BTO: Is It Real or Is It Band X?

Hey, music fans, here’s a fan’s story:

Last spring, Evan Chesler says he paid $15 to see Bachman-Turner Overdrive at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. After he was inside, the 27-year-old owner of the Bruin Traffic School in West Los Angeles discovered that neither Randy Bachman nor Fred Turner, the key members of the ‘70s-era rock band, were in the version of the band playing that night.

Angry over what he felt was deceptive billing, Chesler demanded his money back. He said the club refused. “Then I threatened to go outside and tell everyone who was waiting in line for a ticket that neither of the main guys were in the group,” Chesler recalled. “As you can guess, the club refunded my money immediately.”

Chesler said he also demanded--and received--his money back after attending a Guess Who concert several years ago at the Wiltern Theatre, only to find that the group playing--as he put it--was “a bunch of imposters.”

Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) and the Guess Who were back in town last week, again without the key original members, at the Universal Amphitheatre. Now forewarned, Chesler refused to attend.

But he’s still not happy.

“These shows are total rip-offs,” he complained. “With the Guess Who, the creative forces were Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman, who wrote all the hit songs and whose musicianship and singing created the band’s distinctive sound. Neither of them are in the band now. And with BTO, neither of the major contributors--Randy Bachman and Fred Turner--are with the group. The only original member is Randy’s brother, Tim, who played rhythm guitar and left the band after two albums.

“Maybe these groups have the legal right to use the name, but I think it’s misleading and dishonest to advertise an appearance by Bachman-Turner Overdrive when neither guy is there,” Chesler said. “Shouldn’t concert halls at least be required to list the names of everyone who’s in the band?” Good question. With the growing popularity of classic rock, all sorts of ‘60s and ‘70s rock legends--including the Doobie Brothers, the Byrds, Lynyrd Skynryd and Steppenwolf--have reunited for albums and concert tours.

Legally, any member--original or not--can own the rights to the name of a band. But think about it. Would you go see the Beatles if the only original member on hand was Ringo Starr? Or the Rolling Stones with Bill Wyman? Or the Beach Boys with Mike Love!

It’s commonplace for reunion albums to supply credits listing who’s remained in the group. Shouldn’t concert promoters have to do the same?

“I don’t think so at all,” said Universal Amphitheatre promoter Larry Vallon. “When it comes down to it, who really cares who’s in the group? The audience is coming out to hear the songs and experience the music, not to be a bunch of musicologists or historians and start analyzing which guy from which era is in the band.

“My criteria is--I try to have at least one original member in the band. If someone wants their money back, I’m happy to provide it. But we haven’t had any problems here.”

But if the Byrds toured with only Gene Clark (who left the group after its first two albums), would that be a fair representation of the group?

“Sure--he’s a Byrd,” Vallon said. “He’s probably got a guitar player who could play rings around David Crosby anyway.”

And what about Humble Pie, which has toured recently--with the group’s original drummer, but not original leaders Steve Marriott or Peter Frampton? “I guess by my standards, they’d be fine too,” he said. “If they put on a good show, I can’t see a problem. I don’t see anyone complaining about Van Halen touring without David Lee Roth.”

Dan Wojcik, a Nashville agent who booked the BTO tour, acknowledged that Tim Bachman is the only original member still performing with the band. “Hey, they’re selling out everywhere,” he said. “They play at least 150 dates a year and we’ve had maybe five requests for a refund. No one cares if Randy or Fred is in the band--it’s the concept of the group people pay to see.”

This explanation didn’t wash with original BTO manager Bruce Allen, who now manages Bryan Adams and is putting together a “real” BTO reunion tour this summer. “What they’re doing is wrong, it’s illegal and it’s totally misleading,” he said. “Legally, Tim Bachman has the lease to the name ‘BTO’ until February, 1989, but according to our agreement, he can not be billed as ‘Bachman-Turner Overdrive.’

“It’s a total cop-out to say people don’t care who’s really in the band. Then why doesn’t someone just put on a Beatles reunion with a bunch of clones? Everyone loses here. The public isn’t getting the real thing. And we’ll lose too, because when Randy goes out on the road with the original band, who’s going to believe that they’re the real thing?”