Best replacement singers.

[Archetype]

I really thought that Roy Khan was irreplaceable. Their sit-in replacement had me very concerned and disappointed. Kamelot chose incredibly wisely and proved me wrong for their permanent replacement singer. Tommy Karevik is absolutely incredible.

Kamelot with Tommy Karevik - The Human Stain

I can't wait for the new album. Kamelot is back.

[Rick]

Kelly Hansen gets my nod. Lou Gramm is, by all means, irreplaceable, but if you had to find one guy to fill his shoes, I don't think Foreigner could have done better.

[Don]

Kelly Hansen gets my nod. Lou Gramm is, by all means, irreplaceable, but if you had to find one guy to fill his shoes, I don't think Foreigner could have done better.

I'd have to second that .The look, the voice, and stage presence.

[JRNYMAN]

Kelly Hansen gets my nod. Lou Gramm is, by all means, irreplaceable, but if you had to find one guy to fill his shoes, I don't think Foreigner could have done better.

I'd have to second that .The look, the voice, and stage presence.

Never noticed the resemblance to dear old Jack..... til now. Yup, I agree with Kelly as well. IMHO, he often sounds identical to Lou and he does so respectfully, meaning, he doesn't take any personal liberties with the songs in the way he delivers them. He stays pretty damn true to the originals.

My addition to the list is Brian Johnson. When Bon died I'd be willing to bet there wasn't a soul on the planet who would have bet they could have found a replacement for him and his voice. But they did and doing so provided for possibly the greatest comeback in rock music history.

[slucero]

Kelly Hansen gets my nod. Lou Gramm is, by all means, irreplaceable, but if you had to find one guy to fill his shoes, I don't think Foreigner could have done better.

I'd have to second that .The look, the voice, and stage presence.

Never noticed the resemblance to dear old Jack..... til now. Yup, I agree with Kelly as well. IMHO, he often sounds identical to Lou and he does so respectfully, meaning, he doesn't take any personal liberties with the songs in the way he delivers them. He stays pretty damn true to the originals.

My addition to the list is Brian Williams. When Bon died I'd be willing to bet there wasn't a soul on the planet who would have bet they could have found a replacement for him and his voice. But they did and doing so provided for possibly the greatest comeback in rock music history.

"Brian Williams"????

This guy????

[JRNYMAN]

Kelly Hansen gets my nod. Lou Gramm is, by all means, irreplaceable, but if you had to find one guy to fill his shoes, I don't think Foreigner could have done better.

I'd have to second that .The look, the voice, and stage presence.

Never noticed the resemblance to dear old Jack..... til now. Yup, I agree with Kelly as well. IMHO, he often sounds identical to Lou and he does so respectfully, meaning, he doesn't take any personal liberties with the songs in the way he delivers them. He stays pretty damn true to the originals.

My addition to the list is Brian Williams. When Bon died I'd be willing to bet there wasn't a soul on the planet who would have bet they could have found a replacement for him and his voice. But they did and doing so provided for possibly the greatest comeback in rock music history.

"Brian Williams"????

This guy????

Johnson.... I meant Johmson! That's what I get for talking on the phone and typing at the same time. I fixed my original post though. That's what I love about this place.... you slip up for one second......

[Rick]

Kelly Hansen gets my nod. Lou Gramm is, by all means, irreplaceable, but if you had to find one guy to fill his shoes, I don't think Foreigner could have done better.

I'd have to second that .The look, the voice, and stage presence.

Never noticed the resemblance to dear old Jack..... til now. Yup, I agree with Kelly as well. IMHO, he often sounds identical to Lou and he does so respectfully, meaning, he doesn't take any personal liberties with the songs in the way he delivers them. He stays pretty damn true to the originals.

My addition to the list is Brian Johnson. When Bon died I'd be willing to bet there wasn't a soul on the planet who would have bet they could have found a replacement for him and his voice. But they did and doing so provided for possibly the greatest comeback in rock music history.

Exceptional replacement. Probably the best in rock history. I've changed my vote. Hansen moves to second place.

[Don]

Kelly Hansen gets my nod. Lou Gramm is, by all means, irreplaceable, but if you had to find one guy to fill his shoes, I don't think Foreigner could have done better.

I'd have to second that .The look, the voice, and stage presence.

Never noticed the resemblance to dear old Jack..... til now. Yup, I agree with Kelly as well. IMHO, he often sounds identical to Lou and he does so respectfully, meaning, he doesn't take any personal liberties with the songs in the way he delivers them. He stays pretty damn true to the originals.

My addition to the list is Brian Johnson. When Bon died I'd be willing to bet there wasn't a soul on the planet who would have bet they could have found a replacement for him and his voice. But they did and doing so provided for possibly the greatest comeback in rock music history.

Exceptional replacement. Probably the best in rock history. I've changed my vote. Hansen moves to second place.

