By John Moe, Special to MSN Music
The news that members of the Cars would be releasing a new album, "It's Alive," under the semi-new name of the New Cars, with veteran rocker Todd Rundgren taking over lead vocals for Ric Ocasek (and the late Benjamin Orr), was met with many reactions among music fans. Some were furious, some perplexed, some giddy with excitement, but for many the prevailing reaction was one of fear.
When a band replaces its lead singer, it loses -- both literally and figuratively -- its voice. True, guitarists, bassists and drummers have their own unique style, but if there was a Who record without Roger Daltrey, it would freak you out right away because that's not what the band is supposed to sound like. Sometimes the new singer is a vast improvement, guiding the group to a better sound than it had ever produced. Occasionally the judgment varies widely depending on which part of the fan base one asks (Pink Floyd enthusiasts can debate the merits of Messrs. Barrett, Waters and Gilmour all day long, and frequently do). More often, the singer swap is a demonstration of hubris, an assertion by the instrumentalists that they are the real geniuses behind the band and that the singer is just a replaceable cog. It's still too early for history to judge Rundgren's membership in the (New) Cars, but the occasion calls for an examination of other lead-singer lineup changes in rock history.
THE 10 WORST LEAD-SINGER REPLACEMENTS:
10. Mary Ramsay replaces Natalie Merchant in 10,000 Maniacs (1993)
Vocalist Merchant gave ample notice -- two full years -- before departing 10,000 Maniacs and embarking on a solo career. Rather than rename the band 9,999 Maniacs, which would have required changing all their letterhead and ordering new business cards, the remaining members brought in longtime friend of the band Mary Ramsay, who then served as lead vocalist on 1997's "Love Among The Ruins" and 1999's "The Earth Pressed Flat." Ramsay was a skilled singer with a strong, clear voice, which sounded vaguely like her predecessor's but lacked the quirky charm. The effect was akin to biting into a chocolate-chip cookie only to find that it's actually oatmeal raisin.
9. Steve Augeri replaces Steve Perry in Journey (1998)
Over the course of their long history, Journey had skillfully established its brand: strident arena rock that was hard enough for the boyfriends and sentimental enough for the girlfriends. So when Steve Perry departed, the remaining members decided the best way to preserve the brand was to go the doppelganger route. They replaced him with Steve Augeri, who sounds like Steve Perry, looks like Steve Perry and whose name rhymes with Steve Perry. The only problem: He wasn't Steve Perry. It doesn't take long to note the huge gap between Perry's powerfully nuanced delivery and Augeri's bombastic, workmanlike approach. The tepid response to 2001's "Arrival" and 2005's "Generations" could indicate that the band's sound had become outdated, but it's more likely that they had long owed their success to the original Steve.
8. Ronnie James Dio replaces Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath (1979)
Reality TV fans can be excused for not realizing that doddering house husband Ozzy Osbourne was once a full-fledged rock god, capable of inspiring armies of headbanging youth and scaring the bejeezus out of parents. As the charismatic front man for seminal metal band Black Sabbath, Ozzy planted songs such as "Iron Man" and "Paranoid" in the pantheon of legendary tunes. When he went solo (OK, technically, he got fired for being too loaded, which in Sabbath was saying something), the remaining members opted to swap in Dio, who resembled not so much a rock god as an irate gnome. The grandiose theatricality of the group, so ably served by Osbourne, could not be sustained by Dio, relegating Sabbath to the status of Just Another Leather-Clad Satan-Loving Metal Band. Dio was not on the job long before departing to front his own eponymous group, which, like Black Sabbath, was forever overshadowed by Ozzy.
7. J.D. Fortune replaces Michael Hutchence in INXS (2005)
Some day soon, all dictionaries will feature line-drawing illustrations of INXS and their new lead singer, J.D. Fortune, under the entry for the word "creepy." Original lead singer Hutchence was found dead of an apparent suicide in 1997. After experimenting with a few short-term replacements, including Terence Trent D'Arby(!), the band decided the best way to honor their late colleague and friend was to participate in a reality show tournament aimed at finding a new vocalist. The ultimate "winner" of the series was Fortune, who fronted the band on their 2005 album, "Switch." Whereas Hutchence had a sexy, smoldering presence, Fortune's uninspired delivery sounds manufactured by a corporation, which, when you think about it, it was.
6. Tim "Ripper" Owens replaces Rob Halford in Judas Priest (1996)
When Major League Baseball teams need a new player, they often call one up from the minors. The new guy might not be used to playing in front of huge crowds and their huge expectations, but at least he's been in situations that are similar. So you can almost understand Judas Priest's reasoning in hiring Owens to replace original lead singer Halford in 1996. Owens was plucked from the (perhaps deserved) obscurity of Priest tribute band British Steel to replace the guy he had long been imitating and recorded two albums, 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition," a title that may have referred to what became of any remaining credibility the Owens-led group had with its remaining fans. Still, metalheads ought to be thankful to Owens, since his bland, shouty delivery helped everyone better appreciate the talents of Halford, who returned to the band in 2003.
5. Ray Wilson replaces Phil Collins in Genesis (1997)
Genesis had pulled off the rare feat of being, essentially, two well-regarded but completely different bands, both under the same name. The early, Peter Gabriel-led years saw the group as a prog-rock fave, while the Phil Collins era saw them become pop superstars. Three in a row, however, was apparently too much to ask. The Genesis of lead singer Ray Wilson was about as memorable as the name "Ray Wilson." Granted, the bar is set pretty high when you join a band with a legacy of Gabriel and Collins, but the lifeless, generic-sounding and rapidly jettisoned Wilson appeared to barely even attempt the jump.
4. Sammy Hagar replaces David Lee Roth in Van Halen (1985)
The band was named Van Halen after brothers, guitarist Eddie and drummer Alex, but while their pop-friendly rock hooks might have been the heart of the group, the hyperactive, narcissistic and self-mockingly sexy Roth was Van Halen's soul. When the long-building ego explosions necessitated Diamond Dave's departure, Hagar was brought in and everything changed. Yes, they had plenty of success. Yes, they had tons of enthusiastic fans. Yes, they sold a lot of records. But Hagar's one-note sing-screeching on tunes like "Right Now" was bland and a little depressing compared to irreverent Roth numbers like "Hot for Teacher" and "Running with the Devil." It was like that guy you knew in college who would stay up partying all night but then got a job in a brokerage firm, switched to light beer and went home by midnight. He might have had more money, but you just didn't want to hang out with him anymore.
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