Friday fun thread

by Ted on October 22, 2004

For your tireless service on behalf of good, you have been given the power to replace the weak link in any band, past or present.

You need not be bound by practical considerations; you’re free to ignore the fact that (say) Peter Criss was the only one who could properly apply the KISS makeup. For example, you can replace Liz Phair (the singer) while keeping Liz Phair (the songwriter). How do you use this power, and why?

My answers under the fold.

Rolling Stones: Replace Mick Jagger with Otis Redding. I’ve never been a big Stones fan, largely because of Mick Jagger’s vocal style. I guess you love it or hate it.

From my perspective, virtually every Stones song would be improved by replacing his vocals with Otis Redding. Otis Redding was just dripping with passion, up and down the register. He could do howling rock better than Mick Jagger, he can do quiet better, he’s just a better singer. Plus, it might have kicked off a pattern of high-profile collaborations between soul and rock musicians.

The Minutemen: Replace D. Boon (singer) with Mike Patton, the singer from Faith No More. The Minutemen were a terrific post-punk group, but their funky stop-start style was undermined by their irredemably square lead vocals. Mike Patton is much more flexible and talented a rock singer. They could have been huge.

The White Stripes: Replace Meg White (drummer) with Brian Chase (Yeah Yeah Yeahs drummer). Meg White is a very simple drummer. I had a drummer friend point out why- she doesn’t seem to to able to separate her left arm pattern from her right arm pattern very well. Hence the long string of BOOM THWACK BOOM THWACK eighth notes on many of the White Stripes songs. It often works in context. But in a band with such minimalist sound, I’m disappointed that the drummer isn’t adding more.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, like the White Stripes, have one great guitar player, one vocalist, and one drummer. But Brian Chase fills out their songs in a way Meg White doesn’t approximate. Maybe I’d hate the result in real life, but I’d love to hear him try the same thing with a few White Stripes songs.

The Dave Matthews Band: Replace LeRoi Moore (saxophone) with any other professional saxophone player. So mediocre. Every music major at my college could play rings around the guy. Life’s not fair, I know.

Madvillian: Replace MF Doom (MC) with Rakim. This is a bit unfair, since virtually any hip-hop group could be improved by replacing the MC with Rakim, but I’ve noticed it especially with Madvillian. MF Doom has a deep voice and a non gimmicky style that occasionally fades into monotony. To my ears, he sounds a lot like Rakim without the drama.

{ 73 comments }

1

david 10.22.04 at 6:13 pm

For your tireless service on behalf of good

I don’t know what good is, but good isn’t getting rid of D. Boon. Redding for Jagger would go down with Steve Finlay and Curt Shilling for Glenn Davis as one of the greatest trades ever made.

2

Steve 10.22.04 at 6:17 pm

Replace the McCartney doppelganger with the real McCartney in the post-Sgt. Pepper Beatles.

3

harry 10.22.04 at 6:17 pm

Kevin Coyne for Jim Morrison in the Doors.

Never liked the Doors till I heard that they invited Coyne to replace Morrison after the latter’s death. But, is this true? Can it be? I can believe he turned it down.

4

Mrs Tilton 10.22.04 at 6:17 pm

Sonic Youth: replace Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon, as singers only, with Black Francis and Alison Krauss.

Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers: replace everybody else with JoJo alone on acoustic guitar. Oh, wait: he did that.

5

ben wolfson 10.22.04 at 6:19 pm

I would replace Chris Cutler the lyricist with Peter Blegvad, while retaining him as drummer, in any project to which Cutler has contributed lyrics ever.

6

rea 10.22.04 at 6:22 pm

Crooked Timber: Replace Ted Barlow with Matt Ygleisias, even though Ted is the only member of CT who gets the makeup right?