Well, if we are talking about THOSE types of replacements Sammy Hagar has to go to the top of the list. Not a big fan of Van Hagar but you talk about a guy who made his own legacy with an established band, Sammy's your man.

[Rick]

Kelly Hansen gets my nod. Lou Gramm is, by all means, irreplaceable, but if you had to find one guy to fill his shoes, I don't think Foreigner could have done better.

I'd have to second that .The look, the voice, and stage presence.

Never noticed the resemblance to dear old Jack..... til now. Yup, I agree with Kelly as well. IMHO, he often sounds identical to Lou and he does so respectfully, meaning, he doesn't take any personal liberties with the songs in the way he delivers them. He stays pretty damn true to the originals.

My addition to the list is Brian Johnson. When Bon died I'd be willing to bet there wasn't a soul on the planet who would have bet they could have found a replacement for him and his voice. But they did and doing so provided for possibly the greatest comeback in rock music history.

Exceptional replacement. Probably the best in rock history. I've changed my vote. Hansen moves to second place.

Well, if we are talking about THOSE types of replacements Sammy Hagar has to go to the top of the list. Not a big fan of Van Hagar but you talk about a guy who made his own legacy with an established band, Sammy's your man.

He certainly made the band more money than Roth, and I did like a couple of the albums they made with him, but he didn't come close to replacing Roth in many categories. He's a lesser frontman, he's a lesser songwriter, where Van Halen is concerned, and he's not near as fun to see out front. I disagree on this one.

[Don]

Kelly Hansen gets my nod. Lou Gramm is, by all means, irreplaceable, but if you had to find one guy to fill his shoes, I don't think Foreigner could have done better.

I'd have to second that .The look, the voice, and stage presence.

Never noticed the resemblance to dear old Jack..... til now. Yup, I agree with Kelly as well. IMHO, he often sounds identical to Lou and he does so respectfully, meaning, he doesn't take any personal liberties with the songs in the way he delivers them. He stays pretty damn true to the originals.

My addition to the list is Brian Johnson. When Bon died I'd be willing to bet there wasn't a soul on the planet who would have bet they could have found a replacement for him and his voice. But they did and doing so provided for possibly the greatest comeback in rock music history.

Exceptional replacement. Probably the best in rock history. I've changed my vote. Hansen moves to second place.

Well, if we are talking about THOSE types of replacements Sammy Hagar has to go to the top of the list. Not a big fan of Van Hagar but you talk about a guy who made his own legacy with an established band, Sammy's your man.

He certainly made the band more money than Roth, and I did like a couple of the albums they made with him, but he didn't come close to replacing Roth in many categories. He's a lesser frontman, he's a lesser songwriter, where Van Halen is concerned, and he's not near as fun to see out front. I disagree on this one.

Hey, I'm not a Van Hagar guy either but four number one albums in a row speaks for itself.

Hagar said in early interview that he didn't want to be known as Van Halen's new singer or second singer but simply as Van Halen's singer and he accomplished that pretty quickly. Of course, much like Journey he benefited from the massive exposure that the OLD MTV could bring to a group.

[Everett]

Lawerence Gowa ah nevermind

BTW don that sig is freakin creepy

[Rick]

Kelly Hansen gets my nod. Lou Gramm is, by all means, irreplaceable, but if you had to find one guy to fill his shoes, I don't think Foreigner could have done better.

I'd have to second that .The look, the voice, and stage presence.

Never noticed the resemblance to dear old Jack..... til now. Yup, I agree with Kelly as well. IMHO, he often sounds identical to Lou and he does so respectfully, meaning, he doesn't take any personal liberties with the songs in the way he delivers them. He stays pretty damn true to the originals.

My addition to the list is Brian Johnson. When Bon died I'd be willing to bet there wasn't a soul on the planet who would have bet they could have found a replacement for him and his voice. But they did and doing so provided for possibly the greatest comeback in rock music history.

Exceptional replacement. Probably the best in rock history. I've changed my vote. Hansen moves to second place.

Well, if we are talking about THOSE types of replacements Sammy Hagar has to go to the top of the list. Not a big fan of Van Hagar but you talk about a guy who made his own legacy with an established band, Sammy's your man.

He certainly made the band more money than Roth, and I did like a couple of the albums they made with him, but he didn't come close to replacing Roth in many categories. He's a lesser frontman, he's a lesser songwriter, where Van Halen is concerned, and he's not near as fun to see out front. I disagree on this one.

Hey, I'm not a Van Hagar guy either but four number one albums in a row speaks for itself.

Hagar said in early interview that he didn't want to be known as Van Halen's new singer or second singer but simply as Van Halen's singer and he accomplished that pretty quickly. Of course, much like Journey he benefited from the massive exposure that the OLD MTV could bring to a group.

