[Dave Schultz]

Although I find these topics of INXS-Oils comparisons & new lead singers to 
be kinda silly, I gotta take Stephen & Dale to task on a few points:

>Look at Genesis. Peter Gabriel was the first singer. They replaced him with 
>Phil Collins,
>and the rest is history.

The rest is history? I suppose Genesis were unknown before? While I'm not a 
huge fan of art-rock, I know many who are & its widely agreed by them as 
well as critics that Genesis' most enduring work is from the Peter Gabriel 
period (The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway probably being the masterpiece).
Its also worth mentioning that Collins fit in so well because he had been 
their drummer from the start.
Yes, they sold more post-Gabriel, but being a fellow Oils fan I'm sure you'd 
agree a lasting message & influence on popular music is much more important.

>Look at Van Halen. After David Lee Roth fell foul of Mr. Van Halen, they 
>brought in
>Sammy Hagar and went massive.

Went massive? Again, dude, they were already huge. & again, both fans & 
critics agree that the best material is from the David Lee Roth era- & its 
the stuff the average joe remembers today. Go ahead, hum a VH tune (ok, if 
you're like me you consider this an unpleasant experiment, but if proves my 
point).

>Can anyone out there give us any more examples of groups changing 
>singers....

Well, the Small Faces changed practically the whole band at once, & had to 
become the Faces 'cause they weren't so short anymore.
And the Yardbirds (after changing lead guitarists twice) also let go of Rolf 
(or he moved on himself, whatever), hired Robert Plant to finish the 
contractual obligations, and morphed into Led Zeppelin. (Actually, going 
through three legendary guitarists is the real notable of the 'birds career, 
since all were the key to their sound.)
Finally, the Drifters had 3 excellent vocalists- Clyde McPhatter, Johnny 
Moore, & Ben E. King (& briefly others)- and unlike Genesis & the examples I 
cited, didn't have to completely reinvent themselves with each one, which is 
most impressive since the Drifters were all about vocals. Then again, the 
Motown sound was kinda cookie cutter-ish (& yes, VH's sure was too, but they 
did invent the cutter pre-Hagar). In fact, I could probably list 5-10 Motown 
groups, male & female that also had two or more lead singers, but you catch 
my drift.

Now, Dale said that the terrible, treakly, weak AOR "artists" Sting or 
*chortle* Phil Collins could replace PG. Well, sure you did make it clear it 
was just your opinion, but I just couldn't let that one slide by. Sting 
because he's also an environmentalist? Collins *snort* because....? Uh, 
because...? Gabriel at least has a comparable energy/persona/uniqueness, but 
even there, I think you must be thinking of Gabriel in his prime (ie, with 
Genesis).

Anyway, Peter Garrett ain't going anywhere, & in any case the Oils without 
him would be like an Italian restaurant without pasta (I guess for the girls 
that makes Rob the veal).

_________________________________________________________________
Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com