Thursday, December 01, 2005

The Cars reuniting? Not if Congress can do something about it.

Where is Congress when we really need them? Sivart is all fired up over Congress sticking their nose into the sporting world instead of doing actual work and I have to agree with his sentiments. I do however believe I have found something that Congress needs to look into that may actually do some good for the country. Better yet, it is a chance for Democrats and Republicans to join together in a common cause. Congress needs to stop the reformation of the Cars.

The Cars are reforming and going on tour. Ordinarily I would be excited about this and in fact I was when I first heard about it. I know that Ben Orr is dead and he sang many of the Cars’ songs and played bass, but I figured a replacement could be found for a short tour. Now that I hear more details, I realize that this must be stopped. Apparently not only will Ben Orr or drummer David Robinson not be in the regroup, but Ric Ocasek will not be rejoining either. What??? I know, how can we have the Cars without Ric Ocasek? Well I’ll tell ya. Todd Rundgren is going to join the two original members on this sham of a tour. Who is Todd Rundgren you ask? Exactly.

Rundgren’s fans are now in an uproar because he is doing this. First off, I didn’t know he had any fans and second of course he is doing this, he wants money. I hope that there is not one person in attendance for any of these shows. Even though Ocasek has “rellegedly” given his blessing to this bastardization, I hope guitarist Eliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and opportunist Rundgren are stopped by Congress before perpetrating one of the biggest rock n roll swindles on America and perhaps the world.

7 comments:

Travis said...

Guns N Roses without Slash?!?
The Cars without Ocasik?!?
What's next? The Stones without...actually at this point I just want the Stones to go away.

BRATCH said...

How dare you talk ill of the Stones.

Here's the deal Dobsy, if a band is going to reunite, they have to have at least an original singer to make a go of it.

Everyone else can pretty much be replaced, but if you can't get an original singer, all bets are off.

It's different if you are going to make new original music, but if you are just getting together to play the old stuff, do us all a favor and get Ocasik on board or tell Rundgren to head back into obscurity.

Travis said...

Hold it, hold it, hold it. I think you need a bit more than the original singer.

If Led Zeppelin got together without Jimmy Page, that would work?
GNR without Slash works?
Queen without Brian May would work?

Come on.

BRATCH said...

OK, do you think that Ric Ocasik was such a guitar virtuoso that it's a must that he's there to play the guitar? The Cars weren't known for their guitar work, it was the music as a whole with every piece of musical hardware and software available. Ocasik is there for vocals.

There are exceptions to every rule, but Led Zeppelin was known for Page just as much as Plant. That being said, if you were going to reunite Zeppelin, you would have to have them both just because Zeppelin was just as much Plant as it was Page. Zeppelin is the exception. Just like the Stones. You have to have Mick with out Keith. Especially since Keith keeps the time on guitar and as opposed the drummer like every other band.

As for Guns N Roses, we all know that should Axl Rose actually get the "Chinese Democracy" album released, it will sell and Slash won't be there. Axl went on tour under the GNR name and sold out every show. He only showed up for about 3 of them, but they were sold out.

And for me I don't see Slash in the realm of a Page or Clapton. Slash as a musician comes up with super heavy stuff that you don't hear from anyone else and that's what I like about him.

I like him for the backbones of songs he creates, but he's not like Page or Clapton where you anticipate the point where they can take off on a solo and see what they come up with out of the blue.

By the way, Queen isn't Queen, Brian May or not. Freddie Mercury is Queen.

Otherwise they are the "surviving members of Queen."

Piccu said...

Queen with Paul Rodgers is now touring the states and dang it if I wouldn't have some interest in seeing it. It's a little different because they are replacing Freddie Mercury with Paul Rodgers. You know him, Free, Bad Comapny, The Fixx, at least he has some role in the rock pantheon. Todd Rundgren for Ric Ocasek is not even close to a fair switch.

I have to disagree with the Slash thing. For his time, he was Clapton and Page. He was instrumental in some of the greatest songs of his generation. He had many solos that are memorable and at least he still solos. Most songs nowadays are just riffs and backbones of songs, not that there's any thing wrong with that. I love a tasty riff as much as the next guy.

I must agree with Bratch to a certain extent. You can pretty much replace everyone in a band except the lead singer, even Eddie Van Halen. When David Lee Roth struck out on his own, he picked up a guy named Steve Vai that was every bit as good as Eddie Van Halen (though it pains me to say that, I love you, Eddie). You could go to a DLR concert and close your eyes and still hear a Van Halen song. The difference would be negligible. Led Zep is a totally different story, which proves there are a few exceptions to the rule. AC/DC and Van Hagar are the two major examples of replacing a lead singer and becoming even more popular than they were with the original. I'm sorry Eddie. I love you Eddie.

BRATCH said...

The thing about AC/DC though is that Bon Scott died. Things may have turned out differently if there was a DLR/Van Halen situation.

As far as Van Halen/Hagar goes, I'm in a room all by myself I think. Eddie and Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony are so good at what they do that Yoko Ono could be the lead singer and I would like it. Well, maybe not Yoko Ono, but you get my point. Even Sivart and I saw VH with Gary Sharone and we rocked the F out.

With Van Halen, there is no mistaking Eddie on guitar or Alex on the skins and Michael Anthony's backing vocals.

I hold Van Halen in pretty high regard because while most bands have an album with a few good songs, VH put out albums with only one or two songs you might not like. They put out entire CD's full of good stuff.

Van Halen, VH2, 1984, 5150, OU812 and Balance. The only song on those albums that I don't like is "the inside" on 5150. I also like For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and VH3 too, but those six albums I named before are top notch that most everyone loves. Along with Diver Down/Women and Children First, but for some reason those are overlooked.

Piccu said...

Fair Warning and Women and Children First are perhaps the best Van Halen albums ever.