Just a couple of albums in with Hagar and Van Halen lost their identity. Roth was the the magic in their writing. It's aloof, uncomplicated, at times hard, but a lot of times, it was just outright fun. None of Hagars albums gave any reverence to any of that. They were good, but they were just songs. Roth gave Van Halen swagger. Hagar gave them pop hits.

[Don]

Van Hagar was the alternative for Journey fans who didn't want to be called gay.

[steveo777]

Kelly Hansen gets my nod. Lou Gramm is, by all means, irreplaceable, but if you had to find one guy to fill his shoes, I don't think Foreigner could have done better.

How about a nomination for best replacement of an entire band?

Foreigner is only a band in name, as is Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as that other heap of trash, known as Styx.

Arnel Pineda gets my vote this year. He's doing great and sounds very good this year. Frankly, last year he wouldn't have gotten my vote, but I don't blame him totally, as the band's sound was pretty rocky. That said, let the bee hive churn as usual.

[JRNYMAN]

BTW don that sig is freakin creepy

I know, right?! I didn't realize it was animated the first time I saw it - I guess I scrolled too fast... but on the way back up, it moved as I went past it... (sound of screeching tires...) I slowly scrolled back down and of course, it had reset so it wasn't doing anything - then it animated and I was like, "WTF...?!?!"


Both Don and Rick make excellent points. As Don noted, 4 No.1 albums speak for themselves. However, like Rick said, Roth had the swagger and the ego-maniacal persona that made him larger than life - but in a fun way. I mean, if you weren't aware of who he was and all of the hi-jinx that went along with him, you'd totally roll your eyes the first time you heard him refer to himself as "Diamond Dave". For the rest of us, it was just another part of the package that was David Lee Roth - and we liked it.

[JRNYMAN]

Foreigner is only a band in name, as is Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as that other heap of trash, known as Styx.

This is gonna get good!!

[steveo777]

Foreigner is only a band in name, as is Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as that other heap of trash, known as Styx.

This is gonna get good!!

Ain't that what we call a triple play, Steve?

My wife was watching me type that and she walked away shaking her head and said Troll!

[verslibre]

Best replacement singers? Easy one.

DIO >>> Ozzy (I like Sabbath pretty much all the way through, but Dio owns John's arse)

(and subsequent Sabb vocalist Tony Martin's a great singer in his own right)

Sammy Hagar (obvious)

Brian Johnson (best replacement AC/DC could get, especially with his rasp, but Bon was awesome)

Bruce Dickinson >>> Paul Di'Anno

Phil Collins >>> Peter Gabriel (yes, Phil's a way better singer than Pete, I'm not going to argue about it)


Those are the most obvious examples, but here are two most people here won't cite:

John Lawton replacing David Byron in Uriah Heep on (my favorite Heep album) Firefly

John Schlitt replacing the great Greg X. Volz in Petra

[JRNYMAN]

Foreigner is only a band in name, as is Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as that other heap of trash, known as Styx.

This is gonna get good!!

Ain't that what we call a triple play, Steve?

My wife was watching me type that and she walked away shaking her head and said Troll!

Triple-play, Trifecta, whatever you decide to call it isn't going to prevent you from getting your ass whooped by one or more of the STYX junkies around here.

Your wife called you a troll.... PRICELESS!

[Everett]

as well as that other heap of trash, known as Styx.

Ah fuck you

[steveo777]

Foreigner is only a band in name, as is Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as that other heap of trash, known as Styx.

This is gonna get good!!

Ain't that what we call a triple play, Steve?

My wife was watching me type that and she walked away shaking her head and said Troll!

Triple-play, Trifecta, whatever you decide to call it isn't going to prevent you from getting your ass whooped by one or more of the STYX junkies around here.

Your wife called you a troll.... PRICELESS!

I'm not afraid of EVERETT!

[Everett]

Foreigner is only a band in name, as is Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as that other heap of trash, known as Styx.

This is gonna get good!!

Ain't that what we call a triple play, Steve?

My wife was watching me type that and she walked away shaking her head and said Troll!

Triple-play, Trifecta, whatever you decide to call it isn't going to prevent you from getting your ass whooped by one or more of the STYX junkies around here.

Your wife called you a troll.... PRICELESS!

I'm not afraid of EVERETT!

Be VERRRRYYY afraid

[JRNYMAN]

I know this one is a hot subject for some people:
Jimi Jameson IMHO had a better, stronger, and cleaner voice than Bickler. If you listen to the "fantasy duets" on YT which compare their voices in the same song, Jimi's voice is always projects more and is clearer than Bickler's.

[Don]

So, what are we really talking about here? Replacement singers that created their own legacy with bands (Hagar, Dickinson, Collins, Johnson); guys that can write, sing and take charge,
or..
are we just talking about guys who have been brought in to mostly perform the back catalog and sound as close to the original as possible, hired guns basically?