(See http://www.tedbarlow.blogspot.com

“I’m going to be joining the big boys at Crooked Timber. I don’t have a Ph.D and I’m not an academic, so I’m going to be the Peter Criss to their rest of KISS.”)
;)

7

Jeremy Osner 10.22.04 at 6:27 pm

Black Sabbath — replace Ozzy with Tiny Tim

8

JRoth 10.22.04 at 6:30 pm

I believe that Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull proposed replacing Robert Plant, lyricist, with himself. I suspect he wanted to replace Plant entirely, but I’m less certain of that.

For some reason, Plant took offense at the suggestion.

9

Ted Barlow 10.22.04 at 6:31 pm

Believe me, if they could get Matthew Yglesias, they’d trade in a heartbeat.

10

David 10.22.04 at 6:36 pm

Replace John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin with . . . Derek Smalls.

Well, duh.

http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/zforum/00/smalls0919.htm

11

cleek 10.22.04 at 6:47 pm

replace Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth with Kim Deal of the Pixies.

replace Phil Collins of Genesis with Peter Gabriel.

12

Non Prophet 10.22.04 at 6:57 pm

Ack! D. Boon WAS The Minutemen!

I’d replace Osama Bin Laden with “Carrot Top”.

Man, the Friday poll on my blog is much less fun than this one. :(

13

Mo MacArbie 10.22.04 at 6:57 pm

Replace every member of every 80’s hair metal band with Led Zeppelin and be done with it.

Replace every pop diva’s voice with that of Tom Waits (or, in some cases, Louis Armstrong).

Replace Paul Schaeffer with Little Richard.

Replace the Replacements with the Place Mats.

Replace every artist at the very pinnacle of their success with me.

14

Scott Swank 10.22.04 at 6:59 pm

Replace Alex Chilton post Big Star with Alex Chilton pre/circa Big Star. Replace Rod Stewart _Never a Dull Moment_ with Rod Stewart pre/circa _Never a Dull Moment_. Who was it that said about Rod, “Rarely has anyone betrayed his talent so completely”?

Oh hell, while I’m at it, replace everyone whose insight and talent ran out too young with the the appropriate younger, fearless version themselves, the one that didn’t yet know any better.

Scott

15

Reinder 10.22.04 at 7:05 pm

Jethro Tull (1995-today’s lineup): Replace Doane Perry (drummer) and Jonathan Noyce (bassist) with Dave Mattacks and Danny Thompson, so that instead of trying to recapture their old rock style they can go into their final years making great acoustic records.
Or don’t, but for goodness’ sake replace Jonathan Noyce anyway.

16

Reinder 10.22.04 at 7:11 pm

For that matter, they should replace Andy Giddings (Keyboards), with John Kirkpatrick (accordeon).

17

John Davies 10.22.04 at 7:22 pm

I’d leave Bob Dylan the songwriter and replace Bob Dylan the singer with
Sam Cooke.

Or a bag full of cats being beaten by a stick. Anything would sound better than Dylan.

18

LowLife 10.22.04 at 7:34 pm

Peter Gabriel for Phil Collins in Genesis. Brian Wilson for Glen Campbell in the Beach Boys. David Lee Roth for Sammy Hagar in Van Halen. I guess I lack imagination for this exercise. I usually like for groups to just keep together. Jagger’s style can make a good song bad but I can’t see Otis Redding doing Sister Morphine. My musical regrets are: That’s Mozart didn’t live long enough to be challedged by Beethoven’s rising star. That the Beatles didn’t record any 7 – 9 minute jams on songs like I Feel Fine or She’s a Woman. That Sid Barrett and Brian Wilson did the wrong drug and the wrong time.

19

John I 10.22.04 at 7:48 pm

Replace Keith Relf in the Yardbirds with just about anybody – Sir John Johns maybe, but keep both Beck and Page at the same time.

An add Rod Stewart to Television and let Tom focus on guitar playing. “I remember, Maggie, how the darkness doubled…”

-john

20

me2i81 10.22.04 at 8:02 pm

Replace Robert Plant with Janis Joplin.
Replace Roger Daltrey with Exene Cervenka.
Make Elvis Costello put down the guitar.
Don’t let Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney) sing.

