2008 Woodie Awards
Don't count them out yet
Mike Rasor
Issue date: 4/26/07 Section: Arts & Life
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A classic rock band loses a lead singer due to death, disagreements or a dissipating voice.
It happens all the time.
Styx, Journey, Queen, Lynyrd Skynyrd … the list goes on.
Of course, the fans clamor for these bands to keep touring and pumping out albums - with one stipulation: that they sound the same.
With the lead singer being the signature element of most bands, that is almost impossible. Consequently, a band's return with a new front man almost always disappoints the public.
Fans need to open their minds, however. You won't be able to find Freddie Mercury's stunt double at a flea market. Here are a few classic rock bands who have taken a step forward with their replacement. But before you buy a new album, keep an open mind that it's impossible to sound the same as the old guy.
Journey - Old guy: Steve Perry. New guys: Steve Augeri, then Jeff Scott Soto. The band from the city by the bay became in quite a bind when Perry split. His unique high-pitched voice created a problem. So the band went to the mall to shop for a new one (literally). Augeri was holding down a job at The Gap when Journey asked him to come aboard.
A prerequisite for Augeri's new job, of course, is the ability to hit the high notes in "Don't Stop Believin'," "Faithfully," etc. Augeri nails it, but adds a wave of soul that Perry's poppy voice lacked. The band's most recent albums, Arrival and Generations, include more ballads than the band's work in the '70s. Still, they should have received a lot more publicity. They got little attention because people assumed Journey isn't Journey without Steve Perry.
Anyhow, Augeri caught laryngitis during a tour last summer and Soto filled in. The band decided to stick with Soto, and Augeri plans to work on a solo album. As the band toured the past few years, critics have adored both.
Queen - Old guy: Freddie Mercury. New guy: Paul Rodgers. Mercury's death was a tragedy for the entire rock world and crippled the band. He has another one of those irreplaceable sounds. The only thing that could strike up a reunion tour was finding the best rock singer on the planet. They did.
It happens all the time.
Styx, Journey, Queen, Lynyrd Skynyrd … the list goes on.
Of course, the fans clamor for these bands to keep touring and pumping out albums - with one stipulation: that they sound the same.
With the lead singer being the signature element of most bands, that is almost impossible. Consequently, a band's return with a new front man almost always disappoints the public.
Fans need to open their minds, however. You won't be able to find Freddie Mercury's stunt double at a flea market. Here are a few classic rock bands who have taken a step forward with their replacement. But before you buy a new album, keep an open mind that it's impossible to sound the same as the old guy.
Journey - Old guy: Steve Perry. New guys: Steve Augeri, then Jeff Scott Soto. The band from the city by the bay became in quite a bind when Perry split. His unique high-pitched voice created a problem. So the band went to the mall to shop for a new one (literally). Augeri was holding down a job at The Gap when Journey asked him to come aboard.
A prerequisite for Augeri's new job, of course, is the ability to hit the high notes in "Don't Stop Believin'," "Faithfully," etc. Augeri nails it, but adds a wave of soul that Perry's poppy voice lacked. The band's most recent albums, Arrival and Generations, include more ballads than the band's work in the '70s. Still, they should have received a lot more publicity. They got little attention because people assumed Journey isn't Journey without Steve Perry.
Anyhow, Augeri caught laryngitis during a tour last summer and Soto filled in. The band decided to stick with Soto, and Augeri plans to work on a solo album. As the band toured the past few years, critics have adored both.
Queen - Old guy: Freddie Mercury. New guy: Paul Rodgers. Mercury's death was a tragedy for the entire rock world and crippled the band. He has another one of those irreplaceable sounds. The only thing that could strike up a reunion tour was finding the best rock singer on the planet. They did.
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