When a departed member of a band plays songs of that band he left

[Blazer]

We all know about it, a well known musician leaves the band that made him big and persues a solo career and yet happily plays songs from the band he left.

People tend to look down on people doing that but it also leads to some very interresting versions of classic songs.

Here's John "Johnny Rotten" Lydon and his post-Pistols band Public Image Ltd. playing "Anarchy in the UK"

Now when Lydon established PIL he said that the music of the Sex Pistols was too conventional, with PIL he wanted to make music that was almost unlistenable. But when playing a Sex Pistols song, PIL sounds even more conventional.

Here's Peter Gabriel during his 1978 tour performing the Genesis classic "The Lamb lies down on Broadway"

Now when this was filmed it was the heyday of punk and probably to show the punks that he was relevant, Gabriel performed this song in a frenzied pace. I don't know it it impressed the punks but the energy sure wasn't lying.

 

[Tim Armstrong]

I think it works when the song in question was written or at least sung by the musician. It's more of a cover if said musician wasn't, I'd say, and then it all depends on how good a cover it is!

Tim

 

[Dave Hopping]

Interesting.....I wonder if the Eagles doing "Walk Away","Funk 49",and "Keep on Tryin'" qualifies. Also Brian Wilson playing "Good Vibrations" with no present or former Beach Boys onstage.

 

[sixtiesreject]

Hello Hello--

If he wrote the songs in question he can play them all he wants!
Brian.

 

[Paul in Colorado]

Now if the singer left YOUR band and took some of YOUR songs, it might be another matter...

 

[Tim Armstrong]

Interesting.....I wonder if the Eagles doing "Walk Away","Funk 49",and "Keep on Tryin'" qualifies. Also Brian Wilson playing "Good Vibrations" with no present or former Beach Boys onstage.

Don't you mean no OTHER former Beach Boys?

In all those cases, the guy who sang the original hit is still the guy singing the song, I don't see any problem...

Tim

 

[Agave_Blue]

Why would "people tend to look down on people doing that" if the ex-member has rights to or has properly licensed the song?

At worst it's just another cover.

 

[Teleblooz]

Never forget that a "band" is not an entity in itself - it's comprised of individuals. If the individual that wrote (or co-wrote) a song chooses to perform his or her composition in a different setting, they have every right to do so.

Quite often it improves the song to re-contextualize it, or it least allows you to hear it with new ears. I've heard numerous examples - David Byrne with a full R&B ensemble doing some old Talking Heads tunes, Michael McDonald without those horrible cheesy 80's keyboard tones, Robert Plant reinventing some old Zep songs with Alison Krauss, etc.

 

[Teleblooz]

Sorry, double post.

 

[Blazer]

Don't you mean no OTHER former Beach Boys?

In all those cases, the guy who sang the original hit is still the guy singing the song, I don't see any problem...

Tim

So what's your opinion then about former Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch, who performs Korn songs that he didn't sing or wrote in the first place?



Welch left Korn in order to devote himself to fatherhood, stop doing drugs and basically to give his life a positive turn. I can only applaud him for that.

 

[castpolymer]

I think it works when the song in question was written or at least sung by the musician. It's more of a cover if said musician wasn't, I'd say, and then it all depends on how good a cover it is!

Tim

+1 on that take.

 

[José]

Don't you mean no OTHER former Beach Boys?

In all those cases, the guy who sang the original hit is still the guy singing the song, I don't see any problem...

Tim

That's Carl Wilson who sang the lead on Good Vibrations not Brian.

 

[nosuch]

Now if the singer left YOUR band and took some of YOUR songs, it might be another matter...

If he pays royalty it ain't that bad if he lands a hit with your songs, isn't it?

 

[Vladimir]

I know that Ace Frehley plays Kiss songs he didn't write and Kiss plays Ace's songs like Cold Gin and Shock Me. It's all ok if both parties agree.

 

[hekawi]

you mean like this:

 

[hekawi]

Dan Peek left the group America back in 1977, but the remaining members still play the hits that he wrote...

Don't Cross The River:



Lonely People:



and Woman Tonight:

 

[hekawi]

and then there's the tribute thing...

 

[Oster]

Well, all I can say is I'm going to see Ozzy Osbourne in November and he BETTER play some Black Sabbath! The more traditionally, the better I might add...

(Just kidding, I'm sure it will be a great show either way).

Ozzy, as far as I know, had very little to do with the Sabbath classics other than singing them but they really are his songs nonetheless.

 

[Dave Hopping]

Don't you mean no OTHER former Beach Boys?

In all those cases, the guy who sang the original hit is still the guy singing the song, I don't see any problem...

Tim

Oops! I misspoke.Clearly the marketplace has no problem with it.Might be interesting to figure out at what point it becomes a tribute.I heard once that there were two,maybe three sets of Coasters,each with an original member,grinding out "Yakety Yak" and "Charlie Brown" on the oldies circuit.There are,or were until recently,two quasi-legitimate sets of Surfaris as well.
Speaking of the Beach Boys,there was a story within the past few years about Mike Love getting an injunction against Al Jardine's "Beach Boys and Friends" revue(featuring Brian Wilson's daughters Carnie and Wendy).What a way to get "shut down"!

 

[WaylonFan76]

Now when Lydon established PIL he said that the music of the Sex Pistols was too conventional