21

Jeremy Osner 10.22.04 at 8:04 pm

Nirvana — replace Kurt Cobain with Darryl Hall

22

cleek 10.22.04 at 8:07 pm

The Beastie Boys’s Mike D for Q-Tip from ATCQ.

23

Jason Kuznicki 10.22.04 at 8:16 pm

Re-form the Sugarcubes. Get rid of that horrid male rap/vocalist (what was his name again?). Replace him with any halfway decent male rapper OR singer. Instant success.

24

neil 10.22.04 at 8:29 pm

I would replace the late ’80s Bowie with Rod Stewart, thus freeing Bowie up for other projects.

And I’d replace all of the non-Jello-Biafra members of the Dead Kennedys with anybody who’s not greedy scum.

25

KAW 10.22.04 at 8:29 pm

Replace Big Brother and the Holding Company with a backup band with more talent. Pretty much any random assortment of noise-makers would do the trick: Meg White on drums, Elvis Costello on guitar, a high school marching band, John’s bag full of cats being beaten by a stick…

26

Uncle Kvetch 10.22.04 at 8:40 pm

I just saw Supergrass do an excellent show at Webster Hall in NYC a few weeks ago. Lead singer/guitarist/main songwriter Gaz was brilliant (and a hell of a lot of fun to watch), and bassist Mick Quinn thwacked with a fiery conviction reminiscent of the Jam’s Bruce Foxton. Drummer Danny Goffey, on the other hand, was the very definition of dead weight. A few days later I caught a televised interview of the band: Gaz was sweet and self-effacing, while Danny was all snide mumbling and rock-star “cool.” I know Gaz & Danny formed the band as teenagers, so a new drummer is probably not a possibility, but sheesh.

As for the further question: Who should replace him? Hell if I know.

27

neil 10.22.04 at 8:44 pm

Replace Sterling Morrison with Brian Wilson… that’d be interesting.

And replace Tina Weymouth’s ego with Tina Turner’s.

28

Clyde Mnestra 10.22.04 at 8:50 pm

A few suggestions for vocal swaps:

1. Replace Roger Daltrey with a chimera of Axl Rose and Freddie Mercury.
2. Replace Jimi Hendrix and Richard Thompson, as vocalists only, with a blank track.
3. Replace Leonard Cohen as vocalist with Lou Reed.
4. Replace Neil Young as vocalist with Jimmie Dale Gilmore.

29

digamma 10.22.04 at 8:52 pm

Replace the bullets that killed Biggie with flowers.

30

digamma 10.22.04 at 8:52 pm

Replace the bullets that killed Biggie with flowers.

31

Matt McGrattan 10.22.04 at 9:08 pm

Replace Oasis.

Not with anyone in particular. Just replace them.

Replace about 90% of guitar players with a Marc Ribot/Joey Santiago duet.

[The Daryl Hall/Kurt Cobain swap is inspired in a sick way…]

32

tim a 10.22.04 at 9:21 pm

1. Replace the guitarists of the Strokes with Ron Ashton and Mick Ronson.
2. Replace The Killers with Happy Mondays.
3. Replace Nils Cline in Wilco with Jim O’Rourke.
4. Replace Jim O’Rourke in Sonic Youth with Nils Cline.
5. Replace Paul Banks of Interpol with Mick Allen of Wolfgang Press.
6. Replace Meg White with Josh Garza of Secret Machines.
7. Replace Matty Safer of the Rapture with Jah Wobble.
8. Replace Grandaddy with Home.

33

John Quiggin 10.22.04 at 9:23 pm

Ringo Starr with Pete Best

34

tim a 10.22.04 at 9:34 pm

Come to think of it. might as well just replace all of The Strokes with:

1) Ashton & Ronson on guitar.
2) Brendan Canty on drums.
3) Neil Michael Hagerty of Royal Trux on bass.
4) Mark E. Smith of The Fall for vocals.

