If member "X" left the band, who'd be a suitable replacement?

[?]

Shouldn't this thread only be about bassists? I mean, member "X" has to be the one with X in his initials!

[Kotowboy]

Drums - Lars Ulrich
Bass - Adam Clayton
Guitar - Kirk Hammett
Keyboards - Chris Lowe
Vocals - Wayne Coyne

Wayne would be awesome!

Ugh. One of the worst singers in a band i've ever heard.

[jonnybaxy]

MM: mike portnoy
JR: either Derek or I'd probably stop listening
JP: irreplaceable
JMX: not too sure, but he can be replaced by someone
JLB: Chris Collins

[JayOctavarium]

MM - Mike Portnoy
JP - MacAlpine
JM - Sheehan
JR - Sherinian
JLB - meh all instrumental



seems to me Portnoy has build himself the ultimate alternate Dream Theater lineup

[MoraWintersoul]

MM - Mike Portnoy
JP - MacAlpine
JM - Sheehan
JR - Sherinian
JLB - meh all instrumental



seems to me Portnoy has build himself the ultimate alternate Dream Theater lineup

JLB: Chris Collins

Whoaaaaaaaaaaa ooooooh ooooh, whooooooaaaaa oooooh oooooooh, whooooooaaaaaaa oooooh YAAAAAAAAAAAAH

[Mindflux]

Ugh. One of the worst singers in a band i've ever heard.

That is pure insanity.

[Grinch]

MM - Probably Mike Portnoy if he were willing to come back, if not then I guess there would be another series of 'The Spirit Carries On' on YouTube.
JP - They would all retire from DT.
JMX - JP would retire and that brings us to the sentence above this one.
JR - Derek Sherinian if he wanted to, however if he were not willing to come back then I just don't have a clue.
JLB - I would stop listening, he may not be the best singer in the world but he is the voice of DT.

[jcmoorehead]

MM - Kevin Moore
JP - Kevin Moore
JM - Kevin Moore
JR - Kevin Moore
JLB - Kevin Moore

[Kotowboy]

Ugh. One of the worst singers in a band i've ever heard.

That is pure insanity.

He's fuckin tone deaf.

[Mindflux]

He's fuckin tone deaf.

I think you've rammed to many q-tips into your ear drums.

[Kotowboy]

JLB - he may not be the best singer in the world but he is the voice of DT.

That is pure insanity.

I think you've rammed to many q-tips into your ear drums.

You're the one who thinks Wayne Coyne can sing.

[Mindflux]

You're the one who thinks Wayne Coyne can sing.

He _CAN_ sing. 

[Kotowboy]

 

[Mindflux]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9Gw_ALs5vU


One of my favorite songs of theirs. Beautiful...

[Kotowboy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BatjCj88Q1g

No.

[Mindflux]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BatjCj88Q1g

No.

Uh, there's like 5 people singing at the same time for most of that track. I can barely pick Wayne out from the rest of them.   You surely can't tell me JLB has a perfect live track record, either.

[Kotowboy]

I've never heard Wayne singing well.

Don't give me studio clips. Anybody can sound good in the studio.

[Mindflux]

I've never heard Wayne singing well.

Don't give me studio clips. Anybody can sound good in the studio.

Don't give me crap live footage then. Give me a soundboard patch or something where the crowd isn't clobbering the audio.

[Kotowboy]

Just pick any one at random xD

[The Presence of Frenemies]

Drums: Van Williams
Bass: Mike LePond
Keyboards: Janne Wirman
Guitar: Jeff Loomis
Vocals: John West

[MoraWintersoul]

Bass: Mike LePond
Keyboards: Janne Wirman

Here's something I could live with (albeit miserably as JMX leaving would be quite awful)! Speaking of Janne Wirman, he's an amazing metal player but he couldn't nail some of the things Jordan does technically, let alone compose at the DT level.

[The Presence of Frenemies]

Bass: Mike LePond
Keyboards: Janne Wirman

Here's something I could live with (albeit miserably as JMX leaving would be quite awful)! Speaking of Janne Wirman, he's an amazing metal player but he couldn't nail some of the things Jordan does technically, let alone compose at the DT level.

