Guess Who's not?

[Wagonmaster_91]

I think the main complaint from Cummings and Bachman is that the band's advertisements for the shows, especially radio and TV ads, are deceptive in that they are using clips of the original recordings. Also, in the shows when they introduce a song like "These Eyes" they say something along the lines of, "Here's a song WE did back in the 60's we think you will remember". Cummings feels disrespected.

Cover bands are now called "tribute" bands if they mainly play one artist's (or group of similar artists, like a prog celebration) music, sometimes even trying to look like the original members. Lots of Beatles tribute bands, for example. There is a 3 day festival here in the Dallas area every year and the 3rd day features almost exclusively tribute bands - Journey, Heart, Tom Petty, Allman Bros, etc. None claim to be the original band and have names that are associated with the real artist. For example, the AC/DC tribute band calls themselves Back In Black. The new GW just needs to change their name to something that reminds fans of the original group, but makes it obvious it is not the old guys. If the new Guess Who band would take such an approach, I don't think Cummings would be upset.

I get why Burton and Randy feel miffed. At least when an Elvis impersonator introduces a song saying, "Here's one from my hit movie Viva Las Vegas", it is acknowledge that the guy is playing the part of Elvis (like an actor), not claiming to actually be Elvis.

 

[MidiMagic]

John Kay and Steppenwolf once played in our town! By that time John was the only original member of Steppenwolf. The new band did have some legitimacy as they did record a couple of albums together. John Kay fronting a "cover band" I still loved it!

I went to one of those Steppenwolf concerts in 1974. It was quite good.

 

[key_wiz]

How is this "fake band" any different than the final version of the Guess Who (with Burton Cummings) when compared with the original version lead by Chad Allen.

Because that final version with Cummings was playing primarily songs Cummings wrote and/or sang lead vocals and probably not playing any Chad Allen songs at all.

How many Gary Peterson songs is the current band performing?

 

[ar surround]

This reminds me of the furor over the "fake" Deep Purple, when the original singer "Rod Evans" fronted a cover band. Personally I think that Evans was the best of the Deep Purple frontmen and I would have loved to see that cover band play.

Deep Fake Purple...now that would be a currently relevant name for a new incarnation of that band.

 

[barfle]

Bands change members all the time, and as far as I can tell, it’s a real thick gray line between the “real” band and something kinda like what used to be.

Was Yes still Yes when Rick Wakeman joined? How about when he left? The Rolling Stones have had a lot of changes over the years, but I guess as long as it’s Mick Jagger, it’ll be the Stones. Even though most people don’t care much about who’s on drums and bass, Fleetwood Mac is named after those two members, and they can have whatever lead singer and guitar they want to and keep the name.

I remember I saw The Music Machine in Tucson many years ago. Apparently, the original setup was Bonniwell and studio musicians, and he toured with a bunch of guys not on the record “Talk Talk.”

Apparently, Cummings should have registered the band name as his property. These legal manouvers can get confusing as all hell. It’s a shame they couldn’t work something out.

 

[Aging quadie]

Someone should write a history of "ghost bands." The practice dates back to the 1920s when Paul Whiteman and Jean Goldkette kept multiple bands on the road. How many fake Ink Spots, Platters and Coasters have there been? Did the Glenn Miller Orchestra really have an electric bass? Does the current Kingston Trio, Limeliters and Lovin' Spoonful even sound like the Kingston Trio, Limeliters or Lovin' Spoonful? No. How many uncritical audiences care?

Sure, we care. But most people don't.

 

[dr. simple]

I wasn’t t a fan of the band in any era, but they came to our area pre-pandemic when Rudy Sarzo was in the band and it was enjoyable enough. (I was a Sarzo fan from his original Quiet Riot days.)

We don’t get a lot of bands here, so even a “cover band” is worth a night out every now-and-again.

I didn’t think of them any further until last year when I read an article with them talking about their new album, Plein D’Amour. They were saying how all the band members are good singers and it was a very vocal-focused album compared to the one before it. (Or something like that... I’m greatly paraphrasing.)

So I figured, why not... give it a listen on streaming. And I loved it! One of my favorite albums of 2023 which I then bought on CD.

Is it a great “Guess Who” album? Don’t know as I haven’t listened to anything but the hits, but it’s a shame this album will be seen as a fake Guess Who album when, taking away the band name, it’s just a really solid album in my opinion.

While not invested in the argument that’s going on with the former/current members, I have this same issue with the current Little River Band.

I’m glad you wrote this so I wouldn’t have to. You expressed my sentiments EXACTLY. “Plein D’Amour” is one of my favorite rock albums in years but how I wish they would have done it under a different name. It’s going to get buried in this controversy. I’ve often asked myself how I would feel if the touring version of Little River Band released a fantastic album that sounds nothing like the Little River Band… I’m not so sure I could see the forest for the trees.

I encourage all of you QQ members to give “Plein D’Amour” a listen. I love it. But it ain’t the Guess Who.

