Baxter Dury in Blur? Band substitutions we’d love to see
There was big news in the world of hard rock recently when it was announced that beloved bands Foo Fighters and Nine Inch Nails were swapping drummers.
It was confirmed that Ilan Rubin, who has been manning the rhythm section of Nine Inch Nails for some time, would be joining the Foo Fighters. Meanwhile, Foo Fighters’ Josh Freese is joining Nine Inch Nails.
This kicked off a conversation in the Far Out meeting room, as we started passing around ideas of band members/artists that we’d love to see join other musical outfits. One member of staff even suggested that bands should have an “open transfer window” once a year, like in football, where bands can chop and change their members.
You’d be surprised at just how many ideas were actually sound. There are plenty of people who excel in the band they’re in, or in their solo careers, but they also have such an array of talent that they would be great contributions to other musical outfits. Some of the ideas put forward simply can’t happen, while others probably won’t happen, but they’re still fun to consider.
Here are five of our musical substitutions that we’d love to see and think could improve the kind of music bands are making.
Band substitutions that would revolutionise music:
Baxter Dury – Blur
Let’s get the one in the title out of the way first. Baxter Dury has a voice and a way with words that would quite easily make themselves at home on the majority of Blur songs. While his singing ability might not be up to scratch, what he could contribute in the form of energy, lyricism, and general stage persona would be a fitting substitute for the band.
With his new material, such as ‘Allbarone’ and the features he’s done with artists like Fred Again, it’s evident just how much versatility Baxter Dury has. If he can step into the world of electronica so effectively, imagine what he could do in front of a Britpop band.
Flea – Rage Against The Machine
Every member of Rage Against The Machine brings something unique to the band. Their music is a combination of rock, funk and rebellion. While Red Hot Chili Peppers might not be a band renowned for their punk attitude, they certainly fit the rock and funk mould, and at the epicentre of that sound is Flea’s bass-playing.
So much of the head-nodding and toe-tapping sound of Red Hot Chili Peppers, which continues to win fans over, is the result of Flea’s excellent approach to rhythm. If he were to bring that kind of sound to Rage Against The Machine, he would elevate their sound to a whole new level.
Alex Turner – The Last Shadow Puppets
It’s not really a substitution, but after the Arctic Monkeys’ most recent album, The Car, it’s time for Alex Turner to fully throw himself into this eccentric persona he seems to be carrying. It doesn’t work as well in Arctic Monkeys, as no one wants to hear a lounge singer tackle ‘Fake Tales Of San Francisco’, but in The Last Shadow Puppets, Turner has the freedom to fully lean into this side of his creativity and not hold back.
Their most recent offering, Everything You’ve Come To Expect, was an album filled with large, strange sections, fun lyrics and eccentric outfits. The Last Shadow Puppets deliver excellent music but in a tongue-in-cheek way that means the whole thing is fun as opposed to serious and patronising. If Turner insists on continuing this look, he shouldn’t do it with Arctic Monkeys.
CMAT – Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
We all know CMAT as the beloved country pop star who writes great songs which straddle a range of different emotions. However, as we hear in occasional glimpses throughout her discography, CMAT is easily capable of singing with the power and bravado of the greatest rock stars in the world.
In one of her newest songs, ‘The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station’, you can hear that rock ‘n’ roll side of CMAT in her spoken word sections throughout. It’s this kind of power and attitude that would make a CMAT and Joan Jett collaboration something legendary. Imagine a CMAT cover of ‘I Hate Myself For Loving You’, it would go down in history.
Bez – Any shoegaze band
Shoegaze is a great genre of music that creates large sounds and a crushing atmosphere. Bands use many effects on their instruments in a bid to help build their sound and make their instruments resemble something that doesn’t even sound like the original instrument. It’s this use of effects which gave the genre its name, as most musicians in these bands spend more time looking at their shoes than the crowd.
While the music within this genre is good to listen to, it doesn’t make for the most exciting thing to watch, which is why they could use someone on stage helping out with creating a more fun atmosphere. Who else could do this other than Bez? Imagine him on stage with a maraca helping Mogwai during a particularly down-tempo shoegaze track. Art.
