New Lead Singer! Recipe for... ?

Sometimes a successful band encounters a situation where it's time to give the heave-ho to the most visible member of the band. I refer of course to the lead singer. Or, the lead singer leaves the band. Often times it depends on who you ask. The lead singer will claim he/she was fired, while the de-facto leader of the remaining band members will claim the singer quit. The cause is usually artistic differences. Let me translate that: EGO. Too many cooks in the kitchen! A recipe for breakup.

So it's the end of an era. The lead singer goes on to fame and fortune (David Lee Roth). Or, to ridicule and misfortune (again, David Lee Roth, just a few years later). But let's get back to the people left behind. The important thing for them, what now? Usually the solution is to find a new lead singer.

Seems simple right? Well it isn't. You don't want to get a lead singer who seems like a carbon copy of the old singer, this much is true. You want someone different.

A shining example of this is Van Halen. Roth leaves? They get Sammy Hagar. Different style! Good move. Sammy Hagar leaves, they get.. Gary Cherone. Hagar-Lite. I didn't buy that CD, but I've heard it. And forgotten it.

Let's not forget Black Sabbath, they trail-blazed the way for Van Halen. They got it right the first time, they went from Ozzy to Ronnie James Dio. And then.. I'm sure Sabbath fans remember the other singers names. I don't. And as John Q. Public, if I don't know, it usually means those CDs didn't sell that well.

Sabbath, like Van Halen, has dabbled in reunion tours and/or new tracks with both of their sets of successful singers. And not with their other singers.

An example of a bad move right out of the breakup starting gate is Echo and the Bunnymen. Am I the only person who bought "Reverberations?" I think that's the name. Ian McCulloch had left, and they got some other dude. But he was no Ian McCulloch. He didn't stand out in any way shape or form. A non-presence. Noel somebody. They later reformed with Ian McCulloch. Smart move.

The safest approach when a singer leaves seems to be, if you can't find a new singer who already has some pre-existing appeal, like Sammy Hagar or Ronnie James Dio, bring one forward from inside the band.

For example Pink Floyd. When the levee broke and Waters flowed away to his solo career (what a terrible sentence. I suck, who lets me write these things?) Gilmour and the boys just kept rocking. Or, whatever you call what Pink Floyd does. Floyding?

When Peter Gabriel left Genesis, they pulled their new singer from their ranks as well. Drummer Phil Collins took over. Phil's style was different. Genesis went from a prog rock band to a pop juggernaut. Good move! Then Phil Collins left and they got some guy who was a lot like Peter Gabriel. Anyone remember his name? I actually bought that CD. Yes, I was that guy. I don't remember a single song off it. And now Phil Collins is back for the reunion.

Actually the SAFEST approach is to disband right away and start up some other band with mostly the same members but a different style. Or move on entirely.

It worked for Bauhaus. They broke up when Murphy split, and Ash and Haskins formed Tones on Tail, then brought David J back into the fold and formed Love and Rockets.

It worked for the Yardbirds. How many frickin superstar bands came out of those guys? I'm no 70's rocker so I don't know.

But it's not guaranteed. Even the coolest band can splinter into a bunch of underwhelming pablum-producing solo acts. When the Beatles broke up they all scattered to the four winds. John, George, Ringo, and the impostor who took Paul's place when Paul was killed in that auto accident. They all disappointed us, save Paul, who wasn't actually Paul so I can cut that doppleganger some slack.

So what's the real recipe for success? NEVER SPLIT UP THE BAND, and KEEP THE LEAD SINGER. We're talking Rolling Stones. Aerosmith. Cash Cows. Not a band called the Cash Cows, I'm calling the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith "Cash Cows." I wonder if there is a band called the Cash Cows? I'm sure there is.

Of course let's not rule out breaking up and saying you will never reform EVER. Then reforming when the money accumulates to an impossibly ludicrous level.

Hell yea! I'm part of that problem, I'm going to see the Police this summer! I can't wait.

One final note. If you were in a famous band as the lead singer briefly after the lead singer quit, how do you know if History is going to take a huge dump on your memory? Check the next Greatest Hits CD. Is there a single entry from the CD you sang lead on? No? Bummer for you, the band is trying to rewrite history and erase your ass. In my opinion, not cool. I'm talking to you Eddie Van Halen. No Cherone songs on the Compilation CDs? That's just low.

Feel free to drop a comment here on your favorite band that changed lead singers and your judgment on their subsequent releases.