Here's a fun thing to do today.

I read something that turned my thought process towards bands that luckily enjoyed several different Mark lineups of itself. There are plenty of examples. Some bands had to change their lineup due to misfortune, while others just change it up because someone quit or got fired. It happens.

For AC/DC, Bon Scott died and was replaced by Brian Johnson. Both iterations of AC/DC were quite successful. When Brian Jones died, the Stones continued with Mick Taylor, and then Ronnie Wood. All were a part of a great band that never skipped a beat. But it's the vocals that interest me. Vocals are quite unique. Oftentimes, they end up being a signature of a band. Strip it away and the band changes in a dramatic way. One of those bands is Van Halen.

When David Lee Roth left/got fired from /whatever Van Halen, it is with no doubt that the energies of that band changed in a very dramatic way. And yet they enjoyed remarkable success with the addition of Sammy Hagar into the band. Even so, it split fans down the middle. Some say that Hagar improved the band, while others say it was impossible to replace Diamond Dave. It didn't matter because both Mark lineups of that band were immensely popular. Which was more popular is up to the numbers (album sales, concert attendance, etc) to dictate, and not for me to think upon. We all have our stands on the issue.

But i want to do a bit of speculation here as opposed to arguing the fine points of which version was better.

1984 was the last album that David Lee Roth contributed to. Hagar's stint with Van Halen began with the release of 5150 in 1986. We won't even discuss Cherone's short stint because it becomes unfair to him. I have thought about what would Van Halen be like had David Lee Roth never left. Would 5150 be something else? Would there even be a OU812 or a For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge? Would Balance be 1995?

I've always been a David Lee Roth version of Van Halen fan. Sammy Hagar (and I like Hagar. But I like him in Montrose; I like him in his solo works (most of them anyway). I've a feeling that Van Halen would have achieved a higher plane had Diamond Dave remained on board. I think that the Van Halen with Hagar albums with be greater works with Roth. I'm sure they would have not have been the same songs, even the same albums in terms of writing. I'm thinking that Van Halen would have a bolder body of work.

But this is my thinking. The last time that I spoke like this, I received a ton of hate mail from some fans who felt strongly about the Hagar years. But then I was just voicing a different opinion (the reunion tours). This time, the waters should be safer. Now I open it up to you. What do you think? Not that one was better than the other, but what do you think Van Halen would be like had David Lee Roth never left.

Your turn.

And while you're at it, throw in some of your own bands. What would AC/DC be like had Bon Scott never died? What would the Stones sound like had Jones lived? What would Deep Purple have left behind if Blackmore had stayed on, had Gillan remained? Go as deep and as obscure as you want. We could do this all week because it's a fascinating deliberation. A great "what-if?"!

Mike Duquette of The Second Disc has provided a review of the just-released new Squeeze album, Spot the Difference.

I'd like to introduce to you a band from Austin, TX that approaches their music with feet firmly planted in the late '60s and the genre of psychedelia that hints of the bands from that era. Bands like The 13th Floor Elevators, Pink Floyd, Velvet Underground, but with a much darker, more current sound. In today's comparisons, you could say that The Black Angels are what Interpol should have evolved into. You would not be mistaken to say that there are similarities between the two bands.

The Black Angels explore the darkness of NYC's underground cornerstones of music as imagined by those many great NYC bands of the late '60s, Velvet Underground included. The adoration of Velvet Underground by The Black Angels is recognized in several nods. The band's name is extracted from the "The Black Angel's Death Song" from Velvet Underground & Nico (1967). In addition, their logo merges a contrasted view of Nico's tilted head. The Black Angels' music is nothing short of something special. They are everything you love about jam-extended, "smoke 'em" psychedelia that you have come to love if you harbor an infatuation for the psychedelic bands of the '60s, whether they came from San Francisco, London, or NYC.