Is this necessary? I mean, I guess to play the older stuff, but in terms of going forward, I would think the "KM block" of the DT fanbase wouldn't be upset to see a keyboard player with less technical chops than Jordan. Somebody like Wirman would take the sound in a different direction, obviously, but I've always been impressed with the atmosphere he creates (albeit in a wildly different context).

[?]

Being a keyboardist I used to be a huge Janne fanboy back in 2008-09 Anyway, I don't think he would be the right fit.

Jens Johansson auditioned for DT already back in 1994 and he could be a good choice, although he will probably never leave Stratovarius for any other band. He's actually talked about the DT audition in interviews:

- What about your involvement in DREAM THEATER? Some time ago news had it that you were going to join them.

Yes, but it was a bit complicated situation there. Basically, it was pretty clear that I was going to join them but they changed their minds as they wanted to have a wider selection of people to pick from. Then I said I don't care for that type of bullshit. But that was a long time ago, like '94. It's as simple as that, it was all silly, I thought, it was a bit strange situation. It was when Kevin Moore had actually left the band so, I think, there was a bit of stress, they didn't know what to do. A strange situation for them - one of the members that actually formed the band, he leaves right before the tour, that's what he did. There was a lot of pressure. But since, they had quite good keyboard player anyway - they're the band that always had good keyboard players, so whatever happened was the best.

[MoraWintersoul]

Is this necessary? I mean, I guess to play the older stuff, but in terms of going forward, I would think the "KM block" of the DT fanbase wouldn't be upset to see a keyboard player with less technical chops than Jordan. Somebody like Wirman would take the sound in a different direction, obviously, but I've always been impressed with the atmosphere he creates (albeit in a wildly different context).

Well it is pretty necessary, as there's a huge load of old songs he would barely be able to play but he's good enough to learn that. It's just about that JP is used to having a total wizard by his side for composing purposes. As he once said, showing some new song-bit to Jordan requires playing it for him once and he is immediately able to retort in a million different ways/styles.

Man, Jordan is irreplaceable...

Being a keyboardist I used to be a huge Janne fanboy back in 2008-09 Anyway, I don't think he would be the right fit.

Jens Johansson auditioned for DT already back in 1994 and he could be a good choice, although he will probably never leave Stratovarius for any other band. He's actually talked about the DT audition in interviews:

- What about your involvement in DREAM THEATER? Some time ago news had it that you were going to join them.

Yes, but it was a bit complicated situation there. Basically, it was pretty clear that I was going to join them but they changed their minds as they wanted to have a wider selection of people to pick from. Then I said I don't care for that type of bullshit. But that was a long time ago, like '94. It's as simple as that, it was all silly, I thought, it was a bit strange situation. It was when Kevin Moore had actually left the band so, I think, there was a bit of stress, they didn't know what to do. A strange situation for them - one of the members that actually formed the band, he leaves right before the tour, that's what he did. There was a lot of pressure. But since, they had quite good keyboard player anyway - they're the band that always had good keyboard players, so whatever happened was the best.

Relatively typical of DT, "we want you in the band - um yeah hang on - whoops no we don't" I'm a fangirl of both Jens and Janne myself. Jens... not sure if he would have been a right fit in the 90's. But looking at Derek's resume before DT, who would have guessed he would have fit so well?

[?]

I was a fanboy of Jens as well - basically any band with a shredding keyboardist was good to me! Oh, those were the days when I still thought technicality makes music automatically better...

Anyway, here's more quotes from Jens regarding DT:

Well, perhaps the reason your name came up seriously in the prog rock discussions of late is due to your possible involvement with Dream Theater. What do you think of DT, their older and perhaps more keyboard-oriented pieces, and their present, more metallic style?

I liked "Images & Words" a lot when it came out...actually BOUGHT myself a copy. The new one is good too, an itsy bitsy bit grungy but perhaps I need to listen to it more. The first Dream Theater album I haven't heard I'm afraid.

What did happen with Dream Theater? There seemed to be a bit of a keyboard musical-chairs recently. Many of us were secretly wishing that you got the gig, as your skills are incredibly sufficient to handle Kevin's parts. So what did happen? Was it an incompatibility in style, or was it something else?

