if you could send Steve back in time to correct ONE mistake in the entire Maiden history: what thing would you choose him to have changed?

[srfc]

Help me, guys. Trying to think what metal/hard rock bands replaced a legendary singer and enjoyed equal/greater success. Dio in Sabbath and Coverdale in Purple come to mind. I’m sure there’s more but not many. And probably from genres I don’t listen to, the replacement singer from Arch Enemy comes to mind.

Bar those 2 you mentioned, and AC/DC mentioned by @GhostofCain, there's probably very few. Maybe Bruce himself replacing Di'Anno.

Saying that some fans of those bands would disagree they went onto equal or greater success Even some Maiden fans re:Bruce

 

[Midnight]

Saying that some fans of those bands would disagree they went onto equal or greater success Even some Maiden fans re:Bruce

Preference and success are two different things.

 

[MindRuler]

But that does not mean they are enjoying equal/greater success than before.

That is true. I guess the venues they play are much much smaller now than in the best Tate/DeGarmo days.

 

[Iron Lurker]

Bar those 2 you mentioned, and AC/DC mentioned by @GhostofCain, there's probably very few. Maybe Bruce himself replacing Di'Anno.

Saying that some fans of those bands would disagree they went onto equal or greater success Even some Maiden fans re:Bruce

How could I forget Brian Johnson?

Well, there are some Blaze super fans who prefer him over Bruce but they can’t claim the band was more successful. That would be absurd.

 

[Iron Lurker]

Yeah.

AC/DC is the perfect example of a band replacing a legendary singer and go on to enjoy stratospheric success.

Yeah, totally forgot about Brian. I blame old age, lol

 

[Iron Lurker]

But that does not mean they are enjoying equal/greater success than before.

Van Halen is another possible example. Very successful with Sammy Hagar too.

Yes! Overlooked them too

 

[MindlessPieces]

Genesis did very well after they replaced Peter Gabriel with Phil Collins. Helloween, too, with Michael Kiske replacing Kai Hansen. Nightwish have had three lead singers throughout their history, and have enjoyed success with all three.

Does King Crimson count?

Iron Maiden replaced Paul Dianno with some guy that seemed to do pretty well with them.

 

[Yax]

Queensryche.
The 3 albums with LaTorre are far better than anything they released since Promised Land.

Nah. Tribe is great, and I kind of like Here in the Now Frontier. Condition Human is a kickass album though, and the self titled has quite a few very good tunes. I can not get into the latest one though, apart from the two opening tracks.

 

[MindlessPieces]

Many people consider Floor to be better than Tarja or Olzon

 

[Iron Lurker]

Iron Maiden replaced Paul Dianno with some guy that seemed to do pretty well with them.

But was Paul considered legendary then? You can argue that now as he was included in the HOF nomination

 

[MindlessPieces]

But was Paul considered legendary then? You can argue that now as he was included in the HOF nomination

As far as I understand it Maiden were getting very popular, and Bruce was a very different singer, I'm sure he alienated many established fans. I still come across people pining for Dianno.

 

[chaosapiant]

I'm a huge fan of Steve hiring Blaze, whether he could sing the notes or not. That was a ballsy move by any standard, whether it worked or not. Not only that, but Steve and Co still play songs from Blaze's time in the band. Ozzy and Sabbath don't do that with non-Ozzy material. Judas Priest didn't do that when Halford returned. Motley Crue didn't ever do Corabi's material with Vince Neil. That's what separate Maiden from the rest: their integrity. Might not like the outcome of their decisions or the albums they make (I do, but still) but you can't deny that Steve didn't take the easy way out and he gets all my respect for that.

Additionally, had Blaze not been in the band, the reunion would not have happened. Brave New World would absolutely not have happened as its DNA is pulled straight from VXI. They'd either have gone on to continue in obscurity with a better vocalist, or Bruce would've stayed and we'd get more albums in the vein of NPFTD or FoTD. Those are great albums, but I far prefer their reunion material over anything else the band has done, including their 80s work. Blaze was a key ingredient into getting Maiden where they are now, whether folks want to admit that or not.

 

[Sth2112]

Help me, guys. Trying to think what metal/hard rock bands replaced a legendary singer and enjoyed equal/greater success. Dio in Sabbath and Coverdale in Purple come to mind. I’m sure there’s more but not many. And probably from genres I don’t listen to, the replacement singer from Arch Enemy comes to mind.

