This Band Was Your Band, This Band Is My Band

[styxfanNH]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/25/arts/ ... =TOPIXNEWS

This Band Was Your Band, This Band Is My Band

September 25, 2005
This Band Was Your Band, This Band Is My Band
By JEFF LEEDS
MEMBERS of the British rock band Queen thought they'd never tour again after Freddie Mercury, their flamboyant lead singer, died of an AIDS-related illness in November 1991. Big hits like the camp opera "Bohemian Rhapsody" and the rock-swing "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" seemed uniquely suited to Mercury, who carried them with just the proper mix of kitsch and bluster.

But Queen's fortunes did not die with Mercury after all. The band has been selling out arenas across Europe, and they've been doing it with a singer who sounds nothing like their late star: Paul Rodgers, singer of 1970's hits like "Feel Like Makin' Love" and "Ready for Love" with the rock band Bad Company, who has given Queen's catalog a bluesy tinge.

Queen isn't alone. Today many well-known rock bands are pursuing second acts with new lead singers, raising questions not only about just how far the trend can go, but about where a band's identity truly lies. The Cars are the latest major band reported to be considering a new lead singer (the rocker Todd Rundgren in place of Ric Ocasek, who since leaving the band has built a reputation as a record producer, and Ben Orr, who died five years ago.) Foreigner hired a new frontman, Kelly Hansen, in March after the exit of Lou Gramm, following the examples in recent years of reconstituted bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Van Halen.

And as prime-time television viewers know, the Australian rock band INXS and pop stylists TLC, both of which lost their lead singers some years ago, are going everyone one better. On reality television shows (on CBS and UPN respectively) the surviving members of each outfit turned their loss into an asset, making their auditions with a variety of singers a form of entertainment in their own right. With the exposure, they've increased their chances of turning misfortune into a comeback. (Last Tuesday J. D. Fortune was named on the show as the INXS singer. He will sing on the band's next album, "Switch," which has not been completed yet, but for which music company executives have already selected the first single.)

Music executives say a band's ability to outlive its singer usually depends on which was more influential: the songs or the cult of personality. In the case of Motown ensembles on the oldies circuit, the songs win out every time. The same is true for a relatively faceless band like Styx: on its own and as part of packages with other bands it has generated more than $90 million in box office sales since 1999, when it parted company with Dennis DeYoung, its singer and keyboardist, hiring Lawrence Gowan to fill in. Tommy Shaw, guitarist for the band, notes that anonymity was part of the formula from the start. "All you've got to do," he said "is look at our album covers" - thematic artwork rather than glamorous head shots.

For bands strongly identified with a lead vocalist, things are tougher. Not all Queen fans are happy with the arrival of Mr. Rodgers, who also sang for the bands Free, of which he was a founder in 1968, and the Firm, a short-lived 1980's outfit. On the message board at queenzone.com, one poster who goes by the name KingMercury echoed a common feeling toward Queen + Paul Rodgers, as the act is now known. "I will not complain about the current tour, and if its right to tour under the name of Queen," the message said, "but, Queen, that fabulous and giant band, died with Freddie, in 1991."

Still, for the casual fan, a sound-alike singer belting out a proven hit often is good enough, says John Kalodner, the artist-and-repertory scout who is credited with developing acts like Foreigner and Aerosmith. "If a performer can pull off a song 75, 80 percent, people will have the rest in their head," he said.

Daniel Nester, an English professor at the College of St. Rose in Albany who has written two books about the band - even though he never saw the original Queen - dismisses the purists.

"Legacy, schmegacy," he said, "From my end, it's like, 'Milk it all you want.' I want to see them play."

For bands considering a new lineup, it helps that the hits of the 1970's and early 1980's are still in rotation on classic rock stations, and that the defining works still sell. Queen's 1992 greatest-hits album, for instance, still sells roughly 7,000 copies a week. But that's the old lineup. Soldiering on behind a new singer usually means selling fewer CD's and playing to smaller audiences, in venues like casinos and nightclubs instead of sold-out arenas and stadiums. And no one really thinks that these band's new songs will return them to their commercial peaks. Journey, for one, has been giving its latest album free to fans who bought tickets to its recent tour.

If a band's facelessness can become an asset in preserving its identity, then today's crop of revivalists may be in the right place at the right time - a moment in pop music when the form of the song itself seems to trump any band's imagery or personality. Online, music fans are displaying a preference for individual songs over albums by a ratio of more than a 20 to 1. (It's called iTunes, after all, not iAlbums.) Some say this is also a moment when the rock warhorses of the 1970's and 80's face scant competition.