No idea what happened there I'm afraid. I was ready, willing, and able, at least at the time. I did an "audition", actually the first one of my life. I thought it went great, but then maybe I have nothing to compare with. (No fist fights broke out means it was a good audition, right? ) I don't think it was a musical problem myself, perhaps a money thing, or something. I also got the impression that it wasn't a "permanent" gig, rather, a "road sideman" type of situation where you don't get to be in the videos, don't get to do interviews, etc. Effectively, to be able to write and participate on the next record you'd have to pass a one-year-long audition. I would have been a bit unhappy with that part of it, perhaps they realized that. If so, I'd have to give them credit. I had quite enough of the "Them vs. Us" bullsh*t with Yngwie I guess, so perhaps I'm a bit allergic.

Was there an incompatibility with Dream Theater, being that you're from a classically influenced style while the band was of the 'Berklee' school?

I kind of doubt it, I was actually more of a fusion freak myself although the stuff I did with Yngwie of course was 'neo-classical'. I was never "classically trained" or anything. And I think the Dream Theater guys never graduated from Berklee. (Which, if it's true, in my mind is good, I don't really think you can be taught how to be a good musician. Technically proficient, yes, but then pretty much anyone can learn how to type really fast and accurately too.)

I've also heard elsewhere about DT's lack of desire to fill a permanent keyboard spot at this time. Did you think that you would of been a "sideman" as with Yngwie? I do hear that at this time, that's what Derek (Sheranian, present live keyboardist for Dream Theater) is going through....

That's the impression I got as well. I think it is worse for him than it was for me with Yngwie, I mean, when we were with Yngwie, at least we got to be in the videos, and do interviews and such. Perhaps they will put this Derek guy in the next video..

Derek did end up becoming a full-time member, and I bet that would've happened to Jens too if he had been chosen, but he didn't have the patience to be just a sideman at first.

Looks like Jens, Jordan and Derek are the only keyboardists who have been confirmed to have auditioned for DT back then. I wish they had filmed those auditions and put together something like the drummer doc! But then again, that one guy died so maybe that would be too shocking to watch...

[MoraWintersoul]

Yeah, it seems he wasn't too thrilled about the outcome, but he wasn't angry at them or anything, because he wouldn't have been thrilled about them testing him for a year or so. That is what happened to Derek, really.

I am drawing a blank here - was there any keyboardist in (melodic or prog, I suppose) metal before or around the time when Jens and Kevin did all this wild soloing (late 80's, early 90's) doing that same thing? I really can't think of any off the top of my head. I think they pioneered it. Which is quite awesome.

[Scorpion]

Keith Emerson would be my assumption, often referred to as the "Jimi Hendrix of keyboards".

[MoraWintersoul]

Keith Emerson would be my assumption, often referred to as the "Jimi Hendrix of keyboards".

Oh I'm aware there were plenty of soloing keyboardists in prog and hard rock, but I was talking metal

[Lolzeez]

Keith Emerson would be my assumption, often referred to as the "Jimi Hendrix of keyboards".

Oh I'm aware there were plenty of soloing keyboardists in prog and hard rock, but I was talking metal

Keith Emerson would be out of place with all this metal around.

[Scorpion]

Oh. I thought we were talking about shred keyboard work, for lack of a better term.

Scorpion is sowwy. 

[TheSilentHam]

I think Rachmaninoff would have been Metal had he been zapped 50 years ahead.  He was nearly Metal in his own time.

[MoraWintersoul]

Oh. I thought we were talking about shred keyboard work, for lack of a better term.

Scorpion is sowwy. 

Aw you don't have to be

[KevShmev]

You're the one who thinks Wayne Coyne can sing.

It's comical how dead wrong you are about Coyne. 

BRB, going to find a random live clip of every singer in the world not sounding his/her best.

[jonnybaxy]

You're the one who thinks Wayne Coyne can sing.

It's comical how dead wrong you are about Coyne. 

BRB, going to find a random live clip of every singer in the world not sounding his/her best.

You could find axl rose... But he has never finished a concert, Axl 'screw you guys, I'm going home' Rose.

[Mindflux]

It's comical how dead wrong you are about Coyne.