Crank It Up To Eleven! 02.3.09: In His Shoes: Part II
Posted by Sandeep Murali on 02.03.2009
We continue from where we left off last week and talk about a couple more high profile "Replacements". Plus, my thoughts on the Rock 'n Roll hall of fame induction criteria.
Hello and welcome back to my show, folks. It seems like last week's column was popular among the boys and girl(s?) who frequent these parts, so this week, we're gonna be continuing in the same vein, looking at a couple more artists that replaced some known names in the big bands.
Talk dirty to me:
RDR Says, "Great article!
I notice how for the most part you kept away from the obvious (Bon Scott-Brian Johnson, Paul Dianno-Bruce Dickinson, Ozzy-Dio, DLR-Hagar). Good choice indeed as there are many lesser known stars worthy of praise. Your choice of Johnny Solinger surprised me. Not because he's undeserving but just the opposite, Solinger is actually someone whose vocals I enjoy so I'm glad to see him getting his due."
Thanks, RDR. I didn't write on the obvious choices because, let's face it. Those have been beaten to death by now. And yes, listening to Solinger has been a guilty pleasure of mine lately. I know that "Technically" I'm supposed to hate him (Being a Bach fan and such), but he's alright.
Michael L has an artist in mind: "Good article, but if you want to do a follow-up, you have to mention the master of being a replacement for the seemingly irreplaceable:
Tim Owens.
In the 90's, he had the thankless task of replacing Robert Halford in Judas Priest. While stepping in the shoes of the Metal God himself may have been a challenge, Owen was more than up to the task.
Then he had to replace an established figure in a band that didn't have any established figures except its founder Jon Schaefer. I'm talking about Iced Earth, and Owens did a very good job in that band as well.
Unfortunately in the case of both bands, Owens was never fully accepted, nostalgia (and possibly money) crept in and Owens was unceremoniously dumped. Let's hope he can have the success he deserves with his own outfit."
Indeed, sir. Tim " Ripper" Owens is one of those artists who have done amazingly well in each of the situations they were put in, but were unfortunately forgotten in the grand scheme of things. A shame, coz the man is one of the better vocalists out there. I haven't heard the Malmsteen albums with him on board, so any feedback on that will be highly appreciated.
And finally, That 70s has a tidbit to share about Steve morse: "Morse also did the same thing with Kansas and (briefly) revitalized their career".
You are, of course right. Morse had a brief stint in Kansas (They actually put out two albums with him on board) and was instrumental in breathing some life into the stumbling career of the band. Again, goes to show what a class act the man is.
Bouquets, brickbats, whatever you got; throw ‘em this way. It's all good.
I Remember You... And your music:
Hugh McDonald
A name that'll mean nothing to most people out there. In fact, he's not even listed as the official replacement of the man who preceded him. But as it stands, Hugh McDonald IS Alec John Such's replacement in Bon Jovi.
Back in the 80's Such was behind some really good bass work, including one intro riff that is instantly recognizable anywhere around the world (on the anthem, "Living on a prayer"). But as the years went by, he started to slip and after the "Crossroads" recording sessions, the band decided that enough was enough and asked Such to leave. But Such was, er... such an integral part of the band that Bon Jovi decided to not name an official replacement for him. But who would accept to the thankless job of playing for the band live and in the studio, yet to be left out of all the limelight?
The man who helped John Bongiovi record his first demo tape, that's who. Hugh is another one of Jon's childhood friends who helped him make the demo tape (Dave Sabo of Skid Row would be a name you'd recognize from those sessions) and stepped in to take over bass duties after Such's departure. Since then, he has played on six albums and countless live shows for the band.
While I admire the band's integrity by showing that Such was an important factor that made them what they are, I feel that McDonald deserves way more credit than he received. The man is much more than a session musician. But it is his decision to seek anonymity in celebrity and I respect that.
Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal
Ok, so this is not really an A to B replacement (There was Buckethead before him and he's not the only one playing lead in the band. Finck shares that duty and even Fortus gets his day in the sun at times), but being the modern day replacement of Saul "Slash" Hudson in the infamous Guns n' Roses and lacking the mystique that surrounded Buckethead, Thal instantly becomes a hated name amongst the Gn'R elitists. But is that hate warranted?
Not really. Because the man is quite an accomplished musician in his own right. If one was to watch the band live with unbiased eyes and ears, they'd notice that they are very, very good. Of particular interest is Bumblefoot's improvised solo performance of the hit song "Don't cry", which he mixes up a bit each time he plays it. In fact, a clip of one of those performances is what got me into taking the NEW Gn'R seriously. Apart from that, he plays every single one of the old songs in picture perfect fashion.