"We live in a hip-hop nation," said David Goffin, executive producer of "Rock Star: INXS." And the relative dearth of major rock acts, he added, provides an opening for bands like INXS and others to re-emerge.

Still, cautionary tales abound. Van Halen touched off a civil war among its fans when it replaced David Lee Roth with Sammy Hagar, though it continued to crank out commercial hits (and its dynamic lead guitarist Eddie Van Halen gave some continuity to the band's identity). A subsequent decision to hire Gary Cherone to take Mr. Hagar's place proved disastrous at record stores and the box office. Nor did the former Cult singer Ian Astbury do much for the reconstituted Doors, when he toured with them three decades after Jim Morrison's death.

"Jim Morrison wasn't just some yahoo singing for the Doors, he was a personality," said Shane Roeschlein, editor in chief of an online music magazine, themusicedge.com. "Morrison was much like a limb on a body. So in that aspect, if you lost your arm you'd get a prosthetic and it could be a really good and realistic prosthetic arm but it'd never be your arm." For fans familiar with a band's original identity, he added, there would be "a cycle of diminishing returns - always eyeballing that slightly plastic looking appendage."

EVEN INXS has had its troubles with this formula - before agreeing to find a new singer on "Rock Star," it toured with a series of performers poorly matched to the band, including Terence Trent D'Arby, the soul singer.

INXS still must emerge from the shadow of Michael Hutchence, the lead singer who died in an apparent suicide hanging in 1997. Mr. Kalodner said Hutchence had been so integral to the band that it may never record successfully again. Mr. Kalodner recently pulled out of plans to work with the newly formed INXS on its new album, which is scheduled for release on Nov. 29.

"I just didn't fell good about trying to replace Michael," he said. "A band is never the same when they replace a singer, ever. It loses something both in the voice and in the whole dynamic of the band. Obviously it can be done, but the more and more I saw of it the less I felt good about it."

Mr. Goffin of "Rock Star," while careful to pay respect to Mr. Hutchence, said that the band had a lot going for it. "They have eight years between what happened and now. And they have a television show, which is a week-to-week transformation, where everyone can see what the band can be. They lost one of their instruments. You're replacing a significant part of the band. You really have a chance to regenerate a band."

Doc McGhee, who represents the rockers KISS, has another twist on the idea altogether: he has been toying with the idea of recruiting an entire band to replace the original KISS and don the band's famous makeup.

"KISS is more like Doritos or Pepsi, as far as a brand name is concerned," he said. "They're more characters than the individual person. I think they have a legitimate chance to carry the franchise."

[styxfanNH]

AUDIO CLIPS

Styx
Original Lead Singer: 'Come Sail Away' (MP3)
From 'The Grand Illusion' (c) 1984 A&M
Replacement Lead Singer: 'Come Sail Away' (MP3)
From 'Live Session' (c) 2005 Universal Music Enterprises

Lynyrd Skynyrd
Original Lead Singer: 'Sweet Home Alabama' (MP3)
From 'Second Helping' (c) 1974 MCA
Replacement Lead Singer: 'Sweet Home Alabama' (MP3)
From 'Lyve: The Vicious Cycle Tour' (c) 2004 Sanctuary

Queen
Original Lead Singer: 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' (MP3)
From 'The Game' (c) 1980 Hollywood
Replacement Lead Singer: Audio from 'Return of the Champions' album available from the Queen Web site.

Creedence Clearwater Revival
Original Lead Singer: 'Born on the Bayou' (MP3)
From 'Bayou Country' (c) 1969 Fantasy
Replacement Lead Singer: Audio from the 'Creedence Clearwater Revisited' album available from the Creedence Clearwater Revisited Web site

COMPARISON LINKS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE WEBSITE

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/25/arts/ ... =TOPIXNEWS

[DarrenUK]

$90MILLION.

THATS NOT BAD..........$18MILLION EACH

[sadie65]

$90MILLION.

THATS NOT BAD..........$18MILLION EACH

I saw that number, but then I had to think about it. That's 90 million over 6 years, split with other acts. While it is an impressive number, it does not guarantee that each member would get 18 million each. I highly doubt it. That they are continuing to tour is impressive.


Numbers and spin. Quite a business. We baby boomers are a very nostalgic lot. And there is nothing wrong with that. I honestly think it's very interesting that people can adapt and accept something not quite whole simply because it represents a part of their past.

For me, I do not think Queen should have reformed without Freddie Mercury, as I think he was the defining member of their sound/stage act. But since they aren't asking me and have made the decision to go forth, I wish them well.

