These bands shook things up and reaped the benefits. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at bands whose career received a commercially successful boost after obtaining a new singer.
Category
🎵
MusicTranscript
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at bands whose career received a commercially
00:10successful boost after obtaining a new singer.
00:19Number 20.
00:20Sammy Hagar replaces David Lee Roth Van Halen
00:24Van Halen exploded with stellar musicianship and an unbeatable frontman.
00:36The hard rockers were on the rise when the howling, high-energy David Lee Roth shockingly
00:41departed in 1985.
00:44But Montrose's Sammy Hagar brought more than a killer new voice.
00:53With more realized band chemistry and pop appeal, 5150 became the first Van Halen album
00:59to top the charts.
01:01The next two albums did the same.
01:03Still, fans heavily debate how this so-called Van Hagar era compares to Roth's tenure.
01:13The commercial argument was complicated by Diamond Dave's return in 96 and 2006, which
01:19brought his total sales well over the Red Rockers.
01:23Of course, it wouldn't have been the same without Hagar leading Van Halen into generation-defining
01:28success.
01:34Number 19.
01:36Michael Kiske replaces Kai Hansen – Helloween Kai Hansen's fiery vocals and melodic guitar
01:42shredding made Helloween a unique voice in 80s metal.
01:52In fact, their seminal speed metal style was so intense that the frontman simply burned
01:58out.
01:59He thus provided backing and later left in favor of Michael Kiske, whose more dramatic
02:04belting complimented Helloween's growing symphonic influences.
02:15The two Keeper of the Seven Keys albums are now considered the formal declaration of the
02:20power metal genre.
02:22It would become a phenomenon as the band sold over 10 million records, mostly with Andy
02:27Derris singing.
02:32Hansen was no less influential with his hit follow-up band Gamma Ray, and since 2016,
02:39Helloween has given him, Kiske, and Derris their due as co-lead vocalists.
02:50Number 18.
02:51Corey Taylor takes over from Anders Kolsefny – Slipknot Perhaps no band exemplifies the
02:58style and spectacle of new metal like Slipknot.
03:07But the Iowa ensemble were more death metal, among many other genres, when Anders Kolsefny
03:13fronted them.
03:15The album Mate, Feed, Kill, Repeat was an obscure debut, which the band has since dubbed
03:21a demo record.
03:29Kolsefny ultimately left shortly after being sidelined by Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor.
03:35His wide, melodic vocal range and outrageous showmanship were integral to Slipknot achieving
03:40unlikely stardom with such a heavy sound.
03:47They've sold tens of millions of records and are one of the hottest live acts in metal.
03:54Taylor has proven himself a powerhouse leader, but Kolsefny remains an active and eclectic
04:00performer.
04:01Number 17.
04:02James LaBrie replaces Charlie Domenici – Dream Theater Founded under the name Majestic, Dream
04:09Theater helped define the progressive metal genre with their virtuosic musicianship.
04:19And yet their work with Charlie Domenici didn't see much critical success, let alone commercial.
04:31It was ultimately decided that the singer's more pop-oriented background just didn't
04:36groove with Dream Theater's meticulous compositions.
04:40In 1991, the American band recruited Canadian singer James LaBrie as the ideal voice for
04:46their sophisticated style of heavy metal.
04:53He has been with Dream Theater ever since.
04:56Along the way, they have influenced countless musicians with consistent critical acclaim
05:01and commercial success.
05:03But he didn't still have a soft spot for the Domenici years and mourned along with
05:07the band after his passing in 2023.
05:18Number 16.
05:20David Clayton Thomas replaces Al Cooper – Blood, Sweat & Tears With jazzy pop rock barely describing
05:27their style, Blood, Sweat & Tears seemed bound for stardom by the late 60s.
05:37Their debut album, Child is Father to the Man, certainly won praise for Al Cooper's
05:42dynamic vocals and musical direction.
05:45Unfortunately, it barely cracked the top 50.
05:48As creative conflicts ensued, the band was left without its visionary leader.
