The Other Guy Was Better: On the Fragile Chemistry of a Great Band

 

“They’ve never been the same since he left”.

“As much as I respect the band for continuing without him, I really just can’t get into the new guy at all”. “

“BRING BACK THE OLD GUY. THIS DUDE SUCKS!”

These are the classic cries of a bitter fan whose favorite band has just parted from their favorite guitarist/singer/bassist/drummer/keytaurist/triangle player. Many bands go through lineup changes throughout their existence, and every one of them is affected differently. A change in vocalists often makes the largest waves, as they naturally tend to be the most visible member of the band, and their instrument is the most difficult to replicate. What goes into a change in singers, and how can it affect the creative output of the band going forwards?

Some groups seem to be a veritable revolving door of vocalists, such as California post-hardcore outfit Dance Gavin Dance, who have worked their way through 3 clean vocalists in 10 years, making for an [absolutely ridiculous timeline](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_Gavin_Dance#Band_members), or classic rockers Van Halen, who — perhaps taking the revolving door metaphor a bit too seriously —, are currently in the midst of David Lee Roth’s second stint with the band (naturally following Sammy Hagar’s second stint). The question remains: why can’t anyone hold on to a singer? Of course, in many of these scenarios, there are amicable splits due to simple artistic differences. No, really, those happen. We just don’t hear about them. Because they’re boring.

Some splits, such as Van Halen’s from David Lee Roth, have been much publicized, with shots exchanged through the press, very rarely in a friendly spirit. Some have come about due to the reliance of the frontman on illegal and damaging substances. This case famously is exemplified by Black Sabbath founding frontman Ozzy Osbourne, who later returned to the band, presumably under some sort of oath of purity. Sometimes, regrettably, tragic circumstances lead to a forced change, such as when Bon Scott, the original singer for famous Australian hard rock pioneers AC/DC, passed away suddenly just as the band was about to hit it big. This led to the recruitment of Brian Johnson, who recorded Back in Black, and the rest is history.

Replacement offers even more scenarios than the original split. The remaining members may take a singer from another group in the genre, as the aforementioned Dance Gavin Dance has now done twice, or AC/DC recently did, bringing in Guns ‘n’ Roses frontman Axl Rose following Brian Johnson’s controversial exit. One (or two!) of the band members may just take over vocal duties. This can often completely alter the course of the band’s music. Bands like Pink Floyd, who promoted guitarist David Gilmour and bassist Roger Waters to shared lead vocal duties to replace tormented founder Syd Barrett, became much more experimental under a new front, releasing 4 straight albums pushing the boundaries of anything heard in rock music before that, beginning in 1973 with The Dark Side of the Moon. The change can lead to a trend towards the opposite end of the spectrum as well, infamously shown in Genesis, where drummer Phil Collins took over for Peter Gabriel and drove the musical direction from incredibly complex progressive rock to straight up pop over the course of a few years.

As with any member of a band, a change can lead to a major shakeup or even a possible collapse of the group, but singers are particularly interesting to examine due to the extreme personalities and increased visibility.

Check out the Spotify playlist to hear some of the music I mentioned in the article.