On September 14 in the US and Canada (September 13 for Europe), The Black Angels will release their 3rd studio work, Phosphene Dream. It is preceded by a single release from the album, "Bad Vibrations." which is downloadable for free...somewhere, but I've lost the link. The other track, "Telephone," can be had here. The band begins a support tour, with Black Mountain, on October 28 at The Metro in Chicago, and concluding in Vancouver on November 30. But what really thrills me is the no-nonsense pre-order pricing of this release. The high-quality DD (FLAC, 320k MP3, Apple Lossless) of the entire album, the upcoming CD, plus the now-available high quality download of two tracks is only $9.99. Further, the above-mentioned DD AND the LP (180g), including the immediate DD of two tracks is only $19.99. Most amazing is the all-inclusive sale of DD, CD, LP, 2 bonus tracks, AND a signed lithograph poster, AND a band-branded hoodie sells for only $59.99 should you become a dedicated fan. This pricing scheme should become the standard for all music. If The Black Angels can do it, they can ALL do it.

If the single and their previous albums are any indicators, then I believe that fans of psychedelia will be very, very happy with the release of Phosphene Dream. Now, go check them out. Their MySpace, Facebook, Last FM, Twitter, etc links can be found at their site.

I want to alert TAP readers to the fact that I have finally put together a FaceBook fan page that you can access and join by clicking on the badge below.  What this offers is the exact same thing as my Twitter feeds provide and that is first buzz on upcoming releases and free offered downloads, many announcements  that beat our main post, sometimes by days.  We also provide a Google BUZZ page that expands on most of the Twitter/FB feeds. On Buzz, you can even hear the music stream if a stream is offered.  There are still things that I'm working on in the FB page, like calender notes as well as links to great sites like The Second Disc.  I invite you to join us at our FB page and bookmark it.  Visit it daily and you'll be rewarded with much news and info.  Of course, you'll still want to come to the main MusicTAP page for our noisy commentaries.  Remember, with our Twitter feeds, you can elect to receive the news bursts as text on your mobile phone keeping you effortlessly up to date with stuff.  Lots of choices.  Find one, or two, that fits.

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There is an upoming Live set release by The Michael Schenker Group called Live in Tokyo: The 30th Anniversary Concert, scheduling the CD for October 19.

Arista Records has a Santana title on tap and planned for September 21. The album is called Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time. There are two intended configurations that include a standard CD release and a CD/DVD Deluxe Edition. The album is a collection of well-known tracks such as "Whole Lotta Love" (Led Zeppelin), "Riders on the Storm" (The Doors), "Dance the Night Away" (Van Halen), "Bang A Gong" (T. Rex), and more, but you get the idea of what's on this album. There are 13 tracks with the Deluxe Edition including bonus tracks and a DVD with a "making of" feature. All of the songs are sung by high-profile vocalists that include Daughtry, Nas, Scott Weiland, Rob Thomas, Chris Cornell, and more.

Warner Brothers Records will release an EP from Michelle Branch in advance of a full-length that is planned for release in 2011. The EP is called Everything Comes and Goes, and is planned for September 14.

Collector's Choice Music has two Cheech and Chong reissues planned for September 21. The titles are Los Cochinos (1973), and The Wedding Album (1974).

Mercury Records is combining the two previously released mini-albums that have been issued by James in a set called The Morning After The Night Before, which is the two mini-album titles brought together (The Morning After/The Night Before). The full-length album is scheduled for September 14.

Eagle Records will release The Beat Club Sessions featuring Rory Gallagher on CD, and slated for release on September 14.

Legacy Recordings plan the release of a Limited Edition 3CD Essential series title for Barry Manilow called The Essential Barry Manilow 3.0. It's scheduled for release on October 12.

How many of you are excited about the upcoming Badfinger remasters coming from Apple Records (as well as the Mary Hopkins, and Billy Preston albums)? All of the Badfinger albums are coming but the three that I'm most excited for include No Dice (1970), Straight Up (1971), and Ass (1973).

Nuclear Blast Records will release the new Accept album called Blood of the Nations on September 14.