This may shock you, but most bands don't stay together in their original form forever.
Some bands play musical chairs with their lineups, bringing in relatively unknown entities
to replace iconic favorites and just sort of hoping fans will be cool with it.
This, of course, is ridiculous.
Rock fans can be just as picky, opinionated, and stubborn as anyone else.
There are plenty of instances of lesser-known musicians landing the dream gig of playing
in legendary bands only to find that fans have put away their lighters and are now lofting
pitchforks.
Gary Cherone, Van Halen
Founding van Halen member David Lee Roth may not be the greatest vocalist on Earth, but
he is the consummate showman and a perfect fit for the fun-loving Southern California
rockers.
Fans of the band were split when veteran vocalist Sammy Hagar replaced Roth and they released
5150 in 1986.
His vibe was certainly different from Roth's, but the band cranked out some of their biggest
hits with him.
But after a decade, he'd had enough with the infighting.
For his replacement, Eddie van Halen and the boys turned to former Extreme lead singer
Gary Cherone.
The move looked good on paper, but unfortunately, albums aren't recorded on paper.
Cherone made his debut on the band's 11th album, Van Halen III, and while he acquitted
himself fairly admirably, fans found him a less-than-ideal choice.
That is to say, they couldn't stand him.
After three years, Cherone departed, telling Rolling Stone,
"Some of the fans will never want me or anyone else in the band."
Kenney Jones, The Who
The Who's Keith Moon was one of the most insanely gifted drummers of all time.
He was simply irreplaceable, but that didn't stop the band from trying.
After his deadly 1978 drug overdose, they turned to former Faces drummer Kenney Jones,
a well-regarded professional, and drinking buddy of guitarist Pete Townshend.
Jones struggled to adapt to the band's changing, more commercial sound, manning the skins for
only two albums before he was officially let go in 1989.
In a 1994 interview with Goldmine Magazine, lead singer Roger Daltrey said of Jones,
"I didn't dislike the guy, but I just felt he wasn't the right drummer for the Who."
Blaze Bayley, Iron Maiden
When iconic vocalist Bruce Dickinson left Iron Maiden in 1993 to focus on a solo career,
the band auditioned a slew of potential replacements.
They settled on former Wolfsbane singer Blaze Bayley, even though his vocal style was completely
different from Dickinson's.
Although he was an accomplished vocalist, Bayley couldn't win over the band's fans,
who probably would have preferred a Bruce Dickinson-shaped cardboard cutout.
Bayley lasted only three years and two albums before Dickinson gave the fans what they wanted
and returned to the group.
In 2014, Bayley told rock journalist Mitch Lafon,
"There were a lot of people who…blamed me for Bruce leaving, which is a classic girlfriend
problem, where you blame your friend for your girlfriend leaving or whatever."
Benoit David, Yes
When your lead singer has one of the most instantly recognizable voices in the world,
replacing him isn't quite as simple as placing an ad on Craigslist.
Just ask the venerable prog-rock band Yes, which has struggled during multiple periods
to maintain its identity without singer Jon Anderson and his crazy vocal range.
When health problems forced Anderson out in 2008, the remaining members saddled up with
Benoit David, formerly the lead singer in a Yes cover band, without even telling Anderson.
Fans were unimpressed with the new karaoke version of their favorite band, and Anderson
himself lobbed a few disses their way in a Rolling Stone interview, saying,
"I wasn't really convinced.
The new singer is singing good, but it sounded a bit dated to me."
Rome Ramirez, Sublime
For fans of ska-punk outfit Sublime, 1996 was the ultimate double-edged sword.
The band finally achieved commercial success with their self-titled third album, scoring
a #1 single with "What I Got," but this was mere months after the death of lead singer
Bradley Nowell.
In accordance with Nowell's wishes, the band broke up rather than carry on without him.
That changed in 2009 when the remaining members recruited new singer and guitarist Rome Ramirez,
a Sublime super-fan with the advantage of knowing all the band's songs, but the disadvantage
of being a really bad singer.
The new lineup was dragged into court by Nowell's family over their use of the Sublime name.
The court ruled against the band, so they tacked "with Rome" onto the end of their moniker
and went about their business.
About a decade and two poorly received albums later, the band continues to tour and perform.
Josh Klinghoffer, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Longtime Red Hot Chili Peppers backup tour guitarist Josh Klinghoffer officially stepped
in for departing axeman John Frusciante in 2009, replacing Frusciante's virtuoso funk
craziness with a decidedly more minimalist style.
To his credit, he never intended to replicate what Frusciante brought to the band.
But given his tendency to constantly second-guess whether he's sufficiently living up to his
predecessor's legacy, it might've been better if he had.
The strong contingent of fans still pining for Frusciante's return doesn't exactly help.
Klinghoffer can get a little testy on the subject of his predecessor, as when he told
Metro News,
"Of course it gets annoying....All these comparisons are simply absurd."
Ian Gillan, Black Sabbath
When Ozzy Osbourne departed Black Sabbath to embark on a solo career in 1979, the band
found perhaps the only musician capable of replacing his distinctive shriek in Ronnie
James Dio, one of the most powerful metal vocalists to ever live.
But even Dio's tenure was divisive among fans.
So when he left to start his own eponymous group in 1983, some might have expected Sabbath
to seek out a singer who was a bit more like Ozzy.
Instead, they turned to former Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan, who was the exact opposite.
Gillan came on board for the band's 1983 release Born Again, an experiment in clashing styles
that made headbangers bang their heads against their stereos.
Not even Gillan's soaring voice could hide his corny lyrics, which rubbed up uneasily
against Sabbath's dark, gloomy vibe.
"I mean, just, everyone was bursting into laughter.
It was absolutely horrendous."
The collaboration only lasted for that one album, after which Gillan returned to Deep
Purple and Sabbath fans were left wondering how anyone thought the pairing was a good
idea.
As guitarist Tony Iommi recounted in an interview years later with Hard Music TV, he invited
Gillan to join the band after the two got drunk off their faces at an Oxford pub.
That explains it.