original passage: In 1981, the band's third studio album, "7", reached number 5 in the UK Albums Chart and contained three hit singles: "Grey Day" (no. 4, April 1981), "Shut Up" (no. 7, September 1981), and "Cardiac Arrest" (no. 14, February 1982). In an article in 1979, Chris Foreman explained that the band's music would move with the times, and change styles as time goes on. This was shown to be the case, as unlike the two ska-filled, fast-paced albums that preceded it, "7" was something of a change in direction. Suggs' vocal performance changed significantly, and his strong accent from the previous albums had been watered down. The album strayed from the ska-influenced sound of "One Step Beyond..." and "Absolutely" and moved towards a pop sound; a trend that continued with subsequent albums.
original sentence: This was shown to be the case, as unlike the two ska-filled, fast-paced albums that preceded it, "7" was something of a change in direction.
sentence2: From what you can learn from the entire passage, is it possible that Chris Foreman was actually being deliberately facetious when he spoke about changing the band's sound, because (whether he was just messing with journalists for fun, or cynically trying to get mainstream-pop fans to pick up something new that they otherwise wouldn't have been interested in) he and the rest of the band seemed to have no concrete plans to change their style, in "7" or in later albums?
sentence1: In 1981, the band's third studio album, "7", reached number 5 in the UK Albums Chart and contained three hit singles: "Grey Day" (no. 4, April 1981), "Shut Up" (no. 7, September 1981), and "Cardiac Arrest" (no. 14, February 1982). In an article in 1979, Chris Foreman explained that the band's music would move with the times, and change styles as time goes on. This was shown to be the case, as unlike the two ska-filled, fast-paced albums that preceded it, "7" was something of a change in direction. Suggs' vocal performance changed significantly, and his strong accent from the previous albums had been watered down. The album strayed from the ska-influenced sound of "One Step Beyond..." and "Absolutely" and moved towards a pop sound; a trend that continued with subsequent albums.