I've already seen some comments on how 'MP SHOULD SING IT GIVEN HE'S BETTER THAN JLB!' in some discussions of this.
Oh, my. I love MP and most of the music he's been involved with but his diehard fans can be quite a handful.
Right, and again, I personally don't have an issue with him playing it. I just don't have an interest in him playing it without DT. That's all.
I don't if you are aware of, but did you see PSMS perform live Acid Rain from LTE? Personally, I loved that version of the song and because it's totally similar to the original arrangement and, at the same time, the differences of styles between Derek, Billy and Tony compared to JP, JM and JR, makes that version specially unique. I guess that capability and chemistry of PSMS as musicians would work very well too for a 12 Step performance. With Russel Allen of course!
I kindly disagree. To my ears, the PSMS versions of DT tunes (or Acid Rain) didn't sound nearly as good as the originals. I love Tony MacAlpine, but he didn't quite grasp the JP vibe at all (nor the playing or the sound) and Billy Sheehan overplays stuff. Listening to Lines in the Sand with Derek's original sounds is awesome, but it fails to give me the awesome vibe the DT versions give me every time.
I didn't expect the PSMS versions of the DT tunes to beat the originals (nor I think it was their intention to do so in the first place), but hardcore MP fans never miss a chance of stating something like: 'Better than DT! MP soul & heart of DT 4 ever!'. I'm usually very chill with differing opinions, but that's kinda a soft spot that annoys me to some extent.
That being said, I think the Planet X and Billy tunes sound amazing in PSMS.