We asked and he delivered!
This past weekend, my good friend Matt Reigle and I put together a list of six bands that got better or more successful after replacing their original members.
Now that there is a comment section dedicated to our articles, we were able to see what most of our readers felt who we missed, so now we will go through some of the most discussed, according to you, our dear readers.
Without further ado, let’s fix some bugs!
INTERNATIONAL LEADING SINGER KELLY HANSON LIED TO FANS ABOUT THE BAND’S FUTURE.
Journey: Gregg Rolie’s Steve Perry
American rock band Journey performs in New York in June 1979. From left are guitarist Neal Schon, bassist Ross Valory, keyboardist Gregg Rolie, vocalist Steve Perry, and drummer Steve Smith. (Michael Putland/Getty Images)
When Journey formed in San Francisco in 1973, they did so with Gregg Rolie pulling double duty on keyboards and lead vocals.
The group spent the next few years working hard as a jazz fusion group, but when they finally decided to make a change and bring in a dedicated musician to allow Rolie to focus solely on keyboard duties, little did they know that Steve Perry (no relation) would be the key to unlocking their success.
All the hits Journey ever produced had Perry at the helm, and they certainly owe their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction and millions of albums sold to their front man.
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The ’80s wouldn’t be the same without the marriage of Steve Perry and Journey, so they deserve a spot on this list.
Van Halen: Sammy Hagar by David Lee Roth
Guitarist Eddie Van Halen, bassist Mark Anthony, singer Sammy Hagar and drummer Alex Van Halen take a photo session at Eddie’s house in Coldwater Canyon in Los Angeles circa 1985. (Ann Summa/Getty Images)
This pains me as a fan of Roth-era Van Halen, but there’s no denying that the band found incredible radio success with new lead singer Sammy Hagar in the fold.
It could be argued that Van Halen was the biggest act in the world in 1985, so it was a complete shock when they decided to fire their lead acrobatic singer and go back to the drawing board.
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With hits like “Panama,” “Jump” and “Hot for Teacher” catapulting him to stardom, it was thought that no one would be able to fill the shoes left by Diamond Dave.
Enter Sammy Hagar, the mysterious mastermind behind radio hits like “I Can’t Drive 55” and “Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy,” and the rest is rock history.
With a slew of radio-ready hits over the next decade, it’s safe to say that “Van Hagar” didn’t miss a beat with the new guy behind the mic.
I love both iterations of the band, and while it’s hard to argue that the band got “better” with Hagari, they certainly managed to at least replicate their success from the ’70s and early ’80s.
Fleetwood Mac: Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham by Peter Green
John McVie, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac pose for a photo in 1975. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Most of you reading this know Fleetwood Mac for their monster pop efforts from the mid-to-late ’70s like “Rumours.” and their 1975 self-titled album.
What you may know is that the band started out as a blues rock outfit in the late 60s with a man named Peter Green taking over lead duties.
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Green left in 1970 and the band went through a period of transition before settling on singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.
Nick and Buckingham’s penchant for catchy songs combined with their romantic differences made Fleetwood Mac a musical tour de force, and the group became one of the most successful acts of the 1970s.
You couldn’t go five minutes without hearing songs like “Walk Your Way,” “Dreams” or “Don’t Stop” while scrolling through your radio dial, and the addition of current, late favorites is a big reason for that.
Eagles: Joe Walsh for Bernie Leadon
Guitarists Joe Walsh and Steuart Smith perform with the Eagles at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., on Sept. 27, 2019. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The Eagles were already one of the most popular groups in America in 1975, so much so that they had a hit album from that year that would become one of the best selling records of all time.
How do you build on that success?
Well, you go out and get Joe Walsh to replace one of your guitarists and put on, maybe the most iconic rock song in the history of music.
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When a rift began between guitarist and founding member Bernie Leadon and the rest of the band, the Eagles put out a “help wanted” sign and ended up doing Joe Walsh solo.
With Walsh on board, the quintet would release two of their most successful and commercially successful albums in their discography, “Hotel California” and “Long Run.”
The title track is from the former and contains one of the most popular guitar songs of the 20th century, courtesy of Walsh and Don Felder.
With that contribution alone, Walsh would have found his way onto this list.
Pink Floyd: David Gilmour for Syd Barrett
Psychedelic rock group Pink Floyd poses for a photo covered in pink in Los Angeles in August 1968. From left are Nick Mason, Dave Gilmour, Rick Wright and Roger Waters. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
If there was one band that was mentioned more than any other in the comments section of our previous article, it was Pink Floyd.
I’m bummed that I didn’t include them (although if you took the time to watch our video, we included them in our honorable mention, but I digress), so here I am to fix it.
It would be a crying shame not to include the great David Gilmour in our band replacement article, as he may have stood out the most of them all.
There was never a more drastic change in the band’s direction than when Gilmour joined the mercurial Syd Barrett.
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Under Barrett’s leadership, the band was a powerful psychedelic outfit but too eclectic to reach the universal heights they would reach in their later years.
Gilmour’s iconic guitar sound and smooth vocals paired well with bassist Roger Waters’ songwriting chops, and while the two couldn’t stand each other, they created some of the most iconic music in history.
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Pink Floyd is arguably one of the most popular and influential rock bands of all time, and they would not have held that distinction if it weren’t for the addition of David Gilmour.
I’ll take my lumps like a man for not including this one on our list. Gilmour is a legend and deserves his place among the great rock revolutionaries.