35

tim a 10.22.04 at 9:36 pm

Come to think of it. might as well just replace all of The Strokes with:

1) Ashton & Ronson on guitar.
2) Brendan Canty of Fugazi on drums.
3) Neil Michael Hagerty of Royal Trux on bass.
4) Mark E. Smith of The Fall for vocals.

36

Skip 10.22.04 at 9:47 pm

Ted, a great idea but your particular suggestions are horrible. The Minuteman without D. Boon is like sugestint that Zepplin replace Plant. Actually I would say it’s worse. Also, I would say that suggesting that a band that wrote Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing could be big is missing the point. DIY.

While your point about Rakim is good, MF Doom does an excellent job on the disc.

Speaking of Rakin’s greatness, did you know this:

http://www.daveyd.com/FullArticles%5CarticleN295.asp

I always thought this was amazing.

Skip

37

Genardo 10.22.04 at 9:55 pm

The Who could have surpassed the Rolling Stones if they had replaced the thoroughly mediocre Peter Townshend with Dave Davies of The Kinks

38

vernaculo 10.22.04 at 10:03 pm

Replace Neil Young right now with himself right now, so there’s an almost imperceptible continuity-strobe/auric-shimmer to his presence; and just keep doing that from here on out.

39

blah 10.22.04 at 10:27 pm

Replace J Mascis (vocalist and songwriter) of Dinosaur Jr with Paul Westerberg.

Replace Bob Stinson (lead guitar) of the Replacements with J Mascis.

Replace Grant Hart of Husker Du with Dale Crover of the Melvins. Let Bob Mould write all of the songs.

40

Barry Freed 10.22.04 at 10:41 pm

Upon Minister of Information Professor Griff’s departure from Public Enemy, a propagandist of another color, red, is added to the group: Billy Bragg.

Henry Rollins departs Black Flag soon after Damaged is released and Keith Morris returns to the group after the Circle Jerks released Golden Shower of Hits. Henry Rollins is obtains a position teaching as resident poet in the English department at some unknown college in the American midwest and is never heard from again.

Replace Linda McCartney of Paul McCartney and Wings with any one of the Spice Girls. Rotate Spice Girl on a bi-monthly basis. No, it won’t make the music suck any less but ask yourself, how could it possibly make it any worse?

A time machine could place the Tom Waits of Swordfishtrombones era with the Captain Beefheart of Trout Mask Replica and each cut a version of the other’s albums, but then they must return to their own times and give us the beauties that we know and love.

I would replace Mick Jones and Joe Strummer with doppelgangers from alternate reality universes. The dopplegangers will be the same as those they replace in every single respect except they will have the integrity, dignity, and respect of self and fans not to sell “London Calling” for a fucking Jaguar advertisement (and therefore I will be able to mourn Strummer’s untimely death as I have Joey and Dee Dee and yes, Johnny’s too.)

After Santiago Durango’s departure for law school, Andy Gill replaces him as Big Black’s second guitarist (ching).

The suggestions above concerning D.Boon of the Minutemen and Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers are rank heresies. Go now and do penance by playing the first 3 Stooges albums in non-stop rotation until you see the error of your ways.

41

Barry Freed 10.22.04 at 10:44 pm

Oops repost due to typos, probably some still there though:

Upon Minister of Information Professor Griff’s departure from Public Enemy, a propagandist of another color, red, is added to the group: Billy Bragg.

Henry Rollins departs Black Flag soon after Damaged is released and Keith Morris returns to the group after the Circle Jerks release Golden Shower of Hits. Henry Rollins obtains a position teaching as resident poet in the English department at some unknown college in the American midwest and is never heard from again.

Replace Linda McCartney of Paul McCartney and Wings with any one of the Spice Girls. Rotate Spice Girl on a bi-monthly basis. No, it won’t make the music suck any less but ask yourself, how could it possibly make it any worse?

