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Post by kds on May 1, 2022 1:03:08 GMT
The thread on when The Beach Boys should've broken up inspired me to start a thread on alternate universes for bands / artists.
I'll get the ball rolling with my favorite all time band Pink Floyd.
In my universe, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright ride the momentum of 1994's Division Bell.
In 1998, Pink Floyd releases their 15th studio album, featuring ten songs. All music is written by Gilmour with Wright, the latter credited on six songs. Anthony Moore and Polly Sampson help with lyrics.
With Floyd alive and touring in 1998 into 1999 (giving a young college aged kds a chance to see them), Roger Waters remains a bit of a recluse.
Floyd releases another album in 2003 and tours.
The band agrees to play the 2005 Live 8 show. But, the big shocker is when Roger Waters takes the stage with them, making his first live appearance since 1991.
After a 20 minute set, Pink Floyd announces a tour in 2006 with Waters back in the fold. Roger reluctantly agrees to play on a few post 1985 songs. In return, they play some songs from Animals and The Final Cut.
The tour is a huge success. Sadly, Wright's 2008 death essentially ends the band.
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Post by jk on May 1, 2022 10:11:49 GMT
Interesting idea, kds. Regrettably, as the world's staunchest opponent of "what if's", I'm going to have to pass on this one.
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Post by Kapitan on May 1, 2022 13:11:36 GMT
As the world's staunchest proponent of what-ifs, I'll offer one: Queen, sometime in the 1982-84 range, calls it a day.
This is relatively easy to imagine happening, as the band were indeed growing apart musically (and hadn't been the kind of band to socialize much outside of music for years, if ever).
Freddie Mercury was arguably at his high point of risky living, doing inordinate amounts of drugs, drinking, and smoking, as well as having herculean quantities of very promiscuous sex whether in Munich, Berlin, New York, London, or Los Angeles. He also was thinking about solo music in this time, with much of it leaning toward dance music.
Roger Taylor had also thrown his hat into the ring as a solo artist, with his debut Fun In Space having been released in 1981 and performing reasonably well in the UK and some European markets.
Brian May was unhappy with the musical direction of Hot Space, and seems to have been similarly unhappy with Mercury's behavior (or at least choice of company).
John Deacon was ever the businessman, writing music in that Hot Space style, either because it was to his taste or because he saw the commercial potential since his "Another One Bites the Dust" was a massive hit.
The question is, if they break up somewhere in these years, what happens? It's really difficult to speculate.
Mercury: ever-dramatic, does he sink into despair at the demise of the band (even though he's a major cause of that demise in this scenario)? If so, he may well have died of an overdose. Conversely, he might have taken stock of his life and gotten cleaned up and healthy, launching into a solo career that likely would have been successful worldwide, if not necessarily in America. Sadly, it's likely he already had contracted HIV by this time, meaning the eventual outcome is set either way.
Deacon: I think he does exactly what he did 10 years later. He fades out of public view into a comfortable life as a very wealthy man.
Taylor and May: I'll group them together because I could imagine them actually continuing a partnership in a new band. I don't think either necessarily understood himself to be solo-star material, but both contributed strong material to Queen over the years and both could take turns as lead vocalists. They both gravitated toward the hard, melodic rock sounds the band made famous. Perhaps they bring in some famous musician as a kind of supergroup. The '80s are certainly a good time for hard rock, and it's possible they could have had some success. Artistically, the theatrical elements that Mercury brought to counteract the machismo of guitar-driven rock would be missed, but the resulting Taylor-May project might have been more palatable to American audiences without Freddie's campier elements.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on May 1, 2022 13:15:45 GMT
And, I'll go with The Doors...but not the Jim Morrison ones.
Jim Morrison died on July 3, 1971. The surviving Doors - Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore - released two post-Morrison albums, Other Voices and Full Circle. While those two albums had some outstanding moments, they could also be considered as mediocre, wacky, and ultimately disappointing. In 1973, Ray called it a day and The Doors were closed.
Ray, Robby, and John attempted solo careers, both as individual acts and in bands with little success. It would be several years before Ray and Robby reunited to perform concerts under various names (The Doors Of The 21st Century and Riders On The Storm being two of them). John decided to sit it out, blaming tinnitus and not wanting to tarnish The Doors' legacy. In 2013, Ray passed away. Robby and John have reconciled and made a few brief public appearances.