[The_Noble_Cause]

And no one really thinks that these band's new songs will return them to their commercial peaks. Journey, for one, has been giving its latest album free to fans who bought tickets to its recent tour.

Of course, when Prince does it it is lauded as sheer revolutionary financial acumen, but when Journey does it they are just a bunch of has-beens trying to scrap together enough cash to pay their heating bill.

[styxfanNH]

$90MILLION.

THATS NOT BAD..........$18MILLION EACH

That's gross, not profit. some is the promoters, some is production, some is crew, some is promotion. I bet they are splitting at most, 40% of that money. But that also does not include the t-shirt money, which is substantial. Regardless, they aren't hurting financially...

[classicstyxfan]

to quote a somewhat famous song from the 60's.

"ain't nothin like the real thing baby............."


Paul Rodgers is very talented, but he's no Freddie Mercury.
They should call the act " A tribute to Queen".


Larry Gowan......talented, but not in DeYoungs league
as a singer or as a song writer.


Credence without Fogerty....and considering the relative simplicity of the music, is nothing more than a glorified garage band.

[bugsymalone]

to quote a somewhat famous song from the 60's.

"ain't nothin like the real thing baby............."


Paul Rodgers is very talented, but he's no Freddie Mercury.
They should call the act " A tribute to Queen".


Larry Gowan......talented, but not in DeYoungs league
as a singer or as a song writer.


Credence without Fogerty....and considering the relative simplicity of the music, is nothing more than a glorified garage band.

I think they are billing this Queen tour "Queen with Paul Rogers". Not positive, but I think that is the case.

I agree with you on all counts here, Classic.

Bugsy

[PsychoSy]

Jesus ...

No patch on Paul Rodgers who was awesome with Free and Bad Company and not to toot my own horn ... but dammit, I could sing a Queen song a capella and mop the floor with Rodgers and make Freddie in heaven say, "Oh, what a darling that was!" Ugh, that was just ... no. That's the only word for it. No. I was optimistic and thought Rodgers could at least do it justice but OUCH! his Elvis-esque rendition of "I Want To Break Free" is simply off-the-chart horrid.

Someone please tell Roger and Brian that I'm available and I'd only require food, clothing, and transpo. Nobody can fill his shoes but I can do Freddie and Queen justice and that's what fans deserve. Not this.

[bugsymalone]

Someone please tell Roger and Brian that I'm available and I'd only require food, clothing, and transpo. Nobody can fill his shoes but I can do Freddie and Queen justice and that's what fans deserve. Not this.

Hmmmmm....."Queen with PsychoSy"! That has a nice ring to it!!

Bugsy

[Zan]

Paul Rodgers is very talented, but he's no Freddie Mercury.
They should call the act " A tribute to Queen".

Which would completely negate anything the rest of that band contributed. This is not a bunch of guys forming a tribute band. This IS the band. To say they shouldn't have the right to their own name is just silly. I like the "with Paul Rogers" bit. That makes more sense and is more fair to the members of Queen who worked just as hard as Mercury to bring Queen to its success.


<---Who sang "Bohemian Rhapsody" last week and didn't make a dog's ass of it!

Oh yeah...IMO. lol (can't speak for the rest of the people in the room)

[classicstyxfan]

Your point is valid Zan, but I disagree.....Freddie was at least 75 percent of what made Queen special to me, and I honestly dont think the rest of them would have even made the big time with anyone else in his place.

However, I acknowledge this opinion is slightly uninformed, insomuch as I havent heard Queen with Rodgers yet.....I'll leave the door open just a crack, and perhaps once I hear them I will change my tune.

For the Record, I really like Rodgers voice in Free and Bad Co....

[gr8dane]

Should they call it Queen without Freddie but with Paulie,or some such thingie.?
I can't really blame some of the members doing shows with a stand-in.
Don't forget Freddie did not write all the songs,though, yet I see he was the most recognizable figure in Queen.

[styxfanNH]

Frontmen are often referred to as the face of the band, yet the other members often have as much input into the music as they do. In some cases more.

Unfortunately, some think just because other members of the band don't sing, they have little value to the overall sound or makeup of the band.

Apparently it's an acapela world.

Yes, Queen isn't the same without Freddie, Journey isn't the same without Perry, Styx isn't the same without Dennis. But the other members of the band have a right to the music also. Real fans of the band know the changes of members of a band and either accept it or they don't.

[swwskj]

God dammit, I can't decide who I love more: Zan, Bugsy or Classic.