 

[par4ken]

My sympathies usually lie with the underdog. While there is no excuse to mislead the public about a cover band being the real thing, I suspect that Cummings is bitter about not having the rights to the Guess Who name. In the case of Bachman he left the band so many years ago that he should not even have a stake in the matter. Peterson IMHO is just trying to make a living, too bad that they couldn't have come together to work things out. I'm sure that they were friends once. Legal action hurts them all and benefits no one!

 

[keycom]

A big difference in the cover band called the Guess Who is they are using Burton Cummings songs and actual pictures/videos of him in the promotional material. Might rub me the wrong way just a bit if I was BC.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

A big difference in the cover band called the Guess Who is they are using Burton Cummings songs and actual pictures/videos of him in the promotional material. Might rub me the wrong way just a bit if I was BC.

Using BCs video and pics is plain wrong. So is using BCs voice in any advertisement. But doing his songs is what I would expect at a show. There is a royalty paid that benefits the writer. Who would go see what is basically a Guess Who tribute band and not expect to hear classic Guess Who material?

 

[knifeman]

I went to one of those Steppenwolf concerts in 1974. It was quite good.

I saw Steppenwolf at a festival in the 90's knowing full well that John Kaye was the only original member, but John Kaye IS Steppenwolf no matter who's in the band. And the show was great. Now take Grand Funk, where 2/3 of the original lineup is still there. But it's the missing 1/3 (Mark Farner) that makes the current GFR a cover band, and a bad one at that. They absolutely suck. Farner is to Grand Funk like Kaye is to Steppenwolf. I admire Cummings for doing what he's doing, but fans have to do their due diligence before buying tickets to some of these classic acts to make sure that they're going to see who they think they're going to see.

 

[quicksrt]

Little Feat without George and Bad Company with out Rogers had no interest to me. If a band is going to tour without original members, at least have the key front man there.

So Yes without Anderson is shaky. Tull with just Anderson is passable imo. Savoy Brown with just Kim Simmons was ok because he was founding member and front man.

 

[key_wiz]

I would think simply something like calling it “Gary Peterson’s Guess Who” would be enough to alert ticket buyers that they aren’t getting the full real deal. Or call it “Guess Who Too” ala “ELO Part II” or some such.

Stu Cook and Doug Clifford have been touring as Creedence Clearwater Revisited for years and it seems to have worked. SOME people who don’t know any better anyway might think they are getting the guy who wrote and sang the songs but I’m pretty sure the vast majority of fans who go to see it understand the situation.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Little Feat without George and Bad Company with out Rogers had no interest to me. If a band is going to tour without original members, at least have the key front man there.

So Yes without Anderson is shaky. Tull with just Anderson is passable imo. Savoy Brown with just Kim Simmons was ok because he was founding member and front man.

How about Queen without Freddie Mercury?

 

[quicksrt]

How about Queen without Freddie Mercury?

Yes, should be reserved for special occasions only I think. Fine for a big 50th Queen band anni date or Freddie 80th Birthday bash. But tour or album without him, that's a tough one.

 

[ar surround]

The trend of the comments here is that there are certain individuals who define a specific rock act, and anything without them is either way too diluted or altogether fake. Imagine the Stones without Jagger? Imagine The Who ever continuing without either Daltrey OR Townshend?

 

[marpow]

I notice that when I get adds for concerts coming, Ticketmaster, etc, they will show a band picture with original members, like Journey with Steve Perry as an example. Now, at least with Journey they just show artwork, no photo.
Queensryche is coming to the area and they do not show Geoff Tate in picture.
Yes, research as to who is in the current band, One of my favorites The Marshall Tucker Band only surviving lead singer is around, I did see them and felt they couldn't replicate Toy Caldwell's guitar sound.
I did see Queen with Adam Lambert and was a fantastic show, highly recommend, and that is only two originals, but Brian May's guitar is just as important as Freddie and Adam is so flamboyant it all works..

The best news is we are still here, even though they may not.

 

[Quad Linda]

I saw Steppenwolf at a festival in the 90's knowing full well that John Kaye was the only original member, but John Kaye IS Steppenwolf no matter who's in the band. And the show was great. Now take Grand Funk, where 2/3 of the original lineup is still there. But it's the missing 1/3 (Mark Farner) that makes the current GFR a cover band, and a bad one at that. They absolutely suck. Farner is to Grand Funk like Kaye is to Steppenwolf. I admire Cummings for doing what he's doing, but fans have to do their due diligence before buying tickets to some of these classic acts to make sure that they're going to see who they think they're going to see.

We caught Mark Farner's American Band live recently. Great show!

 

[jimfisheye]

Deep Fake Purple

Haha!

Sort of related. Remember the SNL infomercial skit "Songs that ruined everything"?

There are some tribute bands that are super nerdy into respecting the original band and their music. Nothing to do with appearing like the original members or trying to pass of as them. All about paying tribute to the band and music. Musical Box comes to mind. Even this can be a stretch though! I saw them twice and was seeing all the cracks the 2nd time around.

I bet there's an ELP cover band that recorded a more enjoyable album than Love Beach. Now what do we do?

In the end, it's not about the songs or how someone plays them. It's about how someone plays to begin with! And when they play those songs they wrote - sometimes very differently one performance to the next - you hear all the dots connect in that unique way with that performer. You really can't cover that!

 

[Clement]