Who's that on vocals? How to replace a frontman

Just as Freddie Mercury himself once prophetically sang, the show must go on. So for years after his death, the remaining members of Queen soldiered on in with a variety of guests, from an imperious George Michael at Wembley to boy band Five's reading of "We Will Rock You". Yet there remained a demand for them to regurgitate the hits, so Roger Taylor and Brian May found a more permanent replacement.

On paper, their choice looked odd: Queen were college geeks, while Paul Rodgers was in his teens when he found fame with Free, thanks to a growling, bluesy delivery miles from Mercury's cod-opera confections. Yet when guitarist May cameoed on Free's signature tune "All Right Now", he found a whole new chemistry with Rodgers and he joined full time. Ever respectful to Mercury's memory, the new line up is billed as Queen + Paul Rodgers.

Quite right, as new album The Cosmos Rocks fails to match even the group's late-eighties nadir. Still, their current arena tour is doing the business. Could bringing in a famous name be the way forward for Led Zeppelin, if they choose to tour without Robert Plant? Or Velvet Revolver as they seek to replace Scott Weiland? As we see below, whether you go for an established name or a greenhorn, pitfalls await established bands hunting for a new singer.

THE DOORS
Enjoy it while it lasts would be the message from Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger. The Cult's clunking Ian Astbury seemed an odd choice as replacement for their long-awaited reunion as The Doors of the 21st Century, but few hardcore fans complained, turning up to some well-attended arena appearances. Drummer John Densmore, though, preferred Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and sued the group's use of its old name, so you now see them as Riders on the Storm. Now Astbury has gone back to his old mates, Manzarek and Kreiger have recruited the relatively unknown Brett Scallions and have downsized to smaller venues.

IRON MAIDEN
Blade-wielding, licensed commercial pilot Bruce Dickinson defines Britain's biggest metallers almost as much as their mascot Eddie, so the band were in a quandary when he left in 1993 to fly solo. The group auditioned hundreds of wannabes before settling on Blaze Bayley, reasonably well known on the hard rock scene as frontman of Wolfsbane. An Astbury-style delivery and serious demeanour were too much for Maiden fans and his two albums were their slowest selling since before Dickinson had joined in the eighties. Palpable relief, then, when the prodigal singer returned. Maiden have not looked back since, with their current Eighties collection introducing them to a younger audience.

INXS
Rather than toil behind closed doors to recruit their replacement, Australia's veteran pop rockers threw open proceedings to the world. Well, watchers of VH1, anyway, which broadcast Rock Star: INXS. The band had meandered since Michael Hutchence's death in 1997 and here was an opportunity to remind people they were still around. Canadian entrant JD Fortune's voice was in the same ballpark as that of his predecessor and he came up with his own hackneyed lyrics to accompany the band's latest tunes. He was hungry for fame, having lived for a while in a car, yet his background as a veggie martial arts nut suggested some respect for healthy living. This fairy-tale turn of events inevitably made the most impact Stateside, where INXS enjoyed their biggest success since the early Nineties with 2005 comeback album Switch. Recently, though, the group have parted from their label and Fortune has begun work on a solo record, so prolonged post-Hutchence success is not yet assured.

JUDAS PRIEST
Your high-profile frontman leaves; you need someone that respects your oeuvre and can easily pick up the words. Hey, why not find a tribute act of your band and nick their singer? That is exactly what these metal heroes did in 1993 when Rob Halford left amid creative tensions. Step forward Tim "Ripper" Owens, of Priest tribute British Steel. Owens sang on two albums, the divisive Jugulator and Demolition, a clumsy attempt to claw back original fans that fared even worse. The film Rock Star, based on this story and starring Mark Wahlberg, did just as badly. A reunion duly occurred in 2003, just in time for the band to cash in on the Guitar Hero computer game phenomenon that has brought their music to a new generation of air guitarists.

FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD
In 2004, a show at Wembley Arena celebrated the 25th anniversary of producer Trevor Horn's music career. Almost all his CV was present, from early muckers Buggles to recent clients Belle & Sebastian. One of his greatest successes, though, had been transforming these Scouse chancers into pop titans of the eighties. After a brief, spectacular heyday, Holly Johnson was first to abandon this rapidly sinking Mersey ferry and their reclusive former frontman refused to rejoin. The remaining members held open auditions and from 200 hopefuls picked Ryan Molloy, who had played New Romantic Steve Strange in West End musical Taboo. The jobbing singer was no match for Johnson's charisma, yet the group played some festivals and even promised new material before Molloy saw the light. He has come good again by claiming the role of Frankie Valli in the London production of Jersey Boys.

THE STRANGLERS
There was always something schoolmasterish about vocalist/guitarist Hugh Cornwell. Think of his dry quips from early live recordings: "I know you like spitting, but we don't enjoy being spat at." No wonder he tired of rehashing their punk hits. When he went solo in 1990, the rest of the band were keen to stay true to their Seventies roots, so sought a figure that would provide the energy Cornwell lacked without the acrimony that poisoned the group's relationships. The solution was to separately recruit a guitarist and Paul Roberts, a singer 10 years younger than his new bandmates. He had plied his trade since the early eighties, including sessions with Go West and Then Jericho. The former punk helped the band maintain a presence on the live circuit, if not the charts. Even that eventually changed with 2004's "Norfolk Coast", an album welcomed as a near return to form. Roberts has since departed on friendly terms and the band has returned to life as a four-piece.

Queen + Paul Rodgers are touring from 4 to 8 November (www.queenpluspaulrodgers.com)