05:53Enter the golden-voiced David Clayton Thomas to lead B.S. & T's eponymous second album
05:59to the top of the charts for seven weeks.
06:06The band has since become a pop staple with a rotating lineup, though Clayton Thomas is
06:12associated with their golden age.
06:18Meanwhile, Cooper became a renaissance man in the music industry and was individually
06:24inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.
06:29Number 15.
06:30Joey Belladonna replaces Neil Turbin – Anthrax Thrash metalheads hail Anthrax as pioneers,
06:38but downplay that they didn't have the same early success as the rest of the big four.
06:43They had an unstable lineup before landing on vocalist Neil Turbin for Fistful of Metal.
06:53The 1984 album got mixed reviews, lacking the freshness of Metallica's 83 debut Kill
06:59Em All.
07:00The band was already facing tension that ultimately led to the departures of Turbin and bassist
07:05Dan Lickler.
07:06At least they had solid sales, but not like they've had with Joey Belladonna.
07:17His intense vocals and stage presence turned Anthrax into one of the most influential acts
07:22in their genre.
07:24And with Belladonna fronting their most commercially successful years, he himself is a metal megastar.
07:35Number 14.
07:36Justin Hayward and John Lodge replace Denny Layne – The Moody Blues To be key figures
07:42in art rock, The Moody Blues had a very 60s pop name.
07:47That's because they started as an R&B group behind guitarist-singer Denny Layne.
07:59But after they scored a hit single with a cover of Bessie Smith's Go Now, plummeting
08:03commercial prospects led to radical change.
08:07Layne was replaced by two lead singers, Justin Hayward and John Lodge, whose poetic and high-concept
08:13songwriting had an important impact on progressive rock.
08:24This new style was still pop enough to hook mainstream listeners.
08:28The Moody Blues became a sensation with audiences and critics.
08:32Rising above 60s trends to become true innovators, Layne enjoyed his own successful reinvention,
08:39notably co-founding the band Wings with friend Paul McCartney.
08:48Number 13.
08:49Bernard Sumner takes over from Ian Curtis – Joy Division slash New Order
08:55Joy Division brought punk to new commercial heights with their danceable style and Ian
09:00Curtis' charisma.
09:08They were sure to become a phenomenon when tragedy marked the end of an era.
09:12Struggling with depression and epilepsy, Curtis took his own life just before the release
09:17of the band's second album.
09:19Joy Division promptly disbanded, but the members soon regrouped and completely rebranded.
09:32With guitarist-keyboardist Bernard Sumner promoted to lead vocals, New Order helped
09:36pioneer the synth-pop craze of the 80s and lay the foundation for alternative dance music.
09:42Sumner has since led New Order to renown and popularity for four decades.
09:48Of course, the band's work under a different name and visionary frontman is as celebrated
09:52as ever.
10:00Number 12.
10:01Mike Patton replaces Chuck Mosley – Faith No More
10:05Going into the 80s, these San Francisco alt-rockers faced a crisis of identity.
10:15They went through two names and three singers before Chuck Mosley fronted Faith No More
10:20for the album We Care A Lot.
10:22It was a success and its title track an outright hit, but Mosley's erratic behavior led to
10:28his dismissal after the second album.
10:30Faith No More then recruited Mr. Bungle's Mike Patton, a virtuoso singer and off-the-wall
10:36showman.
10:44He expanded the band's musical boundaries, earning them a devoted following and accolades
10:48as one of the most distinct rock acts of the 90s.
10:52Patton himself became a prolific phenom across near innumerable genres.
11:03But many artists praise Faith No More's influence back to the late, great Chuck Mosley.
11:09Number 11.
11:10Grace Slick replaces Signey Toley Anderson – Jefferson Airplane
11:15Jefferson Airplane was one of the leading voices of 60s counterculture, two voices at
11:21a time.
11:22While Paul Kantner always provided the male vocals, his partner was Signey Toley Anderson.
11:27She helped set the band's distinctive style with the modestly successful album Jefferson
11:32Airplane Takes Off.
