The Replacements

Wästed The Great

Wästed The Great

Minister Of Chicks, Metal&Beer; Cool & Froody Dude
Staff member
I didn't see this anywhere, so here is the question:

Who is your favorite 'replacement' singer?  There are a lot of bands out there that released one (or more) albums, and then replaced their singer.  Off the cuff, I am thinking of James LaBrie with Dream Theater and Bruce with Maiden.  I know that Rainbow went through 4 singers, Riot went through at least that many (tho I liked Rhett Forrester the best).  I know it takes more than just the singer to make a huge change, but with LaBrie and Dickenson, those two bands jumped to a higher level with the addition of those guys.  However, IMO, its hard to say that Sabbath was a 'next level up' band after Ozzy left-- not saying worse (I like Dio), just not loads better.

I'm not trying to say any of these artists were bad before, I'm just curious as to who you think was the best addition after at least one released album.
 
Iron Maiden (Paul Di'Anno -> Bruce Dickinson)
Iced Earth (Jon Greely -> Matt Barlow)
Dark Tranquillity (Anders Friden -> Mikael Stanne)
 
Its clear that I need to pick up both Iced Earth and DT... I think thats on the list for today.

Whats anyone's opinion on Van Halen?  DLR or Sammy?  I had thought that DLR was better, but looking through my fav VH tunes, more are with Sammy (and I def like his solo stuff).

So, I'm adding Sammy Hagar as another vote for replacment.
 
wasted155 said:
Its clear that I need to pick up both Iced Earth and DT... I think thats on the list for today.
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Get The Gallery and Burnt Offerings/Alive in Athens.  You won't regret it (especially the former).
 
Thanks for the leads!  I've heard Alive in Athens tossed around this forum before, but I'll try to pick them both up. 
 
Yet another reason why you need to contact us via the chatroom or on IMs.

And I disagree with Raven; Alive in Athens is a great starter, but I think that The Dark Saga or Horror Show is a better starting point than Burnt Offerings.
 
I disagree with Horror Show.  It's too unique in the IE catalogue; I see it as a sort of transition between old IE and the Ripper era.  Though I disagree with Burnt Offerings, too.  Just get Alive in Athens and you've got most of their good stuff from those days. 

As for DT, I like Damage Done more than The Gallery, and Fiction is really great too, but it's personal preference.  I suppose The Gallery is more "classic," though.
 
Invader said:
I disagree with Horror Show.  It's too unique in the IE catalogue; I see it as a sort of transition between old IE and the Ripper era.  Though I disagree with Burnt Offerings, too.  Just get Alive in Athens and you've got most of their good stuff from those days. 

As for DT, I like Damage Done more than The Gallery, and Fiction is really great too, but it's personal preference.  I suppose The Gallery is more "classic," though.
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Damage Done is very good, although the emphasis is on the guitar/keyboard playoff, unfortunately, which lends itself to effect-laden, rhythm driven Gothenburg.  Whilst Dark Tranquillity carry this off far better than their contemporaries, Fiction came as a massive disappointment to me.  They decided to write predictable song structures with a disgusting amount of stop-start riffing; while this was a hallmark of the previous album, Character, it had been used there to emphasise whatever element was being developed by the guitar/keyboards...and to provide a short break (perhaps as little as a bar or so) between the tremolo riffing going on.  Fiction, by contrast, is just an average slab of Gothenburg, without any real charisma.

The Gallery, on the other hand, is a sublime album.  Every song is concise, yet fully developed to a logical conclusion.  The riffs flow one into each other so that the listener must really concentrate on a reference point throughout the song, or just be bewildered by what's on offer...which is the hallmark of progressive music (none of this 'we'll play a 12 minute song and we'll be prog' shit).  The counterpoint melodies offer new and interesting angles for the returning listener, and the lyrics are nothing short of poetic.  The production is sublime, as well, with a tasteful amount of reverb to add colour to the melodies, and the acoustics are very well done.  Excellent bass riffs (by now-guitarist Martin Henriksson), and the female vocals are used competently and not excessively (although the guest vocals on the title track are rather silly).  Punish My Heaven is the best song this band have ever composed. Fact. You want proof? The drumming never lets up, forcing the song along whilst maintaining a coherent structure for the guitars to work around.  The counterpoint melodies form a whirlwind of ideas that burst into the full revelation of the chorus, although it's the post-chorus melody that really shines.  The 'solo' (and I call it that, not due to a lack of skill in it, but because it's no less complex than the majority of the riffs!) is a wonderful break from the chaos, and the cowbell...well, you know what cowbell can add to a song.

'If I had wings, would I be forgiving? If I had horns, would there be flames to shy my smile?'

Yes, a classic...and don't say it lightly.
 
Forostar said:
GuineaPig said:
Bruce and Dio.
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Yep. Can't be better than that.
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Initially, I thought - "Yes it does, and Helphyre has said it - Gillan and Bruce". But did Gillan make Purple more of a better band than what Dio did to Sabbath? Debatable, but Gillan and Purple lasted longer that Dio and Sabbath. But does that make them better? I dunno. It's the opinion of the beholder. And that is what counts.