Regular readers will know that I am one of those who bucked the trend and stated that I like "Chinese Democracy". And I still stand by it. The more I hear it and watch the new band's live performances, the more I get the feeling that this band will go on to make many more records, much to the chagrin of many a hater. And hopefully, Bumblefoot would be in the forefront of all of them. He deserves the spot.
Now for something different:
The "Rock 'n Roll Hall of fame. All are welcome. And we do mean ALL:
Ok, anyone who has read the latest Fact or Fiction would know what I'm talking about. Now I'm a huge fan of Patrick's and Normans' work, but sorry guys, I'm old school. Hell, I believe that Metallica need to get in line when it comes to it. I'm sorry, but artists of other Genre can find their own limelight to bask in. Buddy guy(2005)? Chuck Berry(1986)? B.B. King (1987)? No complaints. Blues laid the foundation to rock and roll and these masters of their trade certainly deserve their spots. But no sir, not Sugar-Pop or Rap or even Jazz. These things don't have the slightest thing to do with the magic of rock 'n roll and hence, have no place in a hall of fame dedicated to the same. Several vocalists, axe slingers, bassists, drummers and keyboardists have shed blood, sweat and tears to make Rock 'n roll what it is today. Pop, Rap and Jazz contributed to very little of that. Make no mistake, I cringe at the Madonna nomination just as much as i did when i saw Run DMC's name. But please, do not use the crutch of "Oh, but they did that one song with Aerosmith that became like really popular" for justifying the Run DMC nomination. Men like Rob Halford and Steve Harris (and their bandmates) have done exponentially more for the art than Run DMC (or Madonna) ever did.
I consider Rock and Metal music as an integral part of my life. I grew up with this music form. Hell, I still listen to stuff I listened to several years ago. And I happen to find a good part of it worthy of their spots in the Rock 'n Roll hall of fame before artists of other genres get in. It's as simple as that.
Here's a sample list of people who I think deserves to be inducted before anyone else:
Ozzy Osbourne
KISS
Iron Maiden
Judas Priest
Mark Knopfler/ Dire Straits
Jeff Beck
Joe Satriani
Gary Moore
Meatloaf
Alice Cooper
Def Leppard
Genesis (Peter Gabriel needs to be inducted with them).
YES
Ronny James Dio
Joan Jett
Twisted Sister
Heart
Rush
Boston. And so on...
...see where I'm going with this?
Never say goodbye:
Most people find it hard to believe that I hate the sun, the sand , the beaches and tropical weather as a whole. Maybe it's one of those "Grass is greener on the other side" things. But those of you are complaining about snow and such, just know that there is a guy who would do frownworthy things to be where you are.
While I agree that Metallica should not have been inducted before Rush, Kiss, Genesis or Yes, there is one reason that I'm glad they're being inducted this year: The ceremony is open to the public for the first time, and it's being held in Cleveland, which is only 1/2 hour from where I live, so I'm going to catch it. Selfish reasons? Of course, but I should enjoy the show, and with any luck, Metallica might also do a full live show in Cleveland the night before or after (as they missed Cleveland on their Death Magnetic tour stop, and they've got about a month before they go back to Europe).
I also want to give a mention to two other replacements that did not work out financially, although musically, it lead to perhaps their strongest albums.
Iron Maiden: Blaze Baley. When I first heard IM was going on without Bruce, I was wondering how they were possibly going to replace the almighty Bruce Dickinson. The answer was: pretty well at the outset. Unlike Priest, they did not come up with a Bruce clone, but rather someone with his own singing style, and one that managed to carve out his own niche--and actually worked very well with the very dark X Factor album. Where Blaze fell short was live with the older material. And Virtual XI was simply a bad album, which may have been part of the reason why they got back with Bruce not long after. However, the Blaze era was a solid one for the band, and managed to fill in the time without Bruce quite nicely.
And then there is Richie Kotzen, who was the replacement guitarist for CC DeVille in Poison. When CC left, I was glad, as I considered him to be quite incompetent, especially since he was usually drunk off his ass. The album Native Tongue with Kotzen as a replacement turned out to be a solid, more serious work than their previous efforts, and was more drenched in blues than before. Live, Richie was also pretty solid with both the new and old stuff. Unfortunately, glam metal was off the mainstream radar, and the album tanked financially. Eventually, tensions within the band led to Richie's departure after one tour, and his replacement (Blues Sacramano) didn't even make it to a tour, before CC"s return in the late 90's. Since then, I have appreciated CC even more, as he simply fits with the band and their image far better than his replacements.
Posted By: Michael L (Guest) on February 03, 2009 at 12:51 AM
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