When does a ‘new’ band member become a ‘real’ band member?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Ricky Lampoon, Oct 10, 2021.

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  1. Ricky Lampoon

    Ricky Lampoon Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Switzerland
    Is it good looks, musical ability, how they get along with the other band members, or songwriting, for example?

    Taking 2 bands for arguments sake, but you can take others as you wish - Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones.

    David Gilmour, I would consider a real member of Pink Floyd because of his songwriting and his uniquely brilliant guitar work.

    Jon Carin (who is getting a lot of attention in other threads), I would consider a session player. Although he has contributed some songwriting, I would say it is peripheral to Floyd history.

    Guy Pratt, who I admire a lot for his musicianship and enthusiasm, I consider somewhere in between session musician and full band member, as he has contributed very little to songwriting.

    For the Stones, I still can’t consider Ronnie Wood a real member of the band for similar reasons to Guy Pratt. He is without doubt a popular personality in the band and his guitar playing is excellent, but…… is he really a Rolling Stone?
     
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  2. Jon Bolton

    Jon Bolton Active Member

    Location:
    England
    Judging by a lot of people who are Stranglers fans , when the band is not The Stranglers and it's not Hugh Cornwell who is replaced ( 30 years ago !) .
     
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  3. Mal

    Mal Phorum Physicist

  4. nosticker

    nosticker Forum Guy

    Location:
    Ringwood, NJ
    Ron Wood? He's toured and been on albums for 40 years, so yeah, he's a Rolling Stone to me.

    My feeling is if you contribute majorly to a band, you're a member. Someone like Tom Brislin wasn't even in the tour program when he toured with Yes in 2001, but as a member of Kansas, he's all over the new album as a player and writer. Tom has been subsequently embraced as part of the Yes timeline, if not exactly a "member".


    Dan
     
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  5. mark e

    mark e Forum Resident

    wrote, then deleted, then decided it was a valid addition :

    Chas Smash vs Madness

    originally a fan/audience member at their early gigs.
    then became their voice for their shoutouts.
    went onto write some of their classics and became a massive part of their groove.
     
  6. Library Eye

    Library Eye Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Most generally it depends on the intersection of when they join and how successful the band already is. Though, sometimes regardless, it seems the answer is never quite really due to attitude(s) of who's already there when new member joins.
     
  7. milankey

    milankey Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, Ohio, USA
    when their image appears on an album cover
     
  8. walrus

    walrus Staring into nothing

    Location:
    Nashville
    It's subjective, but it's some combination of time and their verifiable, significant contributions to said band's output. (And of course, whether the band themselves deems them an official member. I.e. there are only five 'real' members of Pink Floyd, no matter what one thinks of Carin, Pratt, etc).

    There are a lot of replacement members in bands whose tenures have outlasted (often by a significant margin) the famous member they replaced. But like, I'm a huge fan of Bruce Kulick's work in Kiss and especially Union. Honestly I don't really care about Grank Funk, but despite putting in 20+ years now as part of the Grand Funk lineup, I wouldn't consider him a 'real' member since he's never played on an album or done any kind of recording with them. (Not a criticism, he's just a guy hired to do a job and he seems to appreciate the gig, so more power to him)
     
  9. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    It mainly depends on what the band thinks. Fans with have their gripes about this and that, but if the band considers them a full member, then they are a full member.

    Ron Wood is certainly a member of the Rolling Stones, he has been on their albums and tours for longer than Bill Wyman, Brian Jones or Mick Taylor were part of the band lol ... and again, the band certainly consider him a full member
     
  10. ponkine

    ponkine Senior Member

    Location:
    Villarrica, Chile
    Phil Collins used to call Daryl Stuermer as Genesis "permanent-temporary-part-time member". So does Chester Thompson

    At the start of the 'When In Rome' DVD credits, it reads

    Genesis: Tony Banks - Phil Collins - Mike Rutherford - Daryl Stuermer - Chester Thompson

    Could've been great to have an album with that line up in the studio
     
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  11. Saint Johnny

    Saint Johnny Forum Resident

    Location:
    Asbury Park
    I'd say you need to ask the individual members this question. The rest is all just speculation.

    Kinda like asking when did you realize your marriage was over?

    Example:
    I had read in more than one place at the time (circa 1996-1997), that Slash was fairly tight with Gilbey and got along better with him than he ever had with Izzy.
    So when I got a chance, it was around the same time. I asked Slash, "So how is Gilbey doing these days?"
    And he had this really surprised look on his face, and said kinda dismissively or annoyedly "Gilbey? Man I don't even talk to him anymore."
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2021
  12. speedracer

    speedracer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cascadia
    When he leaves Jethro Tull.
     
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  13. petem1966

    petem1966 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Katy TX
    When they become a board member/managing director?
     
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  14. sharedon

    sharedon Forum Zonophone

    Location:
    Boomer OK
    Re the Stones, Darryl Jones comes to mind.
     
  15. Invisible Man

    Invisible Man Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lemon Grove
    A new band member becomes a "real" band member as soon as the band and management gives him/her a financial stake in the band. I don't think the audience gets any say in the matter.
     
  16. dkmonroe

    dkmonroe A completely self-taught idiot

    Location:
    Atlanta
    When the member is featured as a band member on album covers and promo materials, he/she is a member of the band. Ronnie Wood was a Stone from the get-go. Carin and Pratt were never full members of Pink Floyd, they were support musicians.
     
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  17. Ted Sallis

    Ted Sallis Music Collector Extraordinaire

    Location:
    Canada
    From the point of view of band members having replaced a former member with a new member, the new member generally isn't considered to be a 'real' or 'old' band member until/unless there's another lineup change.

    Ted
     
  18. Ricky Lampoon

    Ricky Lampoon Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Switzerland
    As a Stranglers fan myself (although I only really know the original line-up), I don’t think I could consider anybody apart from Cornwell, Burnell, Greenfield and Black a Strangler.

    After the Cornwell split, they really should have retired the name. But, similar to Floyd, it all starts to get ugly and vindictive.
     
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  19. jwb1231970

    jwb1231970 Ordinary Guy

    Location:
    USA
    ask Ronnie Wood
     
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  20. Ricky Lampoon

    Ricky Lampoon Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Switzerland
    Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think Ronnie Wood has been on an album cover.

    The last cover with photos was Black and Blue?
     
  21. Invisible Man

    Invisible Man Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lemon Grove
    [​IMG]
     
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  22. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    • [​IMG]
     
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  23. sixtiesstereo

    sixtiesstereo Senior Member

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    Certainly, Bruce Johnston when he joined the Beach Boys.....
     
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  24. veloso2

    veloso2 Forum Resident

    johnny marr i never really considered him as a member of the different band he played in!!
     
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  25. Invisible Man

    Invisible Man Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lemon Grove
    Let me put on some sunglasses for that! :cool:
     
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