dictator ruled bands

bazxkr

siraxeman said:

What do you think about them in regard to one person calling all the shots...often dictating pay and everything else that goes on in band life? 2 famous name bands would be Richie Blackmores Rainbow and Bon Jovi.

Could you stomach being a slave in such a band?

In the case of Rainbow it was always Blackmores band, name, influence and money that drove the project. Why should he not call the shots ? He has a history of taking alot of nobodies and making them into a big name which is a good thing in a music industry which is pretty filthy as regards treating musicians & giving them opportunities....some of those members forget that fact once they are living the high life.

Springsteen/Bon Jovi are amongst many...it is the main guy that people go to see. Love Sambora but JBJ is who you go to see and Phil X probably played better alongside him than Sambora too.

Grumpyrocker

Metallica were better when Hetfield played all the guitar parts apart from the solos. 

SteveRobinson

Brian Jonestown Massacre are one of the best bands I've ever seen and Anton is definitely the man.

Benson

Grumpyrocker said:

Metallica were better when Hetfield played all the guitar parts apart from the solos. 

You mean they actually allow Kirk to play these days? The guy is horrendous. 

thermionic

Kim Jong-Un has his own girl pop group, Moranbong.

Fortheloveofguitar

It's still Axl calling the shots in Guns n roses. Was also a dictator back in the day 

Bucket

monquixote said:

It's the bands that pretend to be a democracy, but aren't that are the real killers.

Was in one like this for about a year and a half.

Soul-destroying... and I'm not just talking about the music.

blueskunk

Garry from take that ..,,

carlos

The Swans are like that but it works and that's what matters

Garthy

Voxman said:

The Eagles

I do find myself conflicted with this, Frey & Henley founded the band and did most of the song writing & leg work. On the other hand they needed at least two other members for their band to work.

Though not a dictatorship, I always felt Deacon tried to replace Taylor & May with synthesizers as and when the opportunities arose when writing songs for Queen in the 80s.

Bucket

carlos said:

The Swans are like that but it works and that's what matters

Yes, but if Swans is your frame of reference for the way a normal band should work, you're probably a bit odd.

Jez6345789

I think the leader/dictator works till a band is famous then drugs are usually involved and all sorts of paranoid crazy stuff happens.

fretmeister

Iron Maiden. It's 'Arry's band and always will be.

carlos

Bucket said:

carlos said:

The Swans are like that but it works and that's what matters

Yes, but if Swans is your frame of reference for the way a normal band should work, you're probably a bit odd.

I'd gladly play in The Swans and do 8 hour rehearsals of playing the same riff over and over again (that's how I imagine it is at least)

carlos

Zappa's bands were always a dictatorship and the music speaks for itself.

Gassage

As I have mentioned before, I was a big fan of the Stranglers back in the 'day'.

The fuede between JJ and Hugh towards the end of the original line up was huge.

The setlist had to be precisely split to allow Hugh songs and JJ songs.

The thing was JJ was just a hard cunt there was only going to be one winner and their music suffered as a result.

Parker

Aladeen and the Love Machine

Jimbro66

In a lot of pro and semi-pro bands there is someone who is the creative talent and main driving force and they often naturally assume a leadership role. It only becomes a dictatorship when that person is dismissive of any input from the other band members, who are free to leave if they wish.

If those individuals go on to achieve fame it inevitably changes things because they then hire musicians who are expected to do what is asked of them. I believe most pro musos accept that. So whether that becomes a dictatorship perhaps depends on whether, or how much, the artist welcomes ideas from the supporting musos. Audiences go to concerts to see the star who is almost always a singer, not the band.

When someone outside the band dictates it's a pain. I was in one band where all five members got on well and respected each other but the husband of the vocalist was always poking his nose in and had the attitude that we were lucky to be supporting his wife. That wasn't at all her attitude but his constant meddling and patronising comments caused the band to split up.

cruxiform

Being in Yngwie Malmsteen's band must be a nightmare, very much a control freak (which he admits to). 

siraxeman

I see this a little differently here we're talking about a famous name hiring muso's to back them, rather than a band that came together naturally and started their journey together on an equal footing. I've no issues with the former.