Six rock bands who got better after replacing key members

Hey, I heard you missed uswe are back!

That’s right, my buddy Matt Reigle and I had so much fun making our last article/video series discussing the biggest snubs at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that we decided to do another one.

This time, we talked about six groups that got even better after replacing the previous key member.

Frankly, “better” is a subjective concept, but these six bands have reached new commercial and artistic heights with the changes they’ve made.

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One caveat we decided to add was that these bands already had to have a major label album. This means that names like Dave Mustaine (Metallica), Pete Best (Beatles) and Mark Stone (Van Halen), among others, were replaced before the band’s debut album hit shelves.

Okay, that’s enough introduction, let’s get into it.

3. Genesis adds Phil Collins

When you think of the band Genesis, I’m sure 98% of you picture them as this flashy pop band from the ’80s with a penchant for writing catchy radio-friendly songs, but that wasn’t always the case.

Before Phil Collins stepped in to handle vocal duties, a guy named Peter Gabriel handled those duties and was pretty good in his own right.

Genesis was a prog-rock band for most of Gabriel’s work in the early to mid-’70s, but he chose to break up following the release of their 1974 album “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.” (this title alone will tell you everything you need to know about the early Genesis and their musical style).

Collins, who was actually the band’s drummer at the time, stepped up to pull double duty as percussionist and lead vocalist.

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Their first few albums with Collins on the microphone were from the 1980s, although they weren’t a huge departure from their previous catalogue. Duke eventually saw the band become the hit machines we know today.

With classics like “Misunderstanding,” “That’s All,” “Land of Confusion” and “Invisible Touch,” among others, Genesis became one of the biggest pop rock bands of the ’80s, and I don’t think that would have happened without placing Collins in the position of lead singer.

This story has a mutually happy ending for both parties, as Gabriel has had a very successful solo career.

It’s always an advantage when both parties get what they want.

2. AC/DC added Brian Johnson

Bassist Cliff Williams, rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, lead guitarist Angus Young, drummer Simon Wright and singer Brian Johnson of AC/DC pose backstage after a show at Joe Louis Arena during the Flick of the Switch/Monsters of Rock tour on November 17, 1983 in Detroit, Michigan. (Ross Marino/Getty Images)

This might be a little unfair considering it’s more of a death than an actual change, but it’s our list and we can do whatever we want, dammit!

Anyway, throughout the 1970s Australia’s AC/DC had developed a loyal following as a “self-aggrandizing bar band” and had a number of classic albums to their name, including “TNT” and “High Tension”; but by 1979 many considered the band to have reached their commercial and artistic peak with “Highway to Hell”.

Then tragedy struck, when frontman Bon Scott choked on his own vomit after a night of heavy drinking in early 1980.

Scott was the heart and soul of the group as well as its de facto leader, so the rest of the group was heartbroken but vowed to serve in honor of their fallen brother.

Brian Johnson walked in and the rest, as they say, is history.

With Johnson’s involvement, AC/DC recorded and released “Back in Black,” one of the best-selling rock albums of all time, selling nearly 50 million copies at the time of writing.

If they had just released “Back in Black” and if nothing else Johnson would probably still be on this list, but the band moved on and had some of their biggest hits like “For Those About to Rock” and “Thunderstruck” as well as the hits “Back in Black.” Its release during Johnson’s tenure cements his legacy and contributions to the group.

Funny enough, as my colleague Matt pointed out, when Johnson had to take time off due to a vocal injury, AC/DC enlisted the help of Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose, who performed admirably as accompaniment in Johnson’s place.

These AC/DC guys sure know how to pick lead singers.

1. Def Leppard adds Phil Collen

British heavy metal band Def Leppard pose for a photo, circa 1985. (Tim Roney/Getty Images)

From Phil Collins to Phil Collen, we’ve got them all on this list!

This may offend some early 80s metal fans, but bear with me.

