Originally Posted By: Notes Norton
When all the members of the band that made the hit record have been replaced and there are no 'original' members left, and they still tour with the same name, is the audience being cheated into seeing a "tribute band" but paying higher prices?


Absolutely yes. I go one step further. When the member who was "the band" is gone, even if the other original members remain, I consider them a tribute to themselves. Journey WAS Steve Perry. However well the Asian guy plays Steve's part, they are not Journey without that recognizable voice. Queen WAS Freddie Mercury. Again, however good Adam lambert is, they are not Queen without Freddie. Van Halen's face was Roth, not Eddie. Musically they were BETTER with Hagar because he brought a playing piece to the dance, but they weren't Van Halen. The reverse is true as well. Frankie Valli had SO MANY backing groups but as long as he was out front they were still The Four Seasons.

On topic, yes, the foundational piece is "the hit". You can have a band with a long string of lesser hits that didn't get known in Fitzgerald Alberta or in Puerto Deseado Argentina and to those people who don't have the opportunity to hear the whole catalog they can be a one hit wonder. I am a perfect example of this. In my youth, I had ZERO exposure to country music. I had no idea who Hank Williams was until I was in my early teens and that was because people were covering his songs. In our house we listened to Glenn Miller, the Dorsey Brothers, Benny Goodman.... I knew big band music in my early years like southerners knew country. So for a time, Hank Williams was a one hit wonder to me. Same for Johnny Cash. I mean Hank died when I was 18 months old. As songs passed through my ears and I looked into them (Move It On Over, I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You, Cold Cold Heart...) I found out who Hank Sr was and delved into his catalog, but at one point he was just some dead guy from the south to me. Likewise, I grew up with the O'Jays in my back yard. They were instrumental in my music education. I didn't know about Hank Williams, but I knew about Walter Williams!!

As funny as it is that this quote came from a place as trite and banal as Smokey and the Bandit, it's true. "When you say something, it depends on what part of the country you are standing as to how dumb you are." Common knowledge in Ohio is not the same as common knowledge in Alabama.

I am using the new 1040XTRAEZ form this year. It has just 2 lines.

1. How much did you make in 2023?
2. Send it to us.