A time machine could place the Tom Waits of Swordfishtrombones era with the Captain Beefheart of Trout Mask Replica and vice versa and then each cut a version of the other’s albums, but then they must return to their own times and give us the beauties that we know and love.

I would replace Mick Jones and Joe Strummer with doppelgangers from alternate reality universes. The dopplegangers will be the same as those they replace in every single respect except they will have the integrity, dignity, and respect of self and fans not to sell “London Calling” for a fucking Jaguar advertisement (and therefore I will be able to mourn Strummer’s untimely death as I have Joey and Dee Dee and yes, Johnny’s too.)

After Santiago Durango’s departure for law school, Andy Gill replaces him as Big Black’s second guitarist (ching).

The suggestions above concerning D.Boon of the Minutemen and Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers are rank heresies. Go now and do penance by playing the first 3 Stooges albums in non-stop rotation until you see the error of your ways.

42

Zizka 10.22.04 at 11:32 pm

Replace McCoy Tyner of John Coltrane with someone with lighter hands. Replace Elvis Costello in the Cait O’Riordan couple with me.

43

laurita 10.22.04 at 11:38 pm

In Guns N’ Roses, can I replace Axl Rose’s personality with someone reasonable and keep his singing?

And what’s all this replacing Meg White — if you’re going to replace someone in the White Stripes, put in someone who can actually sing in place of Jack.

44

Barry Freed 10.22.04 at 11:49 pm

Replace McCoy Tyner of John Coltrane with someone with lighter hands.

Another rank heresy.

You must do penance.

But first, a lesson, for the penance to drive home the realization of your sin.

1. Give Coltrane’s Live at the Village Vanguard a spin. Then give it another spin just listening to side A.

2. Then you must play every 60’s era Ornette Coleman album you can lay your hands on.

Repeat steps one and two until the final desired result is achieved.

I will say that after McCoy Tyner cut The Real McCoy with Joe Henderson he should have stopped recording.

Also, keep Elvis Costello on guitar.

Just listen to “I don’t want to go to Chelsea” again and again till you see the wisdom in this.

45

djw 10.22.04 at 11:56 pm

Replace Mike Love of the mid-60’s Beach Boys with someone who’s less of an asshole.

46

djw 10.23.04 at 12:14 am

And in sharp contradistinction with Tim A above, insert Jim O’Rourke into Sonic Youth about five albums earlier.

47

jif 10.23.04 at 12:24 am

Replace D. Boon? With Mike Patton! Sacrilege!

But sweet Jesus, I will do a thousand Hail Marys if you will just replace the Dave Matthews Band. Completely.

48

John Quiggin 10.23.04 at 12:28 am

Replace Yoko Ono with Marianne Faithfull

49

laurita 10.23.04 at 1:12 am

Oh, and I meant to say, replace Alison Krauss (as a singer — she can keep playing the fiddle) with a number of other people, depending on what you needed: Kasey Chambers, Natalie Maines, Cassie Franklin, Emmylou Harris, Fiona McBain, Amy Helm. (I realize this list leans toward altos rather than sopranos, which may be part of my problem with AK’s singing to begin with.)

50

spacetoast 10.23.04 at 2:00 am

Replace Ted’s replacement of Mick Jagger with Otis Redding with Mick Jagger–don’t get me wrong, I love Otis–and replace Ted’s replacement of D.Boon with Mike Patton with D.Boon.

Replace Jello Biafra with someone who didn’t steal my table at the Baghdad Cafe.

51

spacetoast 10.23.04 at 2:01 am

Oh, and replace Ted’s replacement of MF Doom (MC) with Rakim with Saul Kripke.

52

spacetoast 10.23.04 at 2:07 am

…and then replace Saul Kripke with early Nina Hagen.

53

Joel 10.23.04 at 2:17 am

Replace D. Boon w/ Mike Patton?!!? A more horrifying idea I could not imagine.

But in the spirit of things replace any of the (might as well be) anonymous guitar players from those early 70’s Miles Davis electric LPs with Sonny Sharrock.