Needless to say I am so thankful to read your posts. BTW, Bugsy, I hope your equine buddies fared fine after Rita.

Scott

[bugsymalone]

Frontmen are often referred to as the face of the band, yet the other members often have as much input into the music as they do. In some cases more.

Unfortunately, some think just because other members of the band don't sing, they have little value to the overall sound or makeup of the band.

Apparently it's an acapela world.

Yes, Queen isn't the same without Freddie, Journey isn't the same without Perry, Styx isn't the same without Dennis. But the other members of the band have a right to the music also. Real fans of the band know the changes of members of a band and either accept it or they don't.

And that is where the dividing line occurs, in my opinion. Those who love the music, and are not that wrapped up in who produces it, and those who feel that a band has a signature sound, usually provided by a unique frontman.

Of course if varies from group to group, and the entire band DOES produce and perform the music. But does it change when you lose the signature voice? The signature sound? My opinion: I feel it does. My opinion: I don't like it. We know many here, on the other hand, feel the music goes on, no matter who is playing and singing it.

All boiling down to personal preference.

God dammit, I can't decide who I love more: Zan, Bugsy or Classic.

Needless to say I am so thankful to read your posts. BTW, Bugsy, I hope your equine buddies fared fine after Rita.

Scott

Why thank you Scott! Everyone and everything is fine in my part of Texas! Just a tad warm here....106 today. What is this? Arizona??:?

Bugsy

[sadie65]

I agree that it is personal preference. I also agree that a band's members often contribute as much if not more than the frontman. There aren't a lot of people who know all the members of bands they enjoy, but odds are they do know the names of the frontmen. And if it's a case where the frontman is the one doing most of the press and publicity, then the band going on without them faces a tough road. In the case of Queen, I myself, think the battle becomes that much harder for them as Freddie Mercury indelibly etched himself into that band's legacy. It has less to do with Rodgers abilities than with accepting such a large change.

Of course the band is entitled to carry on, and I do wish them well, but I cannot help but think this will end up as an inglorious footnote in the band's history. Lightening very seldom strikes twice.

[Zan]

God dammit, I can't decide who I love more: Zan, Bugsy or Classic.

I'm in good company, at least - just please don't make me listen to "Esmerelda." lol...I also think you should go with Classic. He'll be heartbroken otherwise. He shaved and everything!

[classicstyxfan]

We are of course , speaking in terms of "man-love" here, right Scott ?
( Insert Tim Allen gutteral grunting noises here.......)

I am pleased to be held in the same level of esteem as Bugsy and Zan.....both of whom make some doggone intellegent/good posts here !

I agree with whoever said these things need to be judged on a case-by-case basis.......for instance, Van Hagar worked well for me, as did Collins fronted Genesis to name a few.

P.S. Zan, you made me laugh.........I actually did go from full beard to Goatee today !

-Classic

[mr.v]

My understanding of the QUEEN situation is that there is no plans to record new music with Rodgers as the singer (this could always change I'm sure) but the initial idea was to give the fans of QUEEN a chance to hear the music live again and Rodgers was considered a good choice because he sounded nothing like Freddy. They didn't want people saying that they were trying to replace Freddy. They just wanted a great singer that would treat the music with the respect it deserves. I think they have accomplished that, and that is the reason of the billing "Queen with Paul Rodgers.
On a side note I think that Brian May's signature guitar sound is almost equal to Freddys voice and personality in creating the Queen Sound.
Just my opinion of course.

[PsychoSy]

Like I said, Freddie was the enigma of Queen. Queen without Freddie is like corn flakes without the milk. However, what really made Queen's music so damned timeless is the operatic bombastic harmonies and the foundation of those lay with Brian May's voice. Not Freddie. Freddie had the keen musical theory and a meticulous disciplined attention to detail as to how those harmonies should sound but it was multiple overdubs of Brian May's voice that translated Freddie's creativity to something tangible, leaving only Freddie and Roger to give the harmonies the extra added punch.

I think Brian and Roger should continue making the same calibre of music they've made all along and find a frontman that can do Freddie justice on the vocals. However, they shouldn't continue with the Queen name. They should leave that as Freddie's legacy and choose a new name -- I'm thinking "Taylor-May'd" (yeah, I know ... corny as hell! )

[Monker]

Real fans of the band...

I didn't know there was such a thing as a fake fan.

[Monker]

We know many here, on the other hand, feel the music goes on, no matter who is playing and singing it.

I think that's generalizing it WAY too far. The people who care about the music are not going to buy into it if they feel it sucks.