11:40But Anderson decided to leave the group after becoming a mother.
11:44The landmark album, Surrealistic Pillow, would thus feature Grace Slick of the Great Society.
11:57Her powerful vocals and stage presence propelled the commercial appeal of psychedelic rock,
12:02placing Jefferson Airplane at the forefront of counterculture music.
12:06Slick is now regarded as an important figure among women in rock, but might not have gotten
12:11there without Anderson's underappreciated voice.
12:20Number 10.
12:21Phil Anselmo replaces Terry Glaze – Pantera Fans new to the history of this rough-and-ready
12:27metal act may be surprised to discover that Pantera actually started their career as a
12:32more traditional-minded, glam-flavored metal machine.
12:40The Texas-bred band featured Terry Glaze on vocals during this time, and released three
12:45albums with the singer before eventually hooking up with New Orleans native Phil Anselmo on
12:50the Power Metal album.
12:58It wasn't long before bringing on Anselmo that Pantera would sign a deal with Atco Records,
13:04resulting in their breakthrough major-label debut, Cowboys From Hell.
13:13The rest, as they say, is history, with Pantera eventually going on to become one of heavy
13:18metal's most popular and influential bands.
13:27Number 9.
13:28Henry Rollins takes over from Dez Cadena – Black Flag
13:33Hardcore punk icons Black Flag have been through a number of lead vocalists over the years,
13:39including Ron Chavo Reyes and former Circle Jerk singer Keith Morris.
13:43But it was with the magnetic and furious frontman Henry Rollins, however, where the band arguably
13:49entered their most progressive and successful creative period.
13:57Rollins served as the longest-term singer for Black Flag, having replaced Dez Cadena
14:02in 1981, with the latter switching over to the second guitar position.
14:11The resulting albums with Rollins, such as Damaged, My War, and Slip It In, went on to
14:16influence not only Flag's punk rock community, but also metal and noise rock bands around
14:22the world.
14:27Number 8.
14:28Ian Gillen replaces Rod Evans – Deep Purple The British rock institution of Deep Purple
14:34did get a solid running start with their Mark I lineup alongside their first frontman, Rod
14:39Evans.
14:45But it wasn't until Ian Gillen joined the band in late 1969 that they truly started
14:50their journey towards superstardom.
15:00This was largely due in part to Gillen's capable ability to howl with reckless abandon
15:06on such future purple classics as Highway Star and Space Truckin', both of which served
15:11as the earliest examples of hard rock progressing towards heavy metal.
15:16Purple and Gillen would go on to crisscross the world on tour, further cementing their
15:20status as one of heavy rock's most influential groups.
15:32Number 7.
15:33Steve Perry takes over from Greg Rowley – Journey The crystal clear voice of Steve Perry is
15:39one of the most closely associated with the career of rock legends, Journey.
15:49But the band's story actually started much earlier.
15:52Band leader Neil Sean initially formed Journey after leaving Santana in 1973.
15:58Coming together with Greg Rowley on keyboards and vocals, Journey briefly employed singer
16:03Robert Fleischman after releasing their third album in 1977.
16:13But it was the Steve Perry era from 77 to 98 which served as their most commercially
16:19successful, resulting in numerous top ten singles and successful world tours.
16:30Number 6.
16:32Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks replace Bob Welch – Fleetwood Mac
16:37It's quite difficult to make sense of the twisted mass of tangled threads that is Fleetwood
16:42Mac lineup changes.
16:51What isn't difficult, however, is to note how the band's commercial profile increased
16:55in 1974, when the former blues rock band enlisted singer-songwriter couple Lindsey Buckingham
17:02and Stevie Nicks into their ranks.
17:10Buckingham and Nicks brought with them a stripped-down emotional passion to the band's songwriting,
17:19in the process tempering down Fleetwood Mac's riff-heavy sound into one more balanced between
17:25Buckingham's flowing guitar melodies and Nicks' charismatic vocals and stage presence.