Other than those mentioned:

Kai Hansen replacing Ralf Scheepers in Gamma Ray.
Timo Kotipelto replacing Timo Tolkki in Stratovarius.
James LaBrie replacing whoever was in Dream theater.
Roy Khan replacing whoever was in Kamelot.
Phil Collins replacing Peter Gabriel in Genesis.
Joey Belladonna replacing Neil Turbin in Anthrax.

Even if many people prefer Fish in Marillion, I will also say that Steve Hogarth does very well. Same about Alice in chains

 

[chaosapiant]

Other than those mentioned:

Kai Hansen replacing Ralf Scheepers in Gamma Ray.
Timo Kotipelto replacing Timo Tolkki in Stratovarius.
James LaBrie replacing whoever was in Dream theater.
Roy Khan replacing whoever was in Kamelot.
Phil Collins replacing Peter Gabriel in Genesis.
Joey Belladonna replacing Neil Turbin in Anthrax.

Even if many people prefer Fish in Marillion, I will also say that Steve Hogarth does very well. Same about Alice in chains

Peter Tatgtren in Hypocrisy comes to mind.

 

[TheMercenary]

Help me, guys. Trying to think what metal/hard rock bands replaced a legendary singer and enjoyed equal/greater success. Dio in Sabbath and Coverdale in Purple come to mind. I’m sure there’s more but not many. And probably from genres I don’t listen to, the replacement singer from Arch Enemy comes to mind.

Mark Tornillo in Accept who replaced Udo Dirkschneider. Floor Jansen who replaced Tarja Turunen and Anette Olzon in Nightwish. Jo Amore who replaced Christophe Houpert and Tom Jackson in Nightmare...

 

[TheMercenary]

Other than those mentioned:

Kai Hansen replacing Ralf Scheepers in Gamma Ray.
Timo Kotipelto replacing Timo Tolkki in Stratovarius.
James LaBrie replacing whoever was in Dream theater.
Roy Khan replacing whoever was in Kamelot.
Phil Collins replacing Peter Gabriel in Genesis.
Joey Belladonna replacing Neil Turbin in Anthrax.

Even if many people prefer Fish in Marillion, I will also say that Steve Hogarth does very well. Same about Alice in chains

And Rob Halford replacing Al Atkins in Judas Priest.

 

[srfc]

I think the discussion is going off track talking about minor bands, or vocalist changes at a very early stage of the career. The point is about the pressure of being a replacement in a major band at the very height of their success.

 

[____no5]

@TheMercenary and all, speaking about replacement singers, I found this nice video in YouTube about Paul, Bruce & Blaze, hope you'll like it, I did.

 

[____no5]

Help me, guys. Trying to think what metal/hard rock bands replaced a legendary singer and enjoyed equal/greater success. Dio in Sabbath and Coverdale in Purple come to mind. I’m sure there’s more but not many. And probably from genres I don’t listen to, the replacement singer from Arch Enemy comes to mind.

Micheal Kiske replacing Kai Hansen
Bruce Dickinson replacing Blaze Bailey

Ray Alder replacing John Arch (Fates Warning)
Christine McVie replacing Peter "demigod" Green (Fleetwood Mac. Rumors is the 11th best selling album of all time in UK, 40 millions world wide)
Pink Floyd +David Gilmore replacing Syd Barrett
Bob Calvert replacing Dave Brock, Nik Turner & Lemmy (Hawkwind)

There must be many more.. But I must go

 

[Black Abyss Babe]

It's funny, 'cause rectifying any of the major "mistakes" could've resulted in a very different Maiden than the one we know today, likely not a better one.

Would you really do that if you could, given that it might (potentially and very likely) drastically change everything that happened afterwards..?

Additionally, had Blaze not been in the band, the reunion would not have happened. Brave New World would absolutely not have happened as its DNA is pulled straight from VXI. They'd either have gone on to continue in obscurity with a better vocalist, or Bruce would've stayed and we'd get more albums in the vein of NPFTD or FoTD. Those are great albums, but I far prefer their reunion material over anything else the band has done, including their 80s work. Blaze was a key ingredient into getting Maiden where they are now, whether folks want to admit that or not.

All of you have hit the nail on the head - things had to happen the way they did or we wouldn't have what we've got now. Kudos to Steve and co for their integrity and their unapologetic insistence on doing everything on their own terms.

No band has an aura of destiny like to that of Maiden ...