“When absurdities get repeated often enough, they start sounding like truth.”
T. Colin Campbell
The Guess Who introduced me to the technique. Their song No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature was the first time I'd heard it done - a song that starts out one way, morphs into a completely different song, and then returns to the original tune. Man, I thought that was tremendously cool. Before I move on to another example, let me bang this drum one more time…The Guess Who is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but Whitney Houston and Bon Jovi are. Say it with me, “Heinous Injustice!”
In the same era, the early 70s, I got into the band Blue Oyster Cult. They were fresh on the scene then. This was three albums before the release of their LP, Agents of Fortune, which contained the song they would become identified with, Don't Fear the Reaper (More cowbell!). BOC fused a unique brand of heavy metal, psychedelic, experimental rock with a dash of sardonic wit that caught my early teen ears. Their guitar player, Buck Dharma, had some flashy chops that wowed me. They still do. Off their first album came this song, Before the Kiss, a Redcap. I did not see the change up coming.
And then there's Billy Joel. I've never owned a Billy Joel record. He's been part of the background soundtrack to life over the last 50 years, so he's just kinda there. For the most part, I'm agnostic about his music. One song grates my nerves, We Didn't Start the Fire, and a couple I like very much, This is the Time and this one, Scenes From an Italian Restaurant.. The bookend tune is big romantic and then there's the two gear changes in the middle. Masterful.
Others?