17:32Number 5.
17:33Simon Lebon replaces Stephen Duffy – Duran Duran
17:37The tenure of one Stephen Duffy was not one that lasted long within an early incarnation
17:43of the British pop rock Goliath known as Duran Duran.
17:47Although Duffy helped form the band alongside bassist John Taylor and keyboardist Nick Rhodes,
17:52he was ultimately one of a small revolving door of vocalists that assisted Duran Duran
17:58during their early nightclub days.
18:05It was the addition of Simon Lebon in 1980 that cemented what most fans see as the definitive
18:11lineup of the band as this version of Duran Duran would go on to become legitimate 1980s
18:17superstars.
18:25Thanks to music videos for Rio, Save a Prayer, and Hungry Like the Wolf receiving massive
18:30MTV rotation.
18:40Number 4.
18:41Phil Collins replaces Peter Gabriel – Genesis
18:44Genesis were responsible for spearheading the progressive rock movement of the 1970s
18:50much in part to the magnetic stage presence of their theatrical frontman, Peter Gabriel.
18:59Early Genesis shows were marked by Gabriel's penchant for stage makeup and showmanship,
19:05while the band's complex songwriting exemplified prog rock's reputation for musical intricacy.
19:11Fast-forwarding to the band's tenure under singer-drummer Phil Collins, however, showcased
19:15the band very much taking this progressive musicality and stripping it down to its most
19:20essential commercial elements.
19:28Smash Genesis hits like Land of Confusion and That's All all took the band's early
19:33elements and combined them with smart songwriting, resulting in the band's most commercially
19:38successful period.
19:46Number 3.
19:47Brian Johnson replaces Bon Scott – ACDC Most ACDC fans will likely agree that the
19:54band's iconic frontman, Bon Scott, was irreplaceable.
20:05That is, until they heard Brian Johnson.
20:08It was Johnson's debut with ACDC in 1980 that assisted in softening the blows struck
20:13by Scott's alcohol-related death earlier that year, a magnificent riff-rock collection
20:18known as Back in Black.
20:24Johnson's paint-peeling screech was one pattern after Scott's own legendary wail.
20:34Yet the former Geordie frontman never made it a point of copying Scott note for note.
20:42Rather, the band and Johnson paved their own way together, writing, recording, and touring
20:51together for the next 30-plus years.
20:59Number 2.
21:00Bruce Dickinson replaces Paul D'Anno – Iron Maiden
21:04Many members have passed through the hallowed halls of metal master's Iron Maiden over
21:08the years, but it was the coveted lead vocal position that has served as the most hotly
21:14debated among fans.
21:20Iron Maiden were diehard fan favorites in their native England after toiling through
21:24the underground with their punk-fueled frontman, Paul D'Anno.
21:28Substance issues took their toll on the frontman after two albums with Maiden, however, resulting
21:33in him being replaced in 1981 by former Samson singer Bruce Dickinson.
21:43The resulting albums with Dickinson would cement Iron Maiden as a worldwide metal powerhouse,
21:49increasing the band's commercial profile around the world.
21:57Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
22:02about our latest videos.
22:03You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
22:07If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
22:13Number 1.
22:14David Gilmour replaces Syd Barrett – Pink Floyd
22:18The heavy psychedelic sound that characterized early Pink Floyd was thanks largely in part
22:23to the band's founder, guitarist Syd Barrett.
22:31It was the songwriter's erratic personal behavior, exacerbated by heavy substance use,
22:36that would eventually lead to Barrett's dismissal from Pink Floyd.
22:40Vocalist and guitarist David Gilmour had already been introduced into the band at this point
22:45to support and supplement Barrett.
22:47But it was this shift in creative control with Syd's exit which led to some of Floyd's
22:52most commercially successful records.
22:58Gilmour's smooth vocals and expressive emotional guitar playing would go on to define the new
23:07Pink Floyd sound, bringing in fans around the world throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s.
23:21What are your favorite vocalist replacements in bands?
23:23Lend your voice in the comments.