Replace both singers of Fugazi with very passionate robots. Guy and Ian can still play guitar tho.

54

Jeremy Osner 10.23.04 at 2:43 am

Hey I was just thinking that if Syd Barrett and Sid Vicious were to trade places we could have avoided a lot of hours worth of meaningless discussions between myself and punk rock friends in the last two years of high school and first two years of college over whether Pink Floyd is (a) a great band or (b) useless assholes.

55

cleek 10.23.04 at 3:51 am

Replace guitarist Larry LaLonde from Primus with Steve Albini.

56

luci phyrr 10.23.04 at 4:54 am

Keep Michael Stipe’s voice but replace the entire rest of the band with people who can play their instruments in subtle, interesting ways. Especially lose those ridiculously bouncy basslines, and most of Stipe’s lyrics while we’re at it.

57

Mark 10.23.04 at 6:17 am

Do not replace D. Boone. Period.

Replace the Beatles with CCR

Replace the Grateful Dud with the Monkees.

Replace Mick Jones with another Mick Jones (no, not the one from Foreigner) with one who won’t just walk away from the band.

Replace Hank Williams Jr. with Sr.

58

Gillian Russell 10.23.04 at 7:06 am

Cat Power (the singer and the songwriter) with Doctor Avalanche.

Ian Curtis with Julie Andrews.

Patrick back into Strangelove, please

And then Bernard Summers with Morrissey… no, wait…

59

gholaxy 10.23.04 at 7:38 am

Replace Breeder Kelly Deal with Juliana Hatfield. Put Kelly Deal someplace with a strong lock and no musical instruments.

Replace Michael Stipe of today, with mumbly joe of yesteryear. I liked him better when I didn’t actually know what he was thinking.

Replace Leonard Cohen’s back-up singers with bald girl-children clones of Sinead O’Connor And slit the throat of person who arranged the actual backup singing. Even if it’s Leonard himself.

60

Barry Freed 10.23.04 at 8:05 am

Ian Curtis with Julie Andrews.

You win the prize.

Fucking hilarious.

Man, if you could only hear the sounds of music going through my head right now….

“I’m living in the ice age…..”

61

spacetoast 10.23.04 at 8:35 am

Yeah, Mark is a man after my own heart, although, I might’ve, might’ve I say, replaced Mick Jones with Mick Ronson circa Ziggy Stardust, and I kinda like “family tradition.” Also too, for sure, John Fogerty kicks the shit out of that panty-waste John Lennon, but the Beatles did make possible the great tribute by the, um, Meatmen, “One Down, Three to Go,” featured on their classic “We’re the Meatmen, and you suck” album–also featuring such gems as “Becoming a man (Freud was wrong)” the ireverant “Crippled children suck,” “TSOL are sissies,” etc. And I think I would just replace the Grateful Dweebs with Boyce and Hart themselves.

Anyhoo, I’ve pondered and gotten some advice on this compelling and troubling D.Boon issue, and we decided that if anyway it could be to replace D. Boon, possibly, it would have to be with the guitar genius Tim Kerr of Big Boys (staying in the early ’80s SST family) fame, and later Poison13–the best band ever from Texas…of the rockin’ covers of Mose Allison’s “Parchman Farm,” the Cramps’ (huh, huh) “Strange Movies,” Sonics, Willie Dixon, a little known but awesome band called the Pleasure Seekers, etc., on this SubPop remaster, which people should buy, since, as I say, it is the best band ever from Texas, and good rock’n’roll and not the lameass Wilco/No Depression “we’re so ironic” crap.

62

spacetoast 10.23.04 at 8:39 am

Also, I would replace Flava Flav with Saul Kripke.

63

dave heasman 10.23.04 at 12:12 pm

Raplace Hank Jr with Hank III.

Replace Kenny Jones with BJ Wilson or Micky Waller, or Hunt Sales.

Replace Bill Wyman with John Entwistle.

Replace Ray Manzarek with McCoy Tyner.

