Replacing Band Members: Bitch Or Wait And See??

[Alex]

So there are bands that have replaced band members for whatever reason (they've left, been fired, died etc) my question is when they're replacement comes into the band are you to bitch and moan at the first sight of them or do you wait and see if they're any good???

Example 1: Jason Newstead replacing Cliff Burton.

When Cliff Burton unfortunately died in a bus crash he was replaced by Jason Newstead. Now when he first started he was met with ridicule and the rest of the band even played pranks on him, yet he was a good bassist and played on Metallica's most famous album (The Black Album).




Example 2: Every Guns N Roses member not named Slash, Duff, Izzy, Steven or Matt.

Now this seems the best example. During the 90s the classic line up of Guns N Roses slowly left (Steven Adler was kicked out in 1990) Izzy Stradlin left in 1991, Slash left in 1996 and Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum both left in 1997.

Now since then there have been several members that have gone through Guns N Roses, but the thing is most people bitch and moan about them 'not being the classic line up' even though they've had some very good guitarists over the years (Buckethead, Ron Thal, Richard Fortus, DJ Ashba) and they've all been good at what they do and can play the songs well.



Example 3: Ronnie James Dio replacing Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath

When Dio replaced Ozzy in Black Sabbath people were skeptical, yet the majority of people gave Dio a chance and listened to Heaven And Hell and they liked it (it was one of the bands more successful albums) and they liked Dio





So are you a bitch and moan person or are you a wait and see person and why are the majority of people one or the other depending on the circumstances???

I personally am a wait and see person, I like to see what the person can do before I pass judgement, sometimes they impress me a lot or not at all, but I at least give them the chance.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

If I am a big fan of the former member who has left the band then I will obviously bitch, but then I think its only fair to give the new member a chance to impress.

I will unfavourably judge them against my former favourite, but thats only natural. It is only the same as when a popular manager or player leaves a football club, and the replacement will always be compared initially to the person he is replacing.

But to stop listening to a band, or refusing to give the new member a chance is just plain stupid, as you are quite possibly denying yourself the chance to listen to some more great music. It may not be as good as it was with the former member, it may be even better, it may be just as good....but you will never know until you give the band a try with the new member, and let them have the opportunity to show you what they can do.

For example, I have seen plenty of reviews criticising Alice In Chains for replacing Layne Staley with William Du Vall, and moaning that the new material sounds different. Yes it does, with Jerry Cantrell's vocals being more prominant than they were when Staley was the lead singer, but so what? Du Vall is good at what he does too, and I have always liked Cantrell's voice. The latest AIC album is different to their older stuff, but there are still similarites and you can tell its the same band. I personally LOVE the latest album, and mostly it has received positive reviews. Now if I was a close-minded asshole I would have refused to listen to it, as Layne is obviously not involved, but I am not so I gave Du Vall a chance, the new material a chance and I was very pleasantly surprised, and I would put the new album against almost anything the band made previously.

 

[Simo]

I like to think of myself as open-minded when band members are replaced, since it can lead to better music. Pantera when they replaced Terry Glaze with Phil Anselmo would be an example.

Replacing band members can also have disastrous effects. I'll use the Sex Pistols as an example of this, when Glen Matlock was booted and replaced with Sid Vicious. Matlock is credited for most of the Pistol's music, and most people don't like the fact that Vicious is probably the most recognized member of the Pistols, despite making little to no contributions to the band's music, and the fact he couldn't play bass when he was drafted in.

Although granted the Pistol's hadn't released an album yet when Matlock was shafted, and when they did it turned out to be both their first and last.

 

[Fizzy]

I'm a wait and see person. I won't bitch and moan about a new member to my favorite bands if somebody left, died ETC. I'll give them a chance, and make my judgement after a few months. I see no real reason to bitch and moan. If they suck at the start it is most likely because they are adjusting to the new music style, and band-mates. Give them some time to warm up before passing judgement on what they can and can't do.

Here's an example close to my heart. I'm very picky and one-dimensional when it comes to music. I have one band which I listen to daily, and one band that I can say I really enjoy. I listen to this band every single day and most days, they are the only band I listen to. I have others that I can say I enjoy, but I don't enjoy them enough to listen to them consistently. The band I talk about is Avenged Sevenfold. Nearly two years ago, their drummer passed away. I've watched hours of footage of him and the band and it made me feel like I actually knew the guy. I felt like the music wouldn't be the same and the band wouldn't be complete without Jimmy. Their new album was released and I loved it of course. They got a good replacement in Mike Portney to finish the album and all was great. He fit in perfectly. That is a case where the replacement works fine. Portney is a great drummer and he helped make the album great. Obviously there are times where the opposite happens, but this is the one time I am familiar with this happening.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Change is inevitable. Sometimes people who like older lineups in bands refuse to accept someone new in the group out of sheer fanboyism for the person they replaced. You can keep liking the band even if you don't like someone new as much as their replacement. Sometimes new people end up being better (such as Brian Johnson replacing Bon Scott in AC/DC) while most of the time the originals are better, there are times when the new person is better. People should give the new band member a chance before they start complaining because otherwise they might miss out on a good music experience.

 

[Alex]

A good example of hypocrisy when it comes to current and former bands members is my friend

She likes Guns N Roses. So I play her This I Love from Chinese Democracy, its playing for a while and I ask her if she likes it, she says yes. I then drop the bomb that its not Slash playing, she doesn't like it now.

This shows that people can like new band members on newer tracks, just when they find out its not who they think it is they go to hating it.

 

[Sinister Shadows]

I'm a wait and see kind of person, because sometimes when someone is replaced they turn out to do a damn good job. Brian Johnson in AC/DC after the passing of Bon Scott... while i'm a huge fan of Bon Scott...Brian Johnson is the sound everyone thinks of now when you mention AC/DC... although I don't think he's necessarily better. I'm pretty equal on both of them. Where would Pantera be without replacing their singer with Phil Anselmo? Phil Anselmo was essentially replaced when Damageplan was formed.. they was pretty good too. Zak Wylde becoming the guitarist for Ozzy after the passing of Randy Rhodes, Dio replacing Ozzy. there are alot of success stories out there for big names being replaced in bands.