In my Alternate Band Universe, I wish The Doors - Ray, Robby, and John - would have taken a break in 1973, record their solo/new band music (which they did), and eventually re-group. They could've called themselves a number of names - The Doors, KDM (or MDK or DMK ), or Manzarek, Krieger & Densmore. It didn't really matter! I just wish they would've used the ensuing four decades after Morrison's death to record and perform more music.
I understand why the surviving Doors broke up in 1973, but I also think they were a bit short-sighted. I don't think they truly realized how huge or great(!) they were - and that The Doors' music would remain relevant forever. Did they foresee books, movies, and documentaries about their lead singer AND them eventually being produced? Probably not. Did they think of themselves as...living legends. No to that one, too. But they were.
I could see them performing in smaller venues and recording new albums every couple of years (with or without a "guest singer") and their audiences eating it up. Certainly their fans would be understanding and love these Doors for who they were. In addition to the older, original fans, they would've attracted many newer, younger fans who, I think, would've appreciated these special musicians and their music.
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Post by kds on May 1, 2022 18:26:37 GMT
As the world's staunchest proponent of what-ifs, I'll offer one: Queen, sometime in the 1982-84 range, calls it a day.
This is relatively easy to imagine happening, as the band were indeed growing apart musically (and hadn't been the kind of band to socialize much outside of music for years, if ever).
Freddie Mercury was arguably at his high point of risky living, doing inordinate amounts of drugs, drinking, and smoking, as well as having herculean quantities of very promiscuous sex whether in Munich, Berlin, New York, London, or Los Angeles. He also was thinking about solo music in this time, with much of it leaning toward dance music.
Roger Taylor had also thrown his hat into the ring as a solo artist, with his debut Fun In Space having been released in 1981 and performing reasonably well in the UK and some European markets.
Brian May was unhappy with the musical direction of Hot Space, and seems to have been similarly unhappy with Mercury's behavior (or at least choice of company).
John Deacon was ever the businessman, writing music in that Hot Space style, either because it was to his taste or because he saw the commercial potential since his "Another One Bites the Dust" was a massive hit.
The question is, if they break up somewhere in these years, what happens? It's really difficult to speculate.
Mercury: ever-dramatic, does he sink into despair at the demise of the band (even though he's a major cause of that demise in this scenario)? If so, he may well have died of an overdose. Conversely, he might have taken stock of his life and gotten cleaned up and healthy, launching into a solo career that likely would have been successful worldwide, if not necessarily in America. Sadly, it's likely he already had contracted HIV by this time, meaning the eventual outcome is set either way.
Deacon: I think he does exactly what he did 10 years later. He fades out of public view into a comfortable life as a very wealthy man.
Taylor and May: I'll group them together because I could imagine them actually continuing a partnership in a new band. I don't think either necessarily understood himself to be solo-star material, but both contributed strong material to Queen over the years and both could take turns as lead vocalists. They both gravitated toward the hard, melodic rock sounds the band made famous. Perhaps they bring in some famous musician as a kind of supergroup. The '80s are certainly a good time for hard rock, and it's possible they could have had some success. Artistically, the theatrical elements that Mercury brought to counteract the machismo of guitar-driven rock would be missed, but the resulting Taylor-May project might have been more palatable to American audiences without Freddie's campier elements.
The idea of a Queen breakup is so compelling, it was written into their biopic. The idea of May and Taylor starting a band in the mid 80s is interesting. Had they done so at that point, it might've been a more forward thinking project than the 21st Century Queen + affairs. Maybe since Ritchie Blackmore packed up Rainbow to reform Deep Purple, Joe Lynn Turner joins Roger and Brian. Maybe songs like Hammer to Fall, Radio Ga Ga, I Want It All, A Kind of Magic, and Who Wants to Live Forever become songs for this band.
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Post by lonelysummer on May 1, 2022 19:34:54 GMT
My alternate band universe is: instead of quitting CCR in 1971, Tom Fogerty stays, with the understanding that he will get to have a couple of his own songs on the next album (either originals, or covers - CCR never had an all original album until Pendulum). I'm a weirdo that actually enjoys Mardi Gras, but honestly, it made no sense for Doug Clifford and Stu Cook to suddenly be singing/writing three songs each - as if they could perform at the same level as John Fogerty. It would have made a lot more sense for Tom to sing a couple songs on their albums; he was the lead singer in the very early days as Tommy Fogerty and the Blue Velvets, and the Golliwogs. Once they became a success, though, it was "my way or the highway" with John.
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