Replace Sandie Shaw with Lorraine Ellison.

64

Barry Freed 10.23.04 at 12:25 pm

Replace Charlie Daniels with Jascha Heifetz.

65

misterpc 10.23.04 at 1:23 pm

I can’t believe that this is the thread that finally got me posting on CT… and I REALLY can’t believe that you think that replacing MF DOOM with Rakim is a good idea.

Rakim is a good MC, smooth flow, nice rhymes, etc, but by modern standards he’s not a great MC. DOOM brings a superior flow, greater lyrical complexity and just a plain ol’ sense of humour.

So let’s hear no more of this nonsense. I’ll vote for replacing any of the Beastie Boys with any other MC in the world ever, though, especially on their most recent album.

66

Steve 10.23.04 at 4:47 pm

Mac from Superchunk (singing duties only) with… Jenny Toomey? Corin Tucker? Pre-Smoking Popes Shane McGowan? (People suggesting Stephin Merritt earn an A- for amusing irony.)

Shania Twain with Neko Case, just in general.

67

Martin Bento 10.24.04 at 12:23 am

Looking at most of the sagacity in this thread, I’m thankful the gods were so stingy with the reality-warping superpowers ;}

68

dorkafork 10.24.04 at 5:05 am

What a horror you’ve created. I’m hoping by “replace” you don’t mean “trade”. I’m picturing Mick Jagger singing “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay”! AAAHH! Changing the Pixies original lineup. NOOO! And from the comments, replacing OBL with Carrot Top: having Carrot Top hiding out in the mountains of Pakistan/splattered on the wall of a cave in Afghanistan! Well, maybe that’s not so bad. (Ba dum bum.)

69

Reinder Dijkhuis 10.24.04 at 12:30 pm

Put Nick Drake in front of a rock band so that he learns the thrill of performing to an audience and doesn’t sink into a spiral of depression.

Replace Kraftwerk’s robots with life-size Transformers.

70

squeech 10.24.04 at 4:09 pm

Not a group thing, but: dear Lord, let Phil Ochs live another year so he could hear the Clash!

I also love Ben Wolfson’s suggestion way above. But it would never work. Apparently, during the Henry Cow/Slapp Happy merger, they asked Blegvad to write lyrics for the Tim Hodgkinson opus that was to be Living in the Heart of the Beast– and then they all rejected what he came up with, so he left.

Note too that Anthony Moore, also formerly of Slapp Happy, co-wrote all the good songs Pink Floyd has made since Waters left. It occurs to me that he could be a real asset to that band.

71

Luddite Robot 10.25.04 at 5:37 pm

Replace Michael Anthony of Van Halen with any decent bass player. Billy Sheehan. Bootsy Collins. Flea. Les Claypool. And let’s sub in the Diamond Dave of 1983, while we’re at it. Eddie needs to have a screaming asshole on stage to shout down with his playing.

Replace any instance of a Who-like reunion post-1984 with an absence.

Replace Hendrix’s Band of Gypsies with Sly and Robbie. Or Bootsy Collins and Clyde Stubblefield.

Replace David Lee Roth with just about any other singer in David Lee Roth’s band for Eat ‘Em And Smile. Steve Vai. Billy Sheehan. They should never have separated.

72

dave heasman 10.25.04 at 5:41 pm

“Anthony Moore, also formerly of Slapp Happy, co-wrote all the good songs Pink Floyd has made since Waters left”

Now *that* I didn’t know. Not that I’ve heard much Floyd since Ummagumma, but I’m glad Anthony More is doing well. The Jules Shear of his generation.

73

HP 10.25.04 at 6:46 pm

Replace the horn players in Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys with the horn players in McKinney’s Cotton Pickers.

Replace Johnny St. Cyr in the Louis Armstrong Hot Five and Hot Seven with Banjo Ikey Robinson from Jabbo Smith’s All Stars.

Replace my current taste in music with something more relevant to the society in which I live.

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