As you might know, Queen would eventually replace Freddie Mercury with Adam Lambert; sort of. You see, Adam may be the current lead singer of the iconic band, but they don’t bill themselves as Queen anymore; they are now known as Queen and Adam Lambert.
And while Lambert does do an exceptional job in both vocal range and stage presence, Queen just isn’t Queen without Mercury leading the way.
Let’s put it this way: Would you rather buy a Queen shirt with Freddie Mercury on it or Adam Lambert? That’s what we thought.
We have probably got you thinking about bands who have lost their most visible member and have had to replace them.
American Recycled Clothing, your source for vintage clothing online, offers the best and worst replacement singers.
Black Sabbath
Dismissed from the band in 1979, Ozzy Osbourne is considered one of the greatest heavy metal singers of all time. So it would be impossible to replace him, right? Not unless his replacement is the late and great Ronnie James Dio.Dio brought a voice to Sabbath that was completely different than Osbourne’s. His presence marked a new direction for the band, which was not a bad thing.
Iron Maiden
In the early 1980s, Iron Maiden went through a series of lineup changes. Most notable was the release of Paul Di’Anno in favor of Bruce Dickinson. His powerful vocals and stage energy helped lead the band to big successes for many years. Smart move.
Dickinson himself would leave Iron Maiden some years later. This lead to the very poor decision of hiring Blaze Bayley to take over vocals. Not that Bayley was a bad vocalist, it is just that he had a big void to fill and could never quite do it.
Thankfully, Dickinson would find his way back to the band and everything would be right in the Universe.
Van Halen
One would think it would be impossible to replace a rock icon like David Lee Roth, but Van Halen did and it was a pretty good move.
Van Halen brought Sammy Hagar aboard prompting fans to give the band the nickname, ”Van Hagar.” But all four Van Halen albums under Hagar hit number one on the charts and spawned hits like “Right Now” and “Why Can’t This Be Love.”
Of course, good things can’t last forever and the Red Rocker would leave the band in 1996. This lead to one of the worst hiring decisions ever. But that is, like, just our opinion, man.
Van Halen decided to go with Gary Cherone as their frontman. And while Cherone is a great vocalist and did a bang-up job in the band Extreme, he just wasn’t a good fit for Van Halen.
Genesis
Peter Gabriel founded Genesis with his school friends and became very successful. Gabriel would have a falling out and leave the band. The other band members suggested drummer Phil Collins try to sing, and the band loved it. So did the fans and Genesis soared in popularity.
Peter Gabriel would find success as a solo artist. By the way, so would Phil Collins.
Pantera
In the 1980s, Pantera, headed by Terry Glaze, was what you would call a glam metal band. That’s right, Dimebag Darrel and company sported big hair and pumped out rock ballads.
The band decided to head in a new direction, but Glaze didn’t want to abandon the glam aspect, so he quit. The band hired Phil Anselmo, dropped the hairspray and charm earrings, and started writing songs like “This Love” and “Cemetery Gates.”
Anselmo’s vocals can tear paint off the walls.
Dead Kennedys
Disputes over money left Jello Biafra out of the band while the rest of the Dead Kennedys continued to play and tour. The band has gone through several vocalists including Skip Greer, Jeff Penalty, Brandon Cruz and Dr. Know. Do you recognize any of these names? No singer has been able to match Biafra’s power and energy.
AC/DC
Bon Scott, with a voice like gravel in a blender, helped put together some of the band’s most iconic songs and was known for his hard-rocking reputation. After his death, Scott was replaced with Brian Johnson, whose voice is, well, like gravel in a blender.
If you were to ask AC/DC fans who was the better singer, you would definitely get mixed answers. Both were excellent front men and found great success in the band.
At American Recycled Clothing, we offer a wide range of music tees, from Pantera to Iron Maiden to Van Halen. And whether you are a Brian Johnson fan or Bon Scott fan, you can show the world your love for AC/DC with a band t-shirt. Shop now.