Post by kds on Apr 21, 2021 15:04:06 GMT
It stinks when your sports team trades a fan favorite, or tends him leave via free agency.
Similarly, it can be tough when a classic member of a beloved band is no longer in the group for whatever reason. But, there are examples of times losing a prominent member has actually worked out.
Deep Purple - Ritchie Blackmore is my all time favorite guitarist, but by 1994, he really had no interest in hard rock anymore, and was even less interested in being in a band with Ian Gillan. He left Deep Purple, and was permanently replaced by Steve Morse. The albums aren't as good as their 70s albums, but they've released a lot of solid material with Morse, especially since hooking up with Bob Ezrin in the early 2010s. Long before that, DP made a big shakeup in their prime, replacing Ian Gillan and Roger Glover with David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. The gamble paid off with the classic album Burn in 1974.
Styx - While not exactly a prolific band in terms of new music, their music with founder Dennis DeYoung was pretty unspectacular in the 1990s, especially on their 1999 comeback album, Brave New World. DeYoung also had reservations about touring, and found himself out of the band going into the 21st Century. The band has been a constant on the summer classic rock circuit, and have released some decent albums with Dennis's replacement Lawrence Gowan.
Van Halen - Like him or not, Sammy Hagar made VH a much more versatile band.
Black Sabbath - After fronting the band for a decade and eight albums, Ozzy Osbourne was shown the door in 1979. He was replaced with Ronnie James Dio, with whom Sabbath would release two classic metal albums in the early 80s. On his own, Ozzy also had a very good run of solo albums in the 1980s and into the 1990.
Pink Floyd - Years after Syd Barrett became a drug casualty and replaced with David Gilmour, another major change was needed. By 1983's The Final Cut, Pink Floyd was essentially Roger Waters's backing band. After a solo album and tour in 1984, Waters announced he was leaving Floyd in 1985, assuming that would spell the end of the band. David Gilmour and Nick Mason had other ideas. They started work on a new Floyd album, and eventually brought Richard Wright back into the fold. Roger took them to court. The court ruled in favor of the Waters less Floyd. The new Floyd released two albums that's were far less politically motivated and had more musical flourished reminiscent of classic Floyd. Unfortunately, after 1994's excellent Division Bell, which I think could've kickstarted a new era for the band, they essentially faded away.
These are just five examples where removing a prominent member (not due to mortality or substance abuse) helped the band. Any others?
Similarly, it can be tough when a classic member of a beloved band is no longer in the group for whatever reason. But, there are examples of times losing a prominent member has actually worked out.
Deep Purple - Ritchie Blackmore is my all time favorite guitarist, but by 1994, he really had no interest in hard rock anymore, and was even less interested in being in a band with Ian Gillan. He left Deep Purple, and was permanently replaced by Steve Morse. The albums aren't as good as their 70s albums, but they've released a lot of solid material with Morse, especially since hooking up with Bob Ezrin in the early 2010s. Long before that, DP made a big shakeup in their prime, replacing Ian Gillan and Roger Glover with David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. The gamble paid off with the classic album Burn in 1974.
Styx - While not exactly a prolific band in terms of new music, their music with founder Dennis DeYoung was pretty unspectacular in the 1990s, especially on their 1999 comeback album, Brave New World. DeYoung also had reservations about touring, and found himself out of the band going into the 21st Century. The band has been a constant on the summer classic rock circuit, and have released some decent albums with Dennis's replacement Lawrence Gowan.
Van Halen - Like him or not, Sammy Hagar made VH a much more versatile band.
Black Sabbath - After fronting the band for a decade and eight albums, Ozzy Osbourne was shown the door in 1979. He was replaced with Ronnie James Dio, with whom Sabbath would release two classic metal albums in the early 80s. On his own, Ozzy also had a very good run of solo albums in the 1980s and into the 1990.
Pink Floyd - Years after Syd Barrett became a drug casualty and replaced with David Gilmour, another major change was needed. By 1983's The Final Cut, Pink Floyd was essentially Roger Waters's backing band. After a solo album and tour in 1984, Waters announced he was leaving Floyd in 1985, assuming that would spell the end of the band. David Gilmour and Nick Mason had other ideas. They started work on a new Floyd album, and eventually brought Richard Wright back into the fold. Roger took them to court. The court ruled in favor of the Waters less Floyd. The new Floyd released two albums that's were far less politically motivated and had more musical flourished reminiscent of classic Floyd. Unfortunately, after 1994's excellent Division Bell, which I think could've kickstarted a new era for the band, they essentially faded away.
These are just five examples where removing a prominent member (not due to mortality or substance abuse) helped the band. Any others?