanted Bergen to arrange a version of the song for him to perform in his Las Vegas show. He went on to arrange several Presley sessions in the years to follow’ (AllMusic). All his country music achievements earned him a place in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
At one point though, in 1970 to be precise, White came up with a solo album titled ‘For Women Only.’ Even for the standards of fifty or so years ago, both the album title and its cove were cheesiness at their prime. Could be one of the reasons the album bombed so badly at the time.
But the other reason could be an almost complete shift in musical direction to what White was coming up with for his ‘daily country music job.’ It turns out that the album was one of the prime examples how a soft rock/baroque pop album should sound like. Then and now. Brilliant compositions, White at his arranging best, and his some quite sublime vocals all around. No wonder that these days the album is hailed as a soft rock classic by many, and has had
Now, many would say that it shouldn’t have hurt White and that it didn’t, having in mind what he had achieved in his musical career. But as one of the song titles on the album goes, it probably ‘Hurt So Bad.’ After, White only has three recorded album titles under his name. One is a Christmas album, another a gospel one, and the third titled ‘Finale’ was recorded back in 1975 and was not released until 2015, whit practically no formal reaction.
Quite a shame, because ‘ For Women Only’ remains one of the classics of its genre, even though the album’s creator is lauded for something completely different.