I really am none the wiser from trying to think if Helphyre or Forostar/GuineaPig has the better choice. So much crap went through my head trying to pin one down - but it just ended up being a fuzzy ball of thought, crawling along the neurons of my brain only to get stuck behind some virtual milk float.
 
I second the vote for Sammy Hagar vastly improving Van Halen.

DLR had a certain kind of charm and some near-unique vocal abilities, but he wasn't a good singer or songwriter. And that charm? He stole half his schtick from Ted Nugent.

Hagar, on the other hand, is a GREAT songwriter, and that was what really made Van Hagar so much better.


Now how about this one: AC/DC !
And I'm not talking about Brian Johnson.
Bon Scott counts as a replacement singer because their first single ("Can I Sit Next To You Girl") had Dave Evans on lead vocals.
 
LooseCannon said:
Yet another reason why you need to contact us via the chatroom or on IMs.
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I've tried the chat room frequently in the last three weeks and its always empty... :(  But i'll keep trying!  I do appreciate all the leads, though.  I didn't find much of either today, but did find the Alive in Athens DVD, so I got it and will be watching this eve.

EDIT: Thats what you meant, right, about music leads?

SinisterMinisterX said:
I second the vote for Sammy Hagar vastly improving Van Halen.

DLR had a certain kind of charm and some near-unique vocal abilities, but he wasn't a good singer or songwriter. And that charm? He stole half his schtick from Ted Nugent.

Hagar, on the other hand, is a GREAT songwriter, and that was what really made Van Hagar so much better.


Now how about this one: AC/DC !
And I'm not talking about Brian Johnson.
Bon Scott counts as a replacement singer because their first single ("Can I Sit Next To You Girl") had Dave Evans on lead vocals.
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Thats exactly what I thought!  I have had tons of people look at me like I had two heads for saying that about the Haggar era.  Usually with the "Oh, Van Haggar you mean" response.  Sure, DLR was ok to watch, but Sammy is so much more fun to listen to (and, really, 1984 was not on the top of my list of VH stuff).  I've liked Sammy's stuff ever since Montrose, and I like what he puts out today.

I actually didn't know that about AC/DC, however,  I do really like Bon Scott.  I'll have to check out that single for a comparo.
 
Interesting to see how this topic has developed. Wasted155 asked a simple question but all kinds of other feelings and thoughts are aroused as well!  ;)

I chose Bruce and Dio because I compare their contribution to the albums they sang on with the impact of their predecessors. So while answering this question I'm not thinking of other bands Dio and Bruce have been in.

Maybe it helps to mention the bands in which the singers have replaced someone:

Bruce Dickinson - Iron Maiden
Ronnie James Dio - Black Sabbath

I absolutely believe that Dio made Sabbath stronger. Look at the second half of the seventies. Those Black Sabbath albums are so much worse than when they started out. Do we have to blame Ozzy for that? I guess others also had ups and downs but Ozzy surely was the worst factor. So: YES, Dio lifted Sabbath immensely when he joined the band.
 
wasted155 said:
I've tried the chat room frequently in the last three weeks and its always empty... :(  But i'll keep trying!  I do appreciate all the leads, though.  I didn't find much of either today, but did find the Alive in Athens DVD, so I got it and will be watching this eve.
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We'll be there.  I wish there was a way to make it so you could see...
 
Forostar said:
Interesting to see how this topic has developed. Wasted155 asked a simple question but all kinds of other feelings and thoughts are aroused as well!  ;)
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That was, kind of, my hope.  This seems a great place to learn a little about music in general, and some of the tastes of members here as well.

Forostar said:
Maybe it helps to mention the bands in which the singers have replaced someone
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I think thats a great Idea, since some of them have sung with many different bands.  I did like your reasoning behind Dio with Sabbath.  Sounds like what you are saying is that Sabbath made a big name early on, but towards the end of the Ozzy era, they weakend a little.  Then when Dio came on, they got much stronger.  Makes sense. 
 
Blaze did much the same with Maiden.  Think what you will about the music, all the reports from the era was that Bruce and Steve were at each other's throats constantly and that it was causing serious damage to the band's harmony.  Blaze may not be universally loved (though I rather like both his albums with Maiden), but those years were certainly very important for the band recovering from the "Ego Years".  Also, it let Bruce go off in his own direction and experiment, and do the music he had wanted to do.  And after not too long, look what he ended up doing again: metal.

I also think the years with Blaze led the band back towards the more complex songs they had become famous for in the Golden Years era.  Sign of the Cross, The Clansman, those songs are easily more indepth and complex than anything from Fear of the Dark or No Prayer For The Dying.  And that complexity carried into the new albums, with songs like Dream of Mirrors, The Nomad, Paschendale, Brighter Than A Thousand Suns, and The Legacy.
 
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