[JRNYMAN]

So, what are we really talking about here? Replacement singers that created their own legacy with bands (Hagar, Dickinson, Collins, Johnson); guys that can write, sing and take charge,
or..
are we just talking about guys who have been brought in to mostly perform the back catalog and sound as close to the original as possible, hired guns basically?

You're right... the question, as it's presented, is ambiguous and non-specific. I guess it's open to interpretation.

[steveo777]

So, what are we really talking about here? Replacement singers that created their own legacy with bands (Hagar, Dickinson, Collins, Johnson); guys that can write, sing and take charge,
or..
are we just talking about guys who have been brought in to mostly perform the back catalog and sound as close to the original as possible, hired guns basically?

You're right... the question, as it's presented, is ambiguous and non-specific. I guess it's open to interpretation.

He's right and you're right.

I'm looking at older bands that are touring and who is having success with replacement singers. IMHO, Journey and Arnel are doing it quite well right now. To me, I think AP is the best replacement currently touring.

[JRNYMAN]

So, what are we really talking about here? Replacement singers that created their own legacy with bands (Hagar, Dickinson, Collins, Johnson); guys that can write, sing and take charge,
or..
are we just talking about guys who have been brought in to mostly perform the back catalog and sound as close to the original as possible, hired guns basically?

You're right... the question, as it's presented, is ambiguous and non-specific. I guess it's open to interpretation.

He's right and you're right.

I'm looking at older bands that are touring and who is having success with replacement singers. IMHO, Journey and Arnel are doing it quite well right now. To me, I think AP is the best replacement currently touring.

Okay, we went from ambiguous and non-specific to a statement that's precise with regard to:
A. A replacement singer. Check
B. A band who's singer is a replacement of their previous singer. Check
C. A quick glance at Live Nation's site shows that, of the bands currently touring, Journey is the only one with a replacement singer.

Bravo, Steve.... you got this one right! Take a bow!

[ForceInfinity]

I would put out there James Labrie of Dream Theater (he replaced Charles Dominici who in turn replaced Chris Collin.... Labrie better than both) and the band has been arguably successful with him.. How come no mention for Mickey Thomas and Jefferson Starship (he replaced Marty Balin I believe)? And as far as I know Dream Theater is *very* active with that singer as is what's left of Starship/Jefferson Starship/whatever the hell they call themselves (never understood the whole thing with the names)

[JRNYMAN]

I would put out there James Labrie of Dream Theater (he replaced Charles Dominici who in turn replaced Chris Collin.... Labrie better than both) and the band has been arguably successful with him.. How come no mention for Mickey Thomas and Jefferson Starship (he replaced Marty Balin I believe)? And as far as I know Dream Theater is *very* active with that singer as is what's left of Starship/Jefferson Starship/whatever the hell they call themselves (never understood the whole thing with the names)

Wasn't aware Dream Theater ever had a different singer than LaBrie. Interesting. That said, I can't imagine anyone else's voice except for his singing their catalog.
As for Mickey Thomas, you're sorta right. It's complicated but basically, after many, many incarnations of the band that started as Jefferson Airplane, founding member Paul Kantner decided to change the name in 1974 when the band all but disintegrated leaving only Kantner and Grace Slick making up the band. Kantner used the cleansing as a reboot and new direction for his music. Jefferson Starship was born which included new member Marty Balin who's vocals brought the first commercial success thus far. Balin left in 1978 and was replaced by barely known singer/songwriter Mickey Thomas whose only real fame was singing lead vocals on the Elvin Bishop tune, Fooled Around and Fell in Love. Between 1979 and 1984, the band gradually gained commercial success and continued ushering in and out musicians such as Aynsley Dunbar, formerly of Journey of course. In June 1984, Paul Kantner, the last remaining founding member of Jefferson Airplane, left Jefferson Starship, took legal actio over the Jefferson Starship name against his former bandmates. Kantner settled out of court and signed an agreement that neither party would use the names "Jefferson" or "Airplane" unless all members of Jefferson Airplane, Inc. (Bill Thompson, Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady) agreed. Thus, the remaining members of the band that once was Jefferson Starship was forced to immediately change the name or face legal action. For about a minute the band was actually called Starship Jefferson but everyone quickly saw how ridiculous and petty it was and decided to go with just Starship.
This is just the absolute tiniest nutshell version I could squeeze together to give some perspective as to why the name changes occurred. The history of the band(s) is extremely lengthy and involve somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 different musicians using the revolving door in that enterprise. So, yes, Thomas was indeed a replacement for Balin but when you look at the entire history of the band as a whole, every member of the band was a replacement for somebody at some point.
I will say I like both of them. They did justice to the songs for which they sang/wrote while with their respective incarnations of the group.

[Gideon]

Steve Perry
Kevin Chalfant?