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In their early days as a band from Sheffield, England, Def Leppard were one of the flagbearers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement, with the dual guitar attack of Steve Clark and Pete Willis helping to define their sound.

Undoubtedly with classic albums ““Through the Night” and “High and Dry” Under them, Def Leppard had built a fan base accustomed to loud, standout hard rock.

But Willis liked to drink (apparently much more than any other member of the band, which is saying a lot) and he couldn’t be trusted during the recording sessions for their next album, so they showed him the door, brought in Phil Collen, and completely changed the course of the band.

It can be said that producer Mutt Lange’s influence on the band had a big impact on the change of sound, but he had already produced “High ‘n Dry”. Before Collen joined the band and when the band released “Pyromania” By 1983 it was clear that this was a different Def Leppard.

With hits like “Photograph,” “Too Late for Love” and “Foolin’,” Def Leppard had established themselves as literal arena rock gods, and that was before they unleashed their 1987 monster masterpiece “Hysteria” on an unsuspecting public.

Collen’s uncanny penchant for melodic grooves and gorgeous backing vocals made him the perfect material for making Def Leppard supernova in the ’80s and early ’90s, and the leaps in popularity that directly coincided with his addition to the band make him my clear number one.

Now that you get my side of things, Matt has three options for rock replacement:

3. Megadeth added Marty Friedman

Guitarist and vocalist Dave Mustaine performs live with Megadeth at Oslo Spektrum on June 5, 2018 in Oslo, Norway.

Megadeth’s 1988 song “So Far, So Good… So What!” Before he headed into the studio for his follow-up album, he had some serious axe-slingers in his ranks.

Obviously band leader and frontman Dave Mustaine is a beast of a player and employed great guitarists like Chris Poland and Jeff Young on some of the early records, but Megadeth kicked into another gear when Marty Friedman joined them for “Rust in Peace”, one of the greatest thrash metal albums of the 1990s so far.

Friedman wasn’t just a shredding machine; He introduced unique phrases and titles inspired by Middle Eastern music that helped take songs like “Hangar 18” and “Holly Wars… The Punishment Due” to another level.

Friedman left Megadeth in 2000 but continued to be a major influence on the band’s sound and the other guitarists who subsequently stepped in to fill his shoes.

2. Iron Maiden adds Bruce Dickinson

Iron Maiden band members Janick Gers, Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Bruce Dickinson, Nicko McBrain and Adrian Smith pose for a group photo on stage at Palacio Vistalegre in Spain on November 2, 2023. (Mick Hutson/Redferns)

If this gets to #2 on my list, you know #1 is going to suck.

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On the band’s first two albums, “Iron Maiden” and “Killers,” the man behind the microphone of the soon-to-be Rock and Roll Hall of Famers was the late, great Paul Di’Anno.

But no matter how amazing, Maiden knew they needed something to push them over the edge and lead the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

That thing was Bruce Dickinson. Bruce’s soaring, operatic, Ian Gillan-influenced vocals were the secret sauce that took Maiden’s act to another level.

Oddly enough, he upped his game twice. After leaving the band in 1993, Bruce returned for 2000’s “Brave New World” and Maiden were suddenly back to playing larger venues and festivals.

1. Rush – Neil Peart

He’s such a good replacement that I think people forget about his replacement.

When Rush released their self-titled debut album, John Rutsey was behind the kit, laying down the drums along with Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee.

But they included Neil Peart on the next album, “Fly by Night”, and the rest is prog rock history.

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Peart is widely regarded as one of, if not the, greatest drummer of all time and immediately opened up another dimension of musical possibilities for the band.

But the late drum god was far from a one-trick pony; he also wrote the band’s lyrics, and as any Rush fan knows, lyrics don’t just say how much you want to rock and roll.

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No, they’re about dining on honeydew and drinking milk heaven.

Neil Peart was a man who upped his band’s game on so many fronts, and that’s why I call this the worst member change of all time.