What acts do you think should have quit years ago, that have now become parodies or self-serving tributes to their younger days? I was at a festival and The Wailers played. One old guy, who may have known Bob Marley once and a bunch of young guys. I'm a big Stranglers fan but for me they became irrelevant when Hugh Cornwell left in about 1990. Then there's punk/new wave bands lumbering about the stage with about one original member doing their one hit and another hour of junk.
Who do you think fills this category? I know someone is going to say The Stones, but for me - whatever they now look like - they can still deliver.
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*An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.
They are awesome but c'mon guys, it is over.
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£110 for a standing ticket for a band with only 2 of the original members and only trading off the legacy of a singer who died 25 years ago would put most bands in local festival territory. Obviously still a demand for them though
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Ritchie Blackmore as a pale shadow of his former self, a tolerable tribute-band singer and a bunch of other pretty nondescript players does not make a great band...
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I think the ones that carry on without an irreplaceable member such as Queen, need to get over themselves, form a supergroup or retire gracefully.
There's the band with one or two original members, that sound nothing like the original band and really need to get a dayjob. Slade, Sweet and Dr Feelgood come to mind.
The one I do think works is the Skids/Big Country mash up. That was good.
However if anyone's making a living from music when I dont, they must be doing something right.
There are a couple of versions of the Wailers in existence, I saw the one with Al Anderson years ago and really excellent. I dont think anyone's expecting an aged Bob Marley to pop up from behind the curtains but people still love that music and those musos still need to make a living.
I have a bit bit of a problem with Queen as they don't need the money ( from my perception of it anyway) and just seem to be going all out to exploit their legacy ( although Queen were always a very commercial entity with very little interest in credibility), as they were a band I liked such a lot when I was younger I find it a bit sickening but no one is forcing any one to buy tickets.
Ealier on the bill was one of the Merseybeat groups, I think my brain has blotted out their name. They were pretty much all original band members but were so bad that it became easier to spot the correct notes rather than the bum notes.
The non-original argument only works for bands that had a settled line-up. Take Man, for example. BEfore Micky jones and Deke Leonard died they could have chosen from about twenty musicians, all of whom were band members for some length of time.
No. With Mika.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
*An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.
(formerly miserneil)
I would have to add Deep Purple to the list as well. I've never liked anything they did after Blackmore left - or more accurately after Gillan left before he came back after Blackmore had gone .
So I will have to hold on to my memories of seeing the proper Deep Purple with Blackmore in 1987 (House Of Blue Light tour)...
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein