Some time ago I re-posted a video on Facebook from progressive/art rock band ELP... And herein lies the apparent controversy... It wasn't Emerson, Lake & Palmer...It was Emerson, Lake & Powell. The album in and of itself is a very good slice of post prog/arena rock that a lot of the original progressive bands became in the 80's. My old friend Bob pointed out that the only reason Cozy Powell [R.I.P.] was chosen was because he had the "P" last name. In the same vein as Johnny Bravo fitting the suit. If you missed the reference to the episode of the Brady Bunch...much of this isn't going to make sense anyway...but in a nutshell...when you lose someone in a band do you replace them with a clone or new blood in an effort to maintain success?...
Was Cozy Powell selected because of the "P" in his name or was he chosen because he was a world class drummer with The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow and Whitesnake?... I'd like to think given the talented players that Keith Emerson and Greg Lake are, they chose him on that merit, and the fact that his last name fit was really not a factor... but the truth is... I don't know what the thinking was when they decided to reform and Carl Palmer was busy with Asia, but reports indicate it was because Palmer was a friend of Emerson's, and other drummers who tried out didn't work out or couldn't commit. Which brings us to the next question... when a band loses a critical member, do they replace him with a clone who can sing or play the parts without shaking too many things up, or do they switch gears and change direction?... [And our Flashback this week is definitely a band that changed direction...] Let's focus on some of the bands that changed for the better...
A good example of a band that changed direction in the vocal department is Kansas...Steve Walsh left after the Audio Visions album and tour in 1980 and they replaced him with John Elefante, who for all intents and purposes could sing Walsh's parts, but gave the band a different sound. They released two albums, "Vinyl Confessions" and "Drastic Measures" and had hits with "Play The Game Tonight" and "Fight Fire With Fire" respectively from those albums. Walsh would rejoin for the '86 comeback "Power"...
Yes is a band that is known for it's line-up changes [One bassist, 4 singers, 6 keyboard players, 2 drummers and 4 guitarists...]. One of those is the exit of Rick Wakeman and Jon Anderson after the "Tormato" album. Buggles Geoff Downes [keyboards] and Trevor Horn [vocals] were brought in to replace them and the resulting "Drama" album was met with mixed reviews, smaller ticket sales, and the band eventually calling it a day for a bit... Now, when the band came together with guitarist Trevor Rabin and formed Cinema, it was only a matter of time before vocalist Jon Anderson was back in the fold, and Cinema became yet another incarnation of Yes, now with Trevor Rabin "technically" replacing Steve Howe. Each incarnation yielded different results [I'm a huge fan of the "Drama" album, but I'm in the minority...]. The resulting record with Rabin "90125" went multi-platinum and gave them their first #1 single with "Owner Of A Lonely Heart"...so...sometimes change is good.
Another band that overcame diversity upon losing a prominent band member is Black Sabbath... After firing vocalist Ozzy Osbourne the band contacted Rainbow/Elf vocalist Ronnie James Dio [R.I.P] and his time with the band [3 albums] truly proved that you can bounce back after a dramatic change. Dio obviously wasn't Ozzy, but he had carved a niche as a powerhouse vocalist and songwriter who was exactly what Sabbath needed for their return. For someone to expect "Never Say Die" or even "Paranoid" to sound like "Heaven & Hell" or "Mob Rules" they would be sorely mistaken, as the band had grown and evolved with Dio in the fold. This is the case of where Dio's contribution revived the band, and without this era I don't think they would have continued as they did. Everything of course would come full circle as Ozzy would reunite with Sabbath for their Grammy winning "13" album in 2013...
Deep Purple's MK II line-up was their most successful, so replacing vocalist Ian Gillan could have proved very challenging...instead of trying to replace him with a clone, they hired two vocalists to fill the spot...One in the form of future Whitesnake leader David Coverdale, and the other in bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes. Coverdale and Hughes brought a more bluesy and soulful approach to the vocals, and the MK III line-up proved successful with the albums "Burn", and "Stormbringer"...the Mark IV line-up kept the vocalists but replaced guitarist Ritchie Blackmore with Tommy Bolin [R.I.P.] for "Come Taste The Band"...
And probably one of the greatest changes in rock history is the replacement of AC/DC's vocalist, Bon Scott [R.I.P.]... Scott died after a night of drinking and the band wasn't sure if they were going to continue. They recruited former Geordie singer Brian Johnson and returned in 1980 with their masterpiece "Back In Black". Johnson was definitely not a Scott clone and the record for obvious reasons made superstars out of this band. And they continue with plans for a new record and world tour in the coming years...
So...there is no formula for maintaining success...because if there was you would see less bands crash and burn after a member change or a change in direction. Music fans are fickle, and what works for one may not work for the other... And while some bands recruit clones to maintain their momentum a la "Johnny Bravo"... others strike out into new places and take those bands to new heights... As a fan of music...I'm just going to open my ears and listen...because if I judge the music before I hear it...I might miss something...and so could you...
And Now...For This Week's Sonic Flashback...
Alex Van Halen - Drums, Percussion
Edward Van Halen - Guitars, Background Vocals
Michael Anthony - Bass, Background Vocals
Sammy Hagar - Lead & Background Vocals
In what was a very publicized and acrimonious split... David Lee Roth and Van Halen went their separate ways after the "1984" tour, and the next chapter of the Van Halen began with a new singer, a new sound, and their first #1 album...
Anticipation and expectations ran high in the Spring of 1986... would Van Halen bounce back from their split with Roth, or would the album be DOA and the Van Halen legacy ruined?... Well...depending on who you talk to...adding Sammy Hagar may have both added and detracted from the band's legacy...but you can't argue with the album's success. "5150" [named after Eddie's home studio and the California police code for a mentally disturbed person...], released March 24, 1986, would polarize the fan base and critics and yet also set the stage for Van Halen second act selling over 6 million copies...
Arguments were made that the record relied too heavily on keyboards, and that Eddie had abandoned his axe, but the one thing that Eddie Van Halen wanted respect for, was for being a musician, not just a guitar hero. The keyboards of course were mainly introduced on the "1984" record and this record would then be the logical extension. The most significant change was the style of vocals on the album. Hagar's vocals are more melodic and counterpointed the music more where Roth's tended to follow the guitar line, and Roth doesn't have Hagar's range [and for the record...I'm not in either camp as to which is better, as I see each singer as someone who brought something great to this group... Hell...I can probably find something nice to say about Van Halen III with Gary Cherone...]. Michael Anthony even had to take his vocals up an octave to harmonize...
I remember hearing the first single "Why Can't This Be Love" [on either 99.1 WPLR out of New Haven...or 1-95 out of Brookfield...I can't remember...] and thinking that it was a really good song. Hagar sounded great [I followed his career since "Standing Hampton"] and the guitars were still there, albeit textured more. Reactions from friends varied from excellent to sell out to "Van Hagar" sucks...but I really liked the record. Truth be told I was never the huge Van Halen fan. I owned the catalog up to that point and knew the songs, but wasn't a die hard so the change didn't really make a huge difference to me.
I believe that had the band continued, that they wouldn't have had the impact that "5150" did with Hagar. In David Lee Roth's book "Crazy From The Heat" he stated that he worked on some early versions of the songs with the band, but I can't for the life of me believe that the songs would have sounded anywhere near as good with his voice...To me it just wouldn't work. Flash forward to now and Van Halen released "A Different Kind Of Truth" with Roth in 2012, this time without longtime bassist Michael Anthony, who was replaced by Eddie's son, Wolfgang...so I guess conflict is inevitable in this band...as is change...
The band followed up "5150" with "OU812" [their tongue in cheek album name culled as a response to David Lee Roth's "Eat 'Em & Smile"] and all together had 4 great albums with Hagar. Regardless of what side of the fence you are on, "5150" continued the success already in place and took them to the next level... Would it have been any different if Roth stayed in the fold... I know where I would bet...but we will never know...
Better Late Than Never...Part Deux...
Stone Sour - House Of Gold & Bones Part I
Avenged Sevenfold - Hail To The King
Two great records...one from 2012 and one from 2013... If you are a fan of "Octane" on Sirius FM [Or your local "Rock" station...] you are very familiar with these two... AX7 even debuted at #1 on Billboard... So...why the delay... Well... I have no really good reason other than that I was probably busy with other things and was ok with hearing the tracks on the radio... What changed that?... My 16 year old son... who is heavily into these bands [and Black Veil Brides as well as Slipknot] who added them to a list of music he was looking for.
I remember what it was like at that age trying to buy everything that came out that I liked and not being able to keep up... so I like to help him out and make sure he's got what he's looking for.. [as well as the Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, Megadeth and Rush catalogs which he was already given...] So in picking them up I found myself really getting into them. Stone Sour's is Part 1 of a concept album...but the tracks stand out individually...[and I'll pick up Part 2 to get the second half of it... Avenged Sevenfold is a throwback to good old Heavy Metal a la Metallica and GNR... I don't mind that there are sonic references to other works, I'm just happy the band gives it a good shot... The songs are heavy and the solos are excellent...
So... in essence...I'm old... but I'm ok with it... Having two sons [my youngest is 12], I get a different taste of what's playing out there... and they get inundated with classic heavy metal to broaden their horizons... I think that's a pretty good deal...
New Releases...Coming To A Format Near You!!!...
Pantera - Far Beyond Driven - 20th Anniversary Edition
It's been 20 years since "Strength Beyond Strength" came crashing through the speakers and "Far Beyond Driven" landed at #1 on the charts... This edition is expanded to two discs with a complete remaster of the original material, as well as a second disc with their performance at the Monsters Of Rock Festival in Donnington from 1994... [Rhino Records] [Out 3/24]
Pretty Maids - Louder Than Ever
German metal band Pretty Maids release "Louder Than Ever" with 8 re-recorded tracks and 4 new ones... The package also includes a retrospective DVD with archival footage, interviews and live footage from their "Motherland" tour... [Frontiers Records] [Out 3/24]
L.R.S - Down To The Core
L.R.S. is the trio of vocalist Tommy LaVerdi [21 Guns], guitarist Josh Ramos [The Storm/Hardline] and drummer Michael Shotton [Von Groove/Airtime]. Melodic hard rock and and the return of one of the best singers of the genre... [Frontiers Records] [Out 3/24]
Asia - Gravitas
Since reuniting with the original line-up for 2008's "Phoenix", Asia have continued to create solid melodic rock with touches of their progressive pasts. This new release finds Steve Howe out of the fold and is replaced by Sam Coulson... [Frontiers Records] [Out 3/25]
KXM - KXM
KXM is Ray Luzier [Korn], Dug Pinnick [King's X] and George Lynch [Dokken/Lynch Mob] and actually came out two weeks ago and I missed adding it to the blog... Some collaborations rehash the past, this record embraces all three men involved and comes together with the intent to create something new...and succeeds... Reviews are excellent and this is one hard rock gem that you will not want to miss... [Rat Pak Records]
And Now...For This Week's Gratuitious Hair-Metal Video...
Thanks For Coming